Champion 2000 VS Honda EU2200i - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 05-13-2019, 08:10 PM   #1
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Champion 2000 VS Honda EU2200i

My buddy came over today and we did a few camping tests on the new generators. His Hondas are 2200 starting 1800 running watts. The Champions are 2000 starting 1600 running watts.

Both have full 3 year warranties, Champion offers lifetime tech support, not sure on the Hondas.

I used a Radio Shack Sound level meter for all measurements @21 feet. It was super windy so all measurements were artificially loud. The Honda was consistently 1-2dB quieter in all the tests. It seemed to have a deeper exhaust note than the Champion did. Neither of us felt the Champion was even close to being too loud, just a slightly higher pitched exhaust note. You can barely hear them running from 21 feet away.

The Hondas were a little heavier, even though they are supposed to be within a pound of the Champions. I didn't weigh them but the difference was obvious. The Hondas don't come with a 30 amp RV plug so I had to connect it to the camper with a 20 amp adapter. You have to buy a 30 amp twist lock adapter to connect it to the generator. You also have to use a screwdriver to connect the parallel cable ground, the Champion has a threaded post so I can attach my ground with a wingnut.

Both are ridiculously easy to start. I just installed a Micro-Air Easy Start on my 15k air conditioner both generators started it with such ease, I was shocked. The Honda's barely hit half throttle before quickly settling back down. It was running in the 67dB range which a normal conversation is around 60dB. The Champions jumped a bit higher (400 watts less) and quickly settled to a better than expected 68dB. My wifes hair dryer put more strain on them than the air conditioner did.

That's about all I have for now, as expected the Hondas are quiet, powerful monsters, but that should be a given for double the price. I'm very pleased with how the Champions ran the camper air conditioning, that Easy Start is worth it's weight in gold. The Champions are stackable so if you tailgate or are in really tight spaces 2 will fit in a single foot print. Time will tell how well the engines are made.

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Old 05-13-2019, 08:32 PM   #2
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One other difference, the Champion has an EZ start dial that takes you from choke to run to fuel shutoff and engine shutoff. The Honda has a similar dial but the choke is located in a different area.
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Old 05-13-2019, 10:16 PM   #3
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Thanks for the test info. I am looking at both of these right now, and although I typically take the approach of buying the best you can afford ( hence, leaning towards the Honda) I have to say the Champion is appealing especially considering the relatively low level of use it will be subjected to. Just trying to justify the higher cost of the Honda (to myself AND my wife).
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Old 05-14-2019, 03:07 PM   #4
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What I am curious about is fuel use between dual generators, and a single larger generator. I opted for the 3500 (not the exact same I have) over hauling two around and linking them together. The one I have will run everything except the water heater if AC is on. I don't have a soft start kit either, and the Champion had no problem starting it. I had it sitting next to the trailer and could barely hear it inside.
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Old 05-14-2019, 04:21 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by acdii View Post
What I am curious about is fuel use between dual generators, and a single larger generator. I opted for the 3500 (not the exact same I have) over hauling two around and linking them together. The one I have will run everything except the water heater if AC is on. I don't have a soft start kit either, and the Champion had no problem starting it. I had it sitting next to the trailer and could barely hear it inside.
Yours is rated to run 7.5 hours at 25% load and the small ones are rated at 11 hours. I'd bet 2 small ones will use a little more gas, but for my back I'd rather pay a little more for gas. Mine have both run a little over 5 hours and still have a good half a tank left, 1 gal capacity.

I went out this morning and fired up my 15k air conditioner with ONE running on eco mode, i'm a little shocked. It was still revving noticeably below full throttle after the compressor started. That's also counting whatever power the converter is using.
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Old 05-23-2019, 12:22 PM   #6
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The champion has a bad warranty. I bought a 4000 watt and had problems in my first month. I went to another store and they exchanged it because of how short of time I had it. I now run a 6000 watt Honda commercial generator it runs most of my home in a power outages
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Old 05-23-2019, 04:27 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Iwantlessstress View Post
The champion has a bad warranty. I bought a 4000 watt and had problems in my first month. I went to another store and they exchanged it because of how short of time I had it. I now run a 6000 watt Honda commercial generator it runs most of my home in a power outages
It's a 3 year warranty with lifetime customer/phone support. Care to explain how that's a "bad warranty".
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Old 05-23-2019, 05:24 PM   #8
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They did not want to honour it. I had to go to another spot that sold it and they replaced it
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Old 05-23-2019, 07:33 PM   #9
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They did not want to honour it. I had to go to another spot that sold it and they replaced it
Well, I am guessing they didn’t just flat out refuse to honor the warranty without giving a reason. What was their justification for their decision?
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Old 05-23-2019, 09:35 PM   #10
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They said that it was used as a primary source of power and it was over used. It wasn’t a month old and it was used 4 hours a day at maximum. I didn’t deal with Champion directly when I exchanged it at the second place. It was on a Saturday and there was no one to call and they saw how short a time I had it so they made a decision at the store and exchanged it. I had a 3500 watt Hyundai before that and it was great. My father bought it and still uses it. The Champion was stolen out of my truck a year later lol. Poor sucker that stole it. I love my 6000 watt Honda even though it burns more gas. Good luck
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Old 05-24-2019, 01:10 AM   #11
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If they exchanged the Champion, how was it still in your truck a year later?
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Old 05-24-2019, 02:45 AM   #12
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They gave me another Champion. Worked better than the first one. But Champion didn’t want to do it. The chain store I bought it from made the exchange
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Old 05-24-2019, 01:57 PM   #13
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They gave me another Champion. Worked better than the first one. But Champion didn’t want to do it. The chain store I bought it from made the exchange



Oh ok, sounded like they exchanged for the Honda. Sorry.
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