I recently purchased both the EU200i and it's companion cart. My reasons for getting that unit were first, that I only needed the 1600/2000 watt output, second for it's low noise level and lastly for the Honda reputation for making good generators.
I have about 30 hours on it so far, most of that to test the unit and get through the first oil change (there was an actual outage included in that time).
The unit arrived without incident, and after a quick pre-start check, adding gas and oil it started right up and ran smoothly both initially and during all of the currently accumulated hours.
The Eco-throttle makes a big difference both in noise output and run-time. Of course if you are running it at close to capacity you won't see much reduction in either. At lower load levels (400-600 watts) though, with Eco-throttle enabled the noise level is quite low and I was getting 10+ hours on a tank of fuel. Noise is difficult to quantify - while the generator is very quiet it is by no means silent or even close to silent, especially at higher load levels or without the Eco-throttle engaged. However, if you compare to most other generators it is indeed a very quiet unit.
The cart, while a bit pricey does work well with the generator and makes it easy for my wife to move around. There was some confusion as to whether the generator can (or should be) run while on the cart or if it should be lifted off each time. The instructions with the cart indicate that the generator can be run while on it, the only caveat being that the safety strap be unbuckled. Half of the 30 hours was on the cart and everything seems to be working well.
Now, a couple of design issues.
The oil reservoir - filling it, emptying it and it's general design is somewhat mystifying. The oil level is correct when it is high enough to all but run out of the filler neck (which it does). Pouring oil in is a pain in the neck as is emptying it. Be prepared for somewhat of a mess. I'm generally underwhelmed with the design. I purchased an aftermarket oil extension tube that pretty much eliminates the mess - just -make sure- you measure the oil carefully as you pour it in since you won't know if you've overfilled it until you unscrew the oil extension tube. Minor overfilling can be addressed by slightly tilting the unit backwards until you can deal with the extra oil.
Additionally, the cover for the spark plug must be depressed and lifted up to open and (at least on mine) is no easy task. They could have easily used a captive screw as with the other access cover.
All in all though, the generator is relatively, quiet, runs well and has a very good run-time. As long as you understand the caveats, it's a great little generator.
I recently purchased both the EU200i and it's companion cart. My reasons for getting that unit were first, that I only needed the 1600/2000 watt output, second for it's low noise level and lastly for the Honda reputation for making good generators.
I have about 30 hours on it so far, most of that to test the unit and get through the first oil change (there was an actual outage included in that time).
The unit arrived without incident, and after a quick pre-start check, adding gas and oil it started right up and ran smoothly both initially and during all of the cur...
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