Honda EU6500iSAC - 5500 Watt Electric Start Portable Inverter Generator

For some time now I have been looking for a generator for my home in Florida. I have spent over a year researching and talking with people to determine what would be best for my needs and keeping within a reasonable price.

My home is all electric so I looked into the cost of a home standby system with a 200 pound propane tank, but found that for the amount of time I might really need this set up it was too expensive. My next idea was to go with a large portable like the big Generac 17.5 or 15K so that I would be capable of running my AC and the entire home. Well, I decided the this large a generator would be very thirsty; so to have enough fuel stored before a hurricane would be impractical and very costly as fuel is rather expensive now.

I have read many of the reviews on this site and found them to be helpful, so I thought mine may help others with their search. I decided I would limit my search to 5-8k, and while there are many fine machines out there I finally chose the Honda EU6500. I chose wisely in my estimation; while this will not run my entire household it will run the important appliances, refrigerators, freezer, water pumps and heaters, and small room AC units to cool a room for comfort during a hurricane.

While the Honda is pricey it has the best warranty: 3 Years and with the inverter is super quiet and more fuel efficient then the models the must contently run at 3600 RMPs which would allow fuel consumption to potentially be less over time which reduces the need for very large fuel storage compared to the larger models. Also as we saw in the storm Sandy recently fuel was difficult to obtain so not having to store as much for a large generator I can remain powered longer without having to look for fuel.

I received my generator from the R&L trucking company. I paid for the lift gate service and was concerned about the comments some customers had regarding the service from R&L. I can tell you this- once the delivery date and time were established the company was awesome! I was given a four hour delivery window and my generator arrived ten minutes into the first hour. The driver was very friendly and I was ready to take my generator from the street to my garage myself, but that was not necessary as the driver just used his pallet jack and placed in in my garage!

Once in the garage the R&L driver offered to open the box to inspect the machine, we did; everything was ship shape! I then went to putting the wheels and handles on, oil, fuel and hooked up the battery. I turned the key and it fired right up on the first try like I owned it for years!

I looked over the displays in the I-monitor and everything was just right. Then I started loading the generator with lamps and things I have available- what an awesome machine! It is never so loud you can't talk and the quality is AWESOME!

Another reason I chose this Honda was, while at 250 pounds it is not super light but it is still manageable and can go places where I need power and not have to listen to a loud machine!

One last note, I looked all over for generators and the prices. EGD is a great source and I WILL buy from them again! Look around; I sure did. I was happy I did not pay sales tax, I was on the Honda website and saw that there was a good discount offered on this model and I paid with a check (optional) and it paid for the lift gate service and part of the cover I bought.

If you are looking for a 5.5K machine, this is it!

For some time now I have been looking for a generator for my home in Florida. I have spent over a year researching and talking with people to determine what would be best for my needs and keeping within a reasonable price.

My home is all electric so I looked into the cost of a home standby system with a 200 pound propane tank, but found that for the amount of time I might really need this set up it was too expensive. My next idea was to go with a large portable like the big Generac 17.5 or... more

After reading countless reviews, and different generator websites, I decided that this was the one generator to get. I could pick it up from the delivery dock in the same city where I work. I picked it up after work so I didn't have to wait for delivery or lift gate service. Just fork lifted it right into my pickup. The money I saved went towards a dust cover. I saved even more by paying by check instead of a credit card. It comes without oil in it so if you put some padding on the floor before you do the wheel assembly, you can tip it on its front side on the roll bars, to attach the wheels. It was pretty simple. After adding oil and gas, it started right up and purred like a kitten, real Honda quality, nice and quiet. A great little package, you won't be disappointed.... I was really surprised how quiet it was.

After reading countless reviews, and different generator websites, I decided that this was the one generator to get. I could pick it up from the delivery dock in the same city where I work. I picked it up after work so I didn't have to wait for delivery or lift gate service. Just fork lifted it right into my pickup. The money I saved went towards a dust cover. I saved even more by paying by check instead of a credit card. It comes without oil in it so if you put some padding on the floor before... more

We have owned this generator for over 1 year.

Several things this generator does GREAT at:
- The 120/240 volt switch is GREAT for camping. With it set to "120" you have the full power of the generator for 120 Volt - no worrying if you are overloading 1/2 of the windings (or inverter in this case). Remember that a 5000W 120/240V unit puts out 2500W per side - for a total of 5000W. This means any 120V device can NOT exceed 2500W! We have used it to power 3 campers at one time.
- Clean power (sine wave). Safe for sensitive electronics! This measured to be better than the power company. I've checked other generators and all non inverters have some degree of "dirty power" or noise in the sine wave. The older non Honda generator I had was very bad!
- Frequency output - how close to 60Hz is it and does it maintain 60Hz throughout it's load range? This is almost perfect!
- Noise - all subjective to a degree but I found this to be quieter than running 2 of the EU2000i generators in parallel.
- How long can it operate between rated and max load? Honda's site and owners manual says 30 minutes maximum time the generator can be run above the rated load. I haven't seen this info from other manufactures. I even called several manufacures directly and non would state exact time. Several did say "only said a few seconds".
- How available are parts, service, service manuals, etc. Several generators I looked at only had an owners manual no parts or service manuals. Yes, I called their service depts and asked at locations that were "qualified" to service them.
- How easy is it to maintain? Ex: Reading the manuals for several generators you have to remove the gas tank and side panel to replace the battery. This has a front battery door.
- Does the battery get charged while the generator is running or does it require a separate charger? Many don't charge the battery - the more expensive ones do. Yes, this does charge the battery.
- If the battery dies, can you start the generator? This does have a pull cord, some do not.

Now the things that bug me.
- The hour meter reads in 1 hour increments - no tenths. No biggie, but it would be nice if it showed tenths.
- Yes it is economical, but why not a larger fuel tank?
- The fuel filler is in the middle of the fuel tank. I gave up trying to fill it and not make a mess with the fuel so I bought a small battery powered pump which works great.
- It would be nice if they offered a propane version or tri-fuel version. Yes, you can buy aftermarket kits, but you might have warranty issues if you ever have a problem.

We have owned this generator for over 1 year.

Several things this generator does GREAT at:
- The 120/240 volt switch is GREAT for camping. With it set to "120" you have the full power of the generator for 120 Volt - no worrying if you are overloading 1/2 of the windings (or inverter in this case). Remember that a 5000W 120/240V unit puts out 2500W per side - for a total of 5000W. This means any 120V device can NOT exceed 2500W! We have used it to power 3 campers at one time.... more

Shipped well, delivered on time. When I got to the battery hook up there were no bolts to connect the wires. Called Generators Dir. to speak to the answer person, with all the knowledge, he told me to call Honda. Honda told me to call Generators Dir. Once they get your money you are on your own. The bolts are a specialty item nothing else will fit. Good luck if you buy from these people and you need help.

I got the Honda EU6500is after Sandy. It is simply the best portable generator available in the 5500W range. It is costly but is the quietest by far and the most fuel efficient portable generator.

You can have a normal conversation right next to it when its running. Even quieter in Eco mode. As an inverter generator it is able to run at lower RPMs than a typical machine. The buying experience from Generators Direct was great. Best price and no sales tax. It was shipped by R&L. I paid for the lift gate service to have the machine unloaded from the truck at the curb.

I was concerned about how I was going to get the 250 lb crate up my 180' suburban drive, but the R&L driver was terrific and rolled it right into my garage (he's not required to do so). It took about 20 minutes to attach the wheels and handles and hook up the battery, all with ordinary hand tools.

I added oil (not supplied) and gas and the unit started right up. I have a Gen Tran Safety switch running 8 critical circuits in the house (excluding the electric stove and all A/C). The Honda runs all of our basic household loads with no problem.

I got the Honda EU6500is after Sandy. It is simply the best portable generator available in the 5500W range. It is costly but is the quietest by far and the most fuel efficient portable generator.

You can have a normal conversation right next to it when its running. Even quieter in Eco mode. As an inverter generator it is able to run at lower RPMs than a typical machine. The buying experience from Generators Direct was great. Best price and no sales tax. It was shipped by R&L. I paid... more

This generator is well worth the money you definitely get what you pay for. The 6500 has performed flawlessly in two storms powering the whole house with no problem. It is so quiet and is great on fuel also. Pull the trigger and buy the Honda you won't be disappointed.

I live in NJ, we've had no power in 20 hours- this generator couldn't be more fuel efficient.

Most of my neighbors have big box, cheap and noisy generators. This one with TV, Playstation, washer/dryer, tankless water heater, dehumidifier, and heat hasn't gone above 2550 RPMs.

It is pricey but the fuel efficiency and the slightest of noises cannot be beat.

I don't know why this website rates the Yamaha EF6300is better than the Honda EU6500is.

Bought a Honda EU6500isA this past May. I paid more than I wanted but I needed two features I thought it offered, quiet and power quality. I have too much digital stuff running in the house and the last thing I need is to fry circuit boards with a cheap two pole fire cracker delivering wild voltage and frequency.

I test ran the Honda after delivery and except for the problem noted below, it appeared OK so I stored it in the garage hoping I don't need it. Then recently along comes a rare event, a small local but vicious tornado in NJ of all places trees down power out all over the place. Plugged in the Honda, started it up, worked great with relatively low fuel consumption and low noise for myself and the neighbors. Happy!

The only fly in the ointment is the power output display did not work from day one so I'm blind on where generator is operating relative to its capacity limit which is kind of a bummer. Spoke to Honda USA directly but the person I dealt with did not appear to understand the issue.The generator is rather heavy and being an old guy with just a regular car, I don't have means to get it to a dealer for warranty checkout. I was told cost and time two ways to do this is something I'm on the hook for whether they decide it's warranty covered or not.

Since everything else works OK, I've decided to live with it and keep my fingers crossed. I wish I knew of an inexpensive inductive clamp on type meter I could place over the output cable to at least check the amps output.

Bought a Honda EU6500isA this past May. I paid more than I wanted but I needed two features I thought it offered, quiet and power quality. I have too much digital stuff running in the house and the last thing I need is to fry circuit boards with a cheap two pole fire cracker delivering wild voltage and frequency.

I test ran the Honda after delivery and except for the problem noted below, it appeared OK so I stored it in the garage hoping I don't need it. Then recently along comes a rare... more

I marked Heavy and Expensive on the Cons side but there not really bad cons. You get what you pay for. The weight comes in because it's tough. This is the best generator you can get. Super quiet, very reliable running unit. We have several of this exact unit and a few that are smaller watts at my work and we run the crud out of them outside powering expensive electronics on aircraft.

From powering up the power unit, AC cooling units to cool avionics to actual boxes on board. Out of all the equipment we use for work, this Honda generator never gives us problems. So when it came time to upgrade to a new 5th wheel camper, it was a no-brainer to not get the included generator unit at 3 to 4 times the cost and go with a trouble free Honda. This thing can run both 15,000 AC units and microwave with no issues.

Spend the extra money and get a Honda inverter type of generator. Buy it once and be done.

I marked Heavy and Expensive on the Cons side but there not really bad cons. You get what you pay for. The weight comes in because it's tough. This is the best generator you can get. Super quiet, very reliable running unit. We have several of this exact unit and a few that are smaller watts at my work and we run the crud out of them outside powering expensive electronics on aircraft.

From powering up the power unit, AC cooling units to cool avionics to actual boxes on board. Out of... more

I have only put five hours on my eu6500 but I can make a few comments. As expected the unit is absolutely top quality in fit and finish and it is just as quiet as expected. Assembly is very simple although getting at the bottom of a 300 pound generator to assemble the axle and the feet is a bit of a challenge. The unit started easily although it did take about two hours of run time for the low speed / low power idle to smooth out. The unit now runs very smoothly from idle to full throttle. All in all a beautiful generator.

I have only put five hours on my eu6500 but I can make a few comments. As expected the unit is absolutely top quality in fit and finish and it is just as quiet as expected. Assembly is very simple although getting at the bottom of a 300 pound generator to assemble the axle and the feet is a bit of a challenge. The unit started easily although it did take about two hours of run time for the low speed / low power idle to smooth out. The unit now runs very smoothly from idle to full throttle. All... more

Mid summer and a storm blows in. Knocked tree limbs down all over town. Along with the limbs came the power lines. It was the beginning of the canning and freezing process. We were working hard to save all we could to feed us for the winter. No power for 2 days wasn't going to help us at all.

By the end of the first day I opened the freezer to check on things to find everything to find that it was ok but I knew that it wasn't going to be long that all our work was going to go to the dump. I was fortunate enough that my neighbor did have power and was good enough to let me run a drop cord from the back to my freezers to keep them working.

It made me realize that the cost of a generator would offset the loss of all that food and the labor to prepare it. I then started to search the internet for not only a good product but of course a good price.

Mid summer and a storm blows in. Knocked tree limbs down all over town. Along with the limbs came the power lines. It was the beginning of the canning and freezing process. We were working hard to save all we could to feed us for the winter. No power for 2 days wasn't going to help us at all.

By the end of the first day I opened the freezer to check on things to find everything to find that it was ok but I knew that it wasn't going to be long that all our work was going to go to the dump. I... more