Honda EU7000iS

Honda's first genuinely new generator in years, and the first in this size with fuel injection — the GX130 EFI means no carburetor to gum up in storage, which eliminates the single most common failure mode in owner forums. At 59 lbs it carries like an EU2200i but delivers 2,600 running watts and a 30A locking outlet, enough to start a 13.5k BTU RV air conditioner that the smaller Honda can't touch. Owners love the concept; the execution had teething problems — Consumer Reports and retailer reviews show a visible minority of one-star reports for stalling and hard-start issues on early units, and Honda's dealer-service response has been mixed. Most current-production owners report it running flawlessly and impressively quiet at 54-58 dB. It's expensive per watt, but it's the lightest path to real RV-AC power with EFI reliability.

The default answer to 'which small generator should I buy' for going on two decades. The EU2200i's GXR120 engine, 47-lb carry weight, and 48-57 dB voice-level noise make it the campground and tailgate standard, and the current version adds Bluetooth monitoring, CO-MINDER shutdown, and a fuel shutoff valve so you can run the carb dry before storage — a direct response to the gummed-carburetor complaints that dominate owner threads for every small generator, Honda included. Owners justify the price with resale value (used units hold 70%+ of MSRP) and start-on-second-pull reliability years in. The honest knocks: it's double the cost of credible clones, 1,800 running watts won't touch most RV air conditioners without a parallel second unit, there's no fuel gauge, and the early-generation recall history (2018-19 fire risk) still comes up in threads.

Harbor Freight's giant-killer. The Predator 9500 delivers 7,600 running watts of closed-case inverter power — EU7000iS territory plus 2,000 extra watts — at 40% of Honda's price, and the r/Generator consensus is that the hardware genuinely delivers: clean power, 67 dBA that's dramatically quieter than open frames, electric start, ESC economy mode, and 18.5-hour runtimes. Owners run whole homes through the L14-30R and an interlock. The catch everyone leads with: a 90-day warranty from a company whose service model is 'bring it to the store,' so buyers treat the extended protection plan as mandatory. Other realities from long-term threads: 257 lbs makes it the heaviest thing in its class, it's carbureted (store it dry), CO Secure occasionally false-trips in enclosed-ish spaces, and there's no dual-fuel option at this size.