Review of my Champion Generator
- Quiet – Unless they are powering a large load at full rpm they are nice and quiet in Econo mode. You can easily have a normal conversation standing right beside the generator.
- Fuel Efficient – I usually get 8-10 hours in Econo mode when charging my RV batteries and doing light stuff like watching TV or using the computer.
- Lightweight – They weight around and 50 lbs and have a nice solid handle. Makes them easy to move around and if you have two they stack nicely
- Maintenance – Very straight forward. Change the oil every 6 months or year, clean the spark plug and exhaust filter.
- Durable – They have traveled in my truck tool chest for 2 years, in moist environments, cold, heat and rough roads and never an issue. These are tough!
Because of their small size, they fit nicely into the tool chest of my pickup truck. Total continuous watts is 1600 or 3200 in parallel mode. The 2000 watt rating is only for initial surges. I highly recommend the Champion 2000 watt inverter generator. They make a great cheap alternative to the more expensive Japanese brands out there, which can be twice the price per watt. Don’t be confused into thinking these are super loud like the construction type generators that Champion is famous for these are an inverter type and can run very quietly in a low rev Econo mode just like a Honda or Yamaha. Many folks are still unaware that Champion now makes the inverter type generator as well, so bad mouth it calling them noisy mistakenly believing Champion only makes the cheaper louder models which are great for construction sites or at the race track.
Here is a short video of my Champions in action
Photo Gallery – Updated June 29th 2013 with photos shot during routine maintenance.
*Update*
We have used the Champion 2000 watt inverter generator now for 2 years of full-time RVing and so far they have performed well and had no breakdowns. I change the oil, clean the spark plugs and exhaust spark arrester every 6 months. I’ve recently added a post on this site detailing how I maintain the generators. This last snowbird season in the US Southwest we had a chance to do an extensive amount of boondocking and the Champion Generators were our go-to energy source. They ran quietly and sipped the fuel, averaging 8-10 hours per gallon when in Econo mode and not under any heavy load.
They have proved to be very physically durable. I store them 24/7 in the trucks metal toolbox and they take the vibration and shocks well. The plastic casing is showing some signs of the abuse with some scratches and scuff marks but they still run great.
I’m pretty impressed considering the low price and more than happy with the purchase. I was at the big RV show in Quartzsite and saw the new 3100W inverter generator from Champion and it looked and sounded great. It comes with a built-in 30amp RV power outlet and 2800 watts of constant power.
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