Honda EU6500iSAC - 5500 Watt Electric Start Portable Inverter Generator

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 will use this generator as backup power in the event we lose power at our home here in North Dakota. Am confident this is the best machine for the job.

Been dealing with EDG for about 2 years and have nothing but praise for this company. I mostly buy back-up generator equipment, ie transfer switches, power inlet boxes, power cords, and portable generators. "Yes, I'm an electrician " Great prices and very helpful staff.

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.

This is my second honda generator that has run for more than ten years. I wanted to upgrade my power and wire the house to a generator switch. My new Honda EU6500 ran great for one hour then could not stay running. I called Honda (nice talk with the operator) gave me the dealer to go to for repair. Problem was plugged fuel line caused in manufacturing. Overall this generator is very quite, smooth running and the best is clean a/c power because it is a inverter generator. (Safe for all my electronics ,furnace ,well and frig.boards), also it runs on less fuel for longer time and is completely enclosed.

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.

Well I just got back my brand new generator after 5 weeks in the service dept. to find out that "water and trash" were supposedly in the fuel, therefore costing me $118.00 to get my new $4000.00 generator back. I put new fuel in via the attached filter, so I doubt their claim. If trash was there, it was there in the tank before fuel was added. As for water, the fuel has worked in every other machine I have used it in (without filtering), so I'm skeptical. Bottom line: I cannot recommend the generator or the attached warranty or online purchasing. Never again!

I've started up the generator a couple times so far and it's really as quiet as eveyone says it is. Worth the sleep I'll be able to get during the next power outage. Built solid with thoughtful design features like every other Honda product I've owned.

The generator runs for an hour then starts "surging" and cuts off. Then on restart begins surging immediately and stops. Won't run till it cools off. Brought to local Honda certified repair shop, and turn around is 4-6 WEEKS. I've spent 4k on a generator, and I don't have one to use. Very, very disappointed in product and service.

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.