Honda EU20i

I'd like to write a review but – 1. Faulty software on website, it will not recognise my address so I can't get a brochure, so I can't decide whether to buy or not. 2. 1300 phone number is beyond useless. They NEVER answer. 3. So, no way to get information, no way to contact Honda ......

These are great little genies – I have 4 EU 20 generator’s the original two are the EU20 & two of the EU20i. I have linked them together, run them individually with out any problems. I run them to power our camping shed, running lights,tv,blueray,microwave,small deep fryer ( microwave and Deep fryer will only run by themselves with nothing else powered up on 1 generator link 2… Read more

if you need light’s and tv at the same time) These generator’s need to run the Honda oil or you may have problems with them down the tack. Oil level is very important as this can cause them to play up especially on uneven ground. We run our generator’s out of fuel a lot which doesn’t seem to bother them,they last about 8 hours on a full tank unless you have like me a boat fuel tank as a reserve which fills via a aftermarket fuel cap I only use 98 premium fuel in mine and change your oil regularly I do mine every 50 hours I hope this helps you guys out there

Smokey Bear has a new best friend – Hired this generator for two days from Herc. Assumed it was a 2-stroke because it smoked so much (way worse than a lawnmower). It has two settings - smoky ('ECO', lol) and smokier! Just as well I don't live in Toronto, lol. Then it wouldn't start on the second day after turning it off (wasn't out of fuel, but there is no gauge) so I could grab… Read more

a drink of water (and stop breathing carbon monoxide fumes for five minutes). No decompressor, so you nearly break your hand trying to pull-start it against compression again and again. Cheapo Honda - it needs an wind-up start! Disgraceful.

Took it back to the Herc man, who said, "Did you pull the cord 25 times?", and finally got it started. I said, "I don't know HOW many times I pulled the damn cord but it crippled my arthritic hand! Two-stroke plug fouling eh?" That's when they told it was a FOUR stroke. Oh, also there is NO WAY its noise would rate a "quiet conversation" level as Honda states. It doesn't get one star only because it provided sufficient current.

still the best – I have a post earlier in this site on,.... is the 2.2 Honda as good as the old 2.0, the answer is yes I bought one about 10 months ago and have flogged it to death. it has done the 500 hours long ago according to the little flashing light on the front. has had 6 oil changers, I drain fuel bowl at each oil change always leave petrol can upside… Read more

down when empty to drain any water before refilling for 10 minutes

only thing it has done is get some rattles and louder then new I feel the rattles are plastic bits getting worn from engine vibration.

if you hang from a rope attached to carry handle so genet is is the air it runs just the same as new,...... zero rattles.

hanging the genset in mid air is a old boatie trick, cuts noise by a lot... and stops vibes thou boat hull ,making running the genset so much more pleasant.

if you want to see how much better just lift it by handle while it is running under load, and it will be obvious.

so to cut a long story short the 2.2 is perfect,... as one would expect.

side note the 2.3 Honda outboard I mentioned in first post, has now done 363 hour I know as I wouldn't buy it unless Honda fitted a hour meter under cowl and replaced engine mount bolts with stainless ones, after much kicking and screaming they did my requests.

the reason you need stainless engine bolt is the Honda bolts heads rust to a blob. so you cannot remove engine from leg without many hours work just the way Honda and other outboard makers like it .

got to get work shop jobs some how.

anyway the china made 2.3 is just the same as the previous japan made one. absolutely will not break down,.... only time it will stop is when carbi bowl is 60 percent water and 40 percent fuel....... so all you round the blockers, its still the best lightest, uses less fuel than any other outbound... 18.... 20 ks to a liter.

so if you think it is not running correct, just clean carbi bowl or drain ...then drain your fuel jerry can and leave upside down for the arvo then refill.

and the little Honda will still be running 1,000 hrs. later just like when you bought it.

I have many thousands of hours up on 2.3 Honda outboards now, never had a break down, never had the values adjusted, or changed a spark plug.

longest hrs. on one 2,300 on crab dory.

just rember if its not running right it is,... always water in the carbie

so if you are going abound the block after the covid 19, use some since, and take the 2.2 geni and the best outboard ever made, regardless of horsepower size ...the 2.3 air cooled Honda.

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reliable and long lasting – Have a 12 and 8 year old pair of eu20i bought new, rarely run them together but that works well. Run one for 14 hours a day, 8 weeks a year at idle or just above to power a cabin with tele, lights and small water pressure pump (requiring a decent jump in power) and the usual personal chargers. Switch off the pressure pump and it runs a 3kva… Read more

(output) inverter split system as well as the tele and lights.

Get about 13 hours per tank or 5 hours running the aircon.

Always service them myself, change oil and clean air filters annually and that"s about the top level of my mechanical ability.

Have found that replacing spark plugs with decent brand plugs every 3-4 years keeps the fuel economy and power delivery at best rate.

Replaced the pull cord once but that was self inflicted, you must not pull the cord straight up as it will fray the cord when striking the body of the generator as you pull. Not hard to avoid.

Was initially frustrated with it when using 12volt because the revs had to be full but learnt it will still provide 240v as well, just a bit of power management is necessary.

Excellent off grid power – I have owned this Genset since 2014 and it's been on every bush trip since To be honest I should have purchased the 1000w unit for even better economy My bush set up is very modest. I play music all day and night from the ute, I power LED lights at night, charge the battery constantly while the Gen is running and run an 80lt Engel plus use a… Read more

special 500w kettle to boil water for dishes tea and coffees. On eco mode with 4lts of unleaded these units run 13 hours non stop. The unit really does start first pull every time. On a 25mt lead you can hardly hear it running even during the night

Trouble free running guide – The 2.0kva Honda starts and runs first time,only problem with nonstart was on old fuel changed that and it went ok. Found that it runs most air conditioners ,but you have to start Gen. then start air conditioning with the remote on low low setting and after a few minutes it will tolerate turning up to normal Show details

Have owned 4 units, no more – First one 14 years ago only used four times to combat blackouts, then the floods and lost power in 2013, ran for 10 minutes and stopped, service said inverter sparking, so bought a new as needed it urgent, 4 yrs later this on need a new inverter, repaired under warranty, 4 yrs later in for regular service again inverter sparking no warranty this… Read more

time, and i will not replace it with a Honda, their opposition have units 66% cheaper, if it lasts more than 2 yrs I'm better off. PeterW

Very difficult to start and no product back up – From new it has been very, very difficult to start, I assumed that with run-in it would improve and, with Honda's good name and high price tag, they would fix the problem if it didn't improve. I was wrong. The process to trying to get it fixed has been extremely bureaucratic with head office and local dealer directing me to the other in a circle. No resolution and no reliable generator. Not worth the price. Honda have lost me. Show details

Waste of money...very disapointed – Initially very happy with it but after about 2 years of limited use it started using oil , took it to the dealer and cost more to fix it than it's worth ,3 months on regularly topping up the oil it completely died.....thought i was buying quality....never again will i waste money on honda gear Show details

Fantastic ,easy start and very quiet – Use ours every saturday and sunday at markets . Never lets us down ,very economical and super quiet . If its not red leave it in the shed , thats our generator policy. Show details

Reliable workhorse, quiet, and very fuel efficient – I've owned three generators over the past decade (GMC, Ryobi, Honda). My usage patterns are to have the generator in storage for months at a time, then run it nearly non-stop for 3 to 5 days in a hot and dusty environment. I am, however, careful to run things in properly, and stick carefully to the maintenance schedules. The GMC was super loud,… Read more

but did at least keep working for a few years. I gave it away to a friend. Next was the Ryobi. It broke very quickly -- Bunnings swapped it for another one, and it also failed after a few days.

Then I bought this Honda eu20i in 2015, and it's just been a super dependable unit ever since! (Five years at the time of writing)

It's so good! * It starts really easily. * It's really quiet compared to other similar styles of generator. * It's really fuel efficient. (I've had it go for ten hours on 4 litres of petrol, albeit when not drawing too much power)

If I could give it a minus review I would – Nothing but trouble from the start. Taken back to dealer many times while under warranty which finally ran out. Then to the service department and never a satisfactory result. In the beginning thought I would buy a known reputable brand name but after this experience I will never buy Honda again. Maybe I just got a dud. Show details

totaly over honda lies – had my geny for 2 years did 1300 hours but needed a total rebuild. honda told me they are waranted for only 800 hours over 4 years. what a ropoff. never buy honda again. Show details

service life and value for money – used this gennie for 12 months not a problem ( 3 year warranty ) then it would not start <it had reguler service > honda said it was not their problem due to bad service which i dipute say the top cylinda was carbened up say i used wrong oil say i used dirty fuel !!!!!!!! said too long between service (how can anyone tell no hour meter) would… Read more

not recommend honda to anyone went and bought a $389 doller kings 3.5kw and have not had a spot of bother with it honda is just overpriced and not value for the money can buy a new kings every 12 months and still be in $ 8oo in front

Don't buy online – I purchased a Honda EU20I online...This was my second Honda generator ...Surprise surprise the first Generator was an original ,but guess what the second one was not..We moved from Nt to Qld and we did not notice that the latest generator was rated at 220 volt and also had a 10 amp outlet instead of 15 outlet.. At the time we purchased the online… Read more

generator , we again decided to free camp...This did not work out ..

We decided to have our generator serviced by our local dealer, as we had not used it for quiet some time....We were then advised that our generator did not have a serial no and was not up to Australian a standards..We now have a generator that cannot be serviced by any Honda dealer...The dealer advised us that this was the second generator that had the same problem..When we purchased the generator we paid nearly $1800 ...We contacted the company that we purchased it from...They are willing to change the 10 amp outlet to a 15 amp outlet..The deal is we live in Qld and yes they will pay for the pickup but we must pay for the return to Qld..At the end of the day, we do not have a Generator that is up to Australian standards.

The Best of the Best – I am a retired Honda Dealer, so I know this product well, I was selling this model back in the late 90’s, and I can confirm that this is a great product. What a lot of people don’t know is that this Honda has a ‘burst output mode’ that enables it to start for example a Caravan Airconditioner with ease. My EU20i is now just over 10 years old and… Read more

still starts first go and runs like new. I have just completed a service and all that was required was oil, air filter, spark plug and replacement of some of the fuel lines which although ok were getting a little hard with age. Great product, you will not be disappointed.

2025 Have to mention this about Honda products, my Honda CBR1000 Motorcycle is now 35 yrs old, purchased new in 1990, still looks and runs like new, they don’t make them better than this..

Best Investment Ever! – This has been the best investment ever $1500 approx in 2004 with free freight to Central Qld, and in the 13 years since this fantastic generator has never let us (family of 6) down. We only run it couple of times a yr, pull it out fill with fuel and pull the cord, it runs all night. Runs big french door F&P fridge, 215lt chest freezer, plus… Read more

spotlight and internet modem simultaneously. convection microwave too but we do unplug freezer to run it temporary. All on eco mode, no problems. This item should be in everyone emergency kit for qld storm season. We have taken it camping couple of times also. Would never be with out it.

Size, economy, reliability, ease of use makes it a 5 star and Ladies best mate in power outages when husband's away.

Thank you Honda!

Disappointed with honda eu20i – I live in Weipa in Cape York. Had an EU10 for years and it was great. Bought an EU20i in April and it ran fine for 4 hours then started running rough and stalling. Tried everything to fix it. Sent it to local service dealer who could not fix it. Honda warranty was useless and rude. Sent it back to seller who was good enough to replaced it… Read more

with new one. Guess what - ran for 4 hours and started playing up same thing. Finally sent it out of town to another service dealer who advised of spark plug cap recall on Honda EU2's. They now said it is fixed but am waiting to get it back and try it out - 6 months after I bought it...

Disappointing as my machine is not at Honda standard – I bought my eU20i from the Hobart dealers, paying more than I would have on-line to keep it local. Bad move. The generator started first pull, as I expected, having owned and abused an eU10i for 12 years without it missing a beat. It had even been in sea-water 10cm deep and still ran after a simple flush down with fresh and a days wait for ity… Read more

to dry. It still works really well even if a little rusty.

But I digress. The eU20i soon stopped again, strange since the dealer said it was full of fuel. My advice is to check everything. New ULP and away she went. All good until we ran the aircon in the van as a heater a week later. After a couple of hours it started running roughly then stalled. Started again first pull and behave itself until I turned off the load. On idle it ran roughly, surging, then coughed and died. It now repeats the trick whenever it goes back to idle from hot running. There was no shortage of fuel in the tank.

The dealer couldn't find any fault so I've now got an untrustworthy machine. It runs better on E10 fuel, despite being told by the dealer to not use it. (The manual says it's OK). Now I carry the old eU10i as well for reliability, hoping the 20 will either die properly or fix itself.

Always reliable and very quiet – Replaced my EU10i camping generator, which had run faultlessly for 7 years, with the larger EU20i. Purchased from the Generator Place in Queensland (exceptional service - ordered late Sunday night and it was at my front door in Adelaide Tuesday morning). As per previous model this generator starts first time every time, is very easy to start,… Read more

great on fuel and is very quiet. Have used Honda generators a lot as a tradie on sites and would highly recommend them to any buyer.

Generator won't run for more than 2 hours – Nearly 2 years ago we purchased the new Honda 20i, it ran fine for the first 6 months and now won't run any longer than 2 hours. We have taken it for a service, didn't fix it, have just taken it for another service and if it doesn't fix it this time I will be contacting Honda directly ( I honestly believe the older style Honda generators are better) !!  Show details

Cost of parts – Brought a Honda 2kva from the "Generator Place" Brisbane with extended 5 year warranty. Worked extremly well, consider though, I was only using it intermittently for when the wife and I were camping and then only to backup my solar system. At the five and a half year mark the circuit board died, replacement cost $1400.00 dollars.  Show details

Awesome generator. Very happy with it! – After almost 2 years, I am happy to say that I am very happy with my Honda EU20i. The oil that it takes is the same oil as in my other Honda products that I own. Very reliable. Not as noisy as my neighbour's generator of similar size (he has a cheaper brand). It cost more, but it a better generator. I would buy it again.  Show details

Quality product. Great service – Just unpacked. Started first time. Hard to fault. I bought from Generator Place in Brisbane (I'm in SA). Delivered in 2 days. They gassed and oiled it. Great service. Instructions clear. Good deal as well. Very quiet operating. If I had to buy another generator I would buy a Honda.  Show details

Good generator, Poor warranty service, Undetected manufacturing fault – I use an Eu20i to provide power to our caravan which is permanently parked in a bush setting. I run(some at the same time, but mostly not), a small box air-conditioner(800watts), a toaster oven(1350 watts), a small microwave(1100watts), a small fan heater(1000watts), a 25 amp battery charger(400watts), a whipper-snipper(400watts), a bar… Read more

fridge(60watts) plus other smaller loads e.g. the van lights, LCD TV, electric blankets, pedestal fan, range hood etc. N.B. All these figures are input wattages of the appliances, not output. I check all of these with a plug-in Power Meter available from Jaycar or Bunnings. Three of them are in use in our caravan.

I have occasional overload trips of the generator, but not many. During summer with the air-con running, a brand new spark plug helps avoid this.

After years of good reliable service but with an ever-increasing oil leak which a large Brisbane dealer repeatedly refused to fix under warranty - their story was that the oil filler cap was leaking/not tightened properly, I took it to a Capalaba workshop out of warranty and had the problem fixed properly after a 6 week wait for parts from Honda Australia - Cost: $312.

It turns out that the problem was quite rare - the oil level switch assembly was not fitted properly to the crankcase at manufacture and was leaking oil. After years of operation at low oil levels, the timing belt was found to be brittle and cracked in numerous places and needed to be replaced as well. Honda Australia had only one of the three parts required and the workshop back-ordered the others for a promised 5 week delivery, which turned into 6 weeks.

I am now happy that my generator is operating as well, or even better than it ever did. It would have been better had Honda Australia maintained adequate stocks of spare parts for their best-selling generator or helped their dealers more in maintaining some reasonable inventory of parts.

Honda makes quality gear – I've had the eu10i and I've had the eu20 I for over 5 years we travelled around Australia for 5 years in our traveller van and used it to run our ctek battery charger to charge our batteries when there wasn't enough sun for the solar panels to do the job we found it very reliable easy to start and very quiet I recommend the Honda generator to my friends  Show details

If it isn't a top brand, it's a waste of money – Having spent many years living on cruising boats and motorhomes I got see and use many brands of generators, at the end of the day most of them were a waste of money, some of them could not maintain any serious output without cooking the electronics, others were just sheer dogs to start while others were so noisy that you needed shift anchor to… Read more

get away from them. Needless to say many of them ended up in the dump bin.

Coming back to the Honda, over a fifteen year period only parting with them when selling the yacht or motorhome, I could leave my boat unattended for many months at a time and when it came time to start the little EU20i it would start almost immediately, from then on all that would be needed to start it was to ease, note 'ease' the starting cord out and it would start instantly.

In motorhomes I used one for six years 3-4 times times a week to run the air conditioning which claims to have rating of 2.3 hp the Honda ran it a full capacity with ease in the eco mode.

All I ever had to do to it was change it's oil and wash the air filter, I have never had need to change a spark plug or to have it serviced.

Knowing how to balance the power load is important though, do not expect it to like running the air conditioner and the electric hot plate at the same time.

It is light enough to manhandle easily and a delight use, it would take a lot of convincing to get me to buy another brand.

Always goes both ways – Had four of them first to run solo i run two together parallel now, The generator is by far the best. Honda oil on the other hand is up with the worst mineral oils, I suggest using a synthetic oil. On another note honda are a terrible company don't ever expect them to get to it quickly, or to honor their warranty. Paid extra for extended warranties instead I should of bought toilet paper  Show reply

All good! – Had a panic on its first outing in that it ran perfectly for 30 minutes then started spluttering, then violent shaking, then cut out!! My fault, didn't turn the breather valve to 'ON' so the vacuum caused fuel starvation. Other than that, has performed well. Low noise, stable power - even on 'Eco' with a variable load. You just forget it's there.… Read more ·  1

The only gripe is that a fuel gauge would be useful, but after 5 hours use it still had plenty of fuel in. A friend of mine has the LPG conversion on his and talks about the very extended run time, very clean oil, and little smell from the exhaust. Certainly recommend.

Expensive piece of crap – Bought a EU20i 4 year ago. Thought I was buying a premium machine but had to pay a premium price. Inverter caught fire just out of warranty. Just as well I was near it. It would have ended up as pile of plastic and maybe a bush fire. The hardest work the thing ever did was run a750 watt drill It cost $851.45 to fix Very expensive holes. The Honda dealer said might be able to do the job at cost Didn't happen Won' t buy Honda again

loss of out put ( not from use) – I'm surprised by my Honda EU20i , it hasn't done much work in the 8 years I've had it, I haven't used it for 18 months , put in new fuel ,started ok ,plugged in the small fridge that it runs when we have a power failure , but this time it won't start the fridge ?

Underperforming Continuous Operating Hours – I've tested my 20i Honda generator several times on full load/output with the eco-throttle switched off and a full tank of fuel. I can't get any more than 2.5 continuous operating hours, and that's on a good run. This is significantly below my expectations, what was discussed with me in-store before the purchase and also below Honda's published… Read more

specifications of at least 3.4 hours.

The generator is practically new - only 3 months old.

I recognise that I'm testing it hard but I bought it for Cyclone Season (I'm based in Cairns) and having it under-perform in this way does not instill me with a lot of confidence if I have to use it in an emergency.

I've emailed both Honda customer service and the store where I bought it several days ago but as yet no response.