hertz vs decibels

[Ryan_V]

I've been on the lookout for a generator for my fish house(s). I'd love a honda but the $$ isn't there. I've been looking at the coleman powermates. the hondas claim 59db...the colemans claim 60hz. what is the difference between the 2 and how much louder will the coleman be over the honda???

[Macgyver55]

Decibels is a measure of the amount of sound created by the generator. Hertz on the other hand has to do with the output of power made by the generator. Not reallly comparable. If you plan on heavy use I'd save and go with the Honda, they are super quiet and mine has literally thousands of hours and still runs like new. For casual use probably any of them would be fine although I don't have any experience with a Coleman.

[sparkyaber]

Decible is a unit of measure of sound.

Hertz is a unit of measure of frequency.

Both witll have 60 hertz, or better if used here in the united states. 60 hertz is standard frequency of all A.C. power here in the U.S.A.

I will bet good money that the colman is a lot louder than the honda. It probably won't even list decibles.

Is the honda unit totally made by honda?

Or is it just the gas motor part of it? The inverter generators from honda are second to none. They are totally built by honda and don't have just the honda motor powering it.

[vitalshot5]

any generator with a briggs or techumsa motor are going to be super loud.....if you want quiet your going to need to pay the price.

[Ufatz]

This is one of those cases where you simply HAVE to bite the bullet and go with the Honda. There IS no comparison. The Honda will be purring along years after the Coleman and others like it have ground themselves into metallic dust.

[JohnMickish]

I have to chime in on this since everyone thinks that the Honda is the only quiet generator out there. When I was in the military (1982-1992) this is what we did to modify out generators so that when we where on deployment and had to run a generator in places where you shouldn't be heard, you weren't.

First off, all of our units where the 5KW Coleman style with a Brigs engine. We would take the stock muffler off and make a new exaust manifold and run it into a regular small vehicle muffler. Make/fabricate the needed clamps and braces needed for that application. That alone would make it darn near silent but when you really needed to be unheard we would run a length of flexible tubing and bury the end in the ground. That wont work on the ice but it would for deer camp. Working in the vehicle maintenance facilities we had nice tools and equipment to work with but anyone that is handy can do this at home.

So don't throw out or pass up that "regular" style generator and feel you need the Honda, that is unless you happen to trip over and extra $900 walking out the door today.

The Honda is a great unit and it's very portable which is nice, but it's really limited in it's capabilities. If you are only going to run a fishhouse it's a perfect unit, but it won't run two rooftop A/C units on a camper, or keep your house running when the power goes out.

[Macgyver55]

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The Honda is a great unit and it's very portable which is nice, but it's really limited in it's capabilities. If you are only going to run a fishhouse it's a perfect unit, but it won't run two rooftop A/C units on a camper, or keep your house running when the power goes out.

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That all depends on which Honda model you have....they make a full line up to 10,500 watts, far from limited. But none the less, its true you can make most any generator quieter. But adding an automotive style muffler to a small wattage generator will most likely nearly double its size, make it clumsy and leave a big hot muffler exposed to to accidental burns of people or other equipment. It would be fine in a stationary environment at a deer shack or something, but when fishing, portable and compact are what many guys want most.

[cold one sd]

hsolist has all kinds of generators for sale, even Hondas if you feel the need. I bought a 950W generator from there for abut $166.00 including shipping which is all I need for ice fishing. All I use it for is charging batteries and an occasional pot of coffee. I think the decibel rating for it is 63 db. Ya really have to listen to hear it run from inside the ice house.

[JohnMickish]

Mac, I believe everyone here is talking about the EU series of generators, and yes, the automotive style muffler is bigger but on a Coleman style unit with the full size roll cage it's pretty easy to hide, and it's alot cheaper, but heavier. It's all a trade off, size vs. versatility.

Like I said, if all you want to do is run a fishhouse a honda EU would be the perfect unit. The capability to parallel the units (on the EU series) to double the output is pretty cool but for the price of 4000 watts of Honda EU power you can have around 16,000 watts of Coleman power.

[Macgyver55]

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Mac, I believe everyone here is talking about the EU series of generators,

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My mistake, if a particular model was mentioned I guess I didn't see it.

When talking about powering multiple air units or a house I guess I assumed you meant a comparable Honda model capable of doing that. The smaller Coleman units wont do that either.

The Hondas are definitely more expensive but when you start comparing the features its not as bad as you'd think. When comparing the Coleman 1850 to the Honda 2000 to at 46.3 lbs, the Honda weighs nearly 30 lbs less. Both utilize a 3.5 HP engine. The Honda EU2000i utilizes Honda’s inverter technology that produces sine wave equal to or better than the current from your household power. The Coleman uses no automatic voltage regulation. Inverter Technology on the Honda makes it ideally suited for use with sensitive electronics more frequently being used in fish houses of late.

The Honda will run up to 15 hours on a single tank using load dependent operation (Eco throttle)

The Coleman will give 6.5 hours @ 50% load and has no auto throttle.

The Honda also keeps exhaust emissions to levels that clear even the strictest CARB and EPA emission standards, most other small engines do not.

The Honda produces only 59dB of sound at 7 meters with a full load, which is less than the rating of a person talking. Coleman doesnt advertise theirs.

To prevent damage to the unit, Oil Alert will shut the unit off when the oil drops below a safe level. The Coleman doesnt.

If you take into account the features the Honda is a good value and the resale is second to none if you ever decide to move up.

I'm not trying to talk down the Colemans as they will provide good power for most applications. I'm merely trying to show that you are getting a different quality of generator for the money especially if electronics will be used with them.

[Ryan_V]

I've never denied the honda was the way to go, but I just can't afford that much money on something that will be used so little. that's why I'm looking at the colemans. I just want to run my fish house(s) in the winter, not the house, or the camper. thanks for the help. if the lottery ever comes through, I'd have the honda, but they just can't seem to pick the correct numbers, maybe next time!!

[Whoaru99]

If you can find the dB ratings keep in mind that most people can't detect much, if any, change in loudness when the difference is only 2-3dB. However about 10dB difference is perceived as twice as loud (or half as loud, depending on which way you look at it).

Then also is the possibility (probability?) of differences in how the measurements were taken. If the measurement were not taken in the same manner, the dB ratings are not apples-to-apples anyway.

Finally, in a CR test not long ago, Honda was one of the few tested that actually met or exceeded it's rated power. Most others provided less output than rated. So, if you were considering a 2kW Honda, you should consider something on the order of 3kW or 3.5kW in other brands if you are going to be running toward the upper end of the rating. Considering this, when one looks at $/watt, the difference is less than what first meets the eye.

[Swimmer]

I'll say what a lot of folks are really thinking. If your generator makes a significant amount of noise over what the Honda does...then you are going to [PoorWordUsage] a lot of people off who, due to whatever circumstances, might be fishing near you.

[upnorth]

Geez Swimmer, we actually agree on something? Kinda scary eh?

[Swimmer]

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Geez Swimmer, we actually agree on something? Kinda scary eh?

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I only said it cause I knew you were "listening". I guess I'm oldfashioned (?) enough to think that deep cycles should be enough. If you've heard just one loud generator on the ice, then you know what I mean.

[upnorth]

We were on URL a few years back and there was someone at least a 100 yds away running some noisy Generator and we couldn't stand the noise, so we moved

[JohnMickish]

One thing to keep in mind, and Mac brought it up, is that if you plan on running sensitive electronic gear (ie, laptop) the Honda has a much cleaner sine wave and your expensive electronic toys will like that.