Originally Posted by
Brian Hjelm
I have had one of those "two stroke nasties" since April 2004. It cost $99 and has performed flawlessly the whole time. I fitted a vibratory hour meter to it when new and it had done over 500 hours when I found another use for the meter. That was over three years ago. It runs my fridge and lights when at swap meets and camping, commonly for 12-14 hour sessions. Depending on load, it runs 8-10 hours on a 4.5 litre tank of fuel. It has also been used on the 240 volt outlet to power a 5/8" AEG drill, a heat gun, and after a couple of summer thunderstorm blackouts, a standard lamp and a Tv whilst awaiting the mains power to be restored.
Why would one pay from four to ten times the price just to have a Honda nameplate on something that does not do the job any better? Maybe Honda spare parts are available somewhere in the world but are they available at your local dealer? Or does he show you pictures and say "I'll get it from Melbourne/Tokyo/Bangkok for you, freight your cost"? In any case the parts will be at Honda's usual doubly outrageous prices.
The other consideration is whether repair is economically feasible. Two hours labour and a few parts at Honda prices will easily run up $300-$400.