Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, I didn't buy this through Amazon because at the time there were lower prices available from authorized Honda dealers. The obvious comparison is with the Yamaha EF6300iSDE (Yamaha EF6300iSDE 6,300 Watt 357cc OHV 4-Stroke Gas Powered Portable Inverter Generator With Electric Start (CARB Compliant)). Both are rated steady state at 5500 watts, but the Honda is about $500 (14%) more. It's worth it for several reasons: 1) Electronic Fuel Injection. The Yamaha has a carburetor. With EFI, the Honda is more fuel efficient. Perhaps even more importantly, carburetors don't do well with today's ethanol-blended fuel, especially if you don't use it all the time, as is the case with backup power. Ethanol captures and hold moisture, which damages carbs, but fuel-injection (like today's automobiles for which ethanol-blended gasoline is intended) stands up to it much better. Go read this from Jay Leno on the horrors of ethanol: http://autoweek.com/article/car-life/jay-leno-hates-ethanol 2) Capacity. This is a bit tricky, as both generators are rated at the same steady-state power level. But, ratings are a mix of capability and government regulations. OSHA requires GFCI protection for generators larger than 5500 watts. GFCIs require a bonded neutral, but a bonded neutral generator can't be used to provide home power - they need a floating neutral (which the EU7000is has). Take a look at higher rated portable generators to see if they have GFCI outlets, and if so, if they have the floating neutral required for home wiring connection and are OSHA rated. Despite the equivalent rating of the Yamaha, the Honda will produce more power steadily. Even if you want to believe the ratings, having 1500 surge watts available helps with the surge draw of motors, like those in fridge compressors, air conditioners, or private wells. Even microwaves have a startup surge. 3) Mobility. The Honda is setup with two nice size wheels and handles that fold in for storage. The Yamaha has 4 wheels that unbelievably don't swivel and don't lock! What idiot designed that? To move the Yamaha in anything other than a straight line means jerry-rigging some handles so you can lift two of the wheels off the ground. Yeah, you can work around this, but to me this shows that Yamaha's designers have no clue how generators are used in the real world. Which brings us to the next design flaw... 4) Servicability. On the Honda, the side covers have quarter turn screw latches that stay in place. The Yamaha has removable screws. The Yamaha oil drain is setup to get oil all over the place, the Honda drains nicely through the supplied openings. Adding oil in the Honda isn't too tricky with a normal funnel, the Yamaha needs a flexible nozzle since the oil has to go in almost horizontally due to housing interference. Finally, when you want to inspect or change the spark plug a normal ratchet won't do - Yamaha even sells a special jointed tool. Remember, on generators you need to change the oil fairly frequently. 5) Pull cord backup. Both generators are electric start, but only the Honda also has a pull cord start in case your battery is dead. 6) Resale. If you ever do want to sell your generator, you'll get much of your $500 back in resale value. I'm sure the Yamaha is a fine generator. It'll produce clean power and be reliable. But the Honda is simply better. And if you're a Consumer Reports subscriber, you can read how they agree.