Best Portable Quiet Under $1500 Generator

R

Robertofish

Active member
Looking for a quiet portable generator, to potentially run lights, cameras, monitors etc off of, what do you suggest, needs to be quiet because I use very sensitive mics, I was thinking around 4000 watts, and also hopefully looking for efficency ie less gas more hours also needs to be ble to fit in a car, and wheels would be nice as well, what do you suggest?
Thanks
 
Hey Roberto,

Sounds like you might have given up on battery power? What you wanted to do was going to be a tuff nut to crack.

+1 for the Honda inverter series. They are full sine wave and only run as fast as they need to for a given load. Reliability is off the charts. The 2k version sells for about $1000. The 3k version sells for ~$2000. Also, you can link them in parallel, so you can turn two 2k into a 4k output which would be close to your needs and budget. Nice too because if you don't need the full output, only take one and save some weight. If you need them both, they are around 80lbs each, so one person can handle them and hook them together. Most 4k units woul require two people to lift.

Grant

Grant
 
Honda are the standard. Recommended by Profoto and Broncolor.

Run industrial quality extension cords to get the distance you need. Maybe build a box with one side open and baffling (foam) to control and direct sound.

I had a Ford F350 with work boxes and a large bed that I wanted to turn into a production truck before I took time off on disability. You could bolt the generator to the bed, and run the power connections inside the work boxes for weather proofing. Same strategy would work on a small (cheap) pickup.

Good luck!
Michael
 
I haven't quite given up on it, there is just a ton more you can do with a generator it give you a lot more options then battery power, since batteries can really only power so much, is there a specific honda inverter that I need cause I looked it up and they are around 1500 for the 2k, do you have a url link to where I can get one for cheap or which model to get?

Question: Depending on how many plugs the generator has can I run a surge protector to power more then the allotted amount of plugs in the generator? As in I need more then 4 connections with all the equipment can I do that, or would I need a bunch of 1k watt ones?
 
Hondas are sold through a dealer network, so you might find a grey market for them, but probably not so much. A few months ago, I saw the non-California versions at Camping World for $999. Check the specs, but I believe the 2000 has a 30 amp rv style plug and a couple of 15 amp also. You could certainly buy or make an additional distribution box, you might also consider an external ground for safety.
 
Robertofish said:
How would I go about making a power distribution box? And what do you mean by external ground?
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At the most basic level, a surge protector or terminal strip is a distribution box. You can move up from there depending on your needs. The external ground provides an alternative path to ground so that if there is a fault, you or your crew DON'T become a path to ground = electrocution. This happens, it is real, you have a responsibility here. In particular if your set is wet, or your crew is on any metal structure, the danger increases. Keep your socks dry! The ground itself can be pretty basic: a rod pounded into the ground and wired to a grounding post on the generator. In the old days we used to clamp onto any metal water pipe, but that method is no guarantee of a good ground.

Would urge you seek out some background info on this if you (obviously) don't know much about electrical safety.

Grant
 
Since safety is first, the best question to ask in this situation is, regardless of cost what is the safest set up with one or two linked generators, and what items will I need, i.e specific extension cords, things I need to buy or build etc etc? With these generators how quiet are we talking is there a distance I need to put it away from the boom, cause I generally use an NTG-3 for outside use, and that will pick up any noise even if it is quite a distance away.
 
RickyC said:
Have you worked with them before? Champion claims to be 53db and Honda EU2000 says between 53-56db, almost the same.
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I have worked with one, or I should say tried to work with one. It is far loader than a Honda and was a pain to keep running smooth. You get what you pay for.
 
I'm looking for a reference online, but I was always told not to use a standard surge protector with a generator. Distro, yes. Surge Protector, no. Also look into propane conversion for the Honda's. They run forever and are much cleaner. Also quieter, not much but quieter.
 
RickyC said:
Have you worked with them before? Champion claims to be 53db and Honda EU2000 says between 53-56db, almost the same.
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Decibel numbers are meaningless unless they come with a distance at which they were measured. So those numbers don't tell us much. I've not seen a distance indicated on the web sites.
 
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kgimedia said:
I'm looking for a reference online, but I was always told not to use a standard surge protector with a generator. Distro, yes. Surge Protector, no. Also look into propane conversion for the Honda's. They run forever and are much cleaner. Also quieter, not much but quieter.
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It's not that you shouldn't use them. They don't provide any function unless a ground is provided as described by Grant. Portable generators don't have a ground. Sure, they may have a ground on the receptacle, but its not connected to anything. It may have some incidental grounding if it is laying on soil, but you can't count on it. Safety features such as GFI's are essential for safety in location shoots. Moisture is often present, like a freshly watered lawn. A surge protector is secondary in safety to a GFI.
 
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