"Looking at a Honda EU110i generator, any reviews?
How noisy/quiet are they really"
They are the best made and quietest conventional generator available.
Unlike some of the competition and earlier machines they don't run at a unique speed thus generating a constant frequency of noise. They operate at a speed necessary to develop sufficient power, so are quieter under lower loads.
These features make them marginally less annoying but its inescapable that with many these things touch a nerve; other peoples generators do with me however minor the actual noise might be, its just that if you detect it once you cant mentally switch off.
Used just for two hours to top batteries during the middle of the occasional day should not give reasonable grounds for objection; though some will object for sure. A complete no no in my book is to run it constantly, be that in the daytime or particularly the evening.
We have the earlier Honda EX650 but its used only in the winter very discretely, very rarely and has been almost made redundant by an 85 watt solar panel. Its only when we know the panel will not cope that we now take the generator.
The only complaint in over 10 years was from somebody seeing I had it in the back of the Land Rover just in case it was needed; that's how touchy some are, he could not tolerate it even when it was not running.