Ryobi RYi2200 Invertor Generator

Planning on doing a little camping, running power tools away from the house, and  during a power outage to get some lights and comfort items like TV. My main reasons for the inverter generator were quieter running and less fuel use. I can’t run my well pump or furnace off this but for my uses it should work.
This unit started after a half dozen pulls and ran fine (part of the handle on the starter cord flew off  while tugging on the cord). I tested it with a 3/8th inch drill attached and it worked well enough for that. We used it to run the pump on the air mattress no problems, I want to try charging a battery with it and see how that works. It started on the second pull and ran well.
Moving a few things around in the garage I found the piece that flew off and popped it back onto the starter cord. This does weigh a few pounds more than a comparable Honda or Yamaha and at 63 db compared to 53 db for the Honda it is louder. It is a tough lift over the top of the tailgate at 57 lbs but with the gate down not so bad.
I put this inside an insulted plywood box with a sheet of tin for a cover. I’m hoping this helps to keep the noise down a bit, not that it is that loud running at idle but I’m hoping to be able to listen to the birds and critters running around.
My number one reason for picking this generator was the price at $549 from Home Depot it was among the cheapest inverter generators I could find locally. It also has a three year warranty that I hope I’ll never have to test.

• 2200 Starting / 1800 Running Watts
• 8.75 hours run time at 400 watts and 5 hours at 900 watts
• 106cc OHC, 4 Cycle Engine
• Outlets: 120-volt AC (2), 12-volt DC (1) Parallel kit Capable
• Quieter than a conversation 63 db(A) a conversation is 65 db(A)
• 51 lbs.
• 3 Year warranty
• MFG Model # : RYI2200
• MFG Part # : RYI2200

I used a chart from Don Rowe to guesstimate average usage of the things I would connect.

I liked the option to hook up 12 volts directly from the generator to a battery, and the possibility to get a second unit and their connector to run them in tandem.

I first went to the local Home Depot as they had the best price I could find at $549 and they are local to me. The box looked like it had been run over and a sales associate offered to have their rental center start it to make sure it worked before I bought it.
Over in rental they laid it on it’s side and dumped the included twelve ounces of oil in, then stood it back up and added gasoline. A half dozen pulls and it started up but as soon as they turned on the auto idle it puffed some smoke and quit. The guy there thought it was out of gas and added more gas. It wouldn’t restart again, even after changing the spark plug and giving it another try. After about a half hour of fiddling I left and went over to another Home Depot nearby and got one there, that didn’t look like it had been run over.

For a comparison of the Yamaha and Honda generators have a look here.
One thing I would like to add is a larger fuel tank.

A link here for the B.E.R.G. system for extended run time up to 72 hours.