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Project Farm finds a budget generator nearly as quiet as Honda

Honda finishes first overall, but Todd's blackout-preparation review gives the cheaper Oxseryn a notable result in the noise tests.

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Project Farm Story of November 5, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? 1,176,579 views so far, and here is what is inside it.

Don't Wait For A Blackout! THIS Is The Generator I'd Buy!

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0:19Individual inspections compare starting effort, weight, features and voltage response under load, beginning with the budget Oxseryn.
10:34Noise tests from several directions put Honda narrowly ahead of Oxseryn for the quietest average result.
13:40An oscilloscope shows the electrical waveforms, adding power quality to the comparison.
14:23Equal amounts of fuel are used to compare running times at higher and lower loads.
17:03A controlled enclosure test measures how quickly the generators' automatic carbon monoxide shutoffs respond.
18:52The final ranking chart answers the title's buying question: Honda has the best average finish across the tests.

A space heater does much of the demanding work in Project Farm's generator comparison. Todd plugs it in, measures how far the voltage drops and checks how loudly each machine works to keep it running. The question is practical: what does paying more actually buy?

His Honda costs about $1,200, while the least expensive inverter model, the Oxseryn, costs $300. Ford, Champion and Generac fill out the comparison, with a basic Tailgator generator briefly added for contrast.

Honda comes out on top across the combined rankings. But it only narrowly outperforms the Oxseryn for average noise measured from different directions, making the cheaper machine an interesting part of the answer rather than merely the low-price entry.

The review goes beyond whether a generator starts and powers an appliance. Todd uses an oscilloscope to examine the electrical waveform, measures running time on equal amounts of fuel and tests automatic carbon monoxide shutoffs in a controlled enclosure. He also flags a limitation of the Generac: its Eco mode cannot be switched off, which he considers a significant disadvantage.

The final comparison chart arrives near the end, bringing those separate tests together rather than declaring a winner on quietness alone. In the comments, viewers ask for Harbor Freight's Predator to join a future comparison and share accounts of Honda generators kept for years.

Todd says he buys the products himself and accepts no sponsorships. His closing observation fits the Oxseryn's noise result: "It's always a good day when affordable products come out near the top and hopefully it saves you some money."

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What viewers say

Not surprised the Honda finished first. Now the Oxseryn on the other hand, "very impressive" to say the least especially at $300. Thanks for everything you do.
@richardflagg3084See it on YouTube
I wish they included the Harbor Freight predator copy of the Honda
@chrislanti8970See it on YouTube
*"Honey, wake up, Todd just uploaded a video about small inverters!"*
@bc-guy852See it on YouTube

3 more comments

Days of work condensed into 18 minutes of incredibly valuable information. Project Farm is the stuff of legends.
@chinaskibukowski7747See it on YouTube
We bought a Honda generator (By the military for desert shield/storm) similar the same type as you tested. That generator ran a single refrigerator/freezer for a year, and still was running when we left the desert. It was only shut down for fuel tank refills and oil changes. It NEVER gave a minutes trouble during the year I witnessed it to run.
@talon2proSee it on YouTube
Thank you for all your hard work Todd! By far the best review channel on the entire Internet.
@Riddle-me-this-riddle-me-thatSee it on YouTube

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube