Newbee Has Generator Questions

A friend of ours, after spending a few days running down his RV battery, queried a group of RVers about generators. He's a family man and doesn't spend more than a total of a couple of weeks a year camping with the wife and kiddies. Most of his time is spent in the cooler areas of the west coast, so he doesn't have much of a need for air conditioning, but his family is addicted to the microwave oven.

We talked about wind and solar, and of course, the subject did have to come around to generators. His rig is not pre-wired for a generator, so he's looking at a freestanding unit. Our advice, "Get enough muscle to power your microwave, add a little bit more, and try to keep it a quiet one--don't buy the handy dandy contractor model!" Our pick, of course, would be one of those little red Honda units, but we know there are "others" that may fit the bill.

We also pointed out that if he's not going to go solar to recharge his rig "house" battery that he should take along a hefty shore-power battery charger, something that will quickly recharge his RV batteries, rather than trying to rely on the typically whimpy "12 volt" output of so many of the generators on the market today.

So here's a chance for your help: How many of you have used the small Hondas or an "alternative" version of one of those little quiet units? Are they reliable? Truly "boondock friendly"? We'll pass along your reviews.