30 Year Old Honda Generator Steals The Limelight
Whilst it’s commonly agreed upon in the film industry that good catering is the most important ingredient to any happy shoot, coming a close second is lighting, equipment and the availability of a reliable power supply.
David Olney from Howling Dog Productions will attest to this, having had many film credits attributed to his name during his 30 year film industry career.
Covering some of the most turbulent times in Australian history including the Vietnam War and the public demonstration movements, his credits also place him amongst the pioneers of Australian Rock and Roll, contributing to the filming of AC/DC’s infamous video clip It’s a long way to the top in 1975.
Working in many remote locations where access to power is extremely limited, David purchased a Honda EX 350 generator back in 1978.
Although discontinued, some 31 years later the generator is still going strong, despite being exposed to some of the most challenging conditions, including extremities such as the humidity of Asia, the snow on Mt Everest and the dust storms of the Middle East.
“Initially I bought the generator for charging my Aaton 16 mm camera when I was shooting a documentary on the River Kwai in Northern Thailand, as there was no power supply,” David said.
“Because we were so remote and we were going to spend a fair bit of time there, we needed something durable and compact, which is exactly what we got with the Honda,” he added.
“The generator has been carried by porters and thrown around all over the place but when I finally receive it, it always works,” David said.
Over their illustrious 30 year history, David and his crew have had an impressive list of documentary film credits and awards. His documentary subjects over the years have included the Royal Bengal Tigers, French nationals living in Thailand, Sir Edmund Hilary’s base camp, Yasser Arafat and the peoples from the feudal kingdom in Bhutan.
In such diverse and often remote filming escapades, a major consideration for David and his nomadic crew is the ability to carry all their equipment by hand.
With an insubstantial weight of 8.5 kilograms and the compact size of 365 mm by 305 mm (extremely compact even by today’s standards), the Honda EX 350 was the ideal choice for David and his travelling crew all those years ago.
According to David, he continues to be surprised by the longevity of the Honda, managing to start the generator on the second pull after it had been in storage for the past decade.
“I have never had it serviced or repaired over the last 30 years and I am surprised it still runs today,” David said.
First bought brand new for $250, David was further stunned when there was still fuel left in the tank, considering it hadn’t been filled since the late 1980s.
As the world’s largest engine manufacturer, Honda is the brand of choice for providing a reliable, uninterrupted power supply to film crews worldwide.
Thirty years on, Honda continues to set new standards in small engine technology and is renowned for its advanced four-stroke engine power equipment.
Today, Honda boasts a large range of lightweight and whisper quiet domestic and commercial generators available for a wide range of applications.
Domestic generators
Commercial generators
EX7
EM25
EU10i
EM30
EU20i
EU30is
EM50is
EM65is
EM4500s
EM5500
EU65i
End note: Certain generator applications and maintenance mentioned in this article may breach Honda’s recommendations. Please consult your service manual or an Authorised Honda Dealer concerning generator powering capabilities and warranty terms & conditions before use.