Portable Generators

Review Portable Generators

This site offers a completely unbiased review of portable generators and includes the noise level of each generator, something that is often overlooked and often regretted.

Let me take a moment and explain how I went from looking at a full fledged home generator to a portable generator and saving thousands of dollars!

I was ready to buy a home generator and invited three companies to provide quotes (natural gas generator plus installation).

The first company was sent out by home depot; we often shop there and walk by a home generator on the way out, so during our last visit, we asked for a quote for the generator and installation.

Generac Portable Generators

I originally started off looking for a full home generator and found Generac at Home Depot but didn't see any portables. It turned out that the rep Home Depot sent me said they were loud compared to a Kohler generator. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Generac Generators"][/caption] I soon found out that Generac makes a portable model that performs very well and is said to be the second quietest on the market. When I called Generac and spoke to a sales representative, I was told they don't list their noise levels like others. She said they were not hiding anything, just that it's ...

Briggs & Stratton Portable Generators

My review of the Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton Pro Series 8000 Watt Generator, Model # 030337 $2,275.71 This generator is $1,000.00 more than the Generac XP 8000E reviewed on this site. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Briggs & Stratton Generators"][/caption] Briggs & Stratton Pro Series Portable Generator: Assembled Depth (In Inches) : 37.0 in Assembled Height (In Inches) : 28.3 in Assembled Weight (In LBS) : 285.0 lb Assembled Width (In Inches) : 20.4 in Automatic Voltage Regulation : Yes Color / Finish : Red,Black ETL Safety Listing : No Engine Displacement : 480 cm³ Engine Make : Briggs & Stratton Fuel Gauge : Yes Fuel Tank Capacity : 7 gal (US) Fuel Type ...

Honda Portable Generators

This is a review of Honda Portable Generators, by far the quietest generators around and in fact, when talking with Generac on the phone, the rep even admitted so saying that they were the quietest generator around next to a company that specialized in quite generators. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Honda Portable Generators"][/caption] Later during my discussion with the generac rep, I mentioned Honda and although she would not say the word 'HONDA', she made a number of statements clearly telling my I had hit the mark. However, I did find that the Cummins Onan Portable Generators has a 58 dB(A) rating ...

ETQ Portable Generator

The ETQ 7250 Watt Generator 8250 surge watt w/elec start & idle control, wheel kit is what I focused on and is the quietest portable generator I have found next to Honda. Unlike Honda, the cost is a LOT less! [caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="ETQ Portable Generators"][/caption] This generator also has a clean sine alternator that produces less than 5% THD (total harmonic distortion) power, making it a clean power generator that works well with your high tech electronics. I found this model at Home Depot for $773 with free shipping, unfortunately, it does NOT come with a battery for electric start. I ...

Cummins Onan Portable Generators

Cummins Onan Portable Generators are some of the quietest on the market and right there with Honda when considering decibels, such as the P4300ie at only 62dB(A) at half power or the P3200ie at 58 dB(A). [caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Cummins Onan Portable Generators"][/caption] The P3200ie (6.5 hours run time) is only 58dB(A) and runs $1,600 from Costco, compare this to Honda's Super Quiet EU3000IS (7.2 hours run time) 58dB(A) for $2000. Honda says 58dB(A) is Super Quiet, so the Cummins Onan Portable Generator is also Super Quiet! P3200ie Inverter Generator Features: 2,800 Running Watts, 3200 Peak Watts 6.5 Hour Continuous Operating Time (At rated ...

APP 6000 Portable Generator

I found the APP 6000 Portable Generator by General Power Products at Menards listed for $599. It's $649 if you buy it from the manufacture's website. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="180" caption="APP 6000 Generator"][/caption] The noise level is 75 dB(A) and I was not impressed with the 1 year warranty which they claim has less than 1 percent claims - well, if they reduced the warranty to 6 months, I'll bet they would have even less claims :) You want at least a two year warranty! Here is what the APP 6000 Generator has to offer: Max Watts,6300 Running Watts,6000 Surge Watts,8250 120V Receptacles # Outlets each, 2 ...

Yamaha Portable Generators

The Yamaha Premium EF6600DE portable generator runs $4,199 and kicks out 6,600 watts, has a noise level of 73.5 dB(A) and comes with a two year warranty. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Yamaha Portable Generators"][/caption] The EF6300iSDE portable generator ($4,099) has a noise level of 58 to 64 dB(A), which makes it as quite (super quiet) as Honda and Cummings. The 6300 has a max output of 6300 watts and 5500 rated. They say that continuous run time is 13.3 hours, but that is at 1/4 load and a bit misleading if you ask me; I'm guessing that at half load, you can ...

Company #1 quoted me $6,700.00 for a 17kw Generac which included running the electrical, installing the transfer switch and $500 of gas pipe work. I asked about other generators, but the salesman was not allowed to talk about any other generator other than what Home Depot carried.

The second company we picked out quoted us $7,100.00 for a 17kw Generator and was told it's the same thing as a Generac, they just labeled it differently for marketing purposes (I verified this and Generac does have a number of brand names).

The third company came in at $8,030 for a 14kw Kohler. It was pointed out that it would be in our best interest to go with a 14kw rather than a 17kw. He stated that Kohler is a quiet generator compared to Generac and that I could tack on 10% more for a Kohler.

I later found out that if manually turning on my generator and filling it up with gas wasn't a problem, that I could get by with a portable unit. I could get a 6500kw portable for less than $1000, $800 for a mechanical interlock switch ($200 + $600 labor) and save a ton.

The 3rd company also pointed out that anything above a 14kw may require a natural gas feed upgrade by the gas company, an upgrade that may run as much as $1,700 (that's $485 for the alteration fee [technician to change the meter] plus $1,209 for the meter itself!) - something none of the other companies mentioned. Here is a copy of a Alteration Bill from the gas company.

The proposed solution would be an outlet outside that I would wheel the generator to, plug in and start delivering the needed backup power. Needless to say, I decided to buy a portable generator and have company three do the wiring.

For me, a portable made sense and saved us a lot of money. I have no problem wheeling the generator to the box or having to refill the unit with gas. If the situation was such that I needed the power to kick on when I was away (travel a lot) or unable to lift heavy equipment, then I would have went with a stationary home generator.

Other benefits of portable generators include:

• Generator can be moved to any location for whatever need. Have your mother's house installed with a mechanical interlock and she is ready to go - Chances are you won't both be without power...
• Home generators need to run for 20 minute a week (something like that) and can be loud depending on the model. This constant noise can irritate neighbors and ruin a peaceful day.
• Home generators need services (tune up, oil change, etc) ever few months. Do it yourself and you may void the warranty and is something one needs to consider.
• Portable generator cost thousands of dollars less than a full blown home generator!

So, to that end, I've created this review of portable generators with emphasis on noise levels. Visit my Standby Generators page to see what I ended up buying! Should you have any questions or would like to share your experience, please feel free to leave a comment. If you are local and would like information about the company I ended up selecting, feel free to leave a comment at the link above and I'll provide you with details.