The Best Generator....

[Frank B.]

Who manufactures the best 5000 to 7000 watt home use generator?

[Doug Miller]

That's rather like asking who makes the best midsize car, isn't it?

I have a Coleman 5000W generator, and I'm quite happy with it. It starts easily, does its job without problems, runs for hours on a couple gallons of gas, and is light enough that my teenage son and I can carry it anywhere we need to. If there are better ones out there, I don't really care -- mine does everything I ask of it, so "better" isn't much of a concern for me.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

Save the baby humans - stop partial-birth abortion NOW

[mark Ransley]

Generac for the money and honda for quietness Honda is alot more expensive. Look at generac EXL line they come with electric start, Pressurised oil system and oil filter , Electronic voltage stabilation, which you need for home power use, idle contol, and excesories. Also generac has a higher surge rating.and sells a good transfer panel

[MSH]

Define 'best' and 'home use'. How many hours do you expect to run it and how much do you want to spend?

The primary issue is the motor. The longest lasting motors by far run at

1800 rpm. The vast majority of the generators you see on the shelves run at 3600 rpm. A diesel will last longer than a gas motor but should be used for longer-period situations.

Onan is considered among the best(gas), there are now a variety of small diesels available from the Japanese such as Kubota. For the 'best' expect to pay $3-5k.

Its been a few years since I was into it, but Generac is a widely sold cheap brand. They seem to use a variety of motors. A 7kw will use a different class of motor than a 5kw and you will pay for it. I understand Briggs & Stratton has redesigned their motors which were notoriously bad but cheap, compared to a Honda. Honda I am told has slightly slipped in recent years using more plastic components. They and the other Japanese manufacturers have developed a line that uses an inverter to convert 12v to 110v. This is highly efficient and if they make one that size, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. It loses the generator and lots of weight but is more expensive than your standard generic(Generac or Coleman). I have heard very good things about the Yamaha inverter model.

I *think* 5-7000 watts requires an 8 or 10 hp motor. You should google for motor feedback, ease of maintenance, reliability, noise, etc. The alternative energy crowd should be up-to-date. I have a 10kw Honda that has done well. Far bigger than I need, a 2 cyl, 600+cc motor, but the price was right. I live off the grid and for solar backup, I have suffered through the generic brands with the old, noisy, fussy and inefficient but cheap B&S motors and will never, ever do it again.

MH

['nuther Bob]

Does "home use" mean "carry around" or "permanently installed backup power source" ?

Bob

[Brian Elfert]

Briggs & Stratton bought the portion of Generac that makes the small portable generators.

Generac owed Briggs a bunch of money for engines and finally sold them the portable generator division to satisfy the debt.

Brian Elfert