Portable Generator Review

Introduction to Portable Generators

Portable generators provide electricity off the grid -- for camping, boating, RV use, building sites and for household electricity during power outages. You can run a blender at a tailgating party one day or run a home refrigerator when the power is out the next day.

We found the best review of portable generators at Consumer Reports, where editors rank 11 models based on objective testing. This review is one of the few that grades generators for not only ease of use and runtime per tank of gasoline, but also for the quality of the electricity produced -- that is, the consistency of the voltage. Reviews say that consistent voltage is important not only for running a computer, but also for other household electronic devices such as ranges and even fluorescent light bulbs.

Reviews in both Camping Life and Field & Stream magazines compare small portable generators -- light enough to hand carry to a campsite or tailgate. These generators can also power a few appliances for household backup, and the best can be daisy chained together for higher wattage. Reviews at Popular Mechanics and Black Enterprise magazines include bigger portable generators for emergency electricity, but neither magazine documents any testing. Neither do editors at ElectricGeneratorsDirect.com, but the site does recommend portable generator models as "good, better and best" in four different size ranges -- based on editors' judgments of quality, features and price; the ratings are supplemented by customer feedback.

The industry manufactures portable generators in series that share similar features, but vary in size and wattage. Reviews give top ranking to the Honda EU series of portable generators, followed by the Yamaha EF models. Both use inverter technology for smooth non-fluctuating voltage and "smart throttles" for fuel economy. Most are compact and lightweight, designed for recreational use. However, these sophisticated portable generators can also be daisy chained together to provide enough electricity for household backup. This kind of setup provides maximum flexibility and value.

Briggs & Stratton Elite and Serious Duty generators don't use inverter technology or auto-idle, so they're louder and less fuel efficient, but reviews rank them higher than Troy-Bilt or Craftsman portable generators, even though Briggs & Stratton also makes these brands. Quite a few less expensive portable generators are made in China and sold under various brand names, but reviews say quality control issues can make buying one of these models a gamble. Some owners find them very satisfactory, while others encounter serious problems.

For high wattage portable generators, reviews recommend engines with full-pressure lubrication, good for an average of 3,000 hours of use, three times as long as the average portable generator. However, experts say that most homeowners use a generator only about 20 hours a year, so an inexpensive portable generator, if well maintained, may be just fine. We found dozens of owner-written reviews praising relatively inexpensive portable generators for getting them through natural disasters and power outages without a hitch.