Portable Generator Review

Reviews of portable generators

Portable generators provide electricity when you're off the grid -- or when the grid goes off. They're used to provide electric power for camping, boating and RVing, on building sites and for household power needs during power outages. Portable generators range in size from models that provide 750 watts to those that provide 17,500 watts of electricity. At the low end, that's enough to run a couple of small appliances, and at the top, enough to power an all-electric home. For information about how to calculate your wattage needs, see our What to Look For section.

Portable inverter generators are reviewed more frequently than noninverter models, in part because they're lighter and quieter and therefore suitable for camping or tailgating. They're also safer to use for electronics since their power output is more consistent. These generators can also power a few appliances for household backup, and the best can be daisy-chained together for higher wattage. We found the best reviews in Camping Life and Field & Stream magazines; they compare small inverter portable generators based on objective testing. Though no such testing is documented, product experts at ElectricGeneratorsDirect.com rate portable generator models as good, better and best in four size ranges based on quality, features and price. The ratings are supplemented by customer feedback, which the website also posts. Owner ratings and reviews at Amazon.com, Northern Tool and Equipment and other online retailers provide good information about how different portable generators perform in real-life situations.

Manufacturers list two wattage levels for portable generators: running, or continuous, wattage (sometimes called rated wattage) and maximum, or peak, wattage (sometimes called starting or surge wattage). Some household appliances (like air conditioners) require more electricity to start than they do to continue running at a steady rate; the maximum wattage level tells you how much short-term, or surge, power a generator can provide to accommodate this need. In this report we specify the running wattage for each model and usually cite its maximum wattage as well.