Small Budget Generators

1,000- to 3,500-watt portable generators

If you primarily need something inexpensive to keep a refrigerator or freezer running during a power outage, you may not want to spend upwards of $1,000 for a top-quality generator. Budget generators in the $300 to $500 range fit into this class. Some very small generators of around 1,000 watts are fine for tailgating or campsite use. We had a tougher time finding reviews for budget generators, but there's enough information out there to pick out a few good bets from the sea of $300 generators crowding store shelves.

Eastern Tools & Equipment produces budget-priced small generators that get high marks from owners. Suitable for tailgating or camping, the 1,000-watt ETQ TG1200 (*Est. $150) is rated 4.4 out of five stars from more than 150 owners posting reviews to Northern Tool and Equipment. Over 70 owners rate it at Amazon.com, giving it an average of 4.1 of five stars. It's relatively quiet at less than 65 decibels, and a CARB-compliant version is also available (primarily in California). The TG1200 does not use inverter technology; the manufacturer claims it's safe for electronics, but it's clear in expert testing that true inverter generators are the safer bet if you don't want your TV or computer to be fried by a power surge. According to ETQ, the TG1200 will run for up to eight hours at half load or 5.5 hours at full load on a full tank of gas.

The 3,250-watt ETQ TG32P12 (*Est. $345), which surges to 4,000 watts and is rated to run up to 13 hours at half load, gets similar Amazon ratings and even better feedback from almost 15 owners posting reviews to HomeDepot.com. Some report units damaged during shipping or other breakdown issues, but most are satisfied. (One review comes from a Houston user who says he purchased this generator just before Hurricane Ike hit in September 2008 and ran it for two weeks straight with no problems.) The ETQ TG32P12 includes an automatic low-oil shutoff engine-protection feature. Again, the manufacturer claims you can use it for electronics, but this isn't an inverter generator. The ETQ TG32P12 has a heavy-duty steel tubular frame, and comes with a wheel kit for easy transport. It's rated to run for up to 13 hours at half load. The ETQ TG1200 and TG32P12 generators each come with a one-year warranty.

ETQ also offers a propane-fueled 3,000-watt generator, the ETQ PG30P11 (*Est. $400), which operates on the same kind of propane tank used for gas grills. It weighs just over 100 pounds, however, and doesn't include wheels.

Briggs & Stratton Elite portable generators in this size range cost more, but they're also CARB compliant, so they produce fewer emissions. The compact 2,000-watt Briggs & Stratton 30239 (*Est. $500), which surges to 3,000 watts, is designed for camping, but it weighs 95 pounds (it does have built-in wheels). A small 1.4-gallon fuel tank is its main drawback, since that much gas only runs the generator (at half load) for about five hours. The few owners reviewing it at Sears.com are pleased, however. The 3,500-watt Briggs & Stratton 30348 (*Est. $630), on the other hand, is rated to run about 12 hours on its four-gallon tank (at half load). It surges to 4,800 watts, weighs 105 pounds and has bigger wheels for better mobility. Owners say it has enough power to run essential appliances during a power outage, and we didn't find any complaints about breakdowns.

The less expensive 3,250-watt Generac 5724 (*Est. $450) belongs to Generac's GP series of portable generators, which have passed an evaluation required to earn a Good Housekeeping Seal. The Generac 5724 surges to 3,750 watts and has low-oil shutoff, a fuel gauge, fold-down handles and "never-flat" wheels. It weighs about 90 pounds and is rated to run 12.5 hours on its four-gallon tank of gas at half load. The Generac 5724 carries a two-year factory warranty and is covered by a separate Good Housekeeping warranty under which Good Housekeeping will replace it or refund its purchase price for two years following its purchase. Expert reviews of the Generac 5724 are hard to come by, but it shares many of its features with other well-reviewed Generac generators. Owners posting user reviews at Northern Tool and Equipment view the 5724 favorably. Just one owner has rated it at Amazon.com at the time of this update, but that person gives the Generac 5724 a five-star rating.