Are you living in an area with more frequent extreme weather conditions? If so, you probably have to face power outages after storms. This is why you need portable generators most to meet your power demands. However, these portable generators are not only useful as a power back up in an emergency. But, you would find them providing power to construction sites and many other outdoor activities and events, including fairs and parades. Amazingly, their prices are coming down day by day, making them favourite power providing devices.
1. Champion 5500 Dual Fuel
The Champion’s 5500 Dual Fuel generator allow you to choose your fuel or anything else available in an emergency. There are a few advantages to prefer propane over gasoline when using a backup power source generator.
Propane is more stable than gasoline. It’ll never clog carburettors, especially during a long term shortage. Additionally, you may have to face a gasoline shortage after a strong regional storm. So, propane can help you to cope with this shortage.
You can quickly switch the 5500 from gasoline to propane. However, propane provides you with lesser starting and running watts because it stores less energy than gasoline.
Moreover, the 5500 works quieter with propane as a fuel. For example, propane can produce sound with 78.2 dB intensity at 25 ft. load. On the other hand, gas cause the generator to sound with 81.5 dB intensity at the same load.
When using propane, one thing to keep in mind is that the panel’s main control switch will not turn off the generator. Instead, the propane switch on the fuel selection panel will turn off both the propane flow and the generator. In this way, the propane will never be “on” when the generator is turned off.
The digital gauge at the 5500’s control panel allows you to monitor voltage and current frequency quickly. Moreover, it also displays the time for which the generator is working. No doubt, the 5500 Dual Fuel is an excellent choice to provide you with ower back up during an emergency. Moreover, it would work best for campers, RVs and construction sites.
2. Westinghouse WGen7500 Portable Generator
It has convinced many buyers to leave five-star feedback. Here’s an example; a buyer said:
“The electric start and remote worked perfectly. Everything was included (battery, oil, funnel, spark plug socket, etc.) and that the battery was already charged and ready to go.”
Similarly, another buyer had submitted his reviews. His review is:
Another has “had this generator for a year now and started it again in preparation for Hurricane Florence” and calls it, “Well-designed and well-built, starts first try. The electric start is a nice choice, pull start is there when you have a dead battery.”
Some find it’s easy to start button excellent, while others loved its durability. Moreover, some of its buyers indicated that it could hold a large amount of gasoline. However, if you put a lot of load on it, you may have to refill it twice a day.
3. Westinghouse WGen9500 Portable Generator
Most of the best reviewers of the generator found it “quiet.” According to them, they can place it on their porch easily. Its sound is low enough not to disturb the neighbours. For instance, one of the reviewers said:
“My first impression was ‘Wow, this thing is really quiet.’ I really didn’t expect it to be that quiet. I chose an inverter since I lived in a townhouse complex and was concerned about powering my necessities when the power went out but didn’t want to annoy my neighbours. I was satisfied when I finally heard it run.”
According to another reviewer:
“This little baby just keeps on purring away and takes very little fuel,” adding that it ran, “About 13 hours on one gallon. I love it.”
The third reviewer just loved its long running time. He added,
“I’ve been using it for four weeks as home backup power after hurricane Maria struck PR, leaving the Island off the power grid. In average, I use it daily for 12 hours powering a refrigerator, 1 55-inch LED TV, 1 40-inch LCD TV, 1 Blu-ray DVD, 8 16-watt lamps, two big fans, one 800-watt espresso coffee brewer running six minute cycle in the morning, charging my cell phones, tablets and laptops and washing two laundry loads per week.”
Another reviewer said he had purchased this generator when they had to face power outages after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. His honest review was as follows:
“I have to say this little unit has been a lifesaver for my family and me. It has made our life much easier, and I’m planning to buy another one for back up.”
4. WEN 56200i Super Quiet 2000-Watt Portable Inverter Generator, CARB Compliant
The low noise level of this generator makes it exceptional. Everyone loved its noise-free feature.
One of its reviewers admired its “quiet working” feature by saying,
“At up to about 600W, this unit is so quiet, you can actually run it outside on your balcony, without disturbing the neighbours.”
According to another reviewer, it’s one of the best investments he had made on this generator. He further explained the features of the generator by saying,
“We live in South Florida, and this generator got us through the hurricane Irma. The reason we got it because of the price and performance, good fuel-efficient, compact, light and quiet.”
5. Champion Power Equipment 42436 1500/1200-Watt Portable Generator
The reviewers considered it a super powerful and best portable generator. For instance, one reviewer said:
“This is a nicely priced 3.5 kW generator, and one thing I like is that it comes with a wheel kit standard. The box shows what items you can run at the same time, such as one refrigerator, one television, one computer, one fan, and one light.”
The point of view of another reviewer about this generator is:
“The instructions are clear enough and the generator feels rugged and well built. It starts up very easily and runs very quiet, at least quieter than I thought it would run.”
Above all, the reviews love to have this generator because it’s easy to set up. One of the five-star reviewers said:
“The instructions for setup are very professional and intuitive. I was able to set up the generator very quickly and engineering of parts seems precise.”
While another customer admired the same feature by saying:
“Within 20 minutes, using only the excellent quick-reference guide, we were running and had the refrigerator and Wi-Fi back on.”
6. WEN 56203i 2000-Watt Portable Inverter Generator w/Fuel Shut Off
The fuel shutoff feature of this portable generator makes it stand out in the industry. This feature allows the generator to use all the remaining fuel in the generator’s carburettor before it automatically shuts down. It’s one of the most technical features of the WEN 56203i.
One of the reviewers admired the “fuel shut off feature and said:
“This is very important because fuel will gum up carburettor if left in too long. It takes less than a minute for it to run out of gas.”
According to another reviewer, the auto shut off feature would enhance the average life of the generator.
Some people consider it very economical when it comes to fuel usage. Here are the reviews from two different buyers who found that it’s super-economical.
One of them said: “This thing uses like NO fuel.”
Likewise, another buyer reported, “I have run it during two power outage events now for about 6-8 hours each time, and I was nowhere near going through the 1 gallon of gas.”
In the last, a reviewer considered it a robust generator that can run everything at your home at once. For instance, it can run refrigerator, lights, security systems, internet and entertainment centre all at once.
7. Champion 3800-Watt Dual Fuel Portable Generator
Many reviewers love the Champion 3800- watt generator. It’s a dual fuel generator. According to one of the reviewers:
“After making the connections for the battery and adding some gas, I fired her up. Three cranks and away she went. Sounds smooth and fairly quiet. The dual-fuel makes it especially appealing.”
Another reviewer admired that because of its ability to use both propane and gas. And according to her, it’s exactly the point that makes it sell like hotcakes.
Propane does not allow the gas to clog the engine. Most of the customers used it for running their RV. For instance, one buyer had explained that:
“Pulled over that night and ran our A/C in our RV from midnight to 7 AM. It was a little loud and was concerned with our neighbours but after hearing the semi engines and other RV’ers with their generators, all was good. We slept comfortably and still had propane to spare.”
8.Champion 7500-Watt Dual Fuel Portable Generator
A reviewer has reviewed loved the Champion 7500 due to various features. He admired those features by saying that “Take your old Honda, Generac, Kolar, Homlite, and all the rest and toss them in the recycling bin. Nothing beats this brand of generator.”
On the other hand, another reviewer was of the point of view that “It’s got to be the best generator made. And I have numerous generators. I have Champions with over 5,000 hours on them.”
Similarly, another reviewer said:
“This generator has more than paid for itself just keeping my refrigerators powered during Dominion Power’s numerous outages, so we do not have to toss out hundreds of dollars worth of food at a time. It always starts up with the electric push-button starter, and operation and maintenance are a dream if you use the propane option.”
Last but not least, a reviewer accepted that he “hates dealing with gasoline engines, and I’m at that age in my life where I can’t deal with the frustration of pull starts, so the propane option and the electric start were a big factor in my purchase.” Besides, he explained that this generator has a smooth-running function when compared to other generators. Moreover, he considered it a champion product that has a special place in his garage.
