How I Review Generators

Every review on GeneratorBench is written to answer one question: will this keep your house running in an outage, and what's the catch? Here's how I get there.

Where the information comes from

• Manufacturer specs. Running and peak watts on each fuel, rated runtime and the load it was measured at, THD, outlets, weight, noise, warranty, and emissions compliance. When the manufacturer's site and a retail listing don't match, I say so.
• Owner experience. Patterns in what owners report after months of use: starting, reliability, problems that keep coming up. I look for things lots of people mention, not one angry review.
• Hands-on use. So far, every review on this site is research-based. I haven't tested any of these units myself yet, and each review says so. When I do get hands-on time with a unit, I'll add my own numbers and photos to that review and say so clearly.

The math in every review

• What it can run: a realistic outage setup with typical appliance running and starting watts.
• Fuel per day: worked out from the manufacturer's own runtime figures, at light and medium loads.
• Hookup: which outlets connect to a transfer switch or interlock, and what that means for usable power.

What I'll measure when I test a unit

• Cold and warm starts, with each start method
• Runtime on one tank at a measured, recorded load
• Noise at 23 feet (the standard distance manufacturers use)
• Voltage and frequency under load, and how it handles motor starts
• Setup time, and what moving it around is really like

How ratings work

Ratings are out of 5 and weigh, roughly in this order: usable power for home backup, power quality, safety features (like a CO sensor), fuel flexibility and runtime, ease of use and moving it around, and brand track record and support. Price matters, but only relative to what you get.

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