How to Buy

How to buy the right generator.

The first thing you need to decide upon is what will be the use of the generator. If you are just using it for parties, camping, or in case you lose power at home. All of these will require a different size. Once you have determined it’s main purpose then make a list of what will be used while it is running. Include any lights, appliances, and background essentials.

Once you have your list you need to check what the wattage requirements are of each item. Some items require more at startup then when being used. Most times you will start up things at different intervals but to be safe add up the highest amount of each item. This is what size of generator you will need to run them all. Generators have a maximum and rated output. The maximum is for starting things up and the rated is for continuous running of appliances. A refrigerator for instance has 2200 watts at start up and 700 watts to operate. Microwave is 800 watts to start up and 625 to operate.

Next is the shopping portion of this exercise. Shop for the generators buy checking first the size, then the price, and finally the reviews. Make sure you are comparing the same wattage between generators when doing this to get best value. If there are a lot of reviews then you can get a good idea of whether it is good or not. Stay away if only two to ten people have reviewed it.

You can expect to pay anywhere from 150 to thousands depending on size. Most personal purchases will range from 300 to 600. Once you feel comfortable with the price and size go ahead and buy the selected unit.

Most units have a warranty so you are protected in this regard. Many of these also have a return policy so that if the generator is not what you expect you can return it.