10 Best Gas Generators: Ready for all Conditions

Most gas generators you’ll find will come to life with a reverberating roar that hushes down marginally at best as the generator stabilizes. Unfortunately, for as practical as it might be to have an alternate energy source at home, the sound that they produce might be enough to make you think twice about using them all together. And that’s precisely what made the Honda Eu7000iat1 so popular.

As the most silent gas generator on our list, the Eu7000iat1 produces a hushed 52 dB of sound during stable operation. This makes it a wonderful choice if you’re especially concerned about annoying your neighbors in the dead of night. But there’s more to the Eu7000iat1 than just its low-noise operation.

This gas generator delivers an impressive 5500 rated watts, enough to power most of your home appliances. With a sizeable 5.1-gallon fuel tank, this machine can run for 6 hours at full load, or 18 hours at a fourth of its maximum capacity.

It also helps to know that the Eu7000iat1 uses an inverter engine, which basically means you get cleaner power that can efficiently handle even the most delicate devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets, and smart TVs.

Stepping out into the dark unknown to fire up a gas generator can be one of the hassles of having an alternative energy source. Wouldn’t it be so much easier with a remote control that lets you turn your generator on from inside your home? Well, if that’s your biggest concern, the Champion 46539 brings you intuitive smart functionality that makes operating your gas generator far easier than ever before.

The generator comes with a remote-control key fob that lets you fire up the machine from up to 80 feet away. This makes it an especially impressive choice if you’re not keen on trudging outdoors in the dark.

Of course, that’s not all the 46539 brings to the table. The machine delivers an impressive 3500 sustained watts, more than enough to bring life to your most essential household electronics and appliances.

Designed with convenience as one of its main cornerstones, the Champion 46539 also serves a range of other features that streamline its use. Cold start lets you bring the engine to life even in the dead of winter, Volt Guard protects all of your devices against power surges, and an RV-ready design lets you take your generator virtually anywhere for power on the road.

With a whopping 420cc engine displacement, the Briggs & Stratton 30679 means powerful business. This workhorse of a gas generator can produce a sustained 8000 watts of power which might be more than enough to power your home and your neighbor’s. The machine can run for an impressive 9 hours at half capacity which essentially lets you use up to 4000 watts of power to operate every essential in your home plus a few added extras.

Another thing that makes the 30679 from Briggs & Stratton especially attractive is the free Stat Station wireless app that you can use to manage and monitor your gas generator from inside your home. The intuitive software gives you a range of options to maximize your convenience, including user resources, maintenance reminders, power usage, fuel level indicator, and hours until empty.

Convenient and powerful, the Briggs & Stratton 30679 promises excellent performance that can sustain even the most demanding of households. Why didn’t we rank it any higher though? Well, while its Bluetooth connectivity feature does make it easier to manage and read your gas generator’s performance, it drops during certain weather conditions. Other than that, it produces a pretty loud roar in exchange for its supreme power which you might have already expected.

Sometimes, gas just isn’t an option. So how do you bring an alternative power source to life if you can’t find anything to fuel it? If gas isn’t always available, then a generator like the Westinghouse WGen 7500DF makes an obvious choice. This machine runs on either gas or propane, giving you more options for those sticky situations. The machine packs a 6.6-gallon gas tank, but also runs on propane to add to its versatility.

To make its duel fuel function even more convenient, the WGen75000DF features an effortless fuel switch capability. Flicking a switch on the control panel changes fuel sources from gas to propane and vice versa – without having to turn the machine off.

Aside from its dual fuel functionality, this generator from Westinghouse also comes equipped with a remote key start that lets you fire up your engine from a distance of up to 109 yards. And its 420cc engine produces up to 7500 watts of running power, more than enough to keep your entire home operational for 16 hours at a fourth of the load.

Powerful, convenient, and versatile, the WGen7500DF is an especially impressive machine. Sure, its wheels might stagger a bit on uneven terrain, and it might not get fired up too easily in the cold. But if these are things you can forgive, then the WGen7500DF offers a lot to love.

The WEN 56380i comes equipped with an inverter engine that delivers ultra-clean energy for a range of applications. This relatively lightweight yet full sized generator weighs in at just 111 pounds, but clocks in at 3800 watts of running power. Its modest fuel tank carries just 1.85 gallons of gas but the machine can run for an impressive 8.5 hours on half load, proving the unmatched fuel efficiency of an inverter engine.

Equipped with a spark arrestor, this gas generator was designed not just for residential use, but for RV use as well. Its safe and intuitive design comes fitted with all the features you need to operate the machine legally throughout parks and forests across the USA. Of course, its portable and relatively light build make it especially easy to transport throughout the great outdoors.

Fitted with an easy-to-read digital display, eco-mode functionality, and a quick connect feature for hooking up with other generators, you might think the WEN 56380i to be the ideal alternative energy source. Although its build might not be heavy-duty, and it might not be the easiest to drain its residual gas, it’s essentially flawless.

Looking for a power source for those trips to the great outdoors? The Westinghouse WH2200iXLT boasts a tiny 43-pound build and an easy-carry handle that lets you tow it around almost anywhere you go. The lightweight machine was designed for those emergency power interruptions when you might want to bring just the essentials to life. However, its size makes a wonderful companion for camping trips as well.

The small machine packs a modest 79cc engine and comes with a 1.3-gallon fuel tank. At half load, the generator can sustain operation for up to 6.5 hours at a reasonable 52 dB of noise. At full capacity, the machine delivers up to 1800 running watts – more than enough to power all of your camping essentials and more.

Lightweight and portable, the WHX2200iXLT is a highly efficient, low-fuel consumption gas generator that can provide power to the most delicate devices. And with its intuitive, effortless interface, operation become a piece of cake.

The only real issues we found with the machine is that its build might not hold up against frequent use, and its automatic choke might not always work as seamlessly as you might hope.

With over 100 years in the automotive and motors industry, you can rely on Ford to deliver some of the most resilient machines on the market. Their FG7750PBE is a testament to the kind of quality they produce, offering a heavy-duty investment that was built to tough it out through the most demanding conditions. Its reinforced metal body and powder coated tube frame keep the machine intact and operational through snow, wind, and storm.

On top of being a heavily durable design, the Ford FG7750PBE also delivers sublime performance. The dual-fuel engine can take both gas and propane that you can switch between effortlessly with the machine’s Switch and Go technology. On a single full tank of gasoline, you can expect to squeeze out a lengthy 10.5 hours of operation at half the load.

As you may have guessed though, there is no such thing as the perfect generator. Producing an ear-ringing 72dB of noise, the Ford FG7750PBE might be better suited if noise isn’t too much of a concern. It’s also worth knowing that the model can’t sustain the same power on propane as it does on gas, so there will be performance discrepancies when you make that fuel switch.

Working on a project? The General 5953 GP5500 can make an efficient companion for any jobsite, featuring sturdy never-flat tires, a convenient fold-down handle, and a hardened 1.25” steel tube cradle that can survive even the most demanding jobsite conditions. For added safety and protection, the control panel features covered outlets and circuit breakers to minimize the risk of accidents while you work on your projects.

Power-wise, the Generac 5953 GP5500 serves up 5500 running watts, operating for 10 hours on a single full tank of 7.2 gallons. Altogether, the machine provides enough power to juice up all of your tools and more, letting you work for days without refueling. For your convenience, the generator boasts an intuitive control panel that showcases an hour meter and oil indicator so you can monitor performance at a glance.

While we wouldn’t call them deal breakers, there are a few flaws you can expect with the Generac 5853 GP5500. For starters, it produces about 71 dB of noise which can be compounded by the sounds of your power tools roaring to life. Secondly, the addition of a few extra outlets would have made it even more convenient for a jobsite.

A full-sized residential gas generator can set you back upwards of $1,000 bucks. Needless to say, we don’t all have that kind of money to spare, but that doesn’t mean you have to downsize to a portable pick that might not sustain your home’s needs.

The Durostar DS4000S proves that quality and excellent performance don’t have to come at a steep price. This gas generator boasts a full-sized build ideal for residential applications, able to dish 3300 rated watts.

At half load, the machine can sustain up to 12.3 hours on a single full tank of just 3.96 gallons. This should let you bridge longer power interruptions at a minimal cost, saving your gas expense without cutting your alternative power source short.

Needless to say, the machine also comes with all the basics you’d expect, like an intuitive control panel, a Voltmeter, and an automatic low oil shutoff that protects the engine from damage.

What are its downsides? At its price, you can’t really expect a resilient, durable build. Some nuts might loosen during operation, but nothing that would truly impact performance and safety. Other than that, the wheels for this thing can only be purchased separately, limiting the opportunity for transportation if you’re buying just the generator. However, you can solve this problem purchasing the DuroStar DS4000S-WK Wheel Kit at quite a reasonable price.

Weighing in at just 44.1 pounds, the Yamaha EF2000iSv2 is a quaint little generator that packs a powerful punch. The inverter engine is especially fuel efficient, producing 1600 watts of energy on just 1.1 gallons of fuel. This makes it one of the best picks for fuel economy, especially if you plan to power up just the basics in and around your home.

The compact design is easy to carry around, letting you bring the machine to a variety of destinations with relative ease. Because of its inverter engine and modest power output, you can also expect a minimal amount of noise, rated at just 51.5 dB. This should let you run your machine without causing too much of a ruckus, even opening up the opportunity to operate the generator indoors.

Some of the machine’s points for improvement include its unreliable plastic build which seems too flimsy to hold up against frequent use, and its pretty steep price tag that easily matches other gas generators that bring more power to the table.