Generac is a brand of Generac Holdings

Generac is a brand of Generac Holdings

Generac is a brand of Generac Holdings, another Fortune 1000 company. Generac Inc. was founded in 1959 by Robern Kern. This manufacturer started by producing generators for Sears under the Craftsman brand. Generac started making its brand of residential, commercial, and industrial power backup generators in the 1980s. In 1989, Generac unveiled the first-ever gas-powered automatic residential standby generator.

Today, Generac is among the best portable generator brands. They also have business standby generators, industrial powerhouses, and mobile generators. Generac generator engines are designed and made by Generac at their facilities in Wisconsin. This should give you peace of mind if you’re worried about the overall quality of the generator.

Honda

Honda is always up there in most lists of the best generator brands. This brand belongs to Honda Motor Company, Ltd- a Japanese manufacturer with global recognition when it comes to automobiles, motor vehicles, motorbikes, and generators.

In the world of generators, Honda is known to make some of the best fuel efficiency engines. These generators provide smooth, clean, and safe power for all purposes, from emergencies to outdoor recreational needs.

For a company with immense experience in engines, it’s not surprising that Honda generators are among the quietest in the market. Our best recommendation here is the Honda EU2000i. This is one of the most popular inverter generators today.

Hyundai

Similar to Honda and Ford, Hyundai started as a motor company before branching to other products. Hyundai, officially known as Hyundai Motor Company, is a South Korean company with its headquarters in Seoul. This multinational automotive manufacturer was started in 1967. Currently, it has a footprint in over 193 countries around the globe.

Hyundai boasts a wide range of generators designed to suit pretty much any application. Whether you’re looking for a pure sine wave inverter generator for camping or a powerful model for power backup at your business premises, Hyundai has a generator for your needs.

Kohler

Kohler Company is one of the oldest companies with close to 150 years under its belt. Founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler and based in Wisconsin, Kohler is mainly known for its plumbing fixtures, sinks, faucets, and bathtubs. Today, Kohler has expanded its operations into manufacturing other products, including cabinetry, furniture, engines, and generators.

So, are Kohler generators good? In our opinion, yes. Kohler is a well-established manufacturer and distributor of power backup solutions with outlets almost all over the world. Existing Kohler generator reviews paint an impressive picture of this brand’s reliability, especially in terms of durability.

Lifan

Lifan generators are made by Chongqing Lifan Holdings Co., Ltd in China. This company was started in 1992 as a manufacturer and seller of engines, automobiles, and motorcycles. Although it’s relatively new compared to other automobile giants like Honda and Ford, Lifan is currently ranked as one of the most reputable enterprises in China.

One of the reasons why you might want to consider Lifan generators is their competitively lower prices. Despite their affordability, these generators are relatively great performers and boast a robust construction. Again, most of these generators are easily portable and relatively easy to store.

Powerhorse

Powerhorse generator brand may not be as famous as others in these generator brand reviews. Actually, you won’t find a lot of info about it. However, its products have enormous followership that makes it impossible not to mention them on this list.

To begin with, Powerhorse generators are made and distributed by Northern Tool+ Equipment. This company was founded in 1981 by Donald L. Kotula, and it’s located in Burnsville, Minnesota.

Powerhorse makes generators for all applications. But, of course, you’ll want to choose the size that best meets your purpose. These generators come in all sizes from 2500w, 4000w, 7000w, 9000w, 11000, and 13000w.

Powermate

Powermate was initially a division of Coleman, an American company based in Illinois, Chicago. However, Powermate has since been sold to another European company called Pramac. Right off the bat, Powermate does not make its generators. Instead, it sources out its components from different world-class manufacturers, including Honda, Yamaha, Subaru, and Mitsubishi- and this is its key selling point.

The mere fact that Powermate generators are a product of several giants coming together is an excellent reason to invest in them. These generators come in all sizes from 1000w to 6000w and for various applications, including home power backup to recreational and jobsite power solutions.

One thing that you’ll realize is that Powermate does not quote prices on its website. This is a way of supporting its distributors. It’s up to you to shop around for the best deals.

Predator

Predator generators are manufactured by Predator Power Products, which is located in Wangara, Australia. However, they are sold by Harbor Freight. They are actually popularly known as Harbor Freight Predator generators.

As proof of their quality, Predator generators are often compared to Honda. Although Honda always gets the Excellent mark, Predator is never far off, and it’s mostly marked Very Good. This is despite Predator generators coming at over half the price of their alternatives from Honda. For the record, the Predator 3500 watt inverter generator is often recommended as an affordable alternative to the Honda EU2200i, which comes at twice the price.

Pulsar

Pulsar generator brand is owned by Pulsar Products, which is headquartered in Ontario, California. But its engines are made by Ducar Power Company, which is based in Chongqing, China. Pulsar is one of the fastest-growing generator manufacturers and has been around for over 100 years.

Similar to Predator above, Pulsar generators compete favorably with Honda engines only that Pulsar is much more cost-efficient.

Besides generators, Pulsar carries a wide range of portable and handheld products ranging from air compressors to lawnmowers and pressure washers. Narrowing down to its generator department, Pulsar has it all from 1Kw to 10Kw generators ranging from gasoline-only to tri-fuel models.

Rainier

Rainier is another generator company that you won’t find a lot of information about online. But its generators are receiving good press out there. At the moment, Rainier operates as an Amazon store. That’s why everything on its main website will redirect you to another page on Amazon.

Rainier’s generator catalogue presently consists of inverter and traditional generators. This brand currently focuses on outdoor recreational and portable household power backup. Again, depending on your budget and needs, you’ll get a generator of any size from 1800w to 12000w.

Ryobi

Ryobi Generators is one of the subdivisions of Ryobi tools. This is a Japan-based manufacturer with its headquarters in Fuchu, Hiroshima.

Alongside generators, Ryobi also makes power tools, woodworking tools, metalworking tools, inflators and compressors, and batteries.

Ryobi makes its generators in China. This is one way of ensuring that you enjoy the best innovations without breaking the bank. Sure enough, Ryobi is among a few other manufacturers with Bluetooth-compatible generators.

Sportsman

Sportsman is a brand of Buffalo Corp. This is yet another highly recommendable option if you’re looking for the best generator brands with affordable products. Sportsman generators come in all types that you can think of. For your delicate electronics and outdoor power needs, the Sportsman inverter line may be an excellent place to start your search. If you’re after optimum versatility, Sportsman has both dual-fuel and tri-fuel generators.

WEN

Wen Generator Company is the brainchild of Nick Anton, and it was founded in 1951 in Elgin, Illinois. Wen rose to popularity when it helped in merging tools and electricity (powering up the power tools). Similar to Ryobi, WEN’s product lineup consists of a bevy of power tools, snow throwers, compressors, and generators, among other things.

With a characteristic black and orange (sometimes yellow) theme, WEN generators come in all flavors and prices. For emergency power backup at home, this American brand has generators ranging from 3000w to 13000w. For outdoor usage, you’ll have a few options from 1000w open-flame generator to a 3800-watt super quiet inverter.

Westinghouse

We can’t talk of the best portable generator brands this year without including Westinghouse. This brand has been in the generator business for over 130 years, and it has all the good reasons to be your go-to generator.

Westinghouse is named after its founder, George Westinghouse, and it’s based in Cranberry Township in Pennsylvania. A brand of Westinghouse Electric Company, Westinghouse takes pride in designing and making its engines, so you can be assured that quality is well taken care of here.

To make things easy for you, Westinghouse names its generators in progressively higher power output. Again, it has all sorts of generators, including open-flame, inverter technology, and dual fuel designs.

Winco

Winco is regarded as one of the pioneers of portable power. This company was started by two brothers Gerhard and John Albers, who developed a wind-powered generator for a 6v storage battery. In around eight years, this business had grown, and manufacturing had to be moved from Cherokee to the Sioux City of Iowa.

Fast forward, Winco developed its first line of portable generators in 1990 and sold them under the Dyna brand name. Besides portable generators, Winco also has all sorts of household and commercial generator types, including standby and multi-fuel.

Although Winco has its line of engines, some of its generators are fitted with engines from other companies, including Honda, Briggs, and Stratton. So, remember to dig around if this combination interests you.

Yamaha

There’s no better way to wrap up these top generator brands review than with the leading manufacturer of portable generators today. Do you really need any introduction to Yamaha? Yamaha is a brand of Yamaha Corporation, a multinational conglomerate with its headquarters in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.

This company was founded in 1887, but it was not until the 1973 that it started designing and manufacturing generators. A couple of decades down the line, Yamaha is one of the biggest names in the world of portable generators.

Yamaha generators are known to pack some serious power, whether you’re after an inverter generator for camping and tailgating, or you’re after the big guns that are meant for jobsites and other applications that demand high-power. Yamaha generators also lead the pack in terms of low-noise output. But what’s so interesting is that Yamaha aims at offering high-end power technologies and safety technologies without trying to bust your budget.