Powermate PM0497000.04 8,750 Watt 389cc 13HP Honda GX390 Gas Powered Portable Generator

The price seems to fluctuate between $1,200 & $1,300, so wait it out if you're able (depending on your likelihood of a blackout). Obviously, after Hurricane Sandy, this and other power-related goods have been long sold out.My house, along with most others in Northeast NJ, had a prolonged blackout during Hurricane Sandy from downed power lines across the state. While mine was "only" 2.5 days (some coworkers didn't have power for 2 weeks), I'd found that a blackout causes not only inconvenience, but a morbid sense of vulnerability. It doesn't matter if you have a shack or a mansion; you NEED a generator "just in case". It proved to be the case for me within 5 months of owning a home. Ideally, you'd have something like a 20KW Generac standby generator that runs on natural gas (like the typical stove-top) which is automatic and can power the entire house, but it is quite expensive ($10K range) and takes up a lot of outdoor space.Instead, I have this high capacity gasoline generator with a garage 240V receptable and basement 2 transfer switches for my main & sub electrical panels (10 toggle switches total to manually flip between grid & generator power). Otherwise, you'd need to run a LONG 120V power extension cord (or upto 4 multiple) from the generator to a power strip for each of your appliances, while risking a cord overload fire hazard and leaving upstairs unpowered.The "accessories" assembly probably took an hour, with most of the time spent looking for the correct size tools and bricks to prop up the generator for wheels, grounding, and handle assemblies. Do the assembly as soon as you receive the generator, since it may take longer than assumed, especially in the dark.This gasoline generator is compact in comparison to a natural gas standby generator, but bigger than the typical cheap gasoline generator that you can lug in a car. You'd need more than 2 people to load this generator into an SUV or a truck (definitely won't fit in a sedan). Its 7,000W running / 8,750W peak capacity is probably overkill for most homes, but the large 8 gallon gasoline tank and efficient engine powered for roughly 15 hour stretches my large refrigerator (spoiled/no food = bad), Zoeller 1/2 HP sump pump (flooded basement = bad), Fios router (no WiFi = suicide), outlets for multiple laptops & smartphones, stovetop hood (as needed), kitchen lights, hot water boiler (hot water in fall/winter? Yes please), and master bed lights & TV/cable box (WTH's going on out there?). I didn't need to worry about each watt an item used AND had a long time between fill-ups. If you don't need the generator running non-stop at moderate load, you can easily go 24 hours on one 8-gallon fill-up.WARNING: when you shut off the generator using its power switch, you may get a loud & bright backfire from the opposite side of where the power switch is (the other wide side). Aside from being scary, it's a fire hazard. Instead of using the power switch first, turn the fuel regulator valve to off (you would've turned the valve to on the during startup sequence per the chassis's stickererd directions), prior to switching off the generator.With (this or another) generator, you should also purchase:1. Quality power cable: I have a 20' 30-Amp 14-gauge 240V power cable ($64 in 7/2012, $100 in 11/2012) that connects to the relay switch adapter, but even if you don't have a 240V adapter, you'll want a quality 120V cable. Last thing you want during a storm & power outage is an electrical fire.2. At least two 5-gallon No-Spill gasoline cans, even if you don't fill them (87 Octane gasoline; higher's fine, but a waste of $ for this generator). Gasoline cans were sold out days before the hurricane hit, and you'll want to stock up on gasoline to avoid crazy long lines, or at least BE able to get gasoline. My experienced neighbor has 6x 5-gallon cans; I have 4x 5-gallon & 2x 2.5-gallon cans. Of them, I have 2x 5-gallon Eagle cans, which are almost double the price of the plastic No-Spill 5-gallon cans, but the Eagles' shape/size/weight are impractical for short-term use (but great for long-term storage of gasoline).3. Synthetic 10W-30 motor oil & FUNNEL: Generator comes with one quart, but you'll need to top off the oil after about 10 hours of runtime. Recommended change is after every 50, but many people recommend first change at 20 hours or so (assuming non-synthetic); color of used oil confirms the adage. Generator will automatically shut off if oil's low. Synthetic lasts much longer than traditional for very minimal premium.4. Head Lamp: Like a miner's flashlight. You may look dorky, but having 2 free hands while setting up and filling gasoline/oil into the generator will prove essential. Besides, trying to hold a flashlight between your teeth looks much dorkier.5. Sta-bil: Gasoline stabilizer for longterm storage (1 year). 8oz should be sufficient (1oz for 5 gallons of gasoline); Sta-bil itself is only good for about 2 years after opening.6. Shaker tube: Transfers liquids between containers by shaking the tube. Pouring 8 gallons of gasoline into a generator takes a LONG time (at least 30 minutes?) and is VERY tiring. This tube (or the like) can instead quickly do all the work.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EH0ORI/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00&tag=613240924-207. Cable Lock: I figured I didn't need one in a nice neighborhood, but after days of others' power loss and apparent desperation, I feared finding out my generator got stolen the hard way. Buy a 25' lock cable & 2 locks for peace of mind.8. Storage cover: Just a decent elastic canvas-type cover should do to keep off dust, bugs, etc., assuming it's stored in a garage or a shed. You wouldn't want electrical or intake/exhaust ports clogged by dust or spiders at an inconvenient time.My friends got berated by their wife for not being prepared for the power outages. Don't be one of them (Happy Wife = ...), especially if you have children. At least get a darn flashlight... (better yet, a  Coleman LED Quad Lantern ).

I attached the generator wheels and handles, which took me about 1.25 hours. I'd rate the instructions a 7 out of 10. Some of the pictures are too small to provide accurate detail regarding the sequence of washer to nut to part.I started it to test it and to do a gentle engine break in before an actual power outage. The Honda engine runs very smoothly.The only problems I've experienced so far are:1. The fuel shut off valve does not work. It never shuts off the fuel. I have to get this fixed since I plan on running the carburetor dry when I'm done using the unit in order to prevent it from clogging.2. The gas gauge on the top of the tank is far from accurate. I put 1.5 gallons into the 6 gallon tank and the needle didn't move. So I guess I'll be determining when to refill it based on the number of hours it's been running rather than the gas gauge. Why bother including it if it is that inaccurate?Regarding the fuel valve that doesn't shut off the fuel. I contacted the manufacturer to locate a warranty repair center near me. I found one about 1 hour away from my house but they are only open Mon thru Fri which means I had to take a half day off of work to get it there.So after driving the 1.25 hours from Boston to home to load the generator (rather than drive in commuter traffic with it banging around in the back), then the 1 hour from home to the repair shop, then another 1.5 hours back home in afternoon commuter traffic... it was a wasted afternoon.The generator has been at the repair center for two weeks now and they notified me that Powermate sent them the wrong part for the repair. When they contacted Powermate they were told that they are having lots of recalls on that particular part and it is backordered for 2 to 3 weeks, which as we all know, means 3 to 4 weeks.So it seems I'll be without my generator for about 5 to 6 weeks when all is said and done (hopefully not longer). I hope the weather holds out as an outage would make me thoroughly annoyed at Powermate's lack of quality control.And that is the difference between buying a unit with a Honda engine versus buying a Honda generator. I saved a lot of money compared to the Honda model but now I have to deal with this baloney. In the end... you get what you pay for.Hopefully I won't have any more Powermate related quality issues with this unit. Luckily they have only been minor, stupid, time wasting, annoying issues so far, nothing serious. Keep your fingers crossed.Update: In the end the repair shop did have the unit for 4 weeks. The good news is that when I got the unit back and tested it everything worked well. I've used the unit a few times now for New England weather related outages and it has worked perfectly. I am very happy with the unit at this point and would likely recommend it even though there were initial quality issues to deal with.