On this page we are going to give you a buyer’s guide for a power generator in 2020. We have also picked out our top 5 choices the 2020 so whether you are looking for a small power generator or something that will be able to power pretty much anything in your home we are confident that you will find something that you are looking for here.
We will also point you in the right direction if you want to read a full review of each of the power generators that we mentioned below, that way you will know exactly what you are getting for your money and you will be able to make a more informed buying choice.
The first thing that we will do is give you 3 things that you should look for when you are shopping for a power generator to make sure that you get one in line with exactly what you need to use it for and it will also make sure that you don’t end up with the power generator which is overkill for your purposes.
For instance, if you’re going camping and you just need to power a few electronic items then you far better going for smaller power generator that is very reliable. Likewise, if you need something for hurricane backup you a better going for a power generator that will give you lots of power and something that will stay reliable and more of a traditional style generator.
Here are 3 things that you need to look for in a good power generator when shopping in 2020:
3 Things to Look for in Your Power Generator:
Power:
We thought we would start with the most obvious consideration when you are buying a portable power generator or a standard power generator that will be fantastic for home backup. You need to make sure that you are going for a generator that will provide you with enough power but also think about the activity that you will be doing that you need to generator for.
For instance, if you are going camping and you just need a generator that will power a few electronic items such as a laptop or your cell phone then you are far better going for a portable power generator that runs off a lithium ion battery. These in most cases are very reliable and they also include all of the connections that you need to power pretty much anything that you need to with low amperage.
The other benefit of going for a smaller power generator is that they are easy to move around and you can simply keep in the car for when you are away on a camping trip.
The other option that you have is more of a traditional power generator and we have also reviewed one of these below in our top 5 choices the 2020, these are far more robust and you will find that they work very well for hurricane backup, home backup and when you need something that is far more powerful to get the job done.
If you were to try to back up your home with a small portable power generator you would find that this would not work very well, and you are more likely to overload the system. So, make sure that you go for a power generator in line with the power requirements that you are going to need.
Connections:
Another consideration when you are buying a power generator is to make sure that you have all of the connections that you need. This is made very easy nowadays as power generators are super easy to set up and they give you many different options the charging. For instance, you will find in our choices below that you are able to charge them through the AC outlet, using a solar panel and even using your car charging port cigarette lighter.
The other great thing is that most of the time they will include all of the connections that you need to power pretty much any electronics from USB 3.0 ports to standard USB ports and of course standard AC outlets.
If you are going for a larger power generator you will also find that you can use these for home backup and they will also be fantastic for high amperage requirements, this means that if you are looking to power power tools or lighting for your home you will also find that these are very good for that reason.
Extras:
One last consideration that will help you when you are choosing a power generator 2020 is any extras that you need. By extras we mean if you want to be able to charge the power generator using solar panel then in most cases you will need to buy the solar panel separately but you can do this at the same time very easily from Amazon.com.
Just make sure that when you buy your power generator you get everything that you need all in one go and that will eliminate any nasty surprises when you get to a camping site and find that you have got everything that you need to power pretty much anything that you want to.
Check out some of our choices below we have given you the top 5 choices for a power generator in 2020!
#1 floureon Portable Power Station Solar Generator – Best All Rounder
The floureon Portable Power Station Solar Generator will give you one of the best all-round power generators that you can use if you’re looking for an efficient and reliable portable power for a camping trip.
We recommend starting here and checking out this generator.
Here are the main stand out features:
Pure Sine Wave:
One of the best things about this portable power generator is quite technical but it will give you a pure sine wave, sometimes with power generators they will give you something called a modified sine wave and all it means is that if you have a pure sine wave you have cleaner current in your hands. This will make sure that you do not get any spikes or sudden surges in power that can cause all sorts of problems with your electrical goods.
When you are on a camping trip you don’t want to suddenly be left without power or worse still break your laptop or electrical goods so if you are using this there is no chance of that is it gives you a pure sine wave power outsource which will not break anything.
Multiple ways to charge:
This is powered from the AC wall outlet and it can also reach a full charge in about 6 or 7 hours if you do choose to use it and charge from the 12 V car charger cable you will need to pick this up at the same time on Amazon.com as it is not included. This is very handy though and it will allow you to charge in 8 to 9 hours.
Another option that you have to charge the FLOUREON 146Wh Portable Power Station is to use the solar panel and that is also not included but if you do this it can actually charge in about 3 hours or less in full direct sunlight.
Lightweight and Portable:
One of the main reasons that you will buy the FLOUREON 146Wh Portable Power Station is if you are looking for something that is very lightweight and portable, and this will definitely meet all of your expectations in this regard. The entire power generator only weighs £3.3 and it gives you an easy to carry handle that is a perfect companion for you when you are travelling. This will also make a perfect power generator for roadside emergencies and you could also use this for power outages and camping. Part of the reason that we have picked this as our top choices because although it is a portable power generator it will give you plenty of power and it also gives you the versatility of being able to carry around so we don’t think you will have any problems with it.
Click here to check out the floureon Portable Power Station Solar Generator at Amazon.com…
Click here to check out review of the floureon Portable Power Station Solar Generator…
#2 Righthand Portable Power Station 155Wh Gas Free Generator – another great alternative!
This one will give you a very similar power generator to our top choice but does give you a few key differences and you may find that this is more in line with what you need from a power generator.
Here are the standout features:
Connections:
One of the things that you want to make sure that you have when you are buying a power generator is a wide range of different connections especially if you are looking to charge lots of different electronics. Although this is a slightly small power generator it will give you everything that you need in terms of connections and you will get to AC outlets which work very much like a standard plug socket. You will also get the USB ports and one of them is a standard USB port that you can use to charge anything and the other one will actually give you a 3.0 USB port which will work with some of the latest electronics and also help to charge them faster.
Portable:
A really obvious feature with the Righthand Portable Power Station is the fact that it is portable but if you’re looking for something that is perfect for camping and something that you will be able to carry around and move with the simple handle then this is a brilliant choice for you. One of the downsides of buying a portable power generator is the worry that it will not be powerful enough for you, however this includes all of the features that you need and we think it gives you fairly ample power at 155Wh so we don’t think you will have any problems using this will feel that is underpowered in any way.
Charging Options:
Another thing that you get with the Righthand Portable Power Station is loads of different charging options and you can charge this direct into the wall which is the most recommended way of charging and it won’t take that long if you do in this manner. However if you choose to buy the extras you will also be able to charge this directly from the car using the cigarette Port and you can also charge it through the solar panels if you choose to go for that option which means that it will actually run off direct sunlight so you don’t have to waste any power out of the machine before you are using it.
Click here to check out the Righthand Portable Power Station 155Wh Gas Free Generator at Amazon.com…
Click here to check out a review of the Righthand Portable Power Station 155Wh Gas Free Generator…
#3 NEXPOW Portable Power Station – another great choice for portable power!
This one gives you everything that you need if you’re searching for a very good portable power station for camping.
Here are the main features:
Portable:
Of course, with some of our other portable choices this is the main features that you are getting with a portable power generator but this one specifically is made to be very portable and looks more like a small box that you can carry around. If size of the power generator is a big problem and you want to try maintain it to be as small as possible then you will love this choice and it is very portable. You could buy this and keep this in the car for emergency situations and you wouldn’t know that it is there.
Connections:
This one will also give you really good power and it gives you a 150 W power generator with all of the connections that you will need such as an advanced 3.0 USB port and you will also get a standard USB port as well as an AC outlet which works just in the same way as something that you would plug directly into the wall.
Safety:
It also gives you numerous safety features such as the battery management system and it will enable voltage and current control so this is all measured when the machine is working so you don’t have to do worry about overheating or giving you any surges of power. Another thing that you get with this power generator is it will work as a flashlight if needed which is quite powerful so you can always see what you are doing even in the dark.
Simplicity:
The other reason that we like the NEXPOW Portable Power Station is because you will find this very easy to use and it gives you a very simple display and all of the connections are directly on the top power generator is that all you have to do is plug in your device that you want to be able to charge and just make sure that you have some battery which you will be able to see all times with a large display at the top that tells you how much charge is left on the power generator.
Click here to check out the NEXPOW Portable Power Station at Amazon.com…
Click here to check out review of the NEXPOW Portable Power Station…
#4 Honda by Jackery HLS 290 Portable Generator – if you need more power!
This is a great choice if you need slightly more power than some of the choices that we have had a look at before, here are the main standout features of this generator:
Portable:
This is another really good choice if you’re looking for something that is very easy portable. Sometimes with power generators they can say that they are portable but when you have a closer look at them, they can be quite robust and heavy awkward to carry. With this particular power generator it comes with a carrying handle and everything is laid out to keep it very easy to manoeuvre around so we don’t think you will have any problems and it will make it a perfect choice for a camping trip.
Charging:
As with some of our other choices this power generator will give you many different ways that you can recharge when you need power and most of these methods will be able to fully charge the Honda by Jackery HLS 290 Portable Generator in about 7 hours. While this is not the quickest recharging time it is pretty standard and if you make sure that you charge this before you go on a camping trip you won’t have any problems. You are able to charge this directly from a wall socket in 7 to 8 hours, you can also charge this directly from the car using the cigarette socket in 7 to 8 hours and you can also charge it using a solar panel if you want to but you will need to make sure that you pick up the solar panel from Amazon.com when you order this power generator.
Safety:
The Honda by Jackery HLS 290 Portable Generator doesn’t let you down in terms of the safety features as well because it will give you a pure sine wave inverter that will make sure that when you are operating sensitive electronic goods such as laptops or your cell phone where you don’t want to lose any information of them it will regulate the power system so there is no sudden surges and you are always getting clean energy.
It is also very environmentally friendly because it runs off a lithium ion battery so you don’t need any gas or gasoline and it will not give off any bad gases.
Well Known Brand:
Another feature of the Honda by Jackery HLS 290 Portable Generator is the fact that this is made by very well-known brand in Jackery, so if you like some of the other choices that we have had a look at on the site that you want something that is more of a well-known brand this would definitely be one to consider as it will give you everything in one package and also the reputation of a solid brand.
Click here to check out the Honda by Jackery HLS 290 Portable Generator at Amazon.com…
Click here to check out review of the Honda by Jackery HLS 290 Portable Generator…
#5 Duromax XP4850EH Dual Fuel 4850-Watt Electric Start Portable Generator – Best for power!
If you are going for something that will give you pure power then we highly recommend checking out this choice.
It gives you more of a traditional power generator that you would see on a worksite or something that will work very well for home backup.
Here are the main standout features:
Power:
The biggest reason to pick up the Duromax XP4850EH Dual Fuel Generator is the power this will give you plenty of power 4850 starting watts and when you are running this this will also power 3850 running watts. You also have a very powerful engine of 7 hp and 212 cc OHV so it will give you a very robust and powerful engine.
The main benefit of all of this power is that if you are powering high amperage tools or bigger items such as a fridge freezer then you need to make sure that your power generator can handle this heavy load. If you go for something that is just a portable power generator you may find that it will struggle with these larger items.
Another reason for the power is if you need something for home backup to provide lighting in your home on the event of a power cut then you are better going for one of these larger power generators as it will be far more reliable and you won’t have to worry about any power surges.
Dual Fuel:
One of the downsides of using a generator like the Duromax XP4850EH Dual Fuel Generator is that you need to use fuels to be able to power but this does give you some versatility on which fuels that you are able to use as it will run on both propane or gasoline without any problems. So, while you will need fuel to be able to power this generator you do have some versatility on which fuel that you want to use and it will not break the machine if you use alternate fuels with it.