Need recommendations for a new generator

[Downtown-Stress-62]

I love my Troy-Bilt 5250 and we've had it for years. It looks like it's going to retire soon though. Looking for something with electric start and better output to power the essentials during outages. Any recommendations? What do you think of Predator 9500, anyone here uses it? How's the reliability?

 

[Steve GF]

The HF Predator line IMO is generally pretty good, tho I have no specific knowledge of the 9500.

With HF, you've got convenience of local retail shop, if it's DOA out of the box, or during warranty period (90 days), or if you spring extra $$$ for the "Extended Service Plan" (not a warranty, it's a pre-paid one-time option to exchange for a new unit).

The downside of the HF line is the short 90 day warranty (for comparison, WEN and Champion come with three year warranties) and HF pricing is high, relative to features and power output, compared to other brands. HF also falls behind WEN and Champion for repair parts availability--you can check your prospective model for parts on the HF website*.

*For the 9500 on this date, the CARB version doesn't give a link for parts. The EPA version says parts are available, but the parts listing page shows no parts.

 

[MrRichard]

Is it just me, or does the Predator 9500 get way more hate than it deserves just because it's a Harbor Freight brand? For the price, isn't its performance and reliability actually pretty impressive?