"Bill" wrote in message
.. .
I have a decent sized "costso" gift certificate for Christmas, which I
want
to apply towards a portable generator.... I have 2 basic choices in the
store.

Coleman Powermate 5500 Watt ~ $550
Nikota 3500 Watt ~ $279

My basic questions are;

1. What does 3500 vs. 5500 Watts get me? (generally speaking)
2. If 3500 is enough, is Nikota a brand I should buy? I never heard of
them


I can't comment on the brand names , but the more watts the beter. The 3500
may not start a well pump if you have one, probably will not run an electric
water heater.

One thing to look at is to get one with a large gas tank. Friend of mine
had a gen with a small tank and had to check on it about every hour or two
during the run time during one winter ice storm outage.