Abe wrote:
As many of you have probably heard on the news, the Pacific NW was
recently hit by huge long-lasting power outages due to weather. I was
one of those affected. To be prepared for next time, I want to buy a
generator that can power either my furnace or a couple of space
heaters, and four 23 watt compact fluorescent lights.

I'll figure out the exact capacity I need later, but I was wondering
about brands for now. Which are the good ones to look at?

I would recommend either getting the Generac Quietpact 55-G (5500W) or
the Honda EU3000is (2800W). The Generac is actually built for RV use,
but is relatively quiet and should work well for emergency home use
also. Both of them cost about $2000.00. I have the Honda EU3000is and
I'm very happy with it.

If you don't care about noise and you don't want to spend that much
money then I would buy something like the Generac 5550 WheelHouse
($700).

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/gensup.asp
http://www.guardiangenerators.com/PublicPDFs/0E1015.pdf
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/4581