I already owned a 5kv Generac and was extremely happy with it. A few weeks ago my daughter lost power due to storms and was told it could be 5 days until power returned. I loaded my 5kw on trailer and connected to power her frig, furnace, and a few lights. Generator worked great as always, and saved all food, kept house heated. I then decided why haul back and forth, since it worked so well at her house I'd leave it there and buy myself this new 6500E. Now I know we both will never be w/o power again what ever mother nature throws at us and I will not have to "share."

This served us well during Huricane Sandy when we were without power for seven days. It was easy to set up and safe for residential use. My only complaints would be that it is a manual start with a pull cord which is likely not a problem for most folks but more difficult for an older person. The noise level is a little bothersome too. Overall a good product which certainly did the job well. Next time I would get an electric start and hopefully a quieter model.

While I only have a few hours on this generator, I've owned and used a few different models from different manufacturers. This one seem to be built on customer feedback. Simple features like the included fuel filter and the gas cap retention chain made me smile, along with the charging port for the battery and beefiness of the roll cage. Like many generators, it has a plastic choke lever, which I consider bad design. Its not a matter of if it will break, its when. There is plenty of torque on that lever. The included wheels aren't up to the quality of the rest of the product. They look and feel like they belong on a kids toy. I replaced them immediately with a better quality wheel w/ metal hubs and bearings. Otherwise, good product.

This particular model has enough available power to run an average 3 bed room house including the furnace and refrigerator. To ensure a no overload condition have refrigerator turned off until furnace or ac kicks in then turn on. Easy to maintain and easy starting.

We purchased this unit for Hurricane season. Low and behold we needed it this year. This unit ran our house, all electric, 1900 sqft, with no issues. We ran on this generator for 4+ weeks until power was restored. We were hit again with another hurricane a few weeks later and had to crank up the unit again for a week or so. This unit ran flawlessly and we lived as if we had full utilities. Now there are some downsides to owning this unit. It is heavy and can be difficult to move at times. It burns a lot of gas. We were going through two tanks a day, roughly 32 gallons of gas. Due to it's size you will need to be able to store it for later use. Taken all of the aforementioned in account, it is worth having when in the time of need.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] What a powerful generator, it packs a lot of punch!! Great features like the electrical outlets, the size is compact and convenient and is actually a bit more quiet then I expected (it's not quiet, but definitely not the loudest I have heard) I think everyone would should have something like this for emergency purposes and recreational use. I would absolutely recommend this to all my friends and family.

I bought the product on Sunday before a hurricane hit on Tuesday, knocking out our power. The main cable that plugs into my (electrician installed) circuit box worked fine, so I had water pump, sump pump, furnace, refrigerator and freezer working. But none of the four 120 outlets worked at all. I called for additional directions and was told to contact my local service person. I did and they said that I had to bring it in for service. So, I could not run extension cords into my house for electricity for the next 4 days that my power was out. I am taking it in for repair and hope that they get the outlets running. Service people have been very nice. Also, you make it very difficult to find the serial number, hidden on the back of the panel, and difficult to register the serial number/product, by telling me to go to a web site, then find the registration icon, then telling me to call a number. Why not have the number in your literature, or allow the registration on -line?

I purchased as a backup to provide power to deep freezer, refrigerator, and home office computers. It was easy to connect and provides ample power for my needs. I looked at various generator manufacturers for some time. I decided on Generac because it had the features I needed; was available thru my local service station and could be delivered to my home in time to save my refrigerated food from defrosting. I only need it for 26 hours before utility power was restored. I changed the oil so I am ready for next outage. I estimated that saving the stored food paid for half of the cost of the Generator. Not missing the days work paid for the other half.

I just assembled the generator today less than an hour. Added the oil provided poured in about a half gallon of gas for a test start. Fired right up. Tested the outlets everything seems to be working fine. Replacing an older smaller unit 20 plus years old. I like the electric start and the operator friendly controls. Not wishing for another power outage but I think I'm prepared. This unit is a little wattage than my old unit and should do all that I need.

The generator started and ran immediately, looks like a substantial piece of machinery. We did have one short power outage where generator was put to use for a few hours, and it worked well. I overlooked the fact that the 120vac outlets are GFCI because they are solid black (reset/test buttons and face all same color, and my garage is dark), and the outlets were tripped. So, I initially called support reporting that those outlets were dead. Actually, they were OK. Incidentally, when I did call support, they did not think of that. I really wish there was a load meter. I just noticed today that the XP8000E has the load meter, but that model wasn't among those I found available when I shopped.