This is my third season with this generator and thus far it has worked as it should. I don't have any experience with other generators and brands so I cannot tell how this specific model is relative to the others but thus far, it has not let me down. Some observations though. 1. The battery is on a trickle charger and this keeps the battery fully charged. This is a good thing because it takes a great deal of effort, at least for me, to use the manual start. 2. This one is a gripe. The manual states that old fuel should not be kept in the fuel tank. I get it. However there is no easy way to drain the fuel! I use a hand pump to remove the old fuel at the end of each season. Generac could have easily added a de fueling valve to its gas tank.

This looks like a good unit. Easy to assemble and started up with no problems but ran very rough and stalled. Needed to call for service to come tune it up. Im sure its something minor like bad gaps in the plugs or something like that but a brand new unit should run for a few years before giving you problems. Don't know what this means for long term reliability.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Glad to have this Generac 8000 Watt Portable Generator on hand and ready for the bad weather season. We just bought our home in a very windy/snow-laden area and having a back up generator is the way to go. It took a few hours to assemble and we found that we needed to go get an additional cord, but once we did that, it started up without issue. The built in maintenance timer is great - makes it convenient to know when to change the oil, etc. The wheels truly are heavy duty. We're feeling confident that if we need it, we'll be able to keep the lights and power going for our kids without issue.

I have already put the generator to use and it works like a champ. No bogging down even under high AMP. Very impressed, really not as noisy as I feared, and the easy on off makes operating it a breeze. Very low fuel consumption which made it even better for the overall cost. I have looked into service the generator myself and this should be just as easy. Overall best generator I have come across

Unit purchased 4.5 yrs ago. Ran great till used this yr. Followed all required maintenance and unit stopped during power outage. Shop Arlo has replaces magnetos and now telling me needs new carb. $728 in repairs and still don't know if will run. I can not recommend this $3000+ generator when i am spending 30% cost of unit after only 37hrs. This is ridiculous and Generac has told Arco they won't do anything to help. Very disappointing for a company to treat customers this way.

I just received my Generac GP8000E portable generator a couple of days ago. I bought it for the sole purpose of having back-up power in case of a power outage. I asked our electricians at work which generator they would recommend and they both said this one at the same time. That tells me a lot. We have a Generac stand alone at work that powers our whole office and I feel that if they both recommended this model and brand, then it must be the one I'll be happy with. I'm almost hoping the power goes off this winter..... lol

This unit has everything I need for home backup. It's a heavy machine but the pivot handle makes it easy to move around. I also like the never flat wheels. The only drawback is the lack of clear instructions for changing oil and draining fuel. The instructions are vague for a novice like me. I need more detail and better drawings. Well worth the price I paid for home backup.

I have rated the quality of this generator only "Fair" (a little below average) because of the two items that follow. The GP3600 generator is easy to assemble and it started on the first pull of the recoil cord. However, I ran into problems when I plugged in an electrical device: There was no power from any of the four 120 VAC, 20 amp, duplex receptacles (note: these receptacles have their own 20 amp circuit breakers). I had to call the store I bought it from and speak to someone who knows the generator and troubleshoot it with him. The problem was that the circuit breaker next to the single, circular 120 VAC, 30 amp receptacle needed to be moved from the "OFF" to the "ON" position. Once I flipped that switch there was power to all outlets. I did not know, and unless I missed it, there was nothing in the manual stating that the 30 Amp breaker controlled power to ALL outlets. There was nothing in the manual's startup procedure about this 30 amp breaker needing to be switched to "ON" so that power would flow to ALL outlets. I would recommend such a basic necessary item be addressed clearly in the manual. One other minor item: The plastic, zip-loc-type bags that the manual and warranty came in were very light grade plastic. I usually store the manuals for all of my power tools in the zip-loc-type bags they come in right in my shop near the tools themselves. So it would be nice if the bags were a little heavier grade plastic.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Works great. Took it on our latest camping trip it ran our site and our neighbors site with power to boot. Quieter than I expected! I liked the idea of never flat wheels but they seemed a little bent. Handy fold up handle that was well balanced and easy to maneuver was a bonus.

I was surprised that the THD was high enough that my digital frequency meter would not read 60 Hertz either at no load or full load. I had to read the frequency with my ocilloscope. However the THD must be low enough so that it doesn't seem to bother my electronics. It starts easy with the pull starter. I'll probably use a bigger starting battery when the little one that came with the unit dies. The voltage is pretty stable during motor starts. Since the genset is heavy I would like to see a lifting eye to set it in a pickup bed. All things considered, it seems worth the affordable price for an 8 KW non commercial machine.