How this site works
Outage Geek is a comparison database for home backup power: 57 units from 22 brands, spread across 5 categories, from $449 suitcase power stations to $24,000 whole-home battery systems. It exists because backup power is something most people shop for exactly once, usually two days before a storm, using numbers that manufacturers deliberately make hard to line up.
Where the specs come from
Running watts, starting watts, battery capacity, tank size, decibel ratings, weight, and warranty terms come from manufacturer spec sheets and owner's manuals. Where a number is measured under conditions a marketing page doesn't state — decibels at a stated distance and load, runtime at a stated percentage of rated output — we use the manufacturer's stated figure and note the condition in the spec table rather than inventing a normalized one.
About the prices
Prices are typical list prices for the bare unit. Treat them as a tier, not a quote. Two things move them a lot: retailers discount portables and power stations constantly, and prices for standby generators and home batteries spike after a regional outage. Home standby generators and wall batteries also carry installation costs that routinely match or exceed the equipment — transfer switch, pad, gas or conduit work, permits, and an electrician. Nothing on this site includes installation.
Where the ratings and opinions come from
There is no test lab here and we won't pretend otherwise. Star ratings and review counts are aggregated from major retail listings, so they measure what buyers reported, not anything measured on a bench. The pros and cons on each unit page are distilled from public owner discussion — Reddit threads, generator and off-grid forums, long-term owner write-ups, and the recurring complaints in retail reviews. When enough owners report that a unit is a nightmare to pull-start cold, or that a battery's inverter can't carry a well pump, that goes in the cons. Summarizing is editorial work, and we try to keep the wording as blunt as the owners wrote it.
How the lists are ordered
Brand, type, and guide pages sort by owner rating, then by the spec the page is about. Nobody can pay to move up a list, and there are no sponsored placements. If a unit sits first, it's because the data put it there.
What this site can't decide for you
Sizing is the part that actually determines whether you're happy, and it depends on your panel, your well, your furnace, and your local code — none of which we can see. The sizing guide walks through the arithmetic, and anything that connects to house wiring needs a licensed electrician. Carbon monoxide from a fuel-burning generator kills people every storm season; the safety guide is not optional reading.
Keeping it current
The catalog was last refreshed on September 11, 2026. New units get added, prices get corrected, and discontinued models get pulled as we notice them. If something looks wrong — a dead model, a stale price, a spec that doesn't match the manual — that's a data bug, not an ad.