Champion aXis 14kW

Champion's answer to the EU7000iS costs a third as much and adds propane capability: 7,000 running watts of closed-frame inverter power at a claimed 61 dBA from 23 feet, with both 50A and 30A 240V outlets ready for a transfer switch. Owners running whole-home essentials during outages report it handles well pumps, furnaces, and a smaller central AC, with quiet operation that genuinely surprises people used to open-frame roar. The CO Shield sensor and electric start round out a strong package. The complaint list from owner threads: at 214 pounds it's barely 'portable' despite never-flat wheels, the propane derate takes running power to about 6,300 watts, real-world noise climbs well above 61 dB under heavy load, and a few owners report early inverter-board failures — Champion support resolves them, but shipping a 200-lb unit for service is nobody's idea of fun.

The unicorn spec r/Generator kept asking for: tri-fuel AND inverter in one machine. Hook the 201176 to your natural-gas line for unlimited runtime, and unlike every conventional tri-fuel, it feeds your house clean sub-3% THD power that's safe for furnace boards, UPSs, and electronics — through a 50-amp outlet. On gasoline it makes 7,250 running watts; NG drops it to 5,875, still enough for most homes' essentials plus a small AC. It's an open-frame design, so the 72 dBA rating is real and load-dependent — quieter than a WGen9500DF, louder than closed-case inverters. Owner threads note the winning math (it replaced separate 'quiet' and 'NG' generators for many), with the familiar caveats: NG line pressure matters, the 420cc engine drinks on gasoline at full tilt, electric-start battery upkeep, and Champion's included NG/LP hoses are short. CO Shield included.

The people's RV generator. Champion's 200988 pairs 4,500 starting watts with dual-fuel flexibility and electric start at well under half of Honda money, and the review volume — thousands across Amazon, Walmart, and Camping World — is overwhelmingly positive. Owners confirm it starts 13.5k BTU RV air conditioners, sips propane for up to 21 hours on a 20-lb tank, and holds clean sub-3% THD power for electronics. At 61 dB it's audibly louder than a Honda or the iGen4500, more of a steady hum than a whisper, and the 103-lb body rides on small, hard wheels that owners wish were bigger. Recurring gripes: the electric-start battery dies if you don't tend it (there's a maintenance charger port for a reason), propane output derates to 3,150 running watts, and oil changes require a slight tilt-and-funnel dance.

One of the best-selling generators ever made, and the archetype of the 'good enough for everything' budget dual fuel. Electric start, RV-ready TT-30R outlet, propane capability out of the box, and nearly a decade of owner history at around $550 — the review count across Amazon and Walmart is enormous and consistently positive. Owners run travel trailers, job sites, and essential-circuit extension-cord backup, and the 224cc engine has a reputation for starting after years of neglect (on propane especially, since there's no carb to gum). Known quirks from the threads: it's a 68 dB droner that campground quiet hours won't love, output on propane drops about 10%, there's no 240V so interlock users look elsewhere, the fuel selector and petcock feel plasticky, and cold-weather propane starts sometimes need a second try. Champion's phone support gets rare-for-the-industry praise.

The 14kW is the sweet spot Guardian for mid-size homes: it steps up to the 816cc twin-cylinder G-Force 800 engine, holds 14kW on both propane and natural gas, and will start a modest central AC with load management. Owners who sized it right describe multi-day outages where it just hummed along at 65 dB with the Quiet-Test weekly cycle keeping neighbors happy. The recurring themes in owner threads mirror the whole Guardian line: buy it for the dealer network and parts availability, not for the customer support experience — Generac corporate routes everything back to dealers, and controller/board warranty claims can drag for weeks. This 7223 SKU is the bare generator; pair it with a 100A or 200A switch, and get quotes, because installed cost typically lands at double the hardware price.

The 18kW is the value pick in the Guardian range on a dollars-per-kilowatt basis — same 816cc G-Force 800 twin as the 14kW, tuned for 18kW on propane and 17kW on natural gas, at only a few hundred dollars more. Owners in hurricane and ice-storm country consistently report it carrying a whole modest home including a 3-ton AC without drama, and the G-Flex variable-speed exercise keeps the weekly test tolerable at 65 dB. The ownership caveats are pure Generac: the Evolution 2 controller is the component that fails, dealers are the only sanctioned path for warranty work, and owners recommend buying the battery and cold-weather kit up front rather than discovering they're extras on install day. If you're between the 14 and this, most owner advice says spend up.