Orscheln has a 3000 watt Power mate generator with wheels on sale for $219. Normal price is $369. Does anyone Have any experience with this one?
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I have this one:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Powermate-3-000-Watt-Gasoline-Powered-Portable-Generator-PM0103008/203404861

I bought it about 5 months ago or so.  Starts and runs very well.  It is surprisingly quiet but still no Honda 2000 in the noise dept.  Just based of my limited use I would recommend this.  Probably won't get the millage you would from a Honda, Yamaha, or Generac but its about as good as your going to get otherwise IMO.

I probably put 5 hours on it so far.

I read some where the engine is a Honda clone.  My grandpa has an older Honda and they sound very similar so it wouldn't surprise me.  Chinese are good at reverse engineering and building with cheaper components.

I only paid $234.33 for it shipped to my local home depot.  I wanted a smaller generator but main selling point for me was the 240V output as I have a setup/ outdoor plug where I can energize my whole panel so I don't have to mess with lead cords.  240 made it easy for me to use.  Mine runs good.  It is very quiet and seems to be built decent.  What you would expect for that price genset I guess.  While I haven't looked in a while I had trouble finding carb kits for it.  I found whole carbs but wanted to order a few $5~$10 kits to have on hand as I do with all my small motor items.  I still have the whole replacement carb on my ebay watch list but would rather have 3 spare kits then one spare carb.

I have a larger Coleman as my main rig.
Little one is nice when I want a quiet gas sipping option though.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/675645_Need_help_deciding_on_a_spare_generator_____Down_to_a_few_choices___.html

You should be aware that you can't get the whole 3000 running watts out of any one phase. it's 1500 per side that's about 12 amps or so per disconnect. So if you need say 20amps for any one thing this gen is not the one you want. You need a gen with a full power RV plug.

And this, BTW, can be a big deal in certain situations.

I had to do a field repair on a trailer the other day. My Champion can run my Welder... this generator would likely trip off.

It may suit your purposes, but beware of this limitation.

Try these guys for parts - they are GTG.



http://tewarehouse.com/

and

http://www.petessmallengine.com/
 

I looked into it and like the idea of 30 amp. Cabelas has a champion with electric start, wheels and a cover for $399.

Now this is just my opinion and thought process but when you make the price jump over $300 I honestly feel you are best to start looking at a Honda, Yamaha, or Generac.  When it becomes a major purchase I believe one is better off with a major name brand.  Keep in mind this is coming from a guy who owns two Powermates, one of which is a Coleman.  I got the Coleman used for $200.

If you can find a powermate with the Subaru engine...


That's the poor mans Honda.

Figured I would share a few pic.  Powers been out now for almost 24 hours following a heavy wet snow.  While I haven't ran my generator for 24 hours I have now used almost a whole tank of gas in it.

Runs good and is very quiet.  I can power almost everything in my house (one thing at a time.) excluding my hot water heater.  My larger generator can barely run it so I don't think I will bother.  Runs my deep well pump with no problems, I do however only turn the pump on once its lost pressure and turn any extras off like the fridge, etc. to make sure things don't kick on together.  

With no ETA to power restoration it going to get a work out!





Time to go plow and shovel some more!

Would you happen have any specs on your deep well pump? Depth/Voltage/Breaker Size

I am trying to determine if a similar sized generator will work with my 275' well pump.

Action shot of my Champion last weekend... Needed to run the welder to perform an on-site boat trailer repair.



This is the kinda place that a Genset with a big amperage circuit (or 220, though I was running a 110v welder) really helps out.

You've probably read this suggestion before, but...

If your water heater has dual heating elements, re-wiring one of them through a switch allows you to drastically reduce the power demand.

As I understand it, only one of the elements work at a time anyway. First the top comes on to get the water you use closest to the exit pipe up to temp then it cuts off and the bottom comes on to finish the tank. It should never pull more than 4500 watts.

The well info is part way down in this archived thread...  I don't recall the depth but I don't think it was  much over 200' if that.  I will look it up and post it tomorrow if I can find it.  My previous house was just over 400 and I think this one was half of what that used to be...  I will look it up.  I will say though, It does not draw the little generator down as much as I thought it would though.  After trying it a few times with the well I feel confident its getting plenty of power.  I tried the hot water heater but that was a no-go!

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/675645_Need_help_deciding_on_a_spare_generator_____Down_to_a_few_choices___.html

If that's the case, seems like you could install a switch to temporarily power the heating elements from 120 volts, rather than 240. You've probably already got both 120 volt legs present at the water heater anyway.

A 4500 watt 240 volt element would only draw around 1100 watts at 120 volts.

Thanks for the info!

I am not that concerned with hot water.    

My purpose for generator is to run the essential items, fridge, freezer, water pump, and a few lights.

I used my hot water sparingly over 24 hours and still had warm water when the power came back on.

I am not that concerned with hot water.    

I understand your not needing hot water for short term power outages. The last outage we suffered through was 5 days long. My generator 120/240 volt can output 5000 watts continuously. What I found out was I could turn off all motor driven appliances and run the hot water heater for an hour or so, then turn it off and run my well to take a shower. Let me tell you that solves a lot of mental stress right there. Also I could use one eye of our electric stove to cook with again having all appliance motors turned off. With a little planing we did very well. I was a electrician for 15 years so that helps a little as far as wiring the gen to my panel safely but at no time did i need to add switches or change voltages. And as far as reducing voltage to anything remember the rule is less voltage = more wattage used. So what does all this mean? Well if you have a generator you can afford and it uses the amount of gas that suits your storage capacity then you all set. But if your having to make to many concessions to your life style during a power outage, then it's easier and cheaper in the long run to get a slightly bigger generator than to make changes to your appliances that could cause damage over time. Hope this helps.