Troy-Bilt 5550 Watt Generator with 10hp B&S Engine 1919

Pros: High wattage output at a good price point
Cons: Loud, No idle control, No Auto voltage regulation

I've owned numerous generators over the years. I am not an expert of generators, but I've had a lot experience with various models and you can quickly tell the difference between a Honda versus a brand “X” generator. In my opinion the top 3 portable ...

Pros: Huge Surge Power, Price, Quality, Quiet Muffler, Low Oil Shutdown, OHV Briggs Engine.
Cons: None really but is manual throttle so runs wide open at startup.(to-prevent-morons-from-putting-under-load-when-motor-not-at-full-speed-I-suppose)

5550 running watts and 8550 surge. Can't beat the powerful surge for the money. Available at Lowes and it was the best generator I could find for the money. Plenty of power to get you by if the power goes out for a few days. More than enough power for ...

Pros: Power rating, HUGE surge power rating, wheels, 10 hours at half load.
Cons: Fairly loud, heavy.

As the reviewer above stated, plenty of power, and more importantly more SURGE power. This becomes increasingly important as you apply more things or more load to the generator. As things power up, refrigerators especially, they draw considerably more ...

Pros: Powerful yet efficient engine, excellent construction, long run time, 2 year warranty
Cons: Loud, tri-lingual instructions are confusing.

Purchased this unit at Lowes for my grandparents who lost power during an severe ice storm. Power was out for 3 days. The unit was run 24 hours a day with no problems. This was in extremely cold weather. (10F) It averaged about 12 hours on a full 5 gallon tank. The B&S 10hp engine is powerful enough to run a multitude of appliances including several lamps, tv, and a couple heaters. I did the minor assembly of the unit. It wasn't difficult and required only a couple tools (1/2" socket wrench & needle nose pliers). Dump oil in, fill with fuel & it is ready to go. The engine started on the first pull - a hard pull. The instructions come in English/Spanish/French. Unfortunately they are all combined making quick reading of instructions a bit more difficult. The unit is a bit on the loud side but spaced out from the house I didn't find it to be much of a problem. The unit included a nice heavy duty outdoor power cord that supposedly retails for $90.

Pros: Easy Start,Good Fuel Economy, 30 amp extenda panel cord, Wheel Kit, Durable Design, Price.
Cons: No automatic voltage regulation.

I recently purchased two of these generators for a major demolition project where all the site power was unexpectedly shut down. I called around, checked comparable units and decided on the Troy-bilt 5550. I knew the brigs OHV engine was solid when I started the units on the first pull. Ironically a sub contractor had brought a temporary generator that I had looked at purchasing from Home Depot. Good thing I didn’t, because I had to ultimately remove it from the site because it ran so bad that I thought it was going to it was going to throw a rod and kill someone. The two units picked the slack and ran for 12 hrs a day under max load for two and half months in open snow, sleet and single digit temperatures. Without stable, reliable power, the project would have shut down, Period!

Pros: Great power, runs 12 hours on 5 gallons of gas, many outlets, reasonable price.
Cons: A little noisy.

I bought this generator just over a week ago. Last week, we had an ice storm that knocked out power for four days. In addition, after the storm, temperatures dropped to 0 degrees at night, and only peaked to about 15 degrees during the day. I was able to run my furnace, refrigerator, microwave, cook top, toaster oven, lights, TV & satellite, and the generator barely noticed the load. 5 gallons of gas lasted 12 hours. I couldn't have been more pleased with its performance. This unit kept us warm and fed at a time when neighbors were sleeping in their cars in order to stay warm. I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I compared several units at a few retailers. This was the best priced, highest powered, fullest featured unit for under $700.00.

Pros: Overall a well made machine
Cons: None. Auto Start would be great , but that is an unnecessary luxury.

Had it for 2 weeks and I am simply very impressed. It starts almost immediately. and the tank lasts a long time. Its a real work horse. And the price.............Cannot beat that either. I highly recommend this Generator.

Pros: Strong, durable, quiet, a good value for the dollar.
Cons: None that would deter me from purchasing another.

I have had this generator for 3 months and 3 hurricanes and it ran 24 hrs for 7 days the 1st time, 10 days the next and 6 days the last time. I Would let it cool down to fuel up and check oil approx. 1 hr. It ran a refrigerator, freezer ,TV, lights a fan and an oxygen machine, and a well pump. It had plenty of power to spare. I thought it was fairly quiet for the work it did, but I am comparing that to a Colman generator I have. It is a fuel Miser, it averaged 10-12 hours on 5 gallons of gas at full throttle and the longer it ran the more fuel consumption would drop. Highly recommend this unit.

Pros: Great value. 12 hours on 5 gallons of gas. Easy setup, 1st pull start.
Cons: Could be quieter

This generator is awesome for the money. We lost power at noon yesterday and are still without. We were one of the fortunate ones to purchase this unit at Lowe's (who kept the original price) before they ran out. The generator has been running continuously since then powering the refrigerator, window A/C, deep freezer, and of course this computer without even a notice that it maybe struggling. We're very happy with it, and the longer the power is out and this baby is running, I am even more happy!

Pros: Easy start, great price, great load handling
Cons: none

Excellent product dollar for dollar when compared to other generators. I bought this as a back up generator for power outages. We had a licensed electrician install a plug on the cord that comes with the generator and a receptacle that goes to the power panel. This generator will run the entire 110 load in my house. I am impressed with the quality of workmanship and the ease of use. The unit starts with one pull on the cord and runs flawlessly. The instructions are very simple made a quick start program easy to follow. I highly recommend this generator.

Pros: Low cost, powerful, large fuel tank.
Cons: Noisy, no 12V hookup.

I live in Florida and bought one of these last year before hurricane season. I ended up only needing it for 5 hours, just enough to change the break-in oil. This season, after Wilma, I used it a lot. In fact, I am still using it as I type this. The price-point and size were what sold me--I could afford it and it was enough to power what I needed. It's no Honda but at 1/3 the price, it's definitely a good deal.

Pros: Great power, not to loud, decent run time as far as fuel economy.
Cons: No idle control...

Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida leaving me with no power. I hooked up a transfer switch to my breaker box so I don't have to have extension cords going all over the house. This generator powered the whole 3 bed room 2 bath house, with exception of the A/C, washer and dryer. I was lucky to have a gas stove and water heater. It was awsome being able to go to any room, hit a light switch and have it work, not having A/C was no big deal because the celing fans worked in every room. I was also the envy of the neighborhood because at night, the entire block was pitch block... except for my house. Every porch light was on illuminating the whole outside of the house. People would drive by at night and look at my house like "what is going on there? DO THEY HAVE POWER?!?" This generator had no problem with anything.. even when I was using the microwave. I have convinced a lot of other people to get this very same generator at my place of employment because of the awsome capacity and durability of this unit.