A portable generator (left) is much less expensive than a permanently installed whole-house model (right), but it's also more difficult to use and maintain. By Allen St. John.

The PowerSmart 2500W Portable Inverter is on sale at Walmart for $300, a huge 52% discount on its normal price of $619. This powerful generator has earned over 600 five-star reviews from shoppers ...

Shopping for a generator? Read about types, features, safety, and other must-know topics in our generator buying guide to make an informed choice.

This is a hefty $319 discount on this PowerSmart Portable Generator that drops the price by more than 50% off. Plus, you can snag the deal with free two-day delivery from Walmart, so it’ll ...

The popular Pulsar 4000-watt generator that's a best seller at both Lowe's and Amazon is an example of that power –- it's a 40-pound portable that runs at 3200 watts but can also be switched to ...

This portable generator has a power panel with four 120-volt GFCI-protected outlets, one 120/240-volt 30A twist-lock outlet, and a heavy-duty 120/240-volt 50A outlet, which can be hooked up to a ...

This particular portable gasoline generator is a bit larger than some other Honda models, with a 3,000-watt running capacity. That’s more than enough to run a small air conditioner or full-size ...

Portable models also tend to be noisier and produce less power than whole-house models, but they’re also much cheaper to buy and install than a whole-house generator, which is installed permanently.