Generac vs Kohler Home Generators: Dissecting Their Differences (Which Is the Ultimate Pick?)

Where do I start. There is so much wrong with this video. I've seen comments with the RPM discrepancy. They do both run at 3600 RPM. The STARTING wattage of these units is not 20,000 and 22,000. That is their nominal running wattages. Kohlers advertise their STARTING wattage, which in this case is in excess of 40,000 KVa for the 20KW. Generacs do not advertise their STARTING wattages. There is a reason. This is important in selecting a generator if you want it to start large motor loads, such as large central air conditioning units. It does mention that the Kohler is heavier. This is true. Most of that weight difference is in the rotating mass of the generator. The higher the rotating mass, the more inertia it has, which will counteract any large load trying to screech that generator to a halt when it is applied. Generac is the top market share because they spend enormous amount of money on advertising. I wonder how much money they spend on their generators? Generac also mentions in their promotional material that they manufacture engines specifically for their generators. All I understand when I read that, is that nobody else wants their engines for their power equipment. Kohler Engines have a huge following from multiple manufacturers. Kohler engines (in their horizontal air-cooled generators) have hydraulic lifters, while Generacs have solid, that require periodic valve adjustments. I'll let you figure out how many generators I visit that won't run because the valves are out of adjustment. I will tell you, the valves are out of adjustment because electricians think they are servicing the unit by changing the oil. This is why it is important to have a very well versed generator tech work on your unit. There are some electricians that do ok, but most leave a lot to be desired. Generator quality in my opinion of the four top market share manufacturers is as follows from best to worst. Kohler Cummins (a very close second) Briggs and Stratton Generac Yes, all generators have their issues. No you will not change my mind.

This video is just a paper comparison. What the internet needs is a real electrician who's worked with both and which one they would put in their house, an honest opinion without trying to milk affiliate marketing.

We have used the youtube.com/post/UgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQL… for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!

I have a 30 KW Kohler. It runs at 1800 RPM's its quiet and reliable. It ran for 10 days straight after Ian. I only shut it down to check the oil and for an oil change. Living in Florida I like the liquid cool generators better than the air cool ones.

Ive been a generator mechanic for 35 years now. I've had more problems with the generacs then any other brand. Notice they leave Cummins Onan out of this comparison. 9 times out of 10 i find water in the oil when i service the generac air cooled units. Why? Because they only run 12 mins on exercise each week. Not long enough to get hot enough to get rid of moister and with the short run time they actually pull moister out of humod air! Generac's answer? Not to change the run time (cant be done in the field) but to tell your customers to run it once a month, under load, fir an hour!

Thanks everyone for the real reviews it means a lot I’m trying to decide .. Koehler seems to b winning!

My Generac 18KW is about three years old and just finished an 11 day run during recovery from Hurricane Beryl in Houston. There are four other Generacs in a two block area and all performed great. I did change oil twice as I had about 70 hours on it from the Derecha storm a few weeks earlier. I buy the Generac filter kits on Amazon.

At 2:49, you mentioned that the Generac turns at 1800 RPM. This is not true for any Air Cooled Home standby! The Generac utilizes a 2-pole rotor and therefore it must turn at 3600 RPM to produce 60Hz, which is the North American standard. Only the Protector Series (liquid cooled) has a 4-pole rotor which spins at 1800 RPM.

I have owned a product of each manufacturer and currently have a Generac 24kw system on my farm. Both are good, but if you have one you must maintain it. Just changing the oil is not enough. Yesterday, I had the technician that installed my system do the annual service, that was not only an oil change, but a full diagnostic to ensure peak performance. Well worth the cost.

I have a 22kw Generac and my biggest complaint is how loud it is. In your video you mention you can hold a conversation around it. Mine is not at all quiet enough to conversate around. If I could do it again I would go with a smaller, quieter unit.

Kohler #1. Topgun. The Toyota of home generators. 💯

02:50 Incorrect on the Generac RPM. All of these air-cooled engines run at 3600 RPM, either Generac or Kohler. You don't get into the 1800 RPM engines until you get to the larger, liquid-cooled engine models.

I've seen in past videos that the Generac has a design flaw. The air filter box has a drain port for moisture build up. In sub freezing temps. this drain hole clogs up with ice and pressure builds up and blows oil all over the interior of the cabinet and making the engine oil level low. Now, I don't know if this flaw was ever fixed, but ,to me that could cause problems.

Any input on engineering standards? Which one has superior cooling and reliability?

This comparison merely reads the sales brochures and spec sheets. Uses stock footage, he’s probably never seen one in person.

I purchased a Generac 13kw unit in 2020 and it weathered the Texas freeze in 2021 for a solid week. Of course, knowledge about serving them is key and Generac generators are very easily self-serviceable.

Given the reason most consumers buy a Home Generator is for emergency use your criteria for deciding which one is best is flawed. Reliability, installation cost, maintenance cost, and service availability are all more important than cost per kilowatt hour given most of these generators will be operated for a few days or less. Of course, if you are using the generator in an off-grid application or experience frequent long-term power outages the kilowatt hour criteria may be a consideration but still does not trump reliability or the other costs involved in installing and maintaining the generator.

That guy has absolutely no Idea what he is talking about. First of all he is stating the starting watts at both units normal running watts. Kohler 20RESC or 20RCA are 20,000 watts continuous and 41,000 watts starting which is 210% starting capacity. Generac 7043 or 22kw Air cooled is 22,000 watts continuous and 33,000 watts starting which is 150% starting capacity. Further as many years as I have been installing generators all Air cooled generators run at 3600 RPMs. This is because of using a 2 pole vs 4 pole rotor. They are less expensive and allow for a smaller engine to run higher rpm to produce HP needed to make wattage. Third of all they are talking about the pricing of a Generac without ATS versus a 20RCA(L) Kohler that comes with an $800 Service Rated 200amp ats. Generac Switch of similar design is around $700. Kohler is more expensive by a few hundred even if you don’t get the same running watts but wait till you try to turn on a 5 ton A/C or 2 or 3 on the same generator. Hands down Kohler will win that battle every time. I am a dealer for both brands. Yes Generac advertises and holds a bigger market share in Residential products. But thats only because people prefer what they see more often than doing the research. This guy needs to read some more into the spec sheets before comparing. If you want to know more feel free to visit our site at Star-Generation.com you can find out how to contact us there.

Good comparison. I'd of liked to know how those two compare in terms of Warranty coverages as well.

Our 20 kw generator is on the blink right now. The message panel says low oil pressure. Repair man has changed the switch twice plus the board and it still shuts down and gives the low oil pressure message. Could moisture in the oil be the problem? It’s very humid here in the South. The generator is almost 14 years old.