Westinghouse 9500 Peak Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator, Remote Electric Start, Transfer Switch Ready, Gas & Propane Powered

I've started this unit twice in the first year of ownership. Once after delivery, then once a year later. Each time I have to remember that the battery needs to have at least a small charge, or it won't start [Update] Key point: make sure you *connect* the battery. From the factory, the battery is not connected, and the cable was tied up under the fuel tank, so I couldn't see it! Once charged for about 30 minutes, it will pull-start. Needs a better charge than that to work with the starter (or be connected in the first place!) so plan to keep it charged. I'd forgotten to set a reminder to check the battery over the winter, so I had to wait. Luckily, I was only testing. Now that the storm season is upon us in the Midwest, I'll keep it topped up. [Update] I've not had to charge the battery more than once every 6 months. Doesn't seem to turn over more than about 4–6 times before dying, but the battery remains stable (doesn't indicate charging when plugged in) for a lot longer than I'd expected.It seems to be finicky with gasoline. I put a very small amount in it to test last season, and regretted not draining it over the winter. It would start, but not run well, pulsing before it died in less than 30 seconds. I always use non-ethanol, premium gasoline in my yard devices, so I was a bit surprised that it didn't survive the winter. I've not had this problem with my Toro mower, even when I neglect to winterize it. Anyway, I drained the gas, and put in fresh, treated gas, and then it ran well past the point it had stalled on my previous attempts. The fuel line is tied up and a bit short, but is not difficult to reach, and with a tall funnel, and a pair of pliers, the fuel can be drained without a lot of drama. This is very important for storage. I have purchased a propane tank, but have not yet tested running on propane. Propane can store indefinitely, so that's a big plus.The remote worked to electric start from inside the house, several rooms away from the outside generator location, so that's a nice feature, but I'll likely not use it because placement of the generator needs to be secured, and weather-protected, so I'll probably "be around" when it is running. I plan to store it in an outside, locked, vented storage locker...someday.It's heavy, but the wheels are large and lugging it around is as expected for a larger generator.The feature panel and plug options appear to be similar to my previous non-Westinghouse generator purchased 10 years ago, so it is nice to see that companies aren't trying to reinvent the wheel. We use these devices so infrequently, it is counter-productive if one has to RTFM every time it has to be used, and these are often emergency situations. Simplicity is best. That's why I don't care if it's heavy, or loud. Just make it solid, reliable, repairable, and it easy to figure out and use. Computer makers could take some notes here.Pros:- not unusually difficult to start- loads of options- pretty standard features, didn't try to over-"innovate"- dual-fuel- feels well-built- cosmetic, I like the blueCons:- seems picky about gasoline- heavy- loud[UPDATE 6-10-24]Appears that it doesn't like the cold. On a "warm" 40° F day (4° C), it would not start from gasoline. I've read other reviews that say this generator also doesn't start well without at least half-a-tank of gas. Also, my gas might have been older. It DID start right up and run fine with propane—dual-fuel is a very cool feature!—but was cranky with gas in the cold. Once spring rolled around, I put more, and better, gas in it and tested again above 65° F (18° C) and it had no problem starting or running. I think the carb could be a weak spot, but with good gas, and probably some Sta-bil (fuel treatment) I'm hopeful it will last a good long time.

Review for wgen7500DF, wgen7500c, wgen6000 and the wgen5300dfv. The actual power rating in watts is used to size generators not the surge rating. Westinghouse puts the rated watts right in the model name. 'df' refers to dual fuel, 'v' pull start and 'c' CO detector.Gasoline fuel consumption at 50% load for these models is 0.6 gph for 3750 watts on the 7500, 0.51 gph for 3000 watts on the 6000 and 0.43 gph for 2650 watts on the 5300. For smaller loads run continuously especially electronics and quiet hours we use the igen2500 hand carry inverter or the igen4500 which really stretch the fuel but these are only 120 V and not easily wired in to the house panel.wgen5300 274 cc is one of the most compact light and fuel efficient 240/120 volt generators around. Although it comes in electric start this is completely unnecessary for the small engine and should be avoided. It always starts on the first pull with a child's effort if the fuel system is maintained. It has enough power for a well pump, electric water heater and a range but only one of those at a time. It will power a small home. At 50% load it will run 11 hours on 4.7 gallons consuming about 0.43 gallons of gasoline per hour. Although the compact size is nice and it's easy to move and store the lack of engine torque will cause damaging voltage dip and surge when motors or heavy loads start or stop. At $450 from Sam's Club the DF model was a real bargain. Unfortunately popularity has driven up the price.wgen7500 has very capable 420 cc engine with enough torque to prevent voltage sag and surge. You also get upgrades to the panel. Remote control may seem nice but to prevent damage to a generator and loads all of the loads must be disconnected prior to starting or stopping. The steep discount a couple of times a year for the gas only model make the 7500 or 7500c an excellent buy for home back-up.wgen6000 is just a stripped down 7500. Same 420 cc engine but smaller alternator and base level controls.We deal with dozens of outages every year lasting from a day to week or more. Bigger is not better. Size to run at 50 to 80% rated capacity. Not healthy to run them for long periods at 10 to 25% but more importantly it wastes large amounts of fuel to run an oversize generator. Needs change throughout the day so we swap in what we need.One downside of W's wgen series is the high THD of 23% which not designed to run sensitive electronics but you can run those off of a battery inverter at point of use indoors and use these gens to re-charge the battery. We use that solution or the igen series which are clean power inverter generators. So why buy a wgen series at all? Sheer reliable power may be needed to heat and pump water or for space heating which does not require clean power. Inverter gens are not nearly as strong as conventionals unless you buy Honda, have a shorter life and can fail without warning. I won't rely on them in freezing weather.

Very good