Generac Generators

Generac Holdings (NYSE: GNRC) sells more generators in North America than any other brand. Founded in 1959 by Robert Kern in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the company created the first affordable residential standby generator and has maintained its dominance in that segment ever since. That scale delivers real advantages: over 10,000 authorized dealers, parts availability that is nearly universal, and pricing that runs 10-15% below Kohler at comparable power ratings. For commercial building owners and property managers who need reliable standby power without paying the CAT or Kohler premium, Generac is the default consideration. Mobile Link remote monitoring comes standard on most units, providing cellular-based status alerts, fault codes, and maintenance reminders through a smartphone app — a feature that competitors often charge extra for.

Generac's product lineup extends well beyond the residential Guardian series that made its name. The Protector series covers commercial standby applications from 22-150 kW with natural gas and diesel options. The Gemini twin-pack system pairs two units for modular redundancy scaling from 100-300 kW — a practical solution for facilities that need N+1 reliability without a single large genset. On the industrial side, Generac manufactures diesel units ranging from 100 kW up to 3,250 kW. The company has also expanded globally through acquisitions, purchasing Pramac (one of Europe's largest generator manufacturers) and Tower Light (now Generac Mobile), which produces mobile light towers and generators for construction, mining, and event applications. More recently, the PWRcell battery energy storage system signals Generac's push into solar-plus-storage for residential customers.

The honest challenge Generac faces is perception. The brand's dominance at Home Depot and Costco has earned it a "residential brand" reputation among industrial specifiers, and that reputation is not entirely unfair — Generac's warranty claim rates run higher than Kohler and Cummins, with enclosure fit-and-finish and control board reliability being the most common complaint categories. That said, Generac's industrial division is a separate engineering operation producing units up to 3,250 kW, and those products should not be judged by the residential line's track record.

Where Generac genuinely falls short is power quality and resale value. THD figures sit in the standard 5-8% range, which is fine for most commercial loads but disqualifying for healthcare and sensitive electronics where Kohler's sub-3% is required. Used Generac generators also command significantly less on the secondary market than CAT or Kohler units of the same vintage. For buyers who plan to own for the full 20-30 year useful life and do not need hospital-grade power quality, those gaps are academic — and the 10-15% upfront savings is money in the bank from day one.