I spent weeks researching generators, and kept coming back to the B&S 30470.
I have had great results with Briggs and Stratton engines going back to a 1979 lawn mower that i could not kill (wanted my dad to buy a self-propelled or lighter unit after 10 years of use) I digress...
I was fortunate to get the unit hooked up to a transfer switch by an electrician the day before Hurricane Irene came and I was so glad that I did. Before putting the generator to use, I loaded it with Mobil-1 Synthetic 5W-30. The drain plug on mine was on super tight and was nearly a knuckle buster when I broke torque. Below is some tips and advice that I have gleaned from my research and hope that it helps others.
1) Purchase price of the generator is typically not your only expense to getting power to your house. You have to consider the cost of a transfer switch, electrician, cable purchase which can run about $150 for a 50ft run, shed cost (if you plan on storing outside). You can also cheap charlie it and just use extension cords. But in my case the hastle of dealing with bugs in the summer,heat escaping in the winter and kids yanking or tripping on cords zig zagging through the house made the cheap charlie route not pass the WAF (wife acceptance factor).
2) Oil Consumption -- I have read in Popular Mechanics that air cooled engines on average can consume 1 oz of oil per hour. I just changed after 5 hours and did not notice a drop in level. Knowing the potential for oil consumption, I am going to check oil level religiously during use and keep spare oil on hand.
3) Changing oil -- Getting a rigid oil transport container under the drain plug is very difficult. My solution is to cut a reasonable size square opening say 2" x 2" in a 2 liter soda bottle and drain into the bottle first.
4) Use fuel stabilizer irregardless if you think that you are going to use it all up. Gas goes bad really fast especially E10 which is dispensed in most major metropolitan areas. Gas will turn to varnish and gum up the engine.
5) I want to explain the differences in float charger versus a trickle charger. I see so much misinformation in reviews on other sites. A float charger will only charge at the natural rate that the battery looses power. For example if a battery looses 5% a day, then the charger can only charge at 5% a day. A trickle charge will apply a constant charge to a battery, which could potentially lead to an overcharge which is a bad thing. Also all portable generators that I have seen do not charge the battery when they are running.
The cons:
The key insertion when the rubber cover is a little pain for me because the orientation of my generator in my enclosure. YMMV.
Noise, some might complain that it's too loud, I do not have any comparisons to other generators nor am I really close to my neighbors.
Oil change process.
Pros:
B&S reliability
Decent run time
A whole lot cheaper solution than a 12kw natural gas generator.
