Blackouts are one of the most-feared disasters to strike a city. Without electricity, we’re left relying on whatever remaining battery power is in our Smartphones, the food in our fridges will increasingly become warmer and have a higher risk of spoilage, and we’re left in our sweaty messes without air conditioners providing refreshing bursts of cool wind. Portable generators aren’t emergency relief tools. If you plan on hosting a small event in the wilderness, portable generators will help provide much-needed energy to power whatever electronic appliances you need.
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This time around, we’re going to compare two portable generator models – the Pulsar PG10000 and the DuroMax XP10000E-CA 10,000 Watt Portable Generator. Neither of these brands is considered market-leaders in the portable generator game, but they both make some pretty good generators that have garnered a fair share of positive reviews. Without further ado, let’s get right into our comparison.
Surge and Running Wattage
Pulsar PG10000 and DuroMax XP10000E-CA
Before heading out and purchasing a portable generator, you must know how much power it can supply and whether it’s enough to power up all of your most essential appliances (refrigerator-freezer, computers, phone chargers, etc.). You can access free online watt calculators which will give you an estimate of how much surge and running wattage you’ll need to supply electricity to your electronics.
Both of these portable generator models have a 10,000 W surge and 8,000 W for continuous operation. On average, this should be enough for all of your household appliances to run without hiccups with leftover wattage to spare.
Conclusion: Wattage capacity-wise, both of these models perform identically in providing tremendous amounts of power. Although it’s a good idea to have the leftover electricity-supply capacity, you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a high-duty generator with unused potential. Make sure you calculate how much power you need for your appliances before making a purchase decision.
Fuel Tank and Run-Time
Pulsar PG10000
Typically, super-powerful generators come with a large fuel tank but consume more gas compared to their non-inverter, more compact counterparts. In addition, it’s a good idea to leave a margin of safety (about 40%) of residual watt capacity; the generator’s motor will have fewer maintenance issues and can last for several years. The Pulsar has a tank capacity of 8 gallons, and when running at 50% load (4,000 W), you can get up to 12 hours of power.
DuroMax XP10000E-CA
As for the DuroMax, this portable generator comes with an 8.3-gallon fuel tank. When running the generator continuously at half load (4,000 W), you should get around 10 hours of electricity.
Conclusion: The DuroMax has a larger tank but is more of a gas-guzzler than the Pulsar. This means that in the long run, you’re going to end up spending less if you purchase the Pulsar compared to the DuroMax since more fuel is consumed for a shorter period. Between these two models, we prefer the Pulsar much more.
Weight and Portability
Pulsar PG10000
When considering the portability of a generator, looking at the weight of the unit is a good place to start. The Pulsar weighs just below 200 pounds (dry weight) which is quite difficult to load and unload from your truck or RV. However, as soon as the unit hits the ground, you can let the two no-flat tires and fold-out handles take over. Gliding this generator on all sorts of the terrain is a breeze.
DuroMax XP10000E-CA
Unfortunately, the DuroMax is roughly 25% heavier than the Pulsar (249 pounds, dry weight). However, just like the Pulsar, navigating the generator when it touches the ground is easy to do with the help of the 10-1/2-inch all-terrain, never-flat wheels, and flip-up handles.
Conclusion: We feel that despite the heavier construction of the DuroMax compared to the Pulsar, neither of these models will be simple to load and unload from your vehicle. Unless you have multiple people helping you carry the unit, they can be great standby home generators.
Noise Production
Pulsar PG10000
There’s no avoiding how much noise a generator will produce, so if you have one for home use only, make sure you’re friendly with your neighbors. When running at 50% load, this Pulsar generator will produce roughly 72 decibels of noise – about the noise level of a normal conversation from 3 feet away.
DuroMax XP10000E-CA
The DuroMax produces about 77 decibels which doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but imagine the noise of a vacuum cleaner running 5 feet away from you. That’s how loud the sounds are coming out of the DuroMax generator while running at half load.
Conclusion: In all honesty, there’s probably not going to be that much of a difference between the sound levels of these portable generators. However, if plan on taking a generator with you to the wild, you’ll generally want something quieter to not disturb other park visitors or wildlife. In this case, the Pulsar would be the preferred generator.
Pulsar vs DuroMax: Bottom Line
Choosing between the two models here isn’t that difficult. Despite their numerous overlapping specs (surge and running wattage, “portability,” and noise production), when comparing their fuel-consumption efficiency, the clear winner is the Pulsar PG10000. However, there are much more fuel-efficient generator models that exist on the market that run at the same or similar wattage.
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Another way to determine which of these models would serve you better in the long run is by looking at reviews by both customers and industry experts. Unfortunately for the DuroMax, there have been several complaints of one of the motor’s pistons exploding through the top of the generator. As for the Pulsar, the worst complaint is the generator’s motor dying unexpectedly after 5 minutes of use, though a simple valve adjustment should fix the issue. Based on each of these unit’s worst-reported problems, we feel that the Pulsar is still the better choice between the two.
Luckily, both of these units have 30-day return policies, and they’re covered by their respective manufacturer limited warranties. In addition, it appears that customer service reps from both companies are extremely responsive and helpful in dealing with replacements and returns.
- POWERFUL DUROMAX ENGINE: The XP10000E is Powered by a 18HP, 440cc OHV Duromax Engine
- GAS POWERED TECHNOLOGY: Run your generator with Gasoline for long lasting power.
- PLENTY OF POWER: With 10,000 starting watts and 8,000 running watts, this unit can handle heavy loads from...
Last update on 2023-09-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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| Honda | Champion | WEN |
| EU2200IC | 76533 | 56200i |
| 2200-Watt | 3800-Watt | 2000-Watt |
| 21 x 20 x 14 in | 26.3 x 24.8 x 22.9 in | 18 x 11 x 18 in |
| 46.5 pounds | 122 pounds | 48 pounds |
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