We live on top of a small mountain (Hill), and we're the farthest from where our power comes from. We lose power often for seconds to minutes, however at least a half dozen times a year we lose it for 3 hours to 6 days, due to Big Nor'easters, and sometimes the tail end of a Hurricane.
I learned years ago what generator not to use:
For years when we lost power, we'd transfer our Refrigerated goods to our Son's Fridges & Freezers, and just wait it out until the power came back on.
Then one time Our Son brought us one of his 5K construction Generators to use. He always has 3 or 4 of them for his Tower Jobs, and it worked pretty good for us a few times, just running extension cords to our 2 Fridges & 1 Freezer. Then one day I plugged our Micro-Hood into the Generator extension, and it ruined our Micro-hood.
I wasn't too happy about having to replace it, because at that time that one was in the $600 range.
So after my Son told me if I want to plug important touchy items, like the Micro-hood, Computers, TV, and a few other items, I should get a Generator with an Inverter.
So I started with the Honda EU3000iS. (Cost was $2000)
It worked great for the 2 times we used it, but mice got into it, and chewed off most of the shell's insulation, built a nest around the wiring harness, and chewed off most of the wiring in the harness. We took it to the only place in the area, and they wanted about half as much as it was worth to fix it.
So our Son had 2 Honda6500 Inverters in his stable, so we made a deal that he gave me one of them, and I gave him the "3000" plus $1500 cash.
Then he and his electrician Buddy ran a "220" outside outlet to my front porch, and added the cut-off switch & plate in my electric panel, it needed to be legal.
I also changed my heating system from ALL Electric Heat Pump to a Bryant Hy-brid Heat Pump with a Propane Gas Heater Back-up.
So now when we lose power, I can switch over to generator, and the generator can power everything in my house, except the kitchen range & the Hot Waterheater. The heat system only needs a small amount of power to keep the Gas Heater going. It's a hassle to switch over, but a lot less than having to run extension cords throughout the house.
So my recommendation is if you get a generator, get one of the good ones with the inverter. Honda has all sizes.
Bear