Generac vs Kohler vs Briggs & Stratton

The three brands side by side

From each maker's warranty pages and spec sheets, listed below; Generac warranty tiers per Generac (Nov 2026). Retail prices from the cost guide. Installed prices are thousands more.

Reading the warranty, not the headline

A "5-year warranty" can mean very different things. Generac's support site spells out its tiers: parts, labor and limited travel for years one and two, parts only in year three, and only the engine short block and alternator in years four and five. Travel is capped at 100 miles or 3 hours round trip per visit (Generac). Generac sells 5-, 7- and 10-year extended plans that replace the standard one; on air-cooled units you can buy one any time before the factory warranty runs out (Generac, Mar 2026). One distributor lists the 10-year air-cooled plan at about $1,035 (Platt).

Kohler's home-generator warranty is 5 years or 2,000 hours, whichever comes first, with labor and travel up to 200 miles included the whole time (Kohler). Briggs & Stratton's April 2026 brochure prints a 7-year parts, labor and travel warranty on the PowerProtect+ 18 and 22 kW (Briggs & Stratton); its standard PowerProtect 17 kW spec sheet lists 6 years (spec sheet).

Whatever you choose, register the unit and keep service records. A missed oil change is the easiest reason for a claim to be turned down. See the maintenance guide for what each visit should include.

Kohler is now Rehlko

Kohler's energy business was sold to Platinum Equity in 2024 and renamed Rehlko that September (Equipment World). Home generators are still sold under the Kohler name through Rehlko's home-energy division, so you may see both names on the same quote. It is the same product line.

How loud they are next door

Running under load, the big air-cooled units from Generac and Kohler both measure 67 dB(A) at 23 ft (Generac 24 kW manual, Kohler 26 kW spec sheet). The bigger difference is the weekly test, the noise neighbors actually hear. Generac's runs 5 minutes at 57 dB(A); Kohler's EcoExercise lasts 90 seconds; Briggs' Eco-Cise is 16 seconds. You or the dealer can usually set the test for midday on a weekday.

Most of the noise comes out of the exhaust end, so where the unit sits matters as much as the brand. The City-Parish rules on exhaust direction and distance to windows are on our permits and placement page.

Starting a big air conditioner

Generac says its newest air-cooled design can start a 5-ton central air unit (Generac), and Briggs makes the same claim for every PowerProtect+ model (Briggs & Stratton). Kohler lists 39 kVA of motor-starting power on its 26 kW (spec sheet). In a south Louisiana house the compressor sets the size, so ask each dealer to show the starting math for your AC, not only the running load. Our sizing guide explains why.

Service after a storm decides it

A generator that won't start on day two of an outage is only as good as the nearest technician who carries its parts. One Baton Rouge-area owner moving off Briggs & Stratton said annual service had become hard to find (Tiger Droppings, 2026). Before you choose a brand, ask the dealer:

• Are you factory-authorized for warranty work on this brand?
• How many technicians do you have, and who gets priority after a hurricane?
• Which parts do you keep on the shelf?

Common questions