[Westy]

Honda is the quietest (is that a word?). If'n you wanna run a well or water heater, you'll need 6000+ watts. Honda's in that size are pricey. You can store gasoline almost as long as Diesel if you use Pri-G preservative. I have stored gas for a couple of years with no problem. They have a 'D' for diesels, too. When our power goes out I run my freezer, 2 fridges, and a tv with one light, on my Honda 2000. I also run the pellet stove. ONe of the fridges is old, so it has to be rotated on the power line. An hour a day, maybe another half hour when it's hot, will keep your freezer and fridge just fine, as long as their newer ones. My 6500 is on wheels, and is great for the heavy loads, but it's loud and uses considerably more gas. The Honda runs forever on that small tank.

Consider you load requirements. Go to (I think) Generators Direct, and they have a table of what the running/startup surge requirements are, and you can judge what you'll need. Honda also makes a 3000. Good luck,,,,,,,,,,,,