I don’t know if Agtronic generators are good or bad. I do know that they are now carried or made by Coleman.
I have an old one, probably from in the 1980′s which I have used a good amount, like for over 2 weeks during an ice storm in the northeast. Strangely enough, the prices haven’t changed much, but there have been some improvements.
The one I have doesn’t have a low oil shutoff or even the larger fuel tank. Instead of the large 3 prong plug it has two of the small plugs for 220 volts with the horizontal tabs.
It does run most of the electrical items in the house, but does not run everything at once. The one I have is only 4000 watts but I can run a refrigerator, freezer, and the boiler and have never had a problem. I do understand that if all these appliances started at once, it probably wouldn’t do well, but all can be run at one time, as long as they aren’t started all at once.
I did have a wire break on the capacitor, but that is the only problem I have had. It has the Briggs & Stratton engine, not the Tecumseh which I prefer but admittedly the Briggs is louder. They do come with both brand engines but I haven’t seen any other brand although I am not saying they don’t put other brands of engines on them. The engine is the commercial grade with the cast iron cylinder and has been run well over 600 hours since I bought it and still uses no oil. It also generally starts with one pull even after setting as long as a year. I do shut the gasoline off and let it run dry everytime I put it away after using it.
The total cost for parts for the probable 25 years I have owned it, is the cost of the capacitor.
I don’t know how well they are rated, but I do know the quality is fine and they were one of the less expensive when I bought it. I will say, that I have always considered a Briggs & Stratton one of the better lower priced small engines. I also believe they bought the patents for Honda small engines and most people would agree that Honda is one of the best.
There are only a few companies that make the actual generator for the small emergency and portable generators. Coleman is kinder to the pocketbook than some which is why I bought one. I might consider a different brand for one that is built in or something of that nature, but for an inexpensive portable generator I think for the money, I actually did quite well.
I do think the brand of engine is important as I do have something of a prejudice against Tecumseh. Generally the Briggs is a little more money than the Tecumseh. I do know for a long time it was much more common to see Briggs on the summer equipment and Tecumseh on winter equipment.
I have owned both and at one time I had a small business where I worked on them. I still prefer Briggs as I feel that overall they are slightly easier to work on. The Tecumseh is definitely quieter in most applications.
For generators, I believe the engine is normally what causes the problem, not the electric generator. Naturally this isn’t 100%.
I only mention this brand here because I had the one problem with the generator and I overheard some people talking about Coleman and Agtronic generators. For an reasonably priced generator, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one.