Ratings & Reviews for Briggs & Stratton StormResponder 8500 Starting / 6250 Running Watt Gasoline Portable Generator

Possibly Pre-owned

I bought the last generator Lowes had during the recent ice storm. The packaging was ripped up but I needed a generator. When opened, the generator already had oil. I hooked it up and it ran about 15 minutes then stopped producing electricity. It ran but no electricity. An electrician relative come over and could not find anything obviously wrong. I returned it the next day. From a positive standpoint, Lowes accepted the return and returned my money.

Works great with power to spare

This thing is great, had it running for 30+ hrs without skipping a beat. Able to power all essential equipment including heaters, chargers, TV, internet, multiple lights and still only at 50%

Broke on second use.

The pull recoil cracked abd broke on the second use. Cheap plastic internal parts. Easy to replace if you have the part, but Briggs and Stratton customer service is useless - they wouldnt send a replacement part but rather requires that the whole unit be lugged to a dealer.

Junk

The box it came in was oily but I needed a generator as a tropical storm had our power out for several days. When I got it home oil was all over the generator and the mounting foot for the generating component was broken off and the unit was wedged into the armature. I returned it but their were no others so I received a refund. When I picked it up their were 2 sitting on the floor that had open boxes that looked like returns. I should have known by this clue.

Great buy

Was so glad to get this in a time of need thanks, Diberville, MS store!!!!

Loud but reliable

Handled our whole house no issue. Loud but starts on the first pull. The included mega extension cord is great. I love the front panel real time % capacity display.

Extremely let down

Purchased it after a hurricane and power outage in April 2020, it ran rough but did run for the 10 hours after purchasing until power was restored. We used only ethanol free gas. 6 months later, another hurricane and power outages. Pulled cord got some sputtering then nothing. Won't even spark. Replaced sparkplug, nothing, replaced fuel, got nothing. Absolutely let down and regret not buying a Honda!

great generator

This generator works great, is very easy to move , and has a great readout that reminds you to check oil and change oil, air filter , and spark plug by recommended hours.

Loud but powerful!

At the beginning of the ice storm, we called around for generators and Lowe’s was getting more that afternoon. We picked this bad boy up and after about 10 minutes of assembly, it was ready. We like the big tank since we didn’t have to get up during the night to refill. It’s running at about 37% with pretty much our whole 1800 sf house in operation. We didn’t turn the breaker on for the clothes dryer or dishwasher, but everything else is on. We have a wood stove, therefore, the heater hasn't ki...

Cranked on second pull.

Did not need it for this last storm. But I will have a working one for the next one. I can see we’re I could use it at other times too very easy to move about.

Ridiculously Fragile

Bought this in March after losing power for days following tornado damage. The unit has never run well, but served its purpose during this time. After only using it a handful of times since, numerous nuts and bolts have come off and the pull cord handle broke in half. Briggs and Stratton replaced the nuts/bolts but not the pull handle. They claim it has been on back order for going on 3 months now. Further, the time I tried to use it in July, it wouldn't even start. I have used non-ethanol...

Piece of Junk

I have never been so disappointed in a generator. I have owned quite a few because of a former construction cleaning business and, of the past 12 years, I have lived off grid. I have solar panels but sometimes I need a generator backup. This generator started giving me problems at about hour 550. There are two circuits, one with two outlets and one with four. The one with two completely stopped putting out power and one from the other circuit. That left me with only one circuit with only three w...

Great Generator

Great product, it was able to handle my refrigerator/freezer combo, my deep freezer (small one), window AC unit, microwave or toaster oven and 3 lamps all at once. Love the digital display and the gas gage.

good running machine

I bought it July 23, 2020, I haven't had to use it yet. but I tested it out and it does just fine.

Overall great generator

I have no complaints with this generator. Can’t go wrong with Briggs & Stratton. Starts every time. Large enough Fuel tank we only had to fill it every eight or nine hours. I like the prompts that remind you to check the oil. Plenty of output to run our two freezers, refrigerator, microwave, a few lights and well pump and even then it never got over about 30% of capacity. It’s heavy but has a nice handle and wheels so once it’s put together it’s easy to move around. Would definitely recommend th...

So Far So Good

A generator is something I've been wanting to have for a while now, but hadn't picked up. A recent wind event in Iowa left us without power for 6 days. After using a smaller borrowed generator for the first couple days, I was able to grab the last one of these my local Lowes had received in a shipment. Got it home, broke the box down around it and installed the wheels and foot with a helper lifting each end. Filled with fuel and it fired right up on the first pull. I mainly ran two refrigerato...

Great generator - Fairly loud, but no complaints

This is my first generator, so I cannot compare it to anything. But it seems to be built well, pretty heavy. It's pretty loud, but we couldn't hear it in our house and our neighbor across our street barely heard it. For anyone wondering, from what I understand is this can generate up to 220V at 30A total. Anyone who is an electrician feel free to correct me. We connected a refrigerator, freezer chest, a small convection oven, window AC unit, 3 powerful fans, 3 lamps, and two gaming PCs connected...

New England's got tough weather but this smiles!!

Been postponing buying a generator even when we lost power for 5 days in 10 degree weather and below 0 at night. CT has a ton of old trees and old tiny roads and the latest tropical storm has 800k+ houses without power so expecting another week w/out power, I started looking to buy. Nothing in CT at all so I drove 150 miles north to a Lowe's at 6am to grab one of 5 left. Came home and set it up by myself but it's pretty easy, just heavy. Yeah it's loud but I figured it would be because my entire...

Briggs is a winner

Briggs has an effortless start-up and is a reliable solution to a powerful storm. The machine is set up to run for up to 5 hours but can actually go for 8 hours in case you can't make it home.

BUYER BEWARE: carberator leaks gas

carberator leaks gas, less than 20 hours on generator. Less than 1 year old. “Not a warranty issue.” BUYER BEWARE