So, I'm know expert on generators, but I've used a few at home and at work.
I've never really thought about them.  Put gas in, fire them up, let run for a few, then hook'em up, they work. Don't forget to chain them up.. ;)

Inverters.  Again, no expert, but I have used a few.  All our work trucks have fairly meaty ones under the seat, with 2/0 guage cable running to the batt.  We use to power our laptops, a POE, a whole tower if need be, etc...

Now, I see posts about Inverter Generators??? WTF is that?

I mean in my eyes, a regular stranded type Genset runs of gas or some fossil fuel and puts out AC 110vAC or more....
An inverter takes DC power, usually from (USUALLY from) a vehicle batt or something and converts it to AC 110vAC or more, so you can run your AC shit, like I mentioned my use case above...

So WTF are Inverter Generators?

Just another marketing phrase like ""Solar Generators""???

Clean power to run electronics.

You wrongly conflated inverter with solar.

Quieter and more efficient.

The generator output is fed to an inverter, which provides cleaner power for electronics and sensitive devices.  Unlike conventional gen sets, they don't have to run at 1800/3600 RPM to generate 60 hz power and they can increase or decrease RPM based on load, cutting down on noise and fuel consumption.

No, no I don't think I did... My only mention of Solar was,It was a comparison of marketing terms... Not comparing to technologies... But its all good.

I never liked the marketing term Solar Generators.  I've known more than one person to buy one and think it by itself, generated power, then be disappointed when they found out they needed to spend a few hundred on solar panels if they wanted "Solar" to charge it...

The "Solar Generators" that I have seen and built, all are from small to large battery boxes with one or more inputs and one or more outputs and maybe one of the inputs link to a Charge Controller indose the box . They can usually be CHARGED by PV, or by an AC to DC charger or a DC to DC Charger, So its a fancy storage box, that doesn't make anything.

Just like in my Truck, I have a 2 large XS Power Batts (Neither make power, both store it) and I have a Mechman 280 Amp HO Alternator that charges them...

Thank you, that makes perfect sense...

this

An inverter generator creates a pure sine wave (or really close to it) instead of a modified sine wave AC output of a traditional generator.  Similar to the way the inverter in your truck can output a clean sine wave.  Typically, a generator runs at 2 speeds, fast and slow, both multiples of the 60hz frequency of AC in the US, an inverter can vary its speed precisely depending on load, so it only runs at a high enough RPM to deliver the current required.

Yeah, this, but I guess I type faster than I read.

I think you meant to type that into Google

Generator FAQ: Inverter vs Traditional

A few technical corrections…..

In the inverter world (inverters you connect to a battery), you can buy pure sine wave and modified sine wave. Pure sine wave is like the power you get from the grid. Modified sine wave mimics the grid but is not quite the same…but close enough for most stuff. Most things will run fine on modified sine wave power but is more likely to wear out motor things more quickly. The majority of cheap inverters you buy will be modified sine wave inverters. Not a bad thing but there are limitations.

Traditional non-inverter generators produce true sine wave power. But, they are dependent on running at either 3600 rpm (most common) or 1800 rpm to create the 60hz power we all know. The problem is, when you add a load to the engine, it slows it down until the governor can open the throttle to increase the amount of fuel/air mixture coming in. The governor gets the engine back to 3600 rpm and all is well again. When you take a load off the electrical side, the engine speeds up due to the excess fuel/air mixture. This also causes a fluctuation in the hz being delivered. You want to minimize that as much as possible. The real number you want to look at would be Total Harmonic Distortion. Basically, a more responsive governor to more closely maintain engine speed over varying loads. Also, adding loads gradually vs quickly will help maintain consistent RPM….thus maintaining consistent hz. Heavy rotating components also help smooth out the hz under varying loads due to sheer mass…and cheap generators don’t have a lot of rotating mass….so part of the reason cheap generators sometime have a lot of THD.

Many of the inverter generators on the market are pure sine wave inverters. I know Honda is. I believe Predator and Champion also are. I don’t know about others. I suspect the very cheapest inverter generators on the market may be modified sine wave in order to save on inverter part cost. So, if you are buying a cheap inverter generator, do your homework so you know if you are buying a pure sine wave or modified sine wave unit.