For those who don’t know, pure sine wave power is better for electronics, particularly things like TVs, microwave ovens, laser printers, battery chargers, CPAP machines and computers. Generators that output pure sine wave power are often the higher-end of the manufacturer’s line, and frequently will run quieter, have an auto-throttle for load, and have other nice features.

When I bought my generator I couldn’t afford pure sine wave for the output I needed, and my primary use case was the refrigerator, electric space heaters, and sump pumps. But I do have higher-end UPS systems protecting specific devices in my house. These devices both give me a battery backup for power outages and also output very clean power. I’m holding off upgrading my generator in part because I know I can power sensitive devices that way.