Hey, all-
The local Pep Boys had 1000 watt 64 cc two-stroke generators on sale for $100. I bought one for powering up my camper at races, swap meets, antique engine shows- places where generators are OK.
The pros: it is decent little machine- loaded voltage is between 118 to 120 and the frequency is astonishingly stable at 61-62 Hz. It is a lot quieter than I expected- you can talk in normal tones from about 10 feet away. Typical of two stroke engines, it runs smoother under a good load. Fuel consumption at 300 watts is less than a quart an hour. It is light- only about 40 pounds. Being a two-stoke, you never worry about lube oil.
The cons: there is very limited support- I understand that the importer is very good about shipping out parts and has a good inventory, but there is only one importer. There are no service manuals available. Being a two-stoke, you have to remember to correctly premix oil (I use a 'Ratio-Right' measuring cup).
In sum: it is no Honda or Kimpor, but it costs about 8-10 times less (which means no one is going to work hard to steal it). If something major breaks, unless you can fix it yourself, consider it disposable. Even if it burns out after 3 seasons, it will still have cost less that quality deep-cycle batteries.
-Carl