I thought the same thing about spending all that money on something I might use. Generally with mechanical stuff if you don’t use it regularly then it doesn’t work when you really need it to.
But I found the Honda 2000i series. I bought one of these and love it! I am able to use it with computer equipment in the field. (I do long time lapse photography). I can use it camping and tailgating and it has enough umph to run emergency power in the house if needed. Granted I don’t think i’d run the fridge on it, but a heater and lights are no problem and this little guy is super quiet and efficient.
That’s probably not what you were exactly after with a permanent connection to your power point, but it has sure worked for us.