Handheld leaf blower

[rlk]

I'm in the market for a handheld, gas powered, leaf blower, and would like recommendations as to what to purchase. I have an Echo chain saw and a weed eater. Both are about 20 years old, and still going strong.

I want a leaf blower that will be easy to start, and not too heavy (so the wife can use it). My Echo's have been great. Very easy to start, and minimal maintenance required. Are Echo's still a good product?

The leaf blower will be used around the house - I have a lot of leaves that need attention. Currently, I have 2 electric blowers that are great, however, I'm getting tired of fooling with 100 foot extention cords.

Anyone have any recommendations as to what brand/model to purchase? Thanks.

 

[Chillimau]

I have a Stihl SH85. Have had it about a year, no problems. It will blow and convert to a shredder with a shoulder bag for the clippings. Kinda like wearing a harness for a brushcutter, except the bag is behind your right shoulder. Not real heavy and noticiably (sp) quieter than my neighbor's craftsman. I have looked at the Echo pole pruners and at least in the pole pruner's they are the competition for Stihl. I would imagine the same for the blowers.

 

[TerryinMD]

rlk,

I would recommend the Ryobi TrimmerPlus. It is a nice, light weight unit which provides a lot of flexibility. We have the gas trimmer and leafblower attachments.

Here is the URL Ryobi TrimmerPlus

Terry

 

[StanInCalif]

I have a Stihl BG 72. Light, plenty of power, easy to start. The optional extensions and gutter attachment are handy for keeping rain gutters clean.

<font color=green>stan</font color=green>

 

[fishman]

rlk,
The local small engine shop (actually a very large shop specializing in small engines/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif ) sells both stihl and echo products. I happen to prefer stihl, but the salesman indicated that many local lawn contractors were using echo products with great success. In TX, maintaining a lawn can be a year-round job, so the echo trimmers and blowers would be getting a workout. Out of curiosity, I have been keeping an eye on the various lawn services (you can't miss them, they all have expanded mesh trailers). I have seen many of them with echo brand trimmers in their racks, perhaps more echo than stihl, but I can't tell you for sure.

If you've had good success with a particular brand, no one could fault you for sticking with what has worked.

 

[Bird]

I agree with John that Echo seems to be the brand of choice for string trimmers in this area for commercial use, so I would expect their blowers to be good also. I have a cousin who has a street sweeping business (trucks that sweep parking lots at night), and they also carry a blower to blow off the sidewalks. He told me he went through two or three brands before buying a Stihl and says it's the only one that has held up well for daily use year round. And my brother also has a Stihl that he thinks very highly of. I would expect good service from either of those two brands.

Bird

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have a 15 year old echo. Do not believe I have ever changed the spark plug. Runs great. Just bought one for my Florida home. They still make a model that looks like my old one. I paid almost 300.00 for it. Just hope it is as good as the old one.

 

[Bill_in_MI]

Bob,
I have had 2 Echo back pack style blowers and have been very satisfied with both. The first one is about 12 years old and was given to one of my kids as I wanted to upgrade to a higher power unit. Both have given good service and I am the type who does not stay on top of the preventive service issues. Also have Echo string trimmer and pole pruner. On the other hand, I have two Stihl chainsaws and I would not change decisions there either. I used to have a hand-held leaf blower but can't remember the brand. The girls were "helping" out with the leaf removal task while I was a work. They didn't have a clue about oil-mix versus straight gas. Didn't even last through a tank full. If you have any quantity of blowing to do, I find the back-pack much more comfortable for longer sessions.

 

[rlk]

Bill, I have given some thought to the back pack models, however, was concerned about having that much noise so close to my ears. I know I can wear hearing protection, but was concerned it would be too much noise to be comfortable.

Does the noise bother you at all? Thanks.

 

[Boondox]

rlk -- I use a big Husky backpack blower. Great fit, plenty of power (and here in Vermont we have LOTS of big-leafed trees) and it lasts a long time on a tank of gas. But I always wear hearing protection when using it. Even though the engine and exhaust are shielded and directed away from the operator, after a few minutes my ears ring without the muffs.

Still, if you have a lot of blowing to do, a backpack is the way to go.

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

 

[Bill_in_MI]

Yes, I wear the ear-muff type hearing protection. Would not recommend using a back pack style without it if using for more that a few minutes. I have the type that has an FM radio built in. Helps the time go a little quicker for me.

 

[PTRich]

Stihl, Husky and Echo all make excellent blowers. I use a Giant Vac push blower and all my other stuff (chainsaws, trimmers etc.) is Husquvarna and I have very good luck with them. If you are comfortable with your Echo equipment and it works good for you I would stick with it. If you can swing a back pack blower you may want to consider one, they work excellent. My dad has an Echo back pack and loves it.

Good Luck, PTRich

 

[Sailorcrew]

I have Stihl for chainsaw and string trimmer. I have Echo for the blower. It's a backpack blower and I love it. Had an electric one which was a pain to use, the cord always was a problem and could not get far enough away from the power source to finish the job. The backpack is very comfortable t use, just walk around directing the flow. David