AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
DG = decomposed granite landscape rock, we call it kitty litter, for those not living in the SW.I rarely need to use it at full or turbo "throttle" because I'm blowing over mulch and DG -
DG = decomposed granite landscape rock, we call it kitty litter, for those not living in the SW.I rarely need to use it at full or turbo "throttle" because I'm blowing over mulch and DG -
Honestly I wouldn't consider Echo as being the best of anything. 'Best' is opinion only and maybe good/dependable performance/longevity, but I'd definitely take a Redmax, Husqvarna, etc. any day over pretty much every item Echo makes.I have a number of blowers for use in our various hangars and multiple homes, including the 650cfm EGO blower (56v 5AH) for our hangar up North and a Kobalt 80V for our Martha's Vineyard hangar. Both are almost as powerful as my non modified Stihl BG86 (although neither electric has the velocity to blow pebbles like the gas units do), and the best I can get is 12-13 minutes from them (EGO says 90 minutes, hahaha no).
I brought the EGO to my PA property to blow leaves. Although very pleasant to use, it was not up to the hour long task of a fall cleanup. I ended up using my 20 year old gas powered Echo 210, which is equally effective, lighter and will run 45 minutes on a tank.
The muffler modified Stihl BG86 is head and shoulders better than the EGO and is my go-to blower for real work.
These battery electric blowers do work fairly well, but if you need run-time to clear a larger yard, consider a second battery, or just purchase a good gas powered backpack blower. The Echo 9010 is still king for those who need the best, with more than double the power of the newest and best EGO and infinitely more run time.
I have
2ea Stihl BG86. One stock with catalytic muffler and one with conventional muffler that I modified.
2ea Echo 210, both stock
1ea EGO 56V 5Ah 650cfm electric
1ea Kobalt 80v 630 cfm electric
1ea ryobi vac/blower attachment
That may be true, but the big backpack Echo is, I believe, the most powerful unit out there. With regard to velocity, CFM, dyno results and effective blowing.Honestly I wouldn't consider Echo as being the best of anything. 'Best' is opinion only and maybe good/dependable performance/longevity, but I'd definitely take a Redmax, Husqvarna, etc. any day over pretty much every item Echo makes.
The 56V 5Ah battery I have (along with the EGO blower) is holding up just fine, even 3 years down the road. It even handled the freezing temps in the hangar just fine.I went with the EGO Power+ 765 CFM blower. Got the kit (LB7654-2) that includes 2 5.0Ah battery packs (each of which have the “fuel gauge” light), and a rapid, fan-cooled charger that can recharge the 5.0Ah battery pack in 40 minutes.
The Echo 9010 is still king for those who need the best,
You may want to look into things you can do to increase the life of the battery because there priceyIm glad I went with the blower kit that included 2 5.0Ah batteries. That blower can drain a battery, and it’s very handy to have one on the charger, ready when you exhaust one.
It’ll be interesting to see the longevity of these.
Muffler modified? Please share.. . . The muffler modified Stihl BG86 is head and shoulders better than the EGO and is my go-to blower for real work. . . .
BG86 Stihl blower:Muffler modified? Please share.
Honestly I wouldn't consider Echo as being the best of anything. 'Best' is opinion only and maybe good/dependable performance/longevity, but I'd definitely take a Redmax, Husqvarna, etc. any day over pretty much every item Echo makes.
How happy are your neighbors about your modification? I think the muffler also helps to prevent fires. Your blowing dry leaves for the most part.BG86 Stihl blower:
I removed the muffler, did my best to drill out the inner baffle. I used a unibit, then a carbide bit and die grinder. I then drilled out the "nozzle" to about as large a size as I could without interfering with the threads.
I have 2 of these blowers. The modified one is considerably stronger.
This is a view inside the muffler at the drilled out baffle.