ECHO is the only way to go.
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what's a good leaf blower?
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cfm is more important than mph when it comes to leaf moving ability. Dont be fooled by 200mph with lower cfm. My Stihl has 459cfm at the nozzle(round). Thats what moves piles of leaves, not mph.
Originally Posted By: Hallmark
I use a 220 mph ELECTRIC...starts every time, no fail; doesn't require expensive tune-ups; doesn't reguire gas/oil mix; doesn't require over-winter fuel treatment; doesn't require backpack; doesn't require solving the question WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS @#$%&! THING when it won't start; doesn't require...etc! And they're less expensive to buy and run. And the neighbors prefer them 8-to-one on weekend mornings. And they don't pollute the air we inhale. And the wife and grandkids aren't intimidated by electric...user friendly.
I got one of theses ! and it was fantastic when i lived in town and only had a 50/100 foot city lot (nice long extension cord) but now that i have 5 acres its good for blowing the leaves off the portch..
I use a 220 mph ELECTRIC...starts every time, no fail; doesn't require expensive tune-ups; doesn't reguire gas/oil mix; doesn't require over-winter fuel treatment; doesn't require backpack; doesn't require solving the question WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS @#$%&! THING when it won't start; doesn't require...etc! And they're less expensive to buy and run. And the neighbors prefer them 8-to-one on weekend mornings. And they don't pollute the air we inhale. And the wife and grandkids aren't intimidated by electric...user friendly.
I got one of theses ! and it was fantastic when i lived in town and only had a 50/100 foot city lot (nice long extension cord) but now that i have 5 acres its good for blowing the leaves off the portch..
Echos are really good overall. Not 100% perfect, but definitely a step up in quality over the cheaper brands. PB250s were under a recall for carb problems, but Echo is very good about replacing them. New ones in stores should have updated carbs.
Hand held Ryobis and Homelites actually seem to hold up well, but I would stay away from their backpack blowers.
If you want a really nice and expensive hand held blower, you could always get a Makita 4 stroke. I think those run about $250. No mixing gas and oil, and it's made by Dolmar.
Hand held Ryobis and Homelites actually seem to hold up well, but I would stay away from their backpack blowers.
If you want a really nice and expensive hand held blower, you could always get a Makita 4 stroke. I think those run about $250. No mixing gas and oil, and it's made by Dolmar.
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Polluters all of you! But im sure the EPA will ban these oily rackety disgusting beasts soon. They took my '71 Suzuki T500 road bike away ;(
There is just no way that these 2 stroke OPE (or your T500 for that matter) even make a blip on the pollution radar screen in comparison to transportation and manufacturing as a whole. The EPA will have to remove my 2 strokes from my hands after I am dead, and they have navigated the mine field around the garage..
Polluters all of you! But im sure the EPA will ban these oily rackety disgusting beasts soon. They took my '71 Suzuki T500 road bike away ;(
There is just no way that these 2 stroke OPE (or your T500 for that matter) even make a blip on the pollution radar screen in comparison to transportation and manufacturing as a whole. The EPA will have to remove my 2 strokes from my hands after I am dead, and they have navigated the mine field around the garage..
Originally Posted By: beanoil
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Polluters all of you! But im sure the EPA will ban these oily rackety disgusting beasts soon. They took my '71 Suzuki T500 road bike away ;(
There is just no way that these 2 stroke OPE (or your T500 for that matter) even make a blip on the pollution radar screen in comparison to transportation and manufacturing as a whole. The EPA will have to remove my 2 strokes from my hands after I am dead, and they have navigated the mine field around the garage..
We should form the 2-stroke militia.
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Polluters all of you! But im sure the EPA will ban these oily rackety disgusting beasts soon. They took my '71 Suzuki T500 road bike away ;(
There is just no way that these 2 stroke OPE (or your T500 for that matter) even make a blip on the pollution radar screen in comparison to transportation and manufacturing as a whole. The EPA will have to remove my 2 strokes from my hands after I am dead, and they have navigated the mine field around the garage..
We should form the 2-stroke militia.
fwiw i have a 25cc troybilt backpack blower that i picked up off a friend that bought it new a month proir to selling it to me, he only used it 1 time. i am leary about ope and buying the best i can afford and all i can say is for $100 i did really well this thing has been flawless for the last 5-6 years and it moves alot of air for a 25cc motor. dont be leary of the cheaper equiptment some of it can be very reliable if well taken care of.
if it ever bites the dust i'll replace it with a stihl of some sort just had the best luck with stihl stuff. from chainsaws to trimmers and my father has a bg55 blower and that thing is amazing how it starts and runs well year after year withno maintanence.
if it ever bites the dust i'll replace it with a stihl of some sort just had the best luck with stihl stuff. from chainsaws to trimmers and my father has a bg55 blower and that thing is amazing how it starts and runs well year after year withno maintanence.
Originally Posted By: Hallmark
I use a 220 mph ELECTRIC...starts every time, no fail; doesn't require expensive tune-ups; doesn't reguire gas/oil mix; doesn't require over-winter fuel treatment; doesn't require backpack; doesn't require solving the question WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS @#$%&! THING when it won't start; doesn't require...etc! And they're less expensive to buy and run. And the neighbors prefer them 8-to-one on weekend mornings. And they don't pollute the air we inhale. And the wife and grandkids aren't intimidated by electric...user friendly.
What generates the electricity?
I use a 220 mph ELECTRIC...starts every time, no fail; doesn't require expensive tune-ups; doesn't reguire gas/oil mix; doesn't require over-winter fuel treatment; doesn't require backpack; doesn't require solving the question WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS @#$%&! THING when it won't start; doesn't require...etc! And they're less expensive to buy and run. And the neighbors prefer them 8-to-one on weekend mornings. And they don't pollute the air we inhale. And the wife and grandkids aren't intimidated by electric...user friendly.
What generates the electricity?
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Against the advice of many who'll tell you you have to get professional grade Stihl or Shindaiwa, I bought the Husqvarna 125B from the Bix Box.
I retract this recommendation.
Went to start it yesterday. Pushed the primer bulb. Pre-Mix went everywhere.
Probably just a leaky fuel line. Easily fixed. But IMHO it was too new for this to happen. Went back inside to grab the warranty information from my file and decided to just take the receipt, package it back up in the original box (still had it in the shed) and return it.
Lowes made the return real easy, but I didn't like anything there so I went to Home Depot and bought an Echo.
I'm going to hold off on a recommendation for a bit on this one.
Against the advice of many who'll tell you you have to get professional grade Stihl or Shindaiwa, I bought the Husqvarna 125B from the Bix Box.
I retract this recommendation.
Went to start it yesterday. Pushed the primer bulb. Pre-Mix went everywhere.
Probably just a leaky fuel line. Easily fixed. But IMHO it was too new for this to happen. Went back inside to grab the warranty information from my file and decided to just take the receipt, package it back up in the original box (still had it in the shed) and return it.
Lowes made the return real easy, but I didn't like anything there so I went to Home Depot and bought an Echo.
I'm going to hold off on a recommendation for a bit on this one.
I know the OP already purchased, but I want to comment on my Stihl. This was a birthday present given to me to replace my 14 year old Craftsman. It's great, except I'm left handed. The intake on the Stihl is on the right side, so it keeps sucking to my leg. My old Craftsman had the impeller on the bottom, so it was never an issue.
The answer to the OP is easy. Stick with an independent dealer with a big service/parts department. What they carry is what you want: a long term service relationship.
The same "brand" at the box stores is not the same product as carried by dealers whose commercial customers expect real performance.
And I'd rather have a backpack. At idle they put out more than my handheld Stihl at WOT. Cleaning the street, the alleway, the roof, the gutters, the clothes dryer vent, the car HVAC vents, etc . . . you wouldn't be sorry to have the backpack, IMO.
And use only OPTI-LUBE XPD oil.
The same "brand" at the box stores is not the same product as carried by dealers whose commercial customers expect real performance.
And I'd rather have a backpack. At idle they put out more than my handheld Stihl at WOT. Cleaning the street, the alleway, the roof, the gutters, the clothes dryer vent, the car HVAC vents, etc . . . you wouldn't be sorry to have the backpack, IMO.
And use only OPTI-LUBE XPD oil.
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"The same "brand" at the box stores is not the same product as carried by dealers whose commercial customers expect real performance."
Not necessarily true in all applications. I bought an Echo trimmer from a local dealership and a buddy of mine was so impressed with it, he bought the same trimmer from Home Depot. Exactly the same in ever respect. I also bought an Echo CS346 chainsaw from Home Depot. No difference than that sold by a dealership.
Some manufacturers do sell lower end quality units to the box stores. From my experience, Echo is not one of them.
Not necessarily true in all applications. I bought an Echo trimmer from a local dealership and a buddy of mine was so impressed with it, he bought the same trimmer from Home Depot. Exactly the same in ever respect. I also bought an Echo CS346 chainsaw from Home Depot. No difference than that sold by a dealership.
Some manufacturers do sell lower end quality units to the box stores. From my experience, Echo is not one of them.
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