Echo vs Stihl Handheld Blower

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I am getting ready to buy a new leaf blower. It will see occasional use, maybe an hour a month. I had a Troy-Bilt piece of junk, that is now in the landfill somewhere.

I am looking at the Echo PB-250 or the Stihl BG-55. The Echo is about 10 dollars more. I have had good luck with both brands before. Stihl has a 2 year warranty and the Echo has a 5 year warranty for consumer use. They both have about the same noise level and quality of build. Both are U.S. made.

Anyone give me pros or cons? I am leaning heavy on the Stihl, not because it is cheaper, but even the "basic" homeowner equipment is nails tough.

Thanks,
D.
 
I just got the stihl bg 55. Been used for about 3 total hours, and so far so good. Ive always been a fan of echo but they are harder to find where i am. The stihl is nice with the throttle lock thingy.
 
I just had the same dilemma trying to choose between a Stihl or an Echo small chain saw. I ended up buying the Echo 310 because it said "Professional Grade' or some such thing regarding the motor. Both are excellent.
 
obviously both brnads are very good. A friend of mine sells Echo, so three of us have Echos. had mine about 8 years now and it runs great. very happy. obviously it is much more substantial than the lesser brands
 
I've have 3 Stihl 55's that are about 10 years old for farm use. I use them several hours a week with only a once a year tune-up.
 
Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I am going for the Stihl. Price is right, good reputation, and a well made machine. I hope it will go for 8-10 years or more.

Dave
 
I worked on a newer Echo yesterday and the Carb said "Made In China" on it. I know Stihl's carbs are made in China for some of their stuff.

If you use a dealer, ask him/her where the parts are manufactured. Where they're assembled means nothing.

You might be able to spend a few (maybe a lot) dollars more and get a Stihl or Echo that won't need a new carburetor in three years.

I "worked" on a Kawasaki blower a couple days ago. The guy couldn't get the new fangled choke to stay closed. The trigger was locked at full tilt so the choke wouldn't close and stay. We had a good laugh and he went on his way.

Anybody know if Kawasaki is putting out a cheap blowers these days? I didn't ask him how much he paid for it.
 
I have the BG55 Stihl blower. 5-years oil, gets used at least once a week, summer and winter, it has been dropped several times, run over by my wife's car once, never had a tune up, and still runs like the day I bought it. Even have the leaf sucking attachment that works as advertised.

Both the Stihl and Echo are good products as are Husky, it all depends on the service you get after the sale, and the folks at Stihl have had their act together longer than anyone.
 
The Stihl dealer I am going to has an excellent reputation and has been in business for years, even though it is hard to find the shop.

Zama and Walbro carbs have been made in China for quite some time now. They are easy to work on and rebuild. I don't have a problem with them.

Dave
 
I have a Stihl SH85 blower and it has been great going on 5 years now. It has already lasted twice as long as every Craftsman blower I bought before it.....
 
Echo make all of their own products. Not sure about Stihl, but some of Husky's low end chain saws are outsourced to Poulan.

I was surprised to see that a comparable Echo product was more expensive than a Stihl. Used to be that Stihl/Husky equipment was considerably more expensive than Echo. Makes one wonder what happened there?
 
I decided on the BG 55 Sthil. The big seller for me was due to the fact that I am right-handed, the Stihl's fan intake is away from me. That way it won't get my pants leg or shirt tail. The Stihl is made in Virginia too. My dealer had to order one. He only had a demo that they did not want to sell. It will be in later this week.

It is only going to be used about a half hour every other week to blow out the garage, and move grass clippings off the drive.

Dave
 
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between those two, id choose stihl for a chain saw and echo for anyother 2cycle product. i admit stihl makes a good saw, but the rest of their line is just decent; echo on the other hand makes an all around good product, their saws however wont turn the rpms of a stihl, so they obviously cut slower, but back to the blower....get the echo
 
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