Backpack Leaf Blower

Papa_Smurf

Papa_Smurf

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Got a lot of leaves last year at the new place, and need something better than a handheld blower. The biggest issue is that we have a TON of concrete and mulch areas around the pool, and the neighbors have a few big hardwoods about 30 FT from the pool, just across the property line.

Budget of $300 - $500. I won't use it that much other than leaf season, so i don't need the biggest baddest model out there. Just want something dependable for the long haul with enough power to cut down on the time it takes to blow this place out. May use it occasionally to blow off the mower also, since my philosophy on anything small engine is the combo of non-ethanol gas & running long enough to get hot at least once a month.

Prefer to stay with Stihl/Husqvarna/Echo. I like my Husqvarna weedeater, so i'm kinda inclined to go that route.

Anything about one of these brands that anyone Doesn't like?
 
ncscrubmaster

ncscrubmaster

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Stihl. You could get the BR 600 or higher for that money. The new BR 800 will be a little more than that. I don't know your age but it might be the last one you ever buy. It will blow as long as you put gas in it. Mix the non ethanol during leaf season and use it up. You could always buy that premixed they sell when your not using it much. It has a pretty long shelf life. I run those blowers for thousands of hours. It takes a looooong time to wear one out. Also don't mulch near leaf season. Do it when you open your pool and leave it. The rain will beat it down and make it hard on top. Makes it alot easier to just blow the leaves not the mulch.
 
wturkey01

wturkey01

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Mine is a Poulan Pro. (pic attached giving specs.)

It starts easy, and rests confortable on the back. Seems like I paid around $200'ish!leaf blower.jpg
 
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jopel

jopel

Four Pointer
Contributor
I use an echo pb580. I believe it was around $300 a few years back, no complaints at all, great machine.
 
YanceyGreenhorn

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
ncscrubmaster said:
Stihl. You could get the BR 600 or higher for that money. The new BR 800 will be a little more than that. I don't know your age but it might be the last one you ever buy. It will blow as long as you put gas in it. Mix the non ethanol during leaf season and use it up. You could always buy that premixed they sell when your not using it much. It has a pretty long shelf life. I run those blowers for thousands of hours. It takes a looooong time to wear one out. Also don't mulch near leaf season. Do it when you open your pool and leave it. The rain will beat it down and make it hard on top. Makes it alot easier to just blow the leaves not the mulch.
Click to expand...
Agreed. We used them when I worked for a big landscaping outfit working 60-80 hours a week during mowing and leaf removal seasons. Really noticed how they didn’t struggle to take wet grass or leaves off of wet pavement or vehicles
 
Papa_Smurf

Papa_Smurf

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
ncscrubmaster said:
Stihl. You could get the BR 600 or higher for that money. The new BR 800 will be a little more than that. I don't know your age but it might be the last one you ever buy. It will blow as long as you put gas in it. Mix the non ethanol during leaf season and use it up. You could always buy that premixed they sell when your not using it much. It has a pretty long shelf life. I run those blowers for thousands of hours. It takes a looooong time to wear one out. Also don't mulch near leaf season. Do it when you open your pool and leave it. The rain will beat it down and make it hard on top. Makes it alot easier to just blow the leaves not the mulch.
Click to expand...


I'm only 30, so i hope i have time to wear it out. :panic:

I don't really have an issue with the mulch. i do that in the spring as you stated, and the leaves will blow off of it no problem. It's just a large area to clear, so it takes a long time. Also, i tend to cover the pool around the time leaves start falling, so i need something that will have the oomph to clear the cover of leaves. (It's a big pool).

The fuel isn't an issue either, run saws and weedeaters throughout the year so always have something needing fresh 50:1 non-ethanol.

Was looking at the stihl lineup casually this morning and it does look good.

My main issue with Stihl is that it seems like some of their newer stuff is a little fancier than it needs to be. Ex: using a special molded fuel line instead of the standard tubing other brands use, also fancy throttle mechanisms to hold it half open when starting, etc. All my Husqvarna equipment just uses the standard style parts and works well with no gimmicks.
 
Papa_Smurf

Papa_Smurf

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
ibgreen

ibgreen

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
You may want to look at a power backpack sprayer that would also allow you to spray mosquito chemicals etc. I use mine as a conventional blower all the time.
 
Cornbread

Cornbread

Eight Pointer
I have a stihl BR 459, have had it for years and have never gave me a single issue. Rural King in Morganton has some good deals on the back isle that were display models
 
sky hawk

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
We've got a lot of leaves here. I've used the Echo 580T for 5 years now. It's in the $350 range, and works for me.
 

30/06

Twelve Pointer
Bought a Stihl a little over a year ago and it has never run well and has been in the shop for two months now. I’ll update with the model #. If given a choice between Stihl and echo I’d go echo. Some of the Stihl higher end models are good from what I understand, mine has not.
 
Firedog

Firedog

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I have a BR450 that I got a year or two ago.. can't imagine needing much more than that for residential in most cases.
 
hoyt85

hoyt85

Six Pointer
Can't go wrong with echo or stihl,.......Stihl BR600 is a damn good all around blower. I've been running this model for the last 6 years with no complaints. I keep up around 16 mowing accounts aside from my full time job and I've slowly transitioned from all stihl to echo handhelds. My dealer support is better for echo if i were to need it. Seems to me that echo is designed to be a little more user friendly for the consumer IMO. I demoed the new echo blower the other week and that thing will flat out get it. I'll probably be picking one up in the near future.

I'd rather blow too many leaves to far than to touch a rake. Time is money.
 
Papa_Smurf

Papa_Smurf

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Homebrewale said:
I just make sure the mulching blade is sharp on the mower and just shred the leaves into the lawn.
Click to expand...

I would do that, but i don't think the pool cover would hold the mower up, and the entire pool area isn't accessible to the mower.

Realistically, what i do is blow all the leaves from the pool areas down into the backyard. Then i mow the yard, blowing them to the woods. Some get mulched up and dissappear, the rest get blown into the woods by the mower.
 
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