Thread: What's the best backpack blower on the market?

Originally Posted by blsnelling

After reading several threads on other websites, I'm heavily leaning towards the Shiny or Echo. The Redmax 8001 had excellent reviews, but the new 8050, not so much. They say it's been choked down by the EPA. Oddly enough, I compared the IPLs for both, and didn't find one PN in the engine or fan housing to be different. The Redmax is the heaviest though. So how does the build quality of the Echo compare to the Shiny?

Sure the BR600 is a great strong blower. But just like in chainsaws, it's gets a lot of it's rave reviews simply because it's a Stihl and lots of people use them. That doesn't automatically make it the best. Unless you've compared it to the competition, recommending it doesn't really mean much to me. They're all good blowers. I'm looking for the best, reguardless of the brand.

The only difference between the EBZ8001 & EBZ8050 is the gas tank. Same engine, carb, muffler, impeller, & housing. The Redmax blowers do gain power after they get some hours on them. So if somebody had a 8001 that had some hours on it then compared it to a new 8050 the 8001 will seem stronger.

I've used:
Redmax
EB7000
EB7001
EBZ3000
EBZ5100
EBZ7100
EBZ8000
EBZ8001
EBZ8050

Dolmar
PB7601.4 4 Stroke

Also tried out the Echo PB770 and the Shindaiwa EB854 last fall. The echo ran good but I didn't like the power or feel of the Shindaiwa. Also ran a Stihl BR600 a few years back it didn't seem to have the overall power of the redmax's.

The Dolmar PB7601.4 is a nice runner it dosen't have the power of the EBZ8001/8050 but i'd say it runs close to the EBZ7100. The PB7601.4 is also lighter than the big redmax's.

Steve

You'll likely be happy with any of the blower you have listed. I personally own a Shin 8510 and I've had zero issues with it. I take care of two three acre properties and one rental property, In the fall I run my blower for hours and hours, so Shin makes a durable product. The down fall of the big Shin is the weight and complexity.

With all that said if I didn't get my blower close to dealer cost, I would have a two cycle blower like the Redmax. I'd like to say get the BR600 but they still seem to have some issues in the long run + it's still a 4-mix. The kaw's are made by Maruyama and are very reliable units. I have my doubts on the Echo's Specs, they seem to always inflate their numbers, but if they're right I'd get the Echo.

I have been maintaining a half dozen BR600's for a landscaping company for many years. I'm very happy with the performance and reliability, but when the 4-mixes loose their crank seals it's cost prohibitve to repair them. I think the ethonal in the gas contributes to thier failure. The owner is satisfied with the value, but I have a hard time tossing an otherwise good blower because it takes two hours to repalce a $20 seal.

Brad I made a quick video of my 8510 just for the hell of it. Was a bit hard to keep the camera pointed in the right spot while using the blower, but you guys will get the idea. These new backpack blowers are a blast to run "pun intended" I would guess any of the big blowers would preform just as well.

i have used the 750 and 755, for 10 years.they are very nice,no issue with them.k

I have the pre strato Redmax. I am not a commercial user but I have lots of leaves to deal with every year, plus other misc uses and it has been flawless to date.

I know there are lots of good blowers on the market. The 4-mix motors have had a few issues in the past,and i have heard some comment of them being replaced w/stratos' as well. But a week or so ago,we had the oppertunity to look at a documented 2000+ hour br600. The owner had run ultra in it exclusively @ 40:1. They put a digital hour meter,that runs/records off the plug wire, on it when new. The inside of that engine still looked new. The owner does all his own service/maint. He had 2 others that were used as much as this one,and still ran great. They went through all 3,new rings, gaskets,and seals,and i would imagine they will use them a few more seasons. The 4-mix was designed to satisfy the epa,but i would say its built pretty well after seeing that one.

Originally Posted by blsnelling

After reading several threads on other websites, I'm heavily leaning towards the Shiny or Echo.

I did hours of reading last summer and came away thinking the eb802rt is what I would get......

But I have not gotten one yet. Pretty sure that is the one I would still get though.

Waylan

Originally Posted by 166

The only difference between the EBZ8001 & EBZ8050 is the gas tank. Same engine, carb, muffler, impeller, & housing. The Redmax blowers do gain power after they get some hours on them. So if somebody had a 8001 that had some hours on it then compared it to a new 8050 the 8001 will seem stronger.

I've used:
Redmax
EB7000
EB7001
EBZ3000
EBZ5100
EBZ7100
EBZ8000
EBZ8001
EBZ8050

Dolmar
PB7601.4 4 Stroke

Also tried out the Echo PB770 and the Shindaiwa EB854 last fall. The echo ran good but I didn't like the power or feel of the Shindaiwa. Also ran a Stihl BR600 a few years back it didn't seem to have the overall power of the redmax's.

The Dolmar PB7601.4 is a nice runner it dosen't have the power of the EBZ8001/8050 but i'd say it runs close to the EBZ7100. The PB7601.4 is also lighter than the big redmax's.

Steve

Thanks for chiming in Steve. I was actually going to call you tomorrow and ask you that very question. BTW, have you run the Shiny 802? It seems to always get great reviews as well.

Originally Posted by Andyshine77

Brad I made a quick video of my 8510 just for the hell of it. Was a bit hard to keep the camera pointed in the right spot while using the blower, but you guys will get the idea. These new backpack blowers are a blast to run "pun intended" I would guess any of the big blowers would preform just as well.

Why didn't you just go ahead and roll the cars and trucks around the yard while you were at it

Originally Posted by walexa07

I did hours of reading last summer and came away thinking the eb802rt is what I would get......

But I have not gotten one yet. Pretty sure that is the one I would still get though.

Waylan

Can you please expound on how/why you came to that decision? I'm rulling out the 8520 and 600 simply because I want a simple 2-stroke. I don't mind a strato though. That leaves me with the 802, 8050, and 770.

I'm pretty sure the echo 770 has a cat. The redmax is strato. I was looking into one myself last year. My friend has a 600 new 3 years ago, no problems yet. The echo is supposed to be a better blower, but not crazy about the cat.

I'm not concerned about the cat. I know how to kill cats, lol I believe you are correct though.

I have one of the first BR600s when they came out and it has been flawless and has great power. If I were to buy another blower it would be a BR420 Magnum though. It is a simple 2 stroke and has excellent power. I would not think of anything other than Stihl myself with what they have to offer.

Mac

Originally Posted by blsnelling

Can you please expound on how/why you came to that decision? I'm rulling out the 8520 and 600 simply because I want a simple 2-stroke. I don't mind a strato though. That leaves me with the 802, 8050, and 770.

I think for the same reasons you are considering one as well.

For one less moving parts.....the 600 does have a scheduled maintenance from what I read......valves to adjust, head to decarbon, etc. Plus the problems the 600 had when it was introduced.

Second, it appeared as though both had near the same power and near the same weight......I don't know that I could detect the weight difference. Shindaiwa has always gotten a reputation for being bulletproof, but at the expense of added weight. But this one is competitive with weight even with a higher displacement.

Third, I kept reading about how the stihl would run out of gas with fuel left in the tank. Whether this is true or not I don't know.....just read about it a few times.

Plus, 4 strokes is 2 too many!

Just my thoughts/opinion.

Let us know what you end up with...............

Waylan