BP Blower Recommendations Please

[bigredd]

Hey guys it's leaf time and I'm in the market for a high powered BP Blower. Figured many here have experience and knowledge. From what I've found, the Stihl 4Mix Blowers need valve adjusting each year or it will have problems. The Shindaiwa EB802 has similar power and is a 2-stroke, and seems to have good reviews. My stilh dealer said valve adjusting is not a warranty issue and is the responsibility of the owner.

Attached is a handy chart I found on another site comparing some top brands. Any advice or experience would be helpful.

 

[lewis16]

husky do the most powerfull, stihl br600 is pretty good but husky's are probably the best power

 

[CentaurG2]

I have spent a good deal of time in front of the redmax EBZ-8001. We don’t call it the Kahuna for nothing. It is like having a 372xp strapped to your back. It will easily throw a brick across your yard, dethatch your lawn and strip paint, loose siding/shingles off your house. Even at an idle, it will deadhead flowers and throw mulch everywhere in delicate planting beds.

Power aplenty, but this is not a tool for the meek. With a full clip of fuel it weights about 30lbs and feels just like 5 cinder blocks strapped to your back. A full day with this beast on your back and you will be walking around like Quasimodo. It is also difficult to store, cumbersome to use in tight areas and just drinks mix. If you want max power, you will be hard pressed to find a stronger backpack machine but this thing is way overkill for the average homeowner in my opinion.

I have not used the br600 but it is reported to be lighter and a lot more compact than the big redmax. Other more lawn oriented sites on the internet have endless debates on the assets and liabilities of the 4-mix but for the average homeowner (if they use stihl ultra), they should give good service. Good luck with your choice.

 

[Hddnis]

We ran the commercial Echo blowers for years and really liked them. Reliable, decent power, did I mention reliable?

Switched to Stihl because we changed dealers and they only sold Stihl. We really like the BR500 blowers we bought. Most of them are still going and it has been years, we can't seem to kill them. We are just now replacing ignition coils on a few of them, had a couple die just last month.

Putting together our purchasing plan for the next two years and Stihl blowers are on the list. I might throw in a Shinny and a Dolmar to try them.



Mr. HE

 

[angelo c]

+1 on the Redmax Blowers. the 8001 is a beast but the 6 or 7 are more manageable. Steady as a rock. I love mine everytime I start it I think "man this is one great machine"...

it would be my first choice if it ever got lost or stolen(...it wont break)

 

[husky362]

ive seen and ran a few bp blowers on a air push sled, used for testing blowers a year ago, around here, western ky the red max was the standerd all others were judge by, i can say the sthil br600 is powerful and lighter and you cant go wrong with either one

 

[Mad Professor]

I paid $120 for a used BR400 that has been flawless for several years. Have only brought a spark plug and air filter. I added the sprayer attachment and can also do my garden and orchard quickly for bugs/fungus.

Sure you need to go new?

 

[Swamp Yankee]

Stihl BR600

Finally replaced the air filter and plug after 6 seasons, just 'cause I figured it was time.

From mid -October through mid-November it uses 3 gallons of mix a weekend. I don't own a level piece of ground so it's all I can use to keep about 1-1/2 acres clear. First the birch and poplars drop, then the oaks let go, seems like a never ending battle. Eventually I'll have no leaves, just lawn to mow.

Take Care

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

Get the BR600 it's the only backpack blower we sell, plain and simple no one wants anything else so it's only one we carry. The valves are recommended for adjustment after 500 hours of use, and it should cost you a half hour labor, and about 3-4$ for a new valve cover gasket. So in 10 years or so you'll have to spend 35$ to have the valves adjusted, I wouldn't sweat it. The Stihl BR380 is about as powerful as a BG86 handheld blower, the BR420 is the same price as the BR600 and no where near as powerful. All of the Echo's I've serviced were about on par with the 2 stroke Stihl's.

 

[mikefunaro]

If weight is a concern for you, get the BR600.

If you want an unstoppable blowing machine, look to the redmax (or their orange (husky) cousins), or the shindaiwa.

If you can snag a good price on it word on the street is the tanaka 7800 is the redmax 7100 minus the huge air filter.

I have a redmax ebz7001 and am very happy with it. I've used a BR600 as well and was impressed too. You really can't go wrong. It's a competitive market and all the manufacturers are throwing down their a-game these days.

MGF

 

[mikefunaro]

Also stay away from the C4 shinnys....the 8510 and 8520...a few pro landscapers I know had big problems with those.

Something that the redmax/echo/shindaiwa have that the husqvarna/stihl do not are the hip mounted throttle. Some like these, some don't.

For sustained blowing in the fall, I like a hip mounted throttle. While the stihl has cruise control, there's just something nice about having the left hand off-tube control...you can vary the throttle very precisely when you want to, but not have to worry about it when you don't.

If I used my blower to clean off sidewalks and driveways or roofs or something, I'd want the tube mount.

 

[joatmon]

I really like the BR600 for all the reasons others have stated. I'll also add that is very easy to start and will immediately go to a nice idle. Very handy to have a nice, slow idle when getting it onto your back.

No issue so far. With a BR600, or any Stihl 4-mix, be sure to use Ultra mix.

ole joat

 

[willsaw4beer]

I use a br600 at work- it's pretty decent, especially compared to the 20 yr old $30 Redmax eb430 I stumble around with at home.

Speaking of blowers I really would like to try out the ebz-8001, especially if it's more powerful than the br600...:greenchainsaw:

 

[Javelin]

Lots of good ones out there! We sell some Redmax 8001's and lately or the last year or so the 7601 Dolmar very trouble free unit! By the way Echo has a new backpack comming out in the spring that is suppose to have 20 more cfm than the 8001 redmax!

 

[warjohn]

I have used the br600 ebz7001 and ebz8001 a lot. They are all good blowers. The plastic back that the straps attach to on the br600 has broken twice while hanging on the blower trap on the trailer. We modified the trap and solved the problem. That is the only maintenance done on any of them in 3 years. You can't beat the 8001 for velocity but any of the three do a great job. There is not a huge difference in productivity.

 

[bigredd]

Thanks for all the good information guys. I'm just a homeowner but have about 3/4 acre of lawn with many big hardwood, along with lots of driveway and sidewalks. Tired of wasting $$ reseeding every year due to wet leaves and raking out the new grass. I use to hire it done after all the leaves fall, but it really needs cleared every week during the leaf season to avoid killing the new grass, and thats not cost effective to hire.

Almost pulled the trigger on a Shindy eb802 today but will take a look at the Remax and Stihl. They all seem to be very closely priced. A local Stihl dealer is having a sale next weekend so may wait and see if I can save a few dollars on the BR600. Nice to know the valve adjustment is not a big deal with the Stihl 4mix. Weight is not a big concern since I'm not packing it all day. Performance, cumfort and reliability are my main concerns.

 

[Hddnis]

For that much property you might even consider a walk-behind blower. They move a veritable hurricane worth of air. You start it up and leaves a block away start running to where they belong. lol



Mr. HE

 

[bigredd]

For that much property you might even consider a walk-behind blower. They move a veritable hurricane worth of air. You start it up and leaves a block away start running to where they belong. lol



Mr. HE

Yea, the fellow that normally does my leaves has one of those 13 hp Billy Goat things. Very impressive, but would still need a BP blower for all the gardens, nook, and crannys, and the BP Blower can be used all summer.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

I have used the br600 ebz7001 and ebz8001 a lot. They are all good blowers. The plastic back that the straps attach to on the br600 has broken twice while hanging on the blower trap on the trailer. We modified the trap and solved the problem. That is the only maintenance done on any of them in 3 years. You can't beat the 8001 for velocity but any of the three do a great job. There is not a huge difference in productivity.

The sales rep was in yesterday and talked about the changes to the BR600 and the broken back plate and straps have been addressed, along with a couple other minor problems.

 

[warjohn]

The sales rep was in yesterday and talked about the changes to the BR600 and the broken back plate and straps have been addressed, along with a couple other minor problems.

Do you know if the updated back plate will be a different part number.