I just wanted to post my experence with an old Echo. About 6 months ago I was given (for free!!!) an Echo PB-300E by a buddy I work with. He said it had been sitting in a barn of theirs untouched for years. His dad left it there when it became difficult to start. Well I got it and performed a general clean up of the exterior to get the grime/debris/dirt and crudd off it. Then I looked at the fuel. It looked like burnt coffee! So I dumped it then filled it about 1/4 the way full with fresh fuel and shook the crap out of it 3-4 times till the gas was clean (looked like it did from my fuel can) when I poured it out. I then removed the plug that was in it and gave it a thorough scrubbing till it looked almost brand new. I then filled it with fresh fuel and added the recommended amounts of Seafoam and also Licas upper cylinder lubricant. Reinstalled the plug, pulled out the chocke, turned the throttle to full blast and pulled the cord. It started right up! After it warned up (maybe 2 minutes) it blew some nasty nasty smoke for about another 5-7 minutes. Then I let it rip till that half a tank of fuel + additives was no more. I have been using it this entire season roughly 2 times a week and it starts first pull every time!!! It smokes for a min or two after its started at full throttle and for a min or so if at full throttle after left ideling for roughly 3-5 minutes too. The only thing I have a problem with is restarting when it's warm. Maybe I just haven't found the right combo of throttle/choke but I have tried many times and it just seems like its flooded. Any comments/ideas on that? I still have try to remove/clean the carb and I'm sure that would remedy the hot start, rather hot no start issue. I am just completely blown away with how great this old blower is and wish I could actually find some specs on it.

Thanks for your replies. It was the Stihl blower, I think the BR55? one , that I read about being hard starting. Also I've talked to people saying their Stihl chainsaws were also hard starting. I just figured that the trimmers were also hard starting. My Echo PB251 has a couple of seasons on it and it still starts with 2 pulls every time unless I mess up the procedure. I'm glad to hear that blowers require more power than trimmers. I just figured that with some models that accept attachments they would require more power. I am more interested in whether 21.2cc's would be enough for St. Augustine grass. I really don't see why it wouldn't be. I agree, I'd love to get the 230 because it has two rings instead of one but I have to draw the line somewhere. Besides, I'm only using it for home use. I figure if my Mexican made Homelite one ring edger/trimmer is still going strong after 8 years of hard use then a quality brand like Echo should last just as long if not longer. Hopefully that is . I hope their new less friction design engine doesn't have durability flaws. Most of the time I just use medium to low throttle so I don't damage the shrubs and trees. I only used to use full throttle when I used the edging feature on the Homelite. The Stihl trimmer looked like a nice unit and the the sales guy said it was made in Germany. I thought Stihl was a Swede company. The Echo is made in Japan. I think Japanese quality and design is probably better than German. The Japanese cars seem to last better than German cars although the German parts are probably tougher. I've worked in Germany before on trains and the German's are kind of hacks and hardheaded in their own way. I also worked with the Japanese on their Boston trolley cars and they were very meticulous and quality minded. As far as the Swedes go, I worked on Saabs in a dealership and what can I say, they were also meticulous and quality minded but they were also dicks. Then again, I'm Norwegian and they hate Norwegians. I think Saabs are one of the crappiest designed cars I've ever worked on. I like the feel of the Echo units as they feel fairly light and balanced. I can't remember how the Stihl felt. There is a local shop that sells both so I'll have to see them side by side. It would be nice to try them out but most places don't have units to start. The one thing I do like about Echo is their website. It has all resources including manuals and parts diagrams. Stihl keeps you in the dark. Maybe it has something to do with the Dark Ages in Europe. My gut feeling is that the Stihl is probably a tougher, stronger unit even though the warranty isn't as good as the Echo. I've read where these new ignition modules are touchy and they are not cheap to replace so a longer warranty is nice. If it weren't for the hard starting problems Ive heard about I'd probably go for the Stihl. It's also 20 dollars less than the Echo. Thanks again for your replies.

Hi I am going to say something you might not like. I would go a little higher to get the real commercial trimmer and blower. I use to get the middle of the road stuff and I am in the process changing to the commercial even I am only a home owner. The Echo GT-200 and PB 251 is the lower line which have only one compression ring. Also the GT-200 is a curve shaft trimmer. Make sure you try the position. I paid $200 for a Troy Bilt, which is middle of the road. Now I bought a Honda. It work so much better, it is so much more comfortable to use. If you are tall, it is particular important. I bought the HC-151 which is the low line Echo. It really don't cut that well. It just don't cut through and the cut is very uneven. I did not realize until just today, I drove by a saw a gardener trimmer the bushes with a hedge trimmer, it just go through the branches like butter, look so straight!!!! The 21.2cc Vortex engine is not as easy to start. The Stihl you mensioned are home owner version only. I hear complain on the forums. From the posts, they are absolutely not the same as the higher line. Go check for sales, this is a good time. I live in San Jose area, I just went to a store and find out Stihl FS90 for $249!!! I know good old Home Depot have Echo SRM 260 for about $269. These are real pro model. For about $260, you have a lot more good ones to choose from. Redmax, Echo, Tanaka. I still won't go for the Shindaiwa home pro series. You use the equipment for 10+ years, don't try to save $60. It will pay off. I am a perfect example. You don't know how big a difference is. I was totally surprised. For blower I'll choose Echo PB230 which has the 2 ring engine. I personally would get a bigger one. I paid $259 for my Shindaiwa EB3410, 34cc 4 cycle. I know Home Depot sell Makita hand held blower for $200. It is a 25cc 4 cycle engine. It is a Robin blower. These are the low end commercial equipments. I would not go below this. I personally like Redmax and Echo over Stihl just because the 4 Mix engine need more routine maintanence than regular 2 cycle engine. Just my 2 cents. Wait for more replies here and good luck.

I bought a Maruyama BL8100 a few months ago for $389 in a dealer. THis is the exact same as Kawasaki KRB750 64.5cc 720cfm and 200mph at the tube. 5 years commercial warrante. I saw this blower on sale at Wisesales for $379 free shipping before. For $299, you can get Husqvarna 150Bt which is Redmax EBZ5100. About 500cfm and 180mph at the tube. This might not be much stronger than the two hand held I mentioned on my first post. My Shindaiwa EB3410 did not exactly got blown out of the water by my new Maruyama. For wet leaves, you really need a big blower, don't make mistake buying a smaller one just because it is cheaper. If you are looking for power, just simply look at the size of the engine. I don't think different brands make that much difference. A 25cc blower from different brands are not going to be that big a difference in power. For the same cc, a hand held is going to be a little stronger just because the tube is shorter. So a 30+cc hand held is going to be close to a 40+cc bp. To get much more power than a hand held, you need to jump to 50+cc before you can really tell the difference. Get strictly 2 cycle blower to avoid all the reliability and maintenance issues. Bite the bullet, get a big one. Use StaBil in gas to make the gas last longer, still don't let it sit for too long. A good blower should last you a long time, money well spent.