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Gas powered handheld leaf blower

17 years ago

Was looking for a new gas handheld leaf blower, my electric toro finally died. I was considering either a husqvarna 225b, redmax hbz2600, or a stihl bg55. I usually use it for my driveway, around flower beds and around my cul de sac. I wanted something better than a craftsman or something in a big box store. Anyone own these or have experience with any of them?

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Comments (11)

canguy
17 years ago
We sell the BG55 and can't keep them on the shelf. Light and plenty of power for most homeowners. Redmax is virtually unknown here and the Husqvarna is expensive although seems to work well. A bit heavy though.
masiman
17 years ago
Redmax is a very good brand. I might have bought one if they had better dealer support in my area. I think the Stihl dealers are plentiful almost anywhere you go and they make a really strong product. I don't know anything about the Husqvarna blowers. Husky makes great chainsaws though.
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We just recently started stocking the Red Max hand helds so can't tell you about longevity but Red Max has always had pretty good stuff in the past. Judging from percieved air flow out the nozzle the BG 85 puts out more air. Carb problems and ignition coil problems have plaqued Still blowers in recent years, in dry climates like we have here in Vegas. Not so much in wetter climates. Areas with a lot of static electricity reak havoc with many coils on many brands of blowers these days. Most newer models are using multi stage advance igniton systems which can have their control modules popped by static that is created in the blower chamber. Everyone is working on a fix, some have done better then others, all have made improvements from 3 or 4 years ago. Most of the better brands have a life time warranty on coils, for the part only, once regular warranty is gone. Coils automatically have a 2 year full warranty because they are part of the regulated emission components. So aside from some potential down time you probably won't lose anything cash wise if one gives up the ghost on you. Most of the Stihl carb problems have been corrected and even those that crop up about 95% are discovered at intitial start up by the servicing dealer at purchase time. We have had some carb issues on Red Max trimmers that happened within a couple of weeks of purchase. These are lean throttle up hesitations that don't seem to show until the engine has broke in a bit. RM is aware of the problem and we just replace the entire carb rather then fix them. None of these problems are exclusive, we see them with Echo as well. Its all a matter of the manufactures trying to keep up with emission regs much like the automotive industry did in the 70's and early 80's. Only computer controlled electronic fuel injection really got most of the bugs worked out while restoring power lost. Count on it, one of these days your 150 dollar blower will have 500 dollars of emission equipment on it.
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Yup, power and noise tend to go together. Some exceptions exist, but then it's just a relative reduction. I run four blowers around the house: an old Toro gas blower (weak, but an old friend), Stihl BG85 (powerful handheld!), Stihl BR420 (~BR400, and I echo masiman's comments), and a Parker walk-behind (8hp Honda GX). Each blower has its own purpose, though the backpack does a pretty good job on most things. I would not bother with a backpack blower unless you were going to get to the BR420 level or better. Those little mini-backpack blowers would barely move grass clippings off the sidewalk, much less mountains of leaves! If noise is your main concern, Stihl's 4-mix engines (BR500, 500, 600) are very nice and quiet, and the BR600 in particular is a powerhouse.
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sean_nj
Original Author
17 years ago
I purchased the bg55, I was surprised at how light it was. The redmax dealer near me didn't stock the homeowners series blower. hey canguy, do they sell a flat nozzle for the bg55?
canguy
17 years ago
The flat nozzle that comes with the BG85 works well with the BG55 and is preferred by many users. I should know the part number but am having a senior moment.
sean_nj
Original Author
17 years ago
I found one on ebay, thanks!!
sean_nj
Original Author
17 years ago
I used the blower today and I was impressed. Plenty of power for around the house. It even got up pine needles that were in the grass.
toymaker
17 years ago
I bought the RedMax hand blower on line for $200 out the door. It weighs 8lbs (lighter than all the other hand helds] and you won't believe the power it has. I sold my Echo back pack blower to buy it. I coudn't stand humping the 26lbs on and off my back every time I had to restart it. I'm very satisfied with the RedMax, I also wanted to buy something better, but I also wanted something light with good power.
doopstr
17 years ago
When is it best to use the flat nozzle as apposed to the round one?
canguy
17 years ago
The flat nozzle spreads the air into a fan pattern and actually speeds it due to the smaller area. Great for doing larger areas.
dodgeman
17 years ago
I have an Echo PB210 that is at least twenty years old. Runs like a top, always starts, and is a good hand held. When I moved to a larger piece of property, I bought an Echo backpack as my main blower, but the 210 is still great for smaller jobs.
kelleynelson
17 years ago
I have the BG85 and have been a lot happier with the round nozzle than the flat one. It feels like more airflow with the round nozzle and more effective at digging out clinging leaves from the lawn.

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