# What's the best backpack blower on the market?



## blsnelling

I'm in the market for a new backpack blower. I know the Stihl 600 is very popular, but would rather stay away from the 4-mix engine. I also see that there are a few strato blowers coming out. Here are a few I'm looking at


Stihl BR600 - LINK
Echo PB-770 - LINK
Shindaiwa EB802 - LINK
Shindaiwa EB8520 - LINK
Redmax EBZ8050 - LINK
Kawasaki KRB750B - LINK


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## greg986547

blsnelling said:


> I'm in the market for a new backpack blower. I know the Stihl 600 is very popular, but would rather stay away from the 4-mix engine. I also see that there are a few strato blowers coming out. Here are a few I'm looking at
> 
> 
> Stihl BR600 - LINK
> Echo PB-770 - LINK
> Shindaiwa EB802 - LINK
> Shindaiwa EB8520 - LINK
> Redmax EBZ8050 - LINK



Hey Brad... I really like the BR 380's and 420's traded my 380 for a BR 550 and miss it...I liked the two stroke engine and lighter weight..


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## blsnelling

greg986547 said:


> Hey Brad... I really like the BR 380's and 420's traded my 380 for a BR 550 and miss it...I liked the two stroke engine and lighter weight..


 
I have a BR400 I'm selling. I'm looking for more CFMs. I've used a BR600 and love the air it moves. The weight doesn't concern me so much. I won't be using it for long periods of time.


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## greg986547

blsnelling said:


> I have a BR400 I'm selling. I'm looking for more CFMs. I've used a BR600 and love the air it moves. The weight doesn't concern me so much. I won't be using it for long periods of time.


 
makes sense....the 600 is top of the heap (i think) when it comes to moving air...to bad it has valves!


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## 54stude

I have a br400 also, and I like it a lot, but I can see you wanting a little more CFM.

You ever ported a backpack blower? If you bump the RPM on your old one up 20% I bet that BR400 would be really nice!


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## Work Saw Collector

I have the 600 and love it, my BR600 does not say mag like the new ones not sure if there is a difference.


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## CentaurG2

I have the redmax ebz8001. It is very strong. It will easily push a brick across your lawn, deadhead spring flowers, strip paint off your siding. It is very heavy. With a full clip of fuel, it feels just like 4 cinderblocks on your back. It is also very cumbersome to store. Just plain drinks fuel but it does make spring/fall clean up a snap. If you go redmax, get the model that has the throttle on the separate arm. It is more durable than having the throttle on the tube and I think more comfortable to use.


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## Work Saw Collector

I forgot a pic you can also clear a walkway with them or a vehicle.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/supercabs78/5432835695/" title="snow 026 by supercabs78, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/5432835695_0e72696fef.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="snow 026" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/supercabs78/5433448694/" title="snow 030 by supercabs78, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/5433448694_f30244bd96.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="snow 030" /></a>


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## jus2fat

I think you should definitely buy the* Echo* and take pics of you wearing it!!!
Maybe even better than you riding....what was it..a Dolmar or something??
Just messin' with ya...sorry couldn't help it...LOL

J2F


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## epicklein22

I have a BR600 and it is a nice machine (especially for 50 bucks :msp_flapper, but I have a love/hate relationship with the 4-mix engines. They are awesome when working well, but seem to be quirky all the time.

If it was my money, I would go with a Redmax. I've tried one and it seemed more powerful than my BR600.


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## Swamp Yankee

BR600

Had mine for about 7 years. Other than a plug and air filter as required, just put pre-mix in, pull the cord and it goes. The harness is pretty comfortable which to me is important as during the annual rearranging of the leaves I may have it on for 6 hours a day. I generally put 75 hours or so a year on mine as I have just about all side hill and can't vacuum nor push a Billy Goat up the hills. Let's face it a lot of landscapers swear by them and they put more hours on in a month than most people do in a lifetime.

The BR 600 works well on moving pine needles and pine cones something I've never seem any other blower other than a wheeled unit do. My neighbor's Echo backpack blower won't budge them. They are fantastic and fast for light snow cleanups. You know the 1 to 3 inches of powder that you really don't want to mess with but have to.

Take Care


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## mtnwalker1

I would go with the BR600. I work for a Stihl dealer and those are the biggest seller we have to contractors and landscapers. The feedback I have got from customers is saying they are the best. Also we are an equipment rental and that is what we use in our rental fleet and if the can take the abuse of rental they are good.


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## BloodOnTheIce

The BR600 is the only backpack we stock, it sells like hotcakes. From a service end of things, all the problems people talk about having issues with them I haven't run into. I've never had one broken valve, or cam gear issues, the only thing that goes on them is coils and your coil is covered for 5 years. And if you have to replace it after that it's a 55$ part. But they have been very reliable, even when abused by landscapers.


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## blsnelling

Thanks for the input guys. I just got home from the dealer. I can get the the Shiny 802 for $475 and the Echo 770 for $465. What I find interesting is that the Echo only has a 63cc engine, where as the others are 79cc, but is rated at more CFM and velocity.


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## blsnelling

Here's another one to consider.

Kawasaki KRB750B - LINK


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## oscar4883

That 8520 Shindaiwa rips pretty good. A customer I did a job for had just gotten one a brought it out for me to try. Just about knocked my stump grinder over LOL.


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## blsnelling

*Specs*

*Stihl BR600*
CFM - 712 cfm
Velocity - 201 mph
Weight - 21.6 lbs
Displacement - 64.8 cc

*Kawasaki KRB750B*
CFM - 720 cfm
Velocity - 200 mph
Weight - 20.7 lbs
Displacement - 64.7 cc

*Echo PB-770T*
CFM - 765 cfm
Velocity - 204 mph
Weight - 23.8 lbs
Displacement - 63.3 cc

*Shindaiwa EB802RT*
CFM - 730 cfm
Velocity - 191 mph
Weight - 22.9 lbs
Displacement - 79.2 cc

*Shindaiwa EB8520*
CFM - 760 cfm
Velocity - 201 mph
Weight - 25.6 lbs
Displacement - 79.7 cc

*Redmax EBZ 8050*
CFM - 685 cfm
Velocity - 201 mph
Weight - 27.7 lbs
Displacement - 71.9 cc


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## blsnelling

I'm liking the looks of the Kawasaki a lot. It's not only the most powerful, it's also the lightest.


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## Knuckles

Why don't you like the 4 mix? You of all people shouldn't be concerned lol.

I don't know what kind of Kawasaki dealer you have, but I've heard their new *** is supposed to be the witch's tits. There's not one near me or I'd me snooping around them too.


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## blsnelling

Knuckles said:


> Why don't you like the 4 mix? You of all people shouldn't be concerned lol.


 
I just like to keep it simple. I hear the bugs have been worked out of the BR600, but I also hear that Stihl is doing away with their 4-mix trimmers and going to a strato engine.


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## WoodChuck'r

blsnelling said:


> I just like to keep it simple. I hear the bugs have been worked out of the BR600, but I also hear that Stihl is doing away with their 4-mix trimmers and going to a strato engine.


 

The BR6 is badass. I know some find bugs with them but I use one ever summer where it gets the complete and utter chit beat out of it. Badly. 

And it's still kikkin' a$$ each and every time it gets used. Fires up on the 2nd pull no questions asked. And when I say this thing is beat, I mean it is BEAT!!

You'd be nuts not to get one but that's just my opinion!!


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## locustslayer

You are listing the with tube cfm for the Br600, and the without tube cfm for the Kawasaki. If you compare them both with tube they are 712cfm Stihl and 720 cfm Kawasaki.


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## mlavalley

Echo or Redmax for a blower. I have the 770 and as far as a blower goes it puts Jenna Jameson to shame. I've never tried a Stihl or Shindaiwa, their reputations speak for themselves of course. If specs are anything like they are with saws its about 75% BS anyhow. I have some landscaper buddies that really beat their equipment, their saws might be Stihl or Husky but blowers and weed whackers are always Echo or RedMax.


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## blsnelling

locustslayer said:


> You are listing the with tube cfm for the Br600, and the without tube cfm for the Kawasaki. If you compare them both with tube they are 712cfm Stihl and 720 cfm Kawasaki.


 
Thanks for catching that for me. I knew something didn't seem right.


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## 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.


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## mlavalley

Echo owns Shindaiwa, both are good machines, both are tried and true. The 770 I have drinks fuel..it is moving some serious air though. I am sure the others are fine machines too. Echo has an excellent reputation in the blower industry and is made in USA, that answers question for me.

The echo also carries a full 5 year warranty.


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## saxman

I love my BR600 Brad, and I am sure you are correct when you speak of brand bias when people speak of and buy a Stihl product. I always liked shindiawa saws also, so when are you going to get a 757 shinny?


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## sefh3

This would be a good topic for a poll.


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## TonyRumore

It's funny this thread just came up....I called my grounds keeper buddy and asked him about what the best blower was last night since I plan to buy one soon. Echo. The guy ran crews that kept up golf courses for 20 years and now runs the ground crew that keeps up Tulsa Public schools grounds.....that's nearly 100 schools.

Just like the poster above mentioned....Stihl/Husky saws, but Echo on the blowers and trimmers.

Tony


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## Dan_IN_MN

Now the next question....what is the best oil? 









































J/K!


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## 166

blsnelling said:


> 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


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## Andyshine77

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.


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## calcommon

*Br 600*

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.


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## 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.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Xlmm9E2Pm4o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


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## bayard

*echo 755*

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


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## Storm56

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.


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## STIHLTHEDEERE

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.


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## walexa07

blsnelling said:


> 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


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## blsnelling

166 said:


> 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.


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## blsnelling

Andyshine77 said:


> 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


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## blsnelling

walexa07 said:


> 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.


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## albert

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.


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## blsnelling

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


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## Mac B.

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


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## walexa07

blsnelling said:


> 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


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## 166

blsnelling said:


> 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.


 
Haven't run the 802.

The Echo / Shindaiwa demo trailer was here last fall and we had a ton of leaves on the ground. I asked them to let me run the biggest blowers they had and thats what they gave me.

Echo & Shindaiwa want us as a dealer but I don't need any more product lines.

Steve


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## blsnelling

The more I read, the more positives I read on the Shiny 802. It's in it's thrid year of production and is said to be bullet proof. I also understand the they're undertuned from the factory, and have a restrictive muffler that's easily modded, that gets it closer to is peak performance RPMs.

The Redmax 8001 was reguarded by many as the best. Many are trying to say that the 8050 has all these restrictive EPA changes, and that's simply not true. All I can figure is that they're conpairing well worn in 8001s to unbroken in 8050s. The blowers are the same.

The Echo 770 has great specs, but many say they are exaggerated and are no stronger than the competition.

I'm heavily leaning at this point towards the 8050 or 802. I can buy the 802 at my Stihl dealer, but have no where to look at the 8050. Not a big deal, but would like to check one out first.


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## 166

Four brand new EBZ8050's idling.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3S5AeR_fLVk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


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## wendell

Andyshine77 said:


> <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Xlmm9E2Pm4o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


 
What's that green stuff?

Not a back pack but I have had an Echo blower for 14 years and I bought it used. Never a lick of trouble and it mostly gets the gas i dump out of my saws.


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## cjnspecial

Are you going to modify the blower's engine???


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## blsnelling

cjnspecial said:


> Are you going to modify the blower's engine???


 
Wouldn't be the first. I ported my Redmax HBZ2500


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## Andyshine77

wendell said:


> What's that green stuff?
> 
> Not a back pack but I have had an Echo blower for 14 years and I bought it used. Never a lick of trouble and it mostly gets the gas i dump out of my saws.


 
LOL. I have a little handheld Echo blower that I bought in 98 that runs like a top, never an issue. 

Steve the idling blowers sound sweeeeet!


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## blsnelling

Andyshine77 said:


> Steve the idling blowers sound sweeeeet!


 
Just one of them idling in my garage would sound better


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## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


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


 
I was thinking about it, I just hate doing body work.:smile2:


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## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> Just one of them idling in my garage would sound better


 
It sounds like a good idea to me. I can just see it now, the 2011 AS blow off, Andyshine VS BLsnelling. Hahahahaha.:msp_ohmy:


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## blsnelling

Andyshine77 said:


> It sounds like a good idea to me. I can just see it now, the 2010 AS blow off, Andyshine VS BLsnelling. Hahahahaha.:msp_ohmy:


 
Careful how you word that now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:msp_blushing:


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## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> Careful how you word that now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:msp_blushing:


 
Don't worry I can't seem to even remember what year it is.:msp_blink:


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## blsnelling

I've added a poll to the thread.


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## Zombiechopper

4 mix is a thing of beauty. I don't care if it was to make epa happy or not, it works very well. The thing with valves is that they give you torque in spades at lower rpms than 2 strokes. I'd pick the 600 because it _is_ a 4 mix. Less vibes, less noise, less fumes. Adjusting valves is a walk in the park and if you run ultra there ain't no carbon issues.


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## Zombiechopper

Andyshine77 said:


> It sounds like a good idea to me. I can just see it now, the 2011 AS blow off, Andyshine VS BLsnelling. Hahahahaha.:msp_ohmy:



Is it speed only or points for style? Kinda hard to judge just like figure skating


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## indiansprings

I bought a shinny string trimmer because of the rave reviews on LS after having three FS80's and a FS90 for the boys lawn service. The shinny is a nice dependable lightweight piece, but I wish I had bought another Stihl.
They were using the biggest hand held BG 56? blower and it lasted two seasons of use and bit the dirt the last week of mowing season.
We have looked at the Efco and Shinny line as well as Kawi the last three weeks and we think (99.9%) sure we are buying the Stihl 600. 
You might spend the money to talk to Leonard at Coast to Coast in Monett, Mo he sells Shinny, Kawi, Echo and Stihl blowers to quite a few commercial/big lawn operators. Rare a shop carries that many premium brands. Broiler(chicken) house
operators have to use the back pack blowers all the time, you see more Stihl 600's and Echo's more than any other brand in this part of the country. The same with commercial lawn operators.


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## Andyshine77

Zombiechopper said:


> Is it speed only or points for style? Kinda hard to judge just like figure skating


 
You forgot about delivery.


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## biggysmalls

Bought a Shindaiwa 802 last fall.I was not disapointed.


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## Andyshine77

biggysmalls said:


> Bought a Shindaiwa 802 last fall.I was not disapointed.


 
They're all good products. Around here I see the LLC's running Stihl, Echo and Redmax.


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## TimberMcPherson

We have 2 of the big echos, 755 I think. They do good, aside from when its left in the hopper of the chipper wrong and your guy starts the chipper up. Then they dont do so well.


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## 02duramax

*Echo PB 770T*

I have 6 Echo blowers and four of them are 770's and the two others the 750's. I cant say one bad thing about them. They start right up everytime and get the job done fast! I can Get a 770 for $425.00


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## tdi-rick

TimberMcPherson said:


> [snip]
> They do good, aside from when its left in the hopper of the chipper wrong and your guy starts the chipper up. Then they dont do so well.



:msp_laugh:

Of course the real fix to needing a blower is to live in a country where the trees aren't deciduous 

(Ok ok, so ours drop their bark instead )


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## Streblerm

This could be a useless post because I haven't used all the blowers in your list. I did compare the Echo 770 and the Stihl BR-600. Those are the two dealers close to me. The Stihl blew the echo away (pun intended). I am not married to Stihl, but if somebody makes a better blower than the BR-600, I can't imagine needing it.

I don't use mine for leaves as much as apples and black walnuts. The Stihl will blow black walnuts that have been run over with the mower tires and are pressed flush into the ground.

As far as the 4 mix, I have an older KM-110 that I bought well used. It has needed nothing but a simple valve adjustment in four years. I figure that the BR-600 will probably last a lifetime at the rate I use it.

As soon as it dries up just a little I am going out to blow all the gravel that the snowplow pushed off back onto my driveway.

Another vote for a blower that didn't make your short list.


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## blsnelling

I'm curious why so many are still recommending the BR600 over the competition. Was it the first blower to make that kind of power? There are plenty other quality models making equal or *more *power now. Is it just a comfort level thing? Stihl has the brand recognition, the BR600 is known to be a good blower, so that's just what most people buy? I won't buy a product just because it's a certain brand. I want the best product for my money, and I'm willing to search that out. What gives?


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## wendell

blsnelling said:


> I'm curious why so many are still recommending the BR600 over the competition.



Because it is a _*Stihl*_

:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:


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## Streblerm

blsnelling said:


> I'm curious why so many are still recommending the BR600 over the competition. Was it the first blower to make that kind of power? There are plenty other quality models making equal or *more *power now. Is it just a comfort level thing? Stihl has the brand recognition, the BR600 is known to be a good blower, so that's just what most people buy? I won't buy a product just because it's a certain brand. I want the best product for my money, and I'm willing to search that out. What gives?


 
In my instance the brand had nothing to do with it. As a matter of fact, after a poor experience with Stihl's supposed "pro" SH85 handheld blower I almost swore off Stihl forever. If I could've tried a Shindaiwa blower before I bought it I very well might have bought one as I think highly of Shindaiwa in general. I looked hard at the Kawasaki (Maruyama) blower too. I almost bought a John Deere branded one. 

I don't think the specs for these blowers tell the whole story. Comparing specs of the Echo vs the Stihl It would appear the Echo should have an edge. I wouldn't even put the Echo in the same category as the Stihl in power and build quality.

I can't speak to the others. They may be some mighty fine pieces of equipment, but I would advise you to go out and put your hands on some of them before you make your decision.

I replaced a top of the line Solo blower with my BR600:
Amazon.com: Solo 471 53cc 3 HP 2-Stroke Gas Powered Commercial Grade Backpack Blower With Tube Mounted Throttle: Patio, Lawn & Garden
You'll notice the specs are very favorable compared to the BR600. Check out the first review! I wonder if that person works for Solo. In my experience the Solo wasn't even in the same ballpark as the Echo and just worlds away from the Stihl.

The "best" blower can be very subjective thing. The BR600 was good enough to make me stop looking at other blowers.


----------



## CentaurG2

Go team stihl! 
Brand recognition means a lot to many people and stihl does go out of their way to promote the brand as any company should. 

Seriously, the br600 is an excellent choice. Compared to the big redmax, it is lighter, more compact, stores easier, has way better anti-vibe and would probably be better on fuel. Around here, they are usually about $100 cheaper than the redmax. Whats not to like?? If my big redmax died, I would probably pick up the stihl or a smaller redmax backpack. 

In my opinion, those big backpack blowers have way more power than most homeowners need. I also own a billygoat and a small redmax handheld. Each has its place but I use the hand held way more than the other two combined.


----------



## promac850

This is directed at the one(s) who mentioned porting a leaf blower... Dammit, now I have to go out and port that old Crapsman leaf blower that I've got laying around. Another project to do this spring, as well as swapping interior parts on one of my cars, and fixing/porting the string trimmer...


----------



## Swamp Yankee

blsnelling said:


> I'm curious why so many are still recommending the BR600 over the competition. Was it the first blower to make that kind of power?


 
In my case, Yes

When I bought my BR600 years ago, there wasn't another blower available with comparable specs, at least not from any dealer within a 50 mile radius. It was the Stihl or less performance.

Think you're doing the wise thing by checking them all out, it's going to be your tool and you'll have to live with the choice and use it. If I'd had the same opportunity, I would definitely have comparison shopped as well.

Take Care


----------



## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> I'm curious why so many are still recommending the BR600 over the competition. Was it the first blower to make that kind of power? There are plenty other quality models making equal or *more *power now. Is it just a comfort level thing? Stihl has the brand recognition, the BR600 is known to be a good blower, so that's just what most people buy? I won't buy a product just because it's a certain brand. I want the best product for my money, and I'm willing to search that out. What gives?



Brad this is the U.S. of A. as long as it has the right name on it people will buy it blindly.


----------



## Edge & Engine

I ran the Shindaiwa EB802 & EB854, Echo 770 and Stihl BR600 at the Louisville Expo last year. On the test tube, the Echo 770 was the clear leader.


----------



## Andyshine77

Streblerm said:


> In my instance the brand had nothing to do with it. As a matter of fact, after a poor experience with Stihl's supposed "pro" SH85 handheld blower I almost swore off Stihl forever. If I could've tried a Shindaiwa blower before I bought it I very well might have bought one as I think highly of Shindaiwa in general. I looked hard at the Kawasaki (Maruyama) blower too. I almost bought a John Deere branded one.
> 
> I don't think the specs for these blowers tell the whole story. Comparing specs of the Echo vs the Stihl It would appear the Echo should have an edge. I wouldn't even put the Echo in the same category as the Stihl in power and build quality.
> 
> I can't speak to the others. They may be some mighty fine pieces of equipment, but I would advise you to go out and put your hands on some of them before you make your decision.
> 
> I replaced a top of the line Solo blower with my BR600:
> Amazon.com: Solo 471 53cc 3 HP 2-Stroke Gas Powered Commercial Grade Backpack Blower With Tube Mounted Throttle: Patio, Lawn & Garden
> You'll notice the specs are very favorable compared to the BR600. Check out the first review! I wonder if that person works for Solo. In my experience the Solo wasn't even in the same ballpark as the Echo and just worlds away from the Stihl.
> 
> The "best" blower can be very subjective thing. The BR600 was good enough to make me stop looking at other blowers.


 
Not to pick on you here, but your whole post is subjective. I could say my 8510 has no equal, I haven't had a single issue with it and it has awesome power. With that said I know better, if I had to guess the other two cycle models will last longer and with less maintenance, the valves do need to be adjusted on the 4 cycle engines including the 4-mix. 

Brad I totally understand wanting a two cycle instead of a four cycle, it makes seance.

To have an opinion is fine, but lets not start acting like our opinions are fact, especially when you have little or no experience with other brands IMHO.


----------



## saxman

Brad, I don't blame you for researching all of the premium brands of blowers, that makes you an educated consumer, which is a good thing. BUT, as we have discussed here before the main factor for me is dealer support. I have no doubt that the Echo, Redmax and Shindaiwa blowers are as good and perhaps better than the BR600. In my area I have a great Stihl dealer with a gold level tech. I have bought lots of Stihl products from him (see my signature line) and have been very pleased with their support on any issue I have had. As for the other products, I don't even know where I could buy one if I wanted, so for me the choice was an easy one.

Steve


----------



## blsnelling

I'm sure dealer support is a very big reason why so many run the BR600. And don't get me wrong guys, it's one of the strongest blowers out there. I'm not trying to take that away from it. I'm just saying, why not consider the others. I did, and I just brought home a brand new .........................................................................:msp_love:


----------



## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> I'm sure dealer support is a very big reason why so many run the BR600. And don't get me wrong guys, it's one of the strongest blowers out there. I'm not trying to take that away from it. I'm just saying, why not consider the others. I did, and I just brought home a brand new .........................................................................:msp_love:


 
Echo??


----------



## mikefunaro

Do you really think you need the power (and weight) of the redmax 8050 or wahtever they're calling it now? I have the 7001 and it's a bit lighter and less bulky than the 8000. Most of the pro landscapers in my area run the 7001 even for cleanups, they've proven themselves to be more durable and reliable than the 8000s, at least from what I've heard. 

The redmax is really nice to work with:

YouTube - ‪Redmax EBZ 7001 Moving heavy leaves‬&rlm;

I wouldn't go echo; I haven't seen a pro running one in years. My university uses them (751s) and they look beat and sound pretty tired even though they're new, get good mix and don't get used much.


----------



## blsnelling

mikefunaro said:


> Do you really think you need the power (and weight) of the redmax 8050 or wahtever they're calling it now?


Absolutely not A few days ago I ran a friends BR600 and fell in love with the CFMs. That's what started me thinking. I can put it to good use, but I certainly don't need it. I only own one acre and mulch all my leaves. I suppose I could help the neighbors clean up theirs now

Video on the way.


----------



## mikefunaro

blsnelling said:


> Absolutely not A few days agi I ran a friends BR600 and fell in love with the CFMs. That's what started me thinking. I can put it to good use, but I certainly don't need it. I only own one acre and mulch all my leaves. I suppose I could help the neighbors clean up theirs now
> 
> Video on the way.



I ran a BR 600 for a while against the 7001. It has more CFMs but to me they really only have value in wide area sweeping, and if you're mulching, I dont know how much of that you're going to do. I wouldn't trade the 7001 for an 8001 if prices were equal, the 7001 is a beast as it is. 

Have you given thought to tube vs hip throttle? Sorry if this was already mentioned.


----------



## blsnelling

I reread my last post and realized it sounded like I bought a BR600. That is not the case. I reworded the post. My vid is still uploading.


----------



## blsnelling

mikefunaro said:


> Have you given thought to tube vs hip throttle? Sorry if this was already mentioned.


 
I prefer the tube mounted controls.


----------



## blsnelling

I bought the Shindaiwa EB802. Here's my final purchasing logic. 

The Redmax 8050 is getting mixed reviews, saying it's not as strong as it's predecessor, the 8001. This is coming from guys that bought both models at the same time, so was not a break-in issue. I can't explain it, but there are a lot of reports suggesting it's not as strong. It might be as simple as a muffler change, but I don't know. They're also said to be cold-blooded.

The Echo is new and getting mixed to reviews. Some say it's stronger, some say it's no stronger than the BR600. I also didn't feel it's build quality was up with that of the Shindaiwa. 

The Shindaiwa EB802 is in it's 3rd year of productions and I don't think I read one bad review about it. It's a bullet proof model. It's specs are higher than that of the BR600, and it's a simple engine. It also has the largest engine at 79cc. Is that needed? Maybe not, but it sure doesn't hurt. I also felt the build quality was superior to that of the Echo. And finally, my dealer gave me a great cash deal on it, about $40 less than I could get the Redmax for. Not a deal maker, but nice none the less.

Brand new out of the box, it popped on the 3rd pull, and started on the next. It wasn't cold blooded in the least. Throttle response is great, even on a brand new engine.


<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u8uwSWWemAI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


----------



## komatsuvarna

Never used a shindaiwa blower, But I cant say nothing bad about there weedeaters. I've got 2 that has been beat,and I mean beat, that just keeps going. Fires on second pull every time, guaranteed. But thats another story.

I think Im going to get a backpack this year as well,,, or cut down a few trees. I havent looked at none of them yet,,,,sounds like you did my homework for me LOL. Give us a review after you get some use on it...If you dont care.


----------



## blsnelling

BTW, I found a Kawasaki KRB750B I could probably pick up for $200. It only has 10-12 hours on it and is very nice. I'm tempted to pick it up just for a comparison. I'm sure I'd have no trouble selling it to a landscaper.


----------



## komatsuvarna

So the next question is, When ya gonna port it?:hmm3grin2orange: Lets see how far it will blow a brick before and after.lol


----------



## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> I bought the Shindaiwa EB802. Here's my final purchasing logic.
> 
> The Redmax 8050 is getting mixed reviews, saying it's not as strong as it's predecessor, the 8001. This is coming from guys that bought both models at the same time, so was not a break-in issue. I can't explain it, but there are a lot of reports suggesting it's not as strong. It might be as simple as a muffler change, but I don't know. They're also said to be cold-blooded.
> 
> The Echo is new and getting mixed to reviews. Some say it's stronger, some say it's no stronger than the BR600. I also didn't feel it's build quality was up with that of the Shindaiwa.
> 
> The Shindaiwa EB802 is in it's 3rd year of productions and I don't think I read one bad review about it. It's a bullet proof model. It's specs are higher than that of the BR600, and it's a simple engine. It also has the largest engine at 79cc. Is that needed? Maybe not, but it sure doesn't hurt. I also felt the build quality was superior to that of the Echo. And finally, my dealer gave me a great cash deal on it, about $40 less than I could get the Redmax for. Not a deal maker, but nice none the less.
> 
> Brand new out of the box, it popped on the 3rd pull, and started on the next. It wasn't cold blooded in the least. Throttle response is great, even on a brand new engine.
> 
> 
> <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/u8uwSWWemAI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


 
The overall construction of that blower is the same as mine, and as you said they're very well built. From the look of it I think it will out blow my 8510, not that it matters lol. I think you did well with this one.


----------



## blsnelling

komatsuvarna said:


> So the next question is, When ya gonna port it?:hmm3grin2orange: Lets see how far it will blow a brick before and after.lol


 
Does a rotary carb automatically compensate for the RPM increase? The carb has no adjustments.


----------



## komatsuvarna

blsnelling said:


> Does a rotary carb automatically compensate for the RPM increase? The carb has no adjustments.


 
I have no idea Brad. The older weedwacker I have has adjustment screws, but the newer one dont. Im not sure how all that works to be honest with ya.


----------



## wendell

Does anyone have information about Tanaka's backpack blowers?


----------



## Edge & Engine

blsnelling said:


> Does a rotary carb automatically compensate for the RPM increase? The carb has no adjustments.


 
It has a fixed hi speed jet, the low speed jet is adjustable. Notice the round hole on top of the air filter cover. The adjustment is located in a recessed area of the carburetor barrel, accessible through that hole. It is a miniature D type.


----------



## mikefunaro

wendell said:


> Does anyone have information about Tanaka's backpack blowers?


 
one of them appeared to be a redmax motor


----------



## blsnelling

Edge & Engine said:


> It has a fixed hi speed jet, the low speed jet is adjustable. Notice the round hole on top of the air filter cover. The adjustment is located in a recessed area of the carburetor barrel, accessible through that hole. It is a miniature D type.


 
Thanks Kyle. I've heard that there is an adjustable carb for it, but don't have the PN yet.


----------



## walexa07

blsnelling said:


> Thanks Kyle. I've heard that there is an adjustable carb for it, but don't have the PN yet.



Since a blower is loaded at rpm as a saw is in the cut, how do you know what rpm to set it at on an adjustable carb? 

Also, you going to post up the part number of the adjustable carb? Thanks.

Waylan


----------



## blsnelling

walexa07 said:


> Since a blower is loaded at rpm as a saw is in the cut, how do you know what rpm to set it at on an adjustable carb?
> 
> Also, you going to post up the part number of the adjustable carb? Thanks.
> 
> Waylan


 
Max RPM fully hot and back off a little for safe measure. I don't have a carb PN yet.


----------



## blsnelling

The factory carb is a Walbro WYK315. I found a few WYK carbs on eBay with adjustable H needles. Can anyone tell if they have the same venturi size? The models are WYK-33-1, WYK-171, and WYK-190-1.


----------



## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> The factory carb is a Walbro WYK315. I found a few WYK carbs on eBay with adjustable H needles. Can anyone tell if they have the same venturi size? The models are WYK-33-1, WYK-171, and WYK-190-1.


 
Brad leave the darn thing alone and just use it.:msp_tongue:


----------



## blsnelling

Andyshine77 said:


> Brad leave the darn thing alone and just use it.:msp_tongue:


 
Baah humbug:hmm3grin2orange:


----------



## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> Baah humbug:hmm3grin2orange:


:surrender:


----------



## blsnelling

Stock carb has a 13.5mm venturi. So does the WYK-33-1. Could likely open it up to 15mm, as that's what the actual carb body is. It looks to be the identical carb, only with both H and L needles. Only $32 to boot


----------



## biggysmalls

My 802 runs fine stock,but I always like more power.I'm watching intensly.


----------



## Streblerm

Andyshine77 said:


> Not to pick on you here, but your whole post is subjective. I could say my 8510 has no equal, I haven't had a single issue with it and it has awesome power. With that said I know better, if I had to guess the other two cycle models will last longer and with less maintenance, the valves do need to be adjusted on the 4 cycle engines including the 4-mix.
> 
> Brad I totally understand wanting a two cycle instead of a four cycle, it makes seance.
> 
> To have an opinion is fine, but lets not start acting like our opinions are fact, especially when you have little or no experience with other brands IMHO.


 
You kind of missed my point. I wasn't stating that the BR600 was the best blower out there, simply that I was happy with it and that In my opinion it was better piece of equipment compared to the Echo that I tried.

My point was that specs don't always tell the whole story and the best way to find the "best" blower is to actually use them. I used the Solo blower as an illustration of the point even though it wasn't on Brad's list. Some people feel that the solo is a superior blower, I used them back to back and for me there was no comparison.

Whenever you ask someone's opinion the answer is likely to be subjective.

Brad: I hope you are happy with your decision. If there was a Shindaiwa dealer close to me I may very well be singing the praises of Shindaiwa over Stihl.


----------



## blsnelling

biggysmalls said:


> My 802 runs fine stock,but I always like more power.I'm watching intensly.


 
It definately runs fine stock..............but stock always sucks My grinder's getting really itchy this morning


----------



## blsnelling

Streblerm said:


> Brad: I hope you are happy with your decision. If there was a Shindaiwa dealer close to me I may very well be singing the praises of Shindaiwa over Stihl.


 
When it's all said and done here, I won't be able to say I have the best blower on the market. To do that, I would have to own them all, and have put them all through the wringer. I can't do that. I have simply taken the information I could find, and made what I believe to be the best decision. It's what I think to be the best blower for me at this point in time. Bottom line, there are an easy 1/2 dozen blower out there right now that could all vie for the top spot. That was my whole point in the discussion about the BR600. It's a great blower, but is certainly not the be all end all of blowers. It's just another great option.

BTW, my dealer has 4 BR600s setting on the shop floor right now. One of them has a melted camshaft. It's plastic! I didn't know that until this morning. They've also seen their fair share of broken valves and other related problems. They did also comment that they haven't seen any more problems since the supposed redesign, so that's a very good sign. I likely won't put enough hours on any blower to ever show it's faults, but I think you can still understand why I chose to stay away from a 4-mix.


----------



## biggysmalls

blsnelling said:


> It definately runs fine stock..............but stock always sucks My grinder's getting really itchy this morning


I'm guessing I could have my jug off and down to Franklin in about 2 hours,please file your specs.


----------



## blsnelling

biggysmalls said:


> I'm guessing I could have my jug off and down to Franklin in about 2 hours,please file your specs.


 
It's ported now, and back together. The cylinder and overall build quality is top notch. I didn't see one thing that was sub-standard. It has a full skirt piston, two thin rings, and removeable transfer covers. Squish is still greater than .030" without the base gasket. It's cooling off now for a compression test. It starts and runs great. Throttle response is great. I picked up an additional 300 RPMs over just muffler modded. That's an increase of 430 RPMs over stock. I really don't see that being an issue on the impeller. I've got an adjustable carb on order, but this one still seems to be giving it plenty of fuel. I slowly tweaked the choke and it never picked up RPMs, then started slowing down. Plug color looks fine too. I gave it the brick test, and it blew it 10' this time. It rips the grass right out of the wet lawn.

<object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OYCojXWafUU?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OYCojXWafUU?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>


----------



## biggysmalls

Mine seemed to pick up some power after breakin but I did not check rpm's.I mite have 8 or 9 tanks through it whitch is alot,the tank holds about a half gallon.


----------



## albert

It would be nice to know how much more fuel it will use over stock with the muffler mod and then with the porting. Is it worth it for a few hundred rpm's?


----------



## ChipMonger

I didnt get a chance to reply to ths thread until now, but you went with what was going to be my suggestion Brad. I run the EB802 daily in the spring , summer and fall. It's stock to which SUCKS lol, but i havent run into a leaf pile i couldnt move and the realiability is great too. I havent had any issues


----------



## blsnelling

albert said:


> Is it worth it for a few hundred rpm's?


 
Yes. I don't run it all the time, so I don't care. I'm having fun


----------



## squad143

I purchased a Shindaiwa EB8510RT a couple of years ago. Mainly because all the lanscapers I knew, switched from their stihls to the shindaiwas and loved them.

I'm more than happy with mine. I don't notice the extra weight and it will blow gravel no problem (as I'm sure they all will).

They had a recall on the impeller, which they switched, no charge (warrenty).

I thought that there was no point voting on the poll as I can't say I've tried them all to determine which one is "best". Besides, the poll is missing quite a few blowers.


----------



## Andyshine77

Streblerm said:


> You kind of missed my point. I wasn't stating that the BR600 was the best blower out there, simply that I was happy with it and that In my opinion it was better piece of equipment compared to the Echo that I tried.
> 
> My point was that specs don't always tell the whole story and the best way to find the "best" blower is to actually use them. I used the Solo blower as an illustration of the point even though it wasn't on Brad's list. Some people feel that the solo is a superior blower, I used them back to back and for me there was no comparison.
> 
> Whenever you ask someone's opinion the answer is likely to be subjective.
> 
> Brad: I hope you are happy with your decision. If there was a Shindaiwa dealer close to me I may very well be singing the praises of Shindaiwa over Stihl.


 

No problem I get what you're saying.


----------



## biggysmalls

squad143 said:


> I purchased a Shindaiwa EB8510RT a couple of years ago. Mainly because all the lanscapers I knew, switched from their stihls to the shindaiwas and loved them.
> 
> I'm more than happy with mine. I don't notice the extra weight and it will blow gravel no problem (as I'm sure they all will).
> 
> They had a recall on the impeller, which they switched, no charge (warrenty).
> 
> I thought that there was no point voting on the poll as I can't say I've tried them all to determine which one is "best". Besides, the poll is missing quite a few blowers.


Not from the research that I did and evidently Brad has done.These were the top dogs.


----------



## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> It's ported now, and back together. The cylinder and overall build quality is top notch. I didn't see one thing that was sub-standard. It has a full skirt piston, two thin rings, and removeable transfer covers. Squish is still greater than .030" without the base gasket. It's cooling off now for a compression test. It starts and runs great. Throttle response is great. I picked up an additional 300 RPMs over just muffler modded. That's an increase of 430 RPMs over stock. I really don't see that being an issue on the impeller. I've got an adjustable carb on order, but this one still seems to be giving it plenty of fuel. I slowly tweaked the choke and it never picked up RPMs, then started slowing down. Plug color looks fine too. I gave it the brick test, and it blew it 10' this time. It rips the grass right out of the wet lawn.
> 
> This is too funny. The blowerizer.:msp_laugh:


----------



## blsnelling

Blowin' 2-Strokes at a time.




Oh my, where's it thread going to end up?!!!


----------



## JDNicol

:spam:
Hijack;
if you want to see the member who has the prototype ms201T
http://www.arboristsite.com/picture-forum/167138.htm

It is in the wrong forum (hopefully mod will move it) and there seemed to be several members watching this thread.


----------



## MCW

Brad, you may have to fatten yourself up a bit as every action has an opposite and equal reaction (or something like that).
If you slipped and pointed the nozzle downward you could very well be last seen by a 747 pilot at 30,000'...




tdi-rick said:


> :msp_laugh:
> 
> Of course the real fix to needing a blower is to live in a country where the trees aren't deciduous
> 
> (Ok ok, so ours drop their bark instead )



And Drop Bears Rick


----------



## paccity

now you got me thinkin about doing something with my older br600. wonder how far you can go and still have the impeller be effesiant?


----------



## JDNicol

MCW said:


> Brad, you may have to fatten yourself up a bit as every action has an opposite and equal reaction (or something like that).



Newton's Third Law :msp_smile:

Brad, get yourself on a skateboard or the like with the blower and you'll be moving...


----------



## MCW

superman10058 said:


> Newton's Third Law :msp_smile:



Thats the one  Haven't studied Physics for years but knew you had superman in your title for a reason 



superman10058 said:


> Brad, get yourself on a skateboard or the like with the blower and you'll be moving...



Now that would be cool. I want to see both Brad and Andy have a 1/4 mile drag on skateboards using only their blowers as propulsion.

Do it guys, don't be pussies.


----------



## blsnelling

Hehehe. You guys are hillarious. If you had seen Andre and myself tonight, you would have really cracked up. We had a 40# bag of wood pellets on the driveway blowing it back and forth. I think his EB8510 is still a hair stronger.


----------



## paccity

blower hocky. new sport.


----------



## Andyshine77

MCW said:


> Thats the one  Haven't studied Physics for years but knew you had superman in your title for a reason
> 
> 
> 
> Now that would be cool. I want to see both Brad and Andy have a 1/4 mile drag on skateboards using only their blowers as propulsion.
> 
> Do it guys, don't be pussies.


 
Ahahaha I didn't think of that one, but I sure will keep it in the back of my mind for next time.:go: 

I think his blower is quite lite and if I were buying a new one that's what I would get. The quality of the Shin blowers is off the chart in every way IMHO.


----------



## promac850

No, all of these suck. One that runs is the best. I don't hear any of these running...


----------



## 50:1

The krb750 is as powerful as the br600. I've had two and they're awesome. Echo, no, too heavy and not as powerful. I've had the br600, nuttin wrong w/it. It's an awesome light blower. You still put mixed fuel in it. I'd go w/the kawa or stihl. Can't go wrong either way.


----------



## CharlieG

One thing I like is the throttle on the blower tube.


----------



## blsnelling

The new adjustable carb just came in. It is indeed identical to the original in every way, except it's fully adjustable. With the original carb it was turning 7200 RPMs. With the new carb, the RPMs max out at 7400 and I tuned it to 7300. I removed the air filter and it maxes out at 7500, and tuned it to 7400. I'm not going to put a v-stack and K&N filter on this thing for 100 RPMs. I put the air filter back on and retuned to 7300 RPMs. 

This means that the original carb is more than sufficient for the muffler mod, or porting as well. It's actually 100 RPMs richer than necessary, even with porting. I just like knowing that I can always adjust the carb as needed.


----------



## biggysmalls

Thanks for the research on the 802.Makes future updates a piece of cake.


----------



## GordonCBP

Tanaka TBL-7800R backpack blower, right hand throttle

http://www.tanakapowerequipment.com/pdf/TBL_7800R_Field_Test.pdf

The Tanaka TBL-7800R is a great blower. 7yr Residential Warranty and Mail in Rebate offer! Check them out at your local dealer!


----------



## blsnelling

For all you BR600 lovers.........I don't think so.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pFALIC18msE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'll be tearing these down to see what's actually wrong with them. I'm not real hopeful for a couple of them. Granted, these are all probably older than the "new improved" version, but I'm staying away from them for myself.


----------



## simonUK

blsnelling said:


> For all you BR600 lovers.........I don't think so.
> 
> 
> 
> I'll be tearing these down to see what's actually wrong with them. I'm not real hopeful for a couple of them.


 
Thats ridiculous where did you get them? Your very very nice dealer ? lol 
Even if you only get a couple working Iam sure people are always looking for parts aka ebay. The flywheels have a problem on these machines apparently of shearing at a ridiculous rate. 

Simon


----------



## mikefunaro

GordonCBP said:


> Tanaka TBL-7800R backpack blower, right hand throttle
> 
> http://www.tanakapowerequipment.com/pdf/TBL_7800R_Field_Test.pdf
> 
> The Tanaka TBL-7800R is a great blower. 7yr Residential Warranty and Mail in Rebate offer! Check them out at your local dealer!



7 year residential warranty if they don't pack up their #### and leave by then. 

Also where's my local dealer? You mean the grainger outlet? Where the guys are on facebook behind the counter telling me to hold on a second before they can help me???

Also that thing is just a redmax with a small air filter...


----------



## blsnelling

simonUK said:


> Thats ridiculous where did you get them? Your very very nice dealer ? lol
> Even if you only get a couple working Iam sure people are always looking for parts aka ebay. The flywheels have a problem on these machines apparently of shearing at a ridiculous rate.
> 
> Simon


 
These came from a large lawn care company here locally. He has a bunch of BR400s, a pile of Echo gas hedge trimmers, and a bunch of FS80/85 and Echo trimmers as well. I'm not sure what we're doing with them yet. I want to see what we've got here first. He lives just around the corner from me.


----------



## THALL10326

blsnelling said:


> For all you BR600 lovers.........I don't think so.
> 
> <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pFALIC18msE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
> 
> I'll be tearing these down to see what's actually wrong with them. I'm not real hopeful for a couple of them. Granted, these are all probably older than the "new improved" version, but I'm staying away from them for myself.



Why tear them down, all you need is a leak down tester. It will tell you everything you need to know on the condition of the inside of the engine. If the gauge shows over 10% leakage its valve job time, either they are burnt or carboned up so bad they don't seat...

Oppppps I thought that was a picture, its a vid. That whole line there sound like wore out junk to me. A few there need shortblocks for sure at over 200.00 a pop. I'd haul that pile back where ya gotem..


----------



## blsnelling

THALL10326 said:


> That whole line there sound like wore out junk to me. A few there need shortblocks for sure at over 200.00 a pop. I'd haul that pile back where ya gotem..


 
I suspect you're right and am expecting to do just that. I've not been inside a 4-mix yet. I'm anxious to see how they're made. This guy only gets a few months out of these. My dealer sells to him and said he doesn't take care of anything. He refuses to buy Ultra oil, says it's too expensive, lol.


----------



## Andyshine77

They do look pretty wasted, if you can get one or two running you'd be doing great.


----------



## THALL10326

blsnelling said:


> I suspect you're right and am expecting to do just that. I've not been inside a 4-mix yet. I'm anxious to see how they're made. This guy only gets a few months out of these. My dealer sells to him and said he doesn't take care of anything. He refuses to buy Ultra oil, says it's too expensive, lol.


 
Well they aren't hard to work on if you got something worth working on. Those blowers look and sound like they took a trip to hell and back.

No doubt those 4-mix blowers had their share of problems since they first came out. First main issue was the fan impeller breaking, a new impeller was made. Then came the exhaust valve burning in hot climates, seem to hold up fairly well in cool climates but in hot climates it failed way too often. Then came the fuel lines busting at the top of the fuel tank. Then came a new exhaust valve that was harder than the first. Some had valve guide issues, it would come loose. Then came a whole new shortblock with a hardened exhaust valve and the top of the cylinder itself is harder, solved all the valve problems including the guides. They added rubber fittings around the fuel hose ends to stop them from busting all the time. Then they came out with new straps, the old ones would get wet from sweat and get all nasty. Now they got new tube ends that wear longer than the old ones. Lastly but not least they changed the fuel tank and cap so it comes off and goes on easier. Belgian should be happy,LOLOL

Lucky for the customer Stihl had no problem warranting any of those known issues no matter how old the blower was. I actually handed several customers of mine brand new blowers to replace old ones that were 3-4 years old on Stihl's dime. All it took was a phone call.

The BR 4-mixer of today are the lightest power to weight blowers on the market and with all the issues now ironed out they are also the best selling blowers on the market. I don't think there is a blower on the market within 3-4lbs of the 600 that produces the power of the 600. Far as reliable in the last 3-4 years they have been almost trouble free, I rarely ever see one come back for anything other than old fuel in the tank. The new ones are by far the best of the lot, they should be, they were a long time in the making.

I've sold a ton of those things and the early ones that failed I repaired or replaced. The customers were always taken care of and thanks to that those blowers today are murdering the competition in sales. 

Far as your thread title goes I don't know who has the best blower on the market for I haven't had to pleasure to deal with the others. I have strapped a big Redmax to my back and thought screw this, this thing is like carrying a block of lead. Had plenty of power but you needed plenty yourself to carry it. I do know this, there's more BR blowers on the backs of americans than any other blower and really in my biz thats my main concern. Who is the best overall, good question, in my biz and what I'm most concerned with I'm already selling it...


----------



## blsnelling

Thanks for that history breakdown. I've been curious. My Dad bought one and I'm curious if his would have the hardened valve and cylinder. Is there a serial number they started the improvements at?

Well, I've got all six of these torn down. Here's what I found, and didn't find.


Four out of six had broken exhaust valves, taking two of the cylinder out with them. A couple took a push rod and a fin of the inside of the cam cover as well.
One had only a bend pushrod.
Several have worn cams. I haven't inspected them all carefully. I can sure see why vavle adjustments are necessary, since they have a plastic cam! I bet the Ultra oil would help here too though.
None of the fans were broken.
None of the fuel tanks were broken, despite severe abuse.
Most of the fan guards, between the backing plate and engine, were broken.
Most straps were trashed.
4 of the backing plates were damaged, likely due to abuse.

Bottom line, these things were used, abuse, and put away wet. Just look at the severe carbon buildup in them! The clamshell cover on the bottom of them were all full of black black oil, like it came out of a car with 15K miles on the oil! I wonder how many of the broken valves were due to abuse and lack of maintenance, rather than inferior materials in the valves. I guess you a manufacturer has to engineer neglect and abuse out of their product

Only one of the six engines was in good condition. It had been run over, so hadn't seen as much use. I believe three of the others can be rebuilt with an exhaust valve, possible camshaft, straps, and seal and gasket kits. I'm thinking I'll put the run over one back together with plastic from broken ones, in trade for the rest. That way I'll have three to sell and try to recoupe my expenses and make a little.


----------



## blsnelling




----------



## Andyshine77

Brad get out your Shindaiwa EB802 and blow that Stihl crap out of your garage!!:after_boom:











Good to hear you can make a few runner out of the lot.


----------



## blsnelling

Can someone give me the details of what's in service bulletin 12.2009? It has to do with the exhaust valve in these BR600s. There are two PNs and I don't know which one I need. There are also two PNs for the cam wheel. I don't know which one of those I need either.


----------



## stihl86

The S/B is about the change of the ex valve material. New valve can't be used in old cylinder due to hardening of seats. As for the cam, one is for the BR500 only (Quiet Power model). Buy a BR600. Adjust the valves when it rips the rope out of your hand (which is done after about 25-50hrs) and use 89 with Ultra. You won't be disappointed.


----------



## blsnelling

stihl86 said:


> The S/B is about the change of the ex valve material. New valve can't be used in old cylinder due to hardening of seats. As for the cam, one is for the BR500 only (Quiet Power model). Buy a BR600. Adjust the valves when it rips the rope out of your hand (which is done after about 25-50hrs) and use 89 with Ultra. You won't be disappointed.


 
So I can't use the improved valve if I don't have the cylinder with hardened seats? That stinks. How would I know if these cylinders have the hardened seats or not?

I just finished putting the run over one back together with plastic from a blown up one. The valve clearance was probably 3x what it should have been. Spec is about .004". It's running great.

Do I need cam wheel 4282 030 1802 or 4282 030 1801?


----------



## blsnelling

Got another one back together and running. This one had two bent pushrods. I decarboned the piston crown and combustion chamber. Runs stronger than the one that wasn't blown up. It's turning 7,200 RPMs, where as the other ones is only turning 6,900 RPMs. A couple exhaust vavles and gasket kits and the other two will be running. The engine parts are all cleaned up and ready to go.

With what I know about these now, my only concern with them is the plastic camshaft. This if you're buying one that has the hardened valve and seat. Valve adjustment on these could be done in your sleep in about 10 minutes. It really is just that easy.

So how do I know which exhaust valve to order? Help my out here you Stihl techs 4282 025 1901 or 4282 025 1903?


----------



## biggysmalls

Eb802 vs. Br600


----------



## TK

Granted I skipped a couple pages, but I didn't see anything about a Husqvarna blower anywhere :msp_confused:

380BFS
685CFM w/pipe
201mph
29lbs

Is that one generally left out due to it being a tank or some other reason? Just curious. Considering Husqvarna owns RedMax I would think it's the same thing as the EBZ8050 - just colored orange with more dealer support?


----------



## blsnelling

Four out of the six are being delivered tomorrow. Not bad considering what I started with. I lapped in the two new valves. Both are running great.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/41LHyeBgHpA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


----------



## PogoInTheWoods

I recently found myself in the market for a serious BP blower and happened to also recall this thread. After reading all the reviews of the various offerings from all the various other sources of such information, I took the time to read all the posts included here.

Lots of good stuff. Helped me tremendously.

So I narrowed it down to the Shin 802 and the Stihl BR600 based upon everything I've read here, my own research, and heard otherwise.

Stopped by one of several Stihl dealers in my area this afternoon to check out the BR600 Mag and was quite surprised at their willingness to deal on the price -- compared to the Husky/Shin dealer who was more concerned about dumping his Shin line completely and wouldn't budge on anything Shin or Husky price-wise anyway. 'Course we know the Stihl's engine design has pretty much run its' course in this application, but it has obviously been refined over the years to be a reliable performer if treated right and properly maintained.

While ya probably can't go wrong with any of the blowers mentioned in this thread, the major player to compare everything else to is obviously the BR600 as the first to really pull off the mega-power vs. light weight in the $400~$500 price range regardless of engine design. Bottom line is reliability over time and end result performance of whichever design approach is applied to
same. Any choice is subjective personal preference for whatever reasons the individual applies to the purchase.

For me, my Stihl dealer willing to go 15% off list with a four year warranty on the BR600 Mag simplified the whole process after all the other research and opinion was digested and sorted out.

$425 (plus tax) out the door with a four year warranty if I also went with a six-pak of Stihl-Ultra?

Duh? SOLD.

Poge


----------



## blsnelling

Keep the valves adjusted about every 50 hours, or when it starts getting hard to start, and run Stihl Ultra oil in it, and it'll last you a very long time. Great blower.


----------



## DavesMower&Saw

blsnelling said:


> Keep the valves adjusted about every 50 hours, or when it starts getting hard to start, and run Stihl Ultra oil in it, and it'll last you a very long time. Great blower.


 
Overall the 600's have been very reliable, the first ones we sold to commercial guys are starting to get worn out. I haven't run into any other issues with the valves, that I've seen people talking about online. For a period of time we were having issues with coils going bad, but that was more than a year ago. They seem to like fuel, and sometimes need to be run rich to feed enough fuel for them to come up to full revs.


----------



## 166

What would everybody think of a backpack blower that had 908 CFM with the tubes along with 206MPH at 24.7 lbs?


----------



## spike60

166 said:


> What would everybody think of a backpack blower that had 908 CFM with the tubes along with 206MPH at 24.7 lbs?


 

Don't talk about those things yet, I still have seven 8050's to sell. :msp_sneaky:


----------



## 166

spike60 said:


> Don't talk about those things yet, I still have seven 8050's to sell. :msp_sneaky:


 
I thought those specs sounded nice it would be nice if someone made it:msp_rolleyes:.


----------



## Andyshine77

166 said:


> What would everybody think of a backpack blower that had 908 CFM with the tubes along with 206MPH at 24.7 lbs?


 
Sounds like my next blower.


----------



## spike60

166 said:


> I thought those specs sounded nice it would be nice if someone made it:msp_rolleyes:.



Yeah, you never know. Maybe somebody _will_ make it. :msp_wink:


----------



## Carl Anderson

Not to hijack the thread but this is sort of related. Last spring I bought a Stihl KM110R power head with string trimmer attachment. My intention has been to get other attachments for it as well. It was an impulse buy so I didn't research first it like I normally would. I just got sick of buying box store disposable trimmers so I threw the last one across the yard when it died and stormed out and bought the Stihl because that was the closest dealer that carried anything decent.

After that I heard some of the horror stories of the 4-mix motor and I have been worried I made a bad decision. So far I like the trimmer but only have a few hours on it last year. I really hope this thing won't blow up on me. I run at least 89 octane and Stihl Ultra oil so hopefully it will be OK. Maybe I should wait a while before I go buying more attachments for it just in case. 

Should I bring it in for the valve adjustment now before the season starts or wait for a few more hours to be put on it?


----------



## epicklein22

Carl Anderson said:


> Not to hijack the thread but this is sort of related. Last spring I bought a Stihl KM110R power head with string trimmer attachment. My intention has been to get other attachments for it as well. It was an impulse buy so I didn't research first it like I normally would. I just got sick of buying box store disposable trimmers so I threw the last one across the yard when it died and stormed out and bought the Stihl because that was the closest dealer that carried anything decent.
> 
> After that I heard some of the horror stories of the 4-mix motor and I have been worried I made a bad decision. So far I like the trimmer but only have a few hours on it last year. I really hope this thing won't blow up on me. I run at least 89 octane and Stihl Ultra oil so hopefully it will be OK. Maybe I should wait a while before I go buying more attachments for it just in case.
> 
> Should I bring it in for the valve adjustment now before the season starts or wait for a few more hours to be put on it?


 
They can be hit and miss. I have a fs90 giving me issues at the moment and have read countless stories over at lawnsite about 4-mix ***. I would say the majority run really good, I know of a landscaping crew that runs cheap gas and oil through them and has never had a problem with them. I own the fs90 and a BR600, then I have a parts fs110 and BR600. I like the performance, but I'm still shy about giving the 4-mix a complete thumbs up.

So I would put some more hours on your trimmer and if it doesn't show any signs of being finicky, go for some attachments. Valves shouldn't need checked for a good while longer.


----------



## morgaj1

Bringing up an old thread to say thanks. It really helped me make up my mind when buying a blower. Just got my new Shindaiwa EB802RT today. I spent this afternoon using it. All I can say is wow! This thing rips. I got is to replace my Stihl BR420. The Stihl was a good blower, just too small for my needs. I can't say the same about the Shindaiwa. It is a real powerhouse. It looks big and awkward in the pictures, but I find it really comfortable. It is really well built. I was a bit skeptical about removing the baffle from the muffler, until I heard it run. It is clearly 4-stroking at WOT. So, the carb is flowing plenty of fuel. If not, I will get the adjustable carb that Brad references here.


----------



## morgaj1

2 questions for those with the EB802:


1. What in the world is the anti-static lead wire??? I put it on, as directed, but have never seen anything like that.
2. When you did the muffler mod, did you remove the baffle, screen and cover, or did you leave anything on it?


----------



## blsnelling

Glad you like it. Mine is still running strong.


----------



## gmcman

Man...way to jump in late on this, I think you should go with the BR600 :msp_tongue:

Seriously though just wanted to give my $.02..the two 4-mix models I own have been so far extremely reliable and start on 2nd pull (BR600) and on the first pull (KM110). Everytime. I have owned the BR600 for about 5 years and use it year round, extensively for leaf cleanup. Year round meaning at least once a week, sometimes every 2 weeks but it never misses a beat, always smooth and never, ever sputters. Granted this is homeowner use and not 9 hours a day.

I have used Mobil racing 2T in it since new and will gradualy taper towards the Ultra. Brad i'm curious if the row of abused 600's were from the same company? I would speculate from a cost standpoint that some landscapers may save on fuel/oil costs over the long haul and may go cheap on the oil..dunno just a thought. I wasn't aware of the plastic camshaft..kinda has me curious now but I may tear it down to inspect. I have only adjusted the valves once and they are still within spec clearance-wise for now.

I think you made a fine choice on the Shindaiwa......you just can't go wrong with it. For anyone else still in the market I think between all the models discussed, if you take the poorest performing model and compare it to the strongest...it's not a huge difference but build quality and weight play a big part. I love the 600 mainly for the lower noise level and reliability, excellent on fuel as well.

This is a good thread, lots of info and that Shindaiwa is definately a beast. I think we need an 802/600 shootout stock for stock then modded, or just put the 600 up against the modded 802..i'm very curious, 40lb bags, brick test...you name it. The 600 is becoming dated but still packs a punch.


----------



## mtrees

I hope I didn't make a mistake, but I picked up a new 600 today. It ran great all evening, but had a very distinct new burn in smell. Does the engine actually have plastic in the internals??


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## flyboy

blsnelling said:


> I'm in the market for a new backpack blower. I know the Stihl 600 is very popular, but would rather stay away from the 4-mix engine. I also see that there are a few strato blowers coming out. Here are a few I'm looking at
> 
> 
> Stihl BR600 - LINK
> Echo PB-770 - LINK
> Shindaiwa EB802 - LINK
> Shindaiwa EB8520 - LINK
> Redmax EBZ8050 - LINK
> Kawasaki KRB750B - LINK



Blowers are useful, but mist blowers are more useful. I added the SR stuff to my BR400. Not a current model, but wow is it nice. Put 4 gallons of water and 1 ounce of 25% bifenthrin in the hopper and say goodbye to any and all bugs. Here in Bedford NH, 50% of the ticks have Lyme disease. I spray for ticks with my SR/BR400. I personally would NOT consider a new blower that could not be converted to a mist blower. The BR600 cannot to my knowledge.


----------



## morgaj1

mtrees said:


> Does the engine actually have plastic in the internals??



Yes, the cam is composite.


----------



## saxman

I have had a BR600 for several years and had 0 problems with it. I am still amazed at the power. When I got it I spoke with the dealer service tech (gold level training) and he told me it was extremely important to only run Ultra mix in all 4mix engines to prevent carbon on the valves. I told him no problem as that is all I use in all my 2 cycle equipment. I am sure the other blowers listed in this pole are great, especially the Shindaiwa. Their products have always been a favorite of mine, the only problem for my part of the world is zero dealer support

Steve


----------



## epicklein22

Well, we are having a heads up competition at my work. BR600 vs the Redmax 8050. So far, the stihl wins. Blows stronger, starts a tad bit better and a lot more comfortable. Running 87 and stihl dino in both, not gonna baby the 4-mix engine, it's gonna run the same stuff everything else runs. The tube tip is a lot smaller on the BR600, kinda wondering if that is giving it an advantage when blowing sticks and other tree scraps. Redmax needs to break in some more too. We shall see down the road who prevails in the end, but right now I would buy another BR600.


----------



## gmcman

epicklein22 said:


> Running 87 and stihl dino in both, not gonna baby the 4-mix engine, it's gonna run the same stuff everything else runs.



View attachment 245388


I would strongly recommend running the Ultra in the 4-mix or at least a very good synthetic, i'm not well versed on which synthetic mix to run but I have had good luck with Mobil 1 racing 2T but it's no longer avail.


----------



## mtrees

With Stihl's current program of extending your warranty I have enough HP to last 5 years with my recent purchases.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


----------



## blsnelling

epicklein22 said:


> Running 87 and stihl dino in both, not gonna baby the 4-mix engine, it's gonna run the same stuff everything else runs.



Why would you run oil that you know causes problems in that very piece of equipment? Stihl Ultra was designed to solve problems in the BR600 specifically.


----------



## morgaj1

gmcman said:


> View attachment 245388
> 
> 
> I would strongly recommend running the Ultra in the 4-mix or at least a very good synthetic, i'm not well versed on which synthetic mix to run but I have had good luck with Mobil 1 racing 2T but it's no longer avail.



Agreed. You run the orange bottle Stihl oil in a 4-mix and those valves will be carboned up.


----------



## epicklein22

blsnelling said:


> Why would you run oil that you know causes problems in that very piece of equipment? Stihl Ultra was designed to solve problems in the BR600 specifically.



I know of countless landscapers that run regular dino in 4-mix equipment and have no problems......there's no way we are gonna step up to synthetic oil just because a blower calls for it either....almost all of the *** at my work gets beat into the ground physically before the engines blow anyways.


----------



## Zombiechopper

epicklein22 said:


> I know of countless landscapers that run regular dino in 4-mix equipment and have no problems......there's no way we are gonna step up to synthetic oil just because a blower calls for it either....almost all of the *** at my work gets beat into the ground physically before the engines blow anyways.



what a waste of money. next time you don't get a raise you'll know why.... had to replace the intentionally abused equipment instead of paying the boys better. Oh well, gotta stimulate the economy somehow.


----------



## blsnelling

That's the exact same story given by the guy that owned these BR600s. 

[video=youtube_share;pFALIC18msE]http://youtu.be/pFALIC18msE[/video]


----------



## Andyshine77

With most tree operations you're lucky if they add any oil at all. Most of the tree guys around here are lucky to be alive if you ask me. The real issue is the fact they make a lot of money fast and a $500.00 piece of equipment can be replace in a few minutes, wasteful and just plane stupid.


----------



## needablower

*thoughts for me*

im looking for a backpack blower to use around a pool, garage, sports court, and routine leaves. I was thinking id prefer a 4 cycle model to avoid mixing but reading this thread it seems folks really prefer the echo PB 770s. is it better to get the T or H model?

The model i was thinking about is the Troy-Bilt TB4BPEC which is 4 cycle but less powerful.

I dont need to rip up sod but dont want to have something that isnt powerful enough.

Suggestions on what to chose would be appreciated.

Thanks


----------



## vw_motorsports

needablower said:


> im looking for a backpack blower to use around a pool, garage, sports court, and routine leaves. I was thinking id prefer a 4 cycle model to avoid mixing but reading this thread it seems folks really prefer the echo PB 770s. is it better to get the T or H model?
> 
> The model i was thinking about is the Troy-Bilt TB4BPEC which is 4 cycle but less powerful.
> 
> I dont need to rip up sod but dont want to have something that isnt powerful enough.
> 
> Suggestions on what to chose would be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks



I just read the complete post and first I would say this is a great post....great info and brad did a great job with the technical aspect of the post. I've always been pining for a "BIG" blower

I have 10 acres of heavily wooded property and leaves can get a little overwhelming. Money is always an issue so I try to upgrade when I can, which means used. With that being said here are some of my experiences with some of the blowers mentioned above. 

The Troy Bilt, don't bother, I bought one for $100, nice tubes but it was not as powerful and heavier than the husky 145bf/kawasaki engine. The TB 4 stroke carb is very fussy and I don't remember any adjustments for it, so I had to play with the metering lever to get it to run properly..sold it after one season. The husky was a bullet proof blower, steel frame, hip mounted controls, the early non-strato kawasaki engine is as reliable as a 2 stroke can get. I upgraded it to echo pb-500 tubes. Just recently sold it ..great small blower, zero complaints.

I then picked up a set of kawasakis, some 400A and 400B, 45cc..nice engine, but the tubes are too small and the kawasaki controls are not as robust as the husky controls. I then picked up a kawasaki krb700b, 63cc engine, my first "beast blower" Great power, early non-strato engine, great power, but then I ran into a problem....

the cfm vs mph/pressure problem. The stock tubes, which are approx the same size as echo pb500 tubes created great pressure for getting matted down wet leaves up with the 63cc engine but the cfm was lacking when it came to blowing freshly fallen leaves. Switching to the large diameter echo pb770 tubes gave me the cfm I needed to blow leaves in what I describe as a large wave of leaves but the wet matted down stuff the blower didn't generate enough pressure to get that stuff up. I'm friendly with an echo dealer so he always let me grab tubes off the scrap pile. 

So I always kept two-four blowers that fit what I needed to do...which kind of sucked.

Then I hit the jackpot, I bought eleven blowers from a landscaper. If the blower breaks down twice he takes it out of service and uses it as a parts machine. Now he's not using the equipment his workers are and he goes by what they say.hmmm. 

the purchase
5 echo 755's
2 redmax ebz7001
1 redmax eb7000
1 redmax ebz8001
1 stihl br600
1 shindaiwa model unknown

4 echos were good, the eb7001, ebz7001s good, 8001 good, 

the shini, stihl (surprise), and one echo were too far gone. The stihl had a dead coil as well.

The echo's are typical echo products, solid, well built, thoughtfully engineered. Power was on par with the kawasaki 700.

This is my first experience with redmax and I have to say very impressed, very nicely built. The 7000 is a great blower, non-strato engine Power is better than the echo and kawasaki but it did not have enough power to create sufficient pressure with the echo pb770 tubes to move the wet stuff The 7001 had the strato engine and power was the same or a little better. The ebz8001 had some carboned stuck rings. Soaked the piston and rings cleaned all the carbon off, removed deleted the base gasket, deglazed the cylinder and it's a great blower. You get your cake and eat it too

The ebz8001 has the power to move matted down, wet leaves, pine needles, rocks etc. with the large diameter echo pb700 tubes. The blower is very impressive and heavy, more powerful than the other blowers. 

I agree with the OP that a blower should also be a mister. I live in an area that has confirmed mosquitoes with West Nile virus so being in the woods I need a mister. The kawasaki blowers has a mister tank the clamps right on top of the housing so I'm keeping one of those as well. The ebz8001 has a nipple on the housing does anyone know if that is a provision to pressurize a mister tank??

Brad had a great idea of modding a blower for more performance...I deleted the base gasket for more compression but never really thought of modding the muffler. That's up next. 

Another point I like to make is I've noticed a high rate of strato-designed engines with stuck rings. Is this a design fault/weakness of the strato design? Like a stihl 4-mix, the stratos should run a full synthetic mix. Has anyone else noticed this with the strato engines?


----------



## RedneckChainsawRepair

I looked at everything you are looking at this spring and wanted to stay away from the 4 mix too. I wanted either 2 stroke or 4 stroke not the 4 mix.

I ended up not getting a backpack blower for my needs. I went with husky hand held instead. 


Check this backpack out too.

Dolmar PB-7601.4 Blower Specifications: 
Displacement: 75.6 cc Four Stroke Engine 
Weight: 23.6 lbs


----------



## FATGUY

JeremiahJohnson said:


> I looked at everything you are looking at this spring and wanted to stay away from the 4 mix too. I wanted either 2 stroke or 4 stroke not the 4 mix.
> 
> I ended up not getting a backpack blower for my needs. I went with husky hand held instead.
> 
> 
> Check this backpack out too.
> 
> Dolmar PB-7601.4 Blower Specifications:
> Displacement: 75.6 cc Four Stroke Engine
> Weight: 23.6 lbs



what are the specs on the Husky hand-held? I wanted a back pack earlier this year but went with a Stihl SH-86. I couldn't justify a backpack blower. I truthfully never even looked at a Husky blower, Husqvarna dealers are almost not existent here, and if they are, they barely stock. I love the sh-86, it does whatever I need and then some. I even got the gutter attachment.


----------



## blsnelling

JeremiahJohnson said:


> Check this backpack out too.
> 
> Dolmar PB-7601.4 Blower Specifications:
> Displacement: 75.6 cc Four Stroke Engine
> Weight: 23.6 lbs



I didn't want any brand's 4 Mix/4 stroke. What I do like about the Dolmar unit, is that the head is a seperate piece. It is not part of the cylinder. It's still a clamshell though.


----------



## RedneckChainsawRepair

FATGUY said:


> what are the specs on the Husky hand-held? I love the sh-86, it does whatever I need and then some. I even got the gutter attachment.



I didnt need the shredder just a blower thiis time and I had another older husky with shredder
that was never used.


sh-86 C-E specs and price $279.

DISPLACEMENT	27.2 cc (1.66 cu. in.)
ENGINE POWER	0.8 kW (1.1 bhp)
WEIGHT	5.6 kg (12.3 lbs.)
FUEL CAPACITY	440 cc (14.9 oz.)
AIR VELOCITY*
Round Nozzle
Flat Nozzle	
64 m/sec (154 mph)
85 m/sec (190 mph)
AIR VOLUME*
Round Nozzle
Flat Nozzle	
780 m3/h (459 cfm)
610 m3/h (359 cfm)
AIR VOLUME
(Vac Mode)	
770 m3/h (453 cfm)
SOUND PRESSURE RATING	70 dB(A)
(vac & blower)
Measured per ANSI B175.2


I just needed the cheapest husky blower some what like the stihl BG-55 I only paid $139 for the husky with flat and round tubes unlike the 55.

BG-55 specs

DISPLACEMENT	27.2 cc (1.66 cu. in.)
ENGINE POWER	.0.7 kW (0.9 bhp)
WEIGHT	4.1 kg (9.0 Ibs.)
FUEL CAPACITY	400 cc (13.5 oz.)
AIR VELOCITY AT NOZZLE
(Round) 63 m/sec.(140 mph)
AIR VOLUME AT NOZZLE
(Round)	710 m³/h (417 cfm)
SOUND PRESSURE RATING	69 dB(A)



Husky 125B cheapest one they sale.

Specifications for 125B
Engine specification Cylinder displacement 28 cc
Power output 1.1 hp
Maximum power speed 8000 rpm
Maximum recommended engine speed 10000 rpm
Carburetor Zama C1Q
Fuel tank volume 16.91 fl oz
Fuel consumption 575 g/kWh
Spark plug Champion RCJ6Y
Article data Air flow in housing 470 cfm
Air flow in pipe 425 cfm
Air Speed 170 mph
Air speed (round nozzle) 130 mph
Air speed (flat nozzle) 170 mph
Emission data EPA Exhaust emissions (HC average) 41.5 g/kWh
Exhaust emissions (CO average) 168 g/kWh
Exhaust emissions (NOx average) 0.4 g/kWh
Vibration & noise data Equivalent vibration level (ahv , eq) handle 11.1 m/s²
Sound pressure level at operators ear 92 dB(A)
Sound power level, guaranteed (LWA) 107 dB(A)
Sound pressure (15m) 70 dB(A)
Equipment OEM Harness --
OEM Nozzle type Round+Flat
Overall dimensions Weight 9.4 lbs

HUSQVARNA 125B - Blowers

The one that shreds and vacs list for $199

Husky 125BVX

Specifications for 125BVx
Engine specification Cylinder displacement 28 cc
Power output 1.1 hp
Maximum power speed 8000 rpm
Maximum recommended engine speed 10000 rpm
Carburetor Zama C1Q
Fuel tank volume 16.91 fl oz
Fuel consumption 575 g/kWh
Spark plug Champion RCJ6Y
Article data Air flow in housing 470 cfm
Air flow in pipe 425 cfm
Air Speed 170 mph
Air speed (round nozzle) 130 mph
Air speed (flat nozzle) 170 mph
Mulch ratio 16:1
Emission data EPA Exhaust emissions (HC average) 41.5 g/kWh
Exhaust emissions (CO average) 168 g/kWh
Exhaust emissions (NOx average) 0.4 g/kWh
Vibration & noise data Equivalent vibration level (ahv , eq) handle 11.1 m/s²
Sound pressure level at operators ear 92 dB(A)
Sound power level, guaranteed (LWA) 107 dB(A)
Sound pressure (15m) 70 dB(A)
Equipment OEM Harness Single harness
OEM Nozzle type Round+Flat
OEM Vacuum Kit Included
Overall dimensions Weight 9.6 lbs
Vac bag capacity 17 gal


----------



## blsnelling

So all of the performance specs (except w/flat nozzle) are higher on Husky's cheapest blower compared to Stihl's most expensive handheld? :bang:


----------



## Raganr

blsnelling said:


> So all of the performance specs (except w/flat nozzle) are higher on Husky's cheapest blower compared to Stihl's most expensive handheld? :bang:



Yup. Hard to beat a Husky 125B for the price. Picked mine up from Baileys, no sales tax and free shipping. A Stihl blower could not even come close in price. 

They do take well to muffler mods though


----------



## hammer0419

Absolutely love my redmax!!


----------



## FATGUY

blsnelling said:


> So all of the performance specs (except w/flat nozzle) are higher on Husky's cheapest blower compared to Stihl's most expensive handheld? :bang:



no, that higher spec was not in the nozzle but the housing. That being said, the Husky has a much better cfm/$$ ratio


----------



## epicklein22

A little update, the redmax has picked up some power and I would say it is very close to even with the BR600. The BR600 has been running steady all season on dino and 87 till recently (see below). Both start 2 pulls cold, one hot. Both blowers have been flawless and have taken normal beatings (riding around in the truck, being pickup and set down numerous times). Stihl is more comfortable and I like the controls better. Fit and finish seem better as well. Bought another 600 last week for the company.

Some guys might be happy to hear we switched to redmax syn blend oil. I can buy a case for $75 (2.5 gal), so it was a no brainer, as it is much cheaper than stihl oil. Still run 87 gas, we use it quick and have never experienced an issue that can be contributed to fuel.

My personal BR600 has dropped a valve at 125 hours (Have had an hour meter since new) and is too much to fix as it ground the crank up some too. I've owned it since around 30 hours. Was running syn oil and 93 the whole time! Just adjusted the valves at 100 hours. Oh well. So I'm in the market for a backpack for myself. As crazy as it sounds, leaning stihl right now. Redmax second.


----------



## epicklein22

Zombiechopper said:


> what a waste of money. next time you don't get a raise you'll know why.... had to replace the intentionally abused equipment instead of paying the boys better. Oh well, gotta stimulate the economy somehow.



Haha, you're funny. When stuff gets used, used daily at that, it will break eventually. There are guys that are rougher with equipment than others, but no one just throws stuff or purposely tries to destroy it. We have 460's that are 7 or 8 years old, even have an ms360 that still sees regular use. They don't look all that well, but still function properly. Is that possible with intentional abuse? If a piece of equipment can't cut it out in the field, we'll know sooner than later.



Andyshine77 said:


> With most tree operations you're lucky if they add any oil at all. Most of the tree guys around here are lucky to be alive if you ask me. The real issue is the fact they make a lot of money fast and a $500.00 piece of equipment can be replace in a few minutes, wasteful and just plane stupid.



Yes, lots of small time guys that just blow any money that comes their way. On the other end, you see the successful *businesses*; advanced/expensive equipment, safety oriented, educated in proper tree healthcare, solid individuals as employees. It's sad that most people see the tree industry as you describe, but the good guys need to do a better job projecting a different image.


----------



## husqvarnaguy

I haved used the Stihl when I worked with a landscaper. Blowing two miles of sidewalk a day it is okay. It is lighter than my Redmax but does not have as much power. Better than an electric or a poulan though.


----------



## biggysmalls

epicklein22 said:


> A little update, the redmax has picked up some power and I would say it is very close to even with the BR600. The BR600 has been running steady all season on dino and 87 till recently (see below). Both start 2 pulls cold, one hot. Both blowers have been flawless and have taken normal beatings (riding around in the truck, being pickup and set down numerous times). Stihl is more comfortable and I like the controls better. Fit and finish seem better as well. Bought another 600 last week for the company.
> 
> Some guys might be happy to hear we switched to redmax syn blend oil. I can buy a case for $75 (2.5 gal), so it was a no brainer, as it is much cheaper than stihl oil. Still run 87 gas, we use it quick and have never experienced an issue that can be contributed to fuel.
> 
> My personal BR600 has dropped a valve at 125 hours (Have had an hour meter since new) and is too much to fix as it ground the crank up some too. I've owned it since around 30 hours. Was running syn oil and 93 the whole time! Just adjusted the valves at 100 hours. Oh well. So I'm in the market for a backpack for myself. As crazy as it sounds, leaning stihl right now. Redmax second.


Just buy the Shindaiwa 802 and be done with it.


----------



## vw_motorsports

Well,


Just like CAD with saws, I have come down with BAD, in regards to backpack blowers. 

I now own 

a kawasaki/maruyama 750
stihl br600
redmax ebz8001, ebz7100
poulan PPBP30 

and my new toy, a like new, one tank, ebz8500 from the redmax dealer

The ebz8500 is impressive, better than my old king the ebz8001. 

The ebz8500 should not be compared to the kawasaki, echo, stihl......it's that much better, AND it should not be compared because it's that much heavier as well.

I'd like to test it against the big shiny 2-stroke...I think it gives up 3cc's but they seem very close spec wise.


----------



## Brad Krause

Two years after the last thread post and I'm looking at a Stihl BR 600 Magnum, as my other Stihl equipment has been great. Came across Brad's comments on the 2-stroke Shindaiwa EB802, and am wondering if it still holds, as they've had another two years to improve the 4-stroke EB854 and it has more power.

I'm pulling wet maple and oak leaves out of large lawns & brush and trying to launch them through black raspberry bushes into the surrounding woods. All three blowers are great, but air volume across the lawn is important, then velocity to get them through the berries becomes important, as is the longevity of the blower unit. The thought is the EB854 with a standard long nozzle (74mm) should make short work of the yard, then the 64mm nozzle should get them through the berry bushes, and hopefully in the long run the unit will be fairly maintenance free, although Echo seems to be having quality issues lately, yet still this is a different line of Echo products. Stihl seems to have fixed their issues with the BR 600, but are the new ones holding up?

The difference in price and weight isn't an issue, as a reliable unit that gets the job done is top priority. What are current suggestions for this application?


----------



## gmcman

I love my 600, but after a few recent threads it seems the new Husky 580 gets the nod for CFM...about 30% more which is huge.

That's what I would likely get if I had to buy one today, not sure if Shindaiwa has a comparable unit, need to check that out.


----------



## Fire8

Stihl br 600


----------



## blsnelling

The last changes that Stihl did to the 600 made a world of difference. They're simply not having the issues with them they once were. They are much lighter than my blower.


----------



## GrassGuerilla

Redmax ebz7xxx series are my pick. Better "scrubbing" ability than the 8xxx. In terms of simple reliability, the BR600 and or Shindaiwa 854 aren't contenders. Too many moving parts. Each has around 30 moving parts to fail that simply aren't there to fail on a 2-smoke. No big deal for a home owner that will see limited use. A serious consideration for a commercial operation that can't afford down time. No valve to drop, no belt to break. The Husqvarna 570/ 580 are mechanically identical to the Redmax 7xxx/8xxx with an improved harness. They are more comfortable.

The Echos are very good too, but fuel consumption was significantly greater than the strato engines. For some reason the big blowers from echo don't seem to have that "Toyota reliability" the rest of the line seems to have.

The br600 may well be improved. Simply put, less moving parts = less to fail.


----------



## Hinerman

Brad Krause said:


> What are current suggestions?


 
Sounds like you need one of these:

http://www.billygoat.com/Product-Categories/Detail/f18-the-ultimate


----------



## GrassGuerilla

Hinerman said:


> Sounds like you need one of these:
> 
> http://www.billygoat.com/Product-Categories/Detail/f18-the-ultimate



Sure, if you wanna walk. Or you could get one of these if money is no object.
http://www.pacelink.com/hurricane/index.php/special-offers.php


----------



## porsche965

I have a Billy Goat. Wouldn't part with that unit. But sure would like to play with a Back Pack. Now to pick one or two to get started lol.


----------



## blsnelling

I've actually considered parting with my Shindaiwa in favor of a BR600. I used my Dad's to clean up the mess from taking the Ash tree out of his front yard, and loved how light it is. I bet I've only put 1/2 dozen tanks of fuel through it.


----------



## porsche965

Brad if you could catch a Canary I bet you would try to port it to keep up with a Hummingbird lol.

Nice work.


----------



## blsnelling

porsche965 said:


> Brad if you could catch a Canary I bet you would try to port it to keep up with a Hummingbird lol.
> 
> Nice work.


Hey, I resemble that remark!


----------



## CUCV

I liked my Redmax 7001 better than any of the stihls but the Redmax 8500 takes the cake by far! I almost bought another 8500 the day after I used it for the first time because it was just so awsome.


----------



## CR888

Solo 671!! No backpack blower on the market puts out air as fast!! After using one, l used a BR600 and it was like a big dissapointment.


----------



## blsnelling

I guess those aren't available in the US?


----------



## tlandrum

redmax (Husqvarna) has the best blower on the market period.


----------



## bryanr2

opcorn:


----------



## Herd8497

I love this thread. We live in town on a 3/4 acre wooded lot, and so are all the lots around us. My sugar maples have turned and are dropping. The sycamore is still green and the neighbor's silver maples still look like it is spring. I have two stills, a 340 and a 420, they have to be at least 10 year's old I would guess. Have my dad's 6hp push behind and the wife and I try to make progress as we can. She loves to wear the backpacks, and I only hear from her if she runs out of mix. 

You guys have me thinking of upgrades with lighter and more powerful machines. So thanks I guess


----------



## blsnelling

I've been looking at specs. The EB802 is only about 1 pound heavier than the BR600. That really surprises me. It seemed like a lot more in use. The Husky 580 is a couple pounds heavier yet, although it does move a lot more CFMs.


----------



## bryanr2

ive got a Stihl br420. Had it for 10 years atleast. Never a lick of problem. If I could lay off buying saws for a bit, maybe Kari would let me buy a Little Wonder HPV..... be one and done with the leaves.


----------



## broman78

The Shindaiwa is a beast. You get good build quality and 79cc of power. I picked mine up for the 150 price range. It makes my yard look like a professional did it.


----------



## Andyshine77

Some people can crack an anvil in a day. It comes down to proper maintenance IMHO. My EB8510 has at least a hundred hours on it, likely more and it run like new. Honestly I wouldn't take a BS600 if someone gave it to me. I worked on one, and to be blunt. They are poorly designed POS, and I'm being kind with that statement. If I had to buy a new blower it would likely be another Shin, but I'd give the Redmax/Husky a consideration.


----------



## stankers

I swear my eb633 blows harder than my 801. As far as reliability, you can't beat a shindaiwa blower.


----------



## KG441c

I have a Stihl BR600 magnum that I rebuilt due to a broken valve a cam follower. Crankshaft seals seem to leak easily and didnt care for the plastic cam follower. Other than thoso 2 things it has been very reliable and strong but I did alil work with the dremel when I was in it!! Lol! The valves seem alil prone to carbon buildup using stihl ultra but switched to motul 800t since then and havent seen any buildup since. The valves should be checked regularly and Ive set mine since the rebuild @ .010 with no issues. As far as performance it blows hard enough to take all the dirt to the roots in the grass! When my wife hears me crank it she runs outside and stands in her flower beds looking like one of thoso guys on a naval aircraft carrier with all the hand signals trying to direct me away from the flowerbeds!!!


----------



## blsnelling

Andyshine77 said:


> Some people can crack an anvil in a day. It comes down to proper maintenance IMHO. My EB8510 has at least a hundred hours on it, likely more and it run like new. Honestly I wouldn't take a BS600 if someone gave it to me. I worked on one, and to be blunt. They are poorly designed POS, and I'm being kind with that statement. If I had to buy a new blower it would likely be another Shin, but I'd give the Redmax/Husky a consideration.


How is the Stihl 4-stroke so inferior to the Shindaiwa? I've rebuilt several BR600s from the crank up. Yeah, there are lots of parts, but you're going to have those with any 4-stroke. Early on, my dealer couldn't keep this landscapers blowers running. Since they fixed the problems, they simply don't come back.


----------



## KG441c

The BR600 is the only blower Ive owned but I do have a Shindiawa t270 weedeater than has been flawless for 11yrs but Im looking at the pro 131 Stihl Kombi system right now for all the attachments. Its just not right having that Shindiawa in the middle of my shop surrounded by all Stihl products!! Like a sheep in the middle of a wolf pack!!! Lol


----------



## jughead500

can't go wrong with the husky bt580.that one is awesome.Mine makes shourt work out of Chestnut burs,walnuts still in the Hull,Mounds of Gravel.Hell I even blew a Groundhog out of its hole the other day.lol


----------



## JRHAWK9

I do really like my Husky 580BFS.


----------



## z71mike

I have my BR420 that still runs awesome. Always wanted to step up to a 600, but it seems Stihl ruined them by going with the 4mix. Bleh. Any 2strokes left out there? The EBZ8... is still 2stroke, right? I hate fart cans and will not own a 4stroke.


----------



## jughead500

I've been lookin for a "she thinks my blower's sexy" sticker to put on mine.lol


----------



## blsnelling

The 802 is a 2-stroke.


----------



## bullrider

Hello everyone, thought I might add to it for what its worth.I bought a br 600 in 2007 to move large volumes of leaves off of my rooster yard,this thing moves leaves like a tornado.Since then I use it to sweap concrete,clean wet leaves out of gutters to blowing snow off of roof tops and side walks.It has been a real beast, with zero problems,just gas and go.I have always used the same mix as my saws,sthil ultra 40;1 .


----------



## tlandrum

redmax ebz8500 or husqvasrna 570 bts, 908cfm at the tube and 206mph. I have landscapers drive from all over to buy them from me because other dealers don't keep them in stock.


----------



## blsnelling

570 or 580?


----------



## GrassGuerilla

blsnelling said:


> 570 or 580?



Yep. Same engine I believe. 570 scrubs better, 580 moves a greater volume. I have both in Redmax colors. 570 is my preference. Not as bulky, still gobs of power. 580 only comes out in leaf season. Simple design, amazing power. Oh yeah, just might change how a lot of folks feel about strato.


----------



## z71mike

Both are traditional 2strokes?


----------



## KG441c

Does anybody put mtronics on blowers


----------



## JRHAWK9

z71mike said:


> Both are traditional 2strokes?



yes, both are 2 strokes........


----------



## JRHAWK9

tlandrum said:


> redmax ebz8500 or husqvasrna 570 bts, 908cfm at the tube and 206mph. I have landscapers drive from all over to buy them from me because other dealers don't keep them in stock.



I know you already know this, but for others who are looking who may not:
BTS models have the throttle mounted on the handle grip with a cable running along the blower tube to the carb.
BFS models have the throttle mounted on a arm on the left side which flips up/down.

I prefer the BFS as I believe it's a more durable design.


----------



## blsnelling

GrassGuerilla said:


> Yep. Same engine I believe. 570 scrubs better, 580 moves a greater volume. I have both in Redmax colors. 570 is my preference. Not as bulky, still gobs of power. 580 only comes out in leaf season. Simple design, amazing power. Oh yeah, just might change how a lot of folks feel about strato.


So, most guys prefer the velocity of the 570 over the volume of the 580?


----------



## JRHAWK9

The 580 has a 10cc larger engine and more CFM's.....

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/blowers/580bfs/

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/blowers/570bfs/


----------



## blsnelling

*Specs

Shindaiwa EB802*
CFM - 695 cfm
Velocity - 210 mph
Weight - 22.7 lbs

*Stihl BR600*
CFM - 712 cfm
Velocity - 201 mph
Weight - 21.6 lbs

*Husky 570*
CFM - 770 cfm
Velocity - 2236 mph
Weight - 24.5 lbs

*Husky 580*
CFM - 908 cfm
Velocity - 206 mph
Weight - 25.8 lbs


----------



## bryanr2

looks like husq is the one to buy.


----------



## GrassGuerilla

The specs are not so useful once again. Seems they all measure them using differing standards. Some in the tube, some in the housing, some without the restrictor tip. It's been beat to death at another lawn forum. Many if not most contractors that use them side by side appreciate the extra "scrubbing" action of the 570. Where they really shine is working the two side by side. The 570 to break the stuck down stuff loose, the 580 to whoosh it away. You do have to be careful about checking the air intake for blockages when working in close quarters.

Edit: it ain't so much the weight difference as the bulk difference. The 580 is a bit clumsy when your in tight areas, its clearly meant for wide open spaces.


----------



## KG441c

3 to 4 lbs heavier than Stihl


----------



## blsnelling

The weight bothers me though. Specs show only one pound difference between my Shiny and the Stihl. You wouldn't think that would be noticeable, but it is. Maybe there's more to it than the weight, and more about it's ergonomics and how it sets on your back.


----------



## blsnelling

The specs I listed are all with the tube and standard nozzle, so should be comparable.


----------



## computeruser

Those specs make my BR420 feel...inadequate.


----------



## Brad Krause

Yikes on the walk-behind blowers! Not needing a tornado here! (Plus some hills are 30%.) Thanks for the recommendation though... (wow that's crazy...)

Not a fan of recent Husqvarna products as they're made a bit on the "cheap" side with thinner plastic. Admittedly, there's a bias because Stihl chainsaws have been MUCH more reliable than Husqvarna, and Stihl did fix the BR600 Series 1 blower issues including upgrading existing Series 1 units to Series 2 as a warranty item--their reputation for quality is solid. Husqvarna, not so much...their contractor equipment seems more for heavy homeowner use. The Husqvarna 580 blower has thin plastic, and the warranty has been questionable for a few people. http://www.************/showthread.php?t=363899

The Husqvarna 580 is a RedMax EBZ8500 with added accessories like the waist belt, having RedMax quality--which is decent if one learns the "tricks" like taking the manual seriously and oiling the air cleaner element before using it, something other manufacturers do during assembly. Tall people probably need to hunt down an extra intermediate pipe to use as a tube extension, not listed as an accessory anywhere I know of, and incorrectly identified in the owners manual (the parts numbering is off on most of the parts). An extra blow pipe is also a good idea, so it can be necked-down with a hose-clamp and heat gun, as the flat nozzle is too tight creating too much force and wearing out the operator, and a high-speed round blow pipe isn't available.

Still, the Husqvarna 580 power is undeniable; with the standard blow pipe for quickly clearing lawns of difficult-to-move wet oak/maple leaves and a necked-down pipe for rapidly launching leaves through the berries those needs are met. As it's a simple two-stroke with fewer moving parts, reliability will hopefully be comparable to a Stihl 4-stroke. Parts should be easy to get, and there's no worry about recent Echo/Shindaiwa quality issues (not saying the EB854 would start having problems in two years, but it has happened). The recommendations are definitely spot on for what I need to do, thank you!

Certainly enjoyed the walk-behind suggestions too, more power is almost always better!

I haven't made a final decision, but am leaning towards the Husqvarna 580BTS (tube mounted throttle instead of frame-on-the-left) since the tube throttle locks via the kill switch, and with that much power gripping the control securely with all fingers is probably best, especially since full-power isn't always needed (nor the 100 db howel), and will also allow for easily tossing branches with the left hand. The output rating seems unrealistic given the displacement and HP, but it's also a newer model, not something from six or more years ago (which, admittedly, have great track records).

As a side note, I haven't discussed weight, fuel usage, and initial cost because increased productivity can easily offset those, especially in this particular case. Noise isn't a factor in this application, although double ear protection may be required with the Husqvarna 580BTS.

Comments/corrections welcome.

Husqvarna 580BFS $580 to $520
same as RedMax EBZ8500 but with waist strap and orange instead of red.
2-Stroke 75.6cc 4.4hp, 907cfm @ 208mph (seems exaggerated given the displacement & HP)
http://www.husqvarna.com/us/landscape-and-groundcare/products/blowers/580bfs/#specifications
http://www.redmax.com/products/blowers/ebz8500rh/
Another post on Arborists:
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/which-backpack-blower.263654/

Shindaiwa EB854RT Blower $450
4-Stroke 79.7cc ~4.3hp, 760cfm @ 201mph
http://www.wisesales.com/shindaiwa-eb854rt-blower.html#product-tabs

Shindaiwa EB802RT $500
2-Stroke 79.2cc ~4.2hp, 730cfm @ 191mph (necked down should equal Stihl BR 600)
http://www.wisesales.com/shindaiwa-eb802rt-blower.html

STIHL BR 600 MAGNUM $450
4-Stroke 64.8cc ~3.8hp, 712cfm @ 201mph (most likely more realistic than other mfg. claimed #s, plus small, light, and incredible quality & value)
http://www.stihlusa.com/products/blowers-and-shredder-vacs/professional-blowers/br600/


----------



## KG441c

I wouldnt want to deal with anymore more than the br600. That thing torques you sideways when opened up.


----------



## computeruser

Walk-behind blowers are fun and useful where appropriate, but they are not as versatile as a good backpack, or two backpacks and a buddy to move leaves with. They are particularly ill-suited to clearing areas where the grass was not well manicured prior to the leaves coming down. I tried cleaning my 10 acre cemetery that way for a few years, and it was tedious and, in hindsight, a waste of time. Ended up paying the grass cutter guys some extra money to buy mulch kits for their mowers, and now they just mulch up the leaves.


----------



## PogoInTheWoods

Brad Krause said:


> ...and Stihl did fix the BR600 Series 1 blower issues including upgrading existing Series 1 units to Series 2 as a warranty item...



How so and what are the determining factors differentiating the two? And when did this happen? Serial number break point or date available somewhere as an indicator?

Just curious since I've had a BR600 for three years with the snot run out of it every year and still no problems or performance issues so far.


----------



## JRHAWK9

Brad Krause said:


> The Husqvarna 580 is a RedMax EBZ8500 with added accessories like the waist belt, having RedMax quality--which is decent if one learns the "tricks" like taking the manual seriously and oiling the air cleaner element before using it, something other manufacturers do during assembly.



May want to read the manual again...lol 

http://cdn.husqvarna.com/ddoc/HUSO/HUSO2013_NAenNAfrNAes/HUSO2013_NAenNAfrNAes__1155849-49.pdf

For 570 and 580:
Page 21, "DO NOT OIL THE FILTER"

560's have a different filter and DO require oiling.


----------



## tlandrum

I sell the 580 with the throttle located on the tube for 539.95,msrp is 579.95


----------



## JRHAWK9

tlandrum said:


> I sell the 580 with the throttle located on the tube for 539.95,msrp is 579.95



Do you also sell the BFS or just the BTS? The place I bought mine from almost exclusively sells the BFS ones over the BTS to landscapers.


----------



## tlandrum

I sell the bts over the bfs


----------



## Brad Krause

PogoInTheWoods said:


> How so and what are the determining factors differentiating the two? And when did this happen? Serial number break point or date available somewhere as an indicator?
> 
> Just curious since I've had a BR600 for three years with the snot run out of it every year and still no problems or performance issues so far.


I've read a lot of posts lately, but believe it was addressed earlier in this thread, pages 6-7? One person said they had a transition machine and would post the S/N, they may have but I didn't see it.



JRHAWK9 said:


> May want to read the manual again...lol
> 
> http://cdn.husqvarna.com/ddoc/HUSO/HUSO2013_NAenNAfrNAes/HUSO2013_NAenNAfrNAes__1155849-49.pdf
> 
> For 570 and 580:
> Page 21, "DO NOT OIL THE FILTER"
> 
> 560's have a different filter and DO require oiling.


You are 100% correct--don't oil them, thank you!!! I'd read a few posts about dust getting past the filters on 580 units and in a few opinions the filters should therefore be oiled, then read the manual (quickly) not realizing it was the 560 section. The 560 has a one-stage filter, the 580 has a two-stage filter, and I don't know the conditions a handful of people faced in order to wear the rings & cylinders....



KG441c said:


> I wouldnt want to deal with anymore more than the br600. That thing torques you sideways when opened up.


The Stihl BR 600 is a powerful machine, no doubt. I need a blower to scrape out maple & oak leaves buried in grass (high MPH), push a resulting large volume of wet leaves across a large lawn to the edge of the woods (high CFM), then carve an opening through black raspberries and jet the pile into the woods through that opening (high MPH), all in a reasonable amount of time--certainly a difficult task for any blower. In this case having more power will significantly shorten the time required, and be easier on my back! Therefore (thanks to you guys) the thought is to use a stock Husqvarna 580 setup with extended tube (I'm 6' 3") to get the leaves to the yard edge, then put on a reduced diameter nozzle and jet them into the woods. I'd prefer to stay with Stihl, but the power of Husqvarna's two-stroke is probably a better choice, even though some homebrew modifications are required.


To address an old question on page 8 by Carl Anderson, I own a Stihl Kombi-system with the "KM 130 R" motor and all the attachments (if there are two similar it's the higher end item, like heads trimmers it's the pivoting not the straight) no problems with the attachments or motor. It's heavy, especially with a few metal extensions when tree trimming with the chainsaw attachment (like 5--don't do this!!), but it gets the job done quickly, every time. The chainsaw, hedge trimmer, end extensions get stiff in cold weather (50°F), but work fine when warmed up. Msybe the Stihl grease & oil are a bit thick for colder temps.


----------



## JRHAWK9

FWIW, I gained ~300rpm's by just removing the baffle inside and opening up the muffler on my 580. 

I'm 6'5" and also added the additional intermediate tube.


----------



## blsnelling

JRHAWK9 said:


> FWIW, I gained ~300rpm's by just removing the baffle inside and opening up the muffler on my 580.


Does it have an adjustable carb?


----------



## 7sleeper

@Brad Krause 

for your needs I would get a lawntractor and simply collect the leaves and dump them then out back. 

7


----------



## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> How is the Stihl 4-stroke so inferior to the Shindaiwa? I've rebuilt several BR600s from the crank up. Yeah, there are lots of parts, but you're going to have those with any 4-stroke. Early on, my dealer couldn't keep this landscapers blowers running. Since they fixed the problems, they simply don't come back.



Not referring to just the engine. I didn't care for one aspect of the blower, besides maybe comfort. Simply put I feel like the BR600 is overall poorly designed and cheaply made IMHO. Nik wasn't all that fond of the BR600 either. I just think they're better options available from other manufactures. The more I'm around Stihl "non chainsaw products" the less and less I care for them.


----------



## lone wolf

Andyshine77 said:


> Not referring to just the engine. I didn't care for one aspect of the blower, besides maybe comfort. Simply put I feel like the BR600 is overall poorly designed and cheaply made IMHO. Nik wasn't all that fond of the BR600 either. I just think they're better options available from other manufactures. The more I'm around Stihl "non chainsaw products" the less and less I care for them.


I have one and it sure as hell cleans up yards fast and saves us tons of time !


----------



## Andyshine77

lone wolf said:


> I have one and it sure as hell cleans up yards fast and saves us tons of time !



Proper care is everything.


----------



## Brad Krause

JRHAWK9 said:


> FWIW, I gained ~300rpm's by just removing the baffle inside and opening up the muffler on my 580.





JRHAWK9 said:


> I'm 6'5" and also added the additional intermediate tube.


Issues with increasing the RPMs by 15%:
- It will lean out the two-stroke and cook the rings unless the mixture is enriched enough to compensate. (Brad S. asks if the carburetor is adjustable for that reason.)
- The extra heat will be felt by the head & valves.
- The bearings will take the resulting load, which is more than 15% excess.
- The increased fan output will be less than 15%, I'll guess 5-7% as the fan is beyond its maximum efficiency.
- Hot-rodding leaf blowers is worthy of a Jeff Foxworthy segment.
- Mr. Snelling will probably feel the need to make further "improvements." 
It is interesting, but will effect the lifespan of the machine, and is beyond my abilities. Great that you have that talent though!

Thanks for mentioning an additional intermediate pipe worked for you, I was wondering what works best. Can an additional control pipe be added the same way?




7sleeper said:


> @Brad Krause
> 
> for your needs I would get a lawntractor and simply collect the leaves and dump them then out back.


Thanks for the suggestion, it's a good one, and would work well under normal circumstances. I have a sweeper attachment, but it doesn't work well in the soft, sandy soil, especially when it's wet (plus the surface is uneven); it thins the grass in some areas and misses the leaves in others. When the leaves are dry the sweeper works great but the unit fills up quickly. A mulch & blower unit with trailer would work great if the area were open and able to dry out, but it's not. Don't know if you've ever run over large dog remains, but that's somewhat unpleasant also....not that much of this information was mentioned earlier. But thank you again, that would normally be a great solution!


----------



## blsnelling

Andyshine77 said:


> Not referring to just the engine. I didn't care for one aspect of the blower, besides maybe comfort. Simply put I feel like the BR600 is overall poorly designed and cheaply made IMHO. Nik wasn't all that fond of the BR600 either. I just think they're better options available from other manufactures. The more I'm around Stihl "non chainsaw products" the less and less I care for them.


Suup Andre? As you well know, I passed on the BR600 when I bought several years ago. My opinion changed when I actually got to use one. I thought for sure it had to be several pounds lighter than mine. I was shocked when I found that it was only one little pound. My point....little things make the difference. I'm far more of a proponent of the BR600 today than I was before. Of course, the reliability has to be there as well, and my dealer assures me those problems are gone.

I love the sounds of these new Husky blowers. The weight really raises my eyebrows. If one pound can make that much difference, what about 3 or 4? But then again, you may not feel that weight if they're ergonomically designed.

OK, I'm rambling, lol.


----------



## PogoInTheWoods

Brad Krause said:


> I've read a lot of posts lately, but believe it was addressed earlier in this thread, pages 6-7? One person said they had a transition machine and would post the S/N, they may have but I didn't see it.



Thanks for the reference. I remember Tom's post now.

Guess I'd better gas up and get my ass out there and blow some leaves.


----------



## lone wolf

blsnelling said:


> Suup Andre? As you well know, I passed on the BR600 when I bought several years ago. My opinion changed when I actually got to use one. I thought for sure it had to be several pounds lighter than mine. I was shocked when I found that it was only one little pound. My point....little things make the difference. I'm far more of a proponent of the BR600 today than I was before. Of course, the reliability has to be there as well, and my dealer assures me those problems are gone.
> 
> I love the sounds of these new Husky blowers. The weight really raises my eyebrows. If one pound can make that much difference, what about 3 or 4? But then again, you may not feel that weight if they're ergonomically designed.
> 
> OK, I'm rambling, lol.


Like I said mine works good.


----------



## 166

blsnelling said:


> Does it have an adjustable carb?



The newest EBZ8500's have an adjustable HS needle.


----------



## xxl

Echo PB 755 ST runs great some of these newer blower lack force behind the air coming out the tube


----------



## zogger

I think you'll see the back pack blower in this clip of backyard trimming tools


----------



## 7sleeper

In this context with a high power blower and beneath


Brad Krause said:


> ... large dog remains, but that's somewhat unpleasant also....not that much of this was mentioned earlier.



the terminology "bombs away" get's a whole new meaning...



7


----------



## Brad Krause

7sleeper said:


> In this context with a high power blower "bombs away" get's a whole new meaning...


Yup, after that job the boots look like they're caked with mud, and the floor heaters in the truck "make it smell funny."


Dealer didn't have the Husqvarna 580BTS in stock so tried on the 570BTS. Just as many here reported, it's uncomfortable on the back even with all the prominent padding and feels heavy; the throttle grip feels weak, cheap, and uncomfortable (it's offset to the right); the tubes and flexible control pipe are thin--to me, typical Husky pro-consumer quality that should be sold at a big-box store. There is good air cooling over the cylinder fins. Also as was reported here, the dealer said they're pretty reliable with very few issues.

Tried on the RedMax EBZ8500RH, and it would seem a bit big and heavy for the average-framed guy, but felt lighter than the 570BFS despite having 10cc more displacement, and was comfortable! Dealer said Husqvarna is targeted more towards homeowners and RedMax toward contractors, and although they're the same internals the externals are different. Maybe the padding makes it sit closer on the back and feel lighter, or maybe the 580 has the same frame as the EBZ8500, but it sure feels better than the 570. The tubes and control pipe are thicker, still somewhat thin but on that size unit weight is a consideration. The throttle grip is over the control tube and rotates left/right freely, has a more ergonomic design, is sturdy, and with the thicker control pipe fell right into position--I like it. The cylinder fins have more plastic over them on the left but a larger opening on the right, and the outer housing is smaller exposing the carburetor more which is probably good for people with large hands.

Although I had previously managed to talk myself into liking the Husqvarna 580BTS, the trip to the dealer has me liking the RedMax EBZ8500RH instead (and a lot of ArboristSite folks swear by them). Got a quote on the 8500 w/RedMax oil, extra control pipe and EBZ7500 nozzle, and extra air&fuel filters. Dealer laughed and said that's a ton of power. Bet those lawn bombs get repositioned instead of detonated...

Not the owner's fault, they keep up on the lawn bombs, they just blend into or get covered by the leaves.


----------



## blsnelling

Why such a big weight difference between the two?

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/landscape-and-groundcare/products/blowers/580bts/#specifications

http://www.redmax.com/products/blowers/ebz8500rh/#tab-techdata

I'm much more interested in these after seeing the lighter weight.


----------



## Brad Krause

By the way, thanks to all who suggested a 2-stroke instead of 4! And also for suggesting Husqvarna--would have never looked otherwise!

Brad: Husqvarna 580 (local dealer only stocks a 570) may have the same thickness tubes as the RedMax 8500? Padding is thicker & there's a waist belt? 580BTS (tube throttle) spec'd at weighing more than the BFS (frame/arm throttle), and it should weigh less without the arm--something is up.

Also note I only compared the tubes on one 570 against one 8500--a person would think they run the same thickness tubes for both on the same production line, but maybe not. I certainly poked and prodded them enough to know the difference (just short of being called a pervert, most likely).


----------



## Andyshine77

blsnelling said:


> Why such a big weight difference between the two?
> 
> http://www.husqvarna.com/us/landscape-and-groundcare/products/blowers/580bts/#specifications
> 
> http://www.redmax.com/products/blowers/ebz8500rh/#tab-techdata
> 
> I'm much more interested in these after seeing the lighter weight.



They should be the exact same blowers. Husky's website is full of mistakes, and outdated information.


----------



## blsnelling

Andyshine77 said:


> They should be the exact same blowers. Husky's website is full of mistakes, and outdated information.


Note the previous comments about how much lighter it actually felt. I can't imagine them not being the same though.


----------



## z71mike

OK so I pulled the trigger today and bought a brand new EBZ8500. Two weeks worth of overtime to afford it! Haha

Anyway........ took a quick look at it before locking it up in the shed. Looks like it's got a fixed jet carb. Only thing I saw was an idle screw. Can anyone confirm this? Strange seeing a fixed carb on a toppa the line machine.


----------



## blsnelling

My Shindaiwa had a fixed jet carb as well. I replaced it with an adjustable one.


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## z71mike

I was thinking the same thing. But it's a dual-throat strato carb. I haven't worked with enough of them yet to know which replacement I can shoehorn in. What'd you use Brad?


----------



## blsnelling

z71mike said:


> I was thinking the same thing. But it's a dual-throat strato carb. I haven't worked with enough of them yet to know which replacement I can shoehorn in. What'd you use Brad?


It's been too long. It's just a standard carb though, not a strato engine.


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## z71mike

Ahhh. Crap.

My research begins.


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## TK

Husky 580bts. Ftw.


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## 04ultra

EBZ8500rh is a very good seller in this area...


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## z71mike

I was looking for an RH but no one stocks them here. Oh well. No biggie.

I do want an adjustable carb though. Maybe Terry Landrum can help out.


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## porsche965

After 10 tanks of fuel running pretty much at WOT my Husky 580 seems perfect. Don't see any carb adjustments and won't worry until the extended warranty is gone. If there is a need which I doubt.
I'm spoiled with this king of blowers!


----------



## mr.finn

I own 2 Shindiawa 802's. Used for landscaping, owner operated. One is probably 7-8 yr old, other one is 3-4 years old. Switched over to red armor oil a few years ago. Neither one of these has given me one problem. Had to replace the right shoulder strap twice (wears out from grabbing it there all the time). In the fall these get used, a lot! My dealer told me the most important thing is after running them hard, let them cool down for a bit before shutting off. I will buy another in a heartbeat. My 2 cents.


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## porsche965

thanks for the advice on the cool down I've been going about 30 seconds but I'll take it up a minute or two


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## blsnelling

That same cool down is recommended in Stihl manuals. Can someone explain what that does to help?


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## z71mike

I've been trying to figure that out myself. Interested to hear the answer.


----------



## porsche965

Good question.


----------



## Brad Krause

At wide-open throttle a lot of fuel is burned, and significant heat is generated in the combustion chamber, which is removed by the cooling fan and incoming cool mixture of air/fuel. Remove the ability for the engine to cool itself (such as by turning it off) and all that heat is trapped in the cylinder, possibly ceasing the rings to the cylinder wall, or more commonly just overheating the rings to the point they deform (reach critical temperature, or "melt") and the engine loses compression.

At idle the engine generates a small amount of heat as not much fuel is burned and has a lot of ability to cool itself through air movement from the fan and the cool incoming fuel/air mixture. A hot engine can therefore continue to shed the heat built up from a hard run.

2-Stroke snow blower engines that are used to clear heavy snow on flat driveways (blowing snow both directions) more easily overheat than the same engine on an incline where the engine is loaded by blowing snow on the downhill push, but unloaded on the drag back up hill.

2-Stroke chainsaws that are "leaned on" or have a wide carbide chain (beyond mfg. spec.) cook themselves and lose compression (overheated rings) where the same saws run with less load last much, much longer.

Therefore, I let my engines warm up and cool down for about two minutes each way, and try to not run them full load nor wide-open throttle (less heat is better, plus the Engineer's Law: Speed kills).

-----

Took delivery of a RedMax 8500, girlfriend snagged it and is putting tank after tank through it, I ~maybe~ put 5 minutes on it....will post a review when she lets me use it. $520 shipped from Russo Power Equipment.
http://www.russopower.com/search/?keyword=8500

Short of it: Like many lawn-care heroes*, I recommend the Stihl BR600 unless you need more power/volume, then the RedMax 8500 with some additional parts does the job.


*I am not a lawn-care hero, just worship at the temple.


----------



## blsnelling

Thanks Brad!


----------



## Andyshine77

I've always let my air cooled *** idle for at least a minute to cool down, especially my commercial mower. In the evening you can see the muffler can glow, a few seconds at idle and it cools down.


----------



## mr.finn

In talking to my dealer they say that BP blowers create heat from running wide open for long periods of time(I have run mine full throttle for an entire tank) that it is best to let the engine cool down a bit before shutting off. Not sure if it works or is true but makes sense to me and I still do it.


----------



## mr.finn

Thanks Brad for clearing that up. No sooner did I post about how great my 802's have been, i think the older one may have self destructed on me yesterday. Stopped running, tried a couple pulls, it ran and coughed a bit so I shut it down and pulled the plug. The gap was smashed shut, not good. Dropped it off at dealer for them to check out.


----------



## z71mike

mr.finn said:


> Thanks Brad for clearing that up. No sooner did I post about how great my 802's have been, i think the older one may have self destructed on me yesterday. Stopped running, tried a couple pulls, it ran and coughed a bit so I shut it down and pulled the plug. The gap was smashed shut, not good. Dropped it off at dealer for them to check out.



That's crappy news. No time to open it up yourself, huh?


----------



## LegDeLimber

By any chance was the adjustable carb a Walbro WYK-192-1 ?
http://www.russopower.com/products/walbro-carburetor-wyk-192-1/ I just linked this is for the photo. 
If you look at the carb body and imagine a line from the fuel inlet up to the idle speed screw,
It looks like there is a hidden screw hole in the carb body just above the metering block.
At one time I had bookmarked the thread where Brad was swapping his carb, but can't figure out where I saved it.
Somehow I thought the one Brad found had a proper screw head protruding from its hole though.

Mercy Sakes, I hate to admit how many hours I've spent reading threads about these carburetors and then trying to find correct illustrations of them vs generic photos
that aren't correct on the important details.


----------



## mr.finn

z71mike said:


> That's crappy news. No time to open it up yourself, huh?


I don't really have the time right now, trying to wrap up clean ups. This was the older unit and will probably replace depending on the asessment.


----------



## KG441c

Brad which blower did u end up with?


----------



## blsnelling

I still have the EB802 I bought a few years ago.


----------



## KG441c

Oh ok. Was just wonderin if u had bought another. I used my BR600 yesterday and noticed it changing rpms , dropping and raising just alil on topend. Probably that plastic cam follower worn some?


----------



## blsnelling

KG441c said:


> Oh ok. Was just wonderin if u had bought another. I used my BR600 yesterday and noticed it changing rpms , dropping and raising just alil on topend. Probably that plastic cam follower worn some?


I doubt it. The wear isn't going to change intermittently.


----------



## KG441c

What do u think it would be?


----------



## blsnelling

KG441c said:


> What do u think it would be?


I really don't know. Post up a vid so that we can hear it. When did you last adjust the valves?


----------



## KG441c

About 6 months ago I rebuilt it and set them @ .010


----------



## sawfun

Brad, are you not happy with that Shinny ? That was a very close second choice to my br600. It was kinda a toss up. I have a Shinny handheld 4-mix type.


----------



## blsnelling

It's a great blower, no problems at all. I just like how much lighter my dad's BR600 "feels", although the specs don't show it.


----------



## sawfun

I can't even feel mine except that it sticks out when going through tight spots, but they all do that.


----------



## porsche965

I use a Husky 580 and a Stihl 600. After this last season of leaves they both are keepers. 600 is light and nimble and the 580 is simply a Monster. STihl does have a chest strap and a waist belt that replicates the 580 Husky. That was my only gripe on the Stihl was the strapping set up after using Husky's superior set up. What a difference with the STihl now! I don't even know it is back there. Very pleased with both.


----------



## porsche965

Brad, how old is your Dad's 600? They had some updates to the more recent units I believe. My Dealer claims they have almost no problems with the 600 unless it is a fuel or mix issue as the valves need full synthetic and somecustomers are still using dino oil which don't keep the valves clean enough.


----------



## blsnelling

porsche965 said:


> Brad, how old is your Dad's 600? They had some updates to the more recent units I believe. My Dealer claims they have almost no problems with the 600 unless it is a fuel or mix issue as the valves need full synthetic and somecustomers are still using dino oil which don't keep the valves clean enough.


His is one of the newer ones, with the latest changes. I believe theses newer models have the Magnum label on them. Before those changes, they were very prone to dropping valves. I rebuilt several of those.


----------



## porsche965

Bought this past fall my BR600 has the Magnum sticker as well. Runs perfectly.


----------



## blsnelling

Any new comers to this market? I'm still running my Shiny. I'm not willing to accept the heavier weight of the Husky/Redmax 580/8500.


----------



## sawfun

I do not know if its true as I haven't tried to use one, but I was told that the Redmax are suited towards shorter statured users. The ergonomics of it was the expanation given. I am happy with my BR600 and the Shinny would still be my second choice. Then again, I am not a pro user.


----------



## jughead500

For the husky 580/ redmax 8500 the production time makes up for the weight.


----------



## Andyshine77

I keep an eye out, nothing new the past few years that I can find. The local crews are liking the Echo 770 quite a lot. Not nearly as powerful as my Shin though. Which BTW is still running flawlessly. They switched over from the BR600 and they don't miss them one bit.


----------



## porsche965

Really like the BR600 and the big Husky 580. Zero problems.

Both are best in certain materials and conditions.

Stihl is supposed to up the ante sometime. 
770 Echo I did not care for the torque steer with that unit, otherwise typical Echo quality.


----------



## blsnelling

I would *LOVE* to see Stihl replace the BR600 with a new 2-stroke unit, utilizing the 1-in-4 technology found in the MS461 & MS661.


----------



## Andyshine77

porsche965 said:


> Really like the BR600 and the big Husky 580. Zero problems.
> 
> Both are best in certain materials and conditiins.
> 
> Stihl is supposed to up the ante sometime.
> 770 Echo I did not care for the torque steer with that unit, otherwise typical Echo quality.



They were still having problems with valves on the br600. Now we're talking high hour equipment, think 12+ hours days, 6 days a week. They replace all their equipment every two years maximum. Mowers, trimmers and so on.


----------



## big t double

I don't see a br400 with a bad case of piston slap in the pole....is there a way you could modify the pole mr. blsnelling so I can participate?


----------



## PogoInTheWoods

I'm still happy with the value/performance aspect of my decision to go with the BR600 even tho I woulda preferred the Shin if the price point (and a dealer) were closer.

I got a hell of a deal out the door from one of the area Stihl dealers that I just couldn't refuse. 

"Best" is relative and isn't always the most affordable, practical, or necessary, but I can't see myself spending money on anything less capable than the BR600 or the Shin..., but I'm not a commercial user that would wear out either one, so again, it's a relative and subjective issue/choice in any case and will probably last me as long as I can still strap it on.

The BR600 is proven despite the design and ya see em everywhere for a reason. I see lots of Echos used by the crews in my area as well. Don't see crews using Shin or Husky blowers up this way (North Central Ohio) much at all.


----------



## Andyshine77

There is zero Husqvarna, shin, or Redmax support in this area. I've seen a few Redmax blowers here and there, but that's it. Echo is gaining popularity, they are more reliable and less expensive than Stihl's current blower and trimmer offerings. The local Stihl dealers are also so backed up it takes months to get anything repaired. This is coming straight from the local crews, so take it for what it is. Stihl has really changed it's focus to the consumer market, and disposable products IMHO. That's where the real money is anyway. Husqvarna seems to be going down the same path.

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk


----------



## blsnelling

blsnelling said:


> I would *LOVE* to see Stihl replace the BR600 with a new 2-stroke unit, utilizing the 1-in-4 technology found in the MS461 & MS661.


I heard a couple of years ago that they were looking to replace the 4-Mix engines. I have yet to see much evidence of that. I did just replace my KM110 Kombi head with a KM94. I guess that's a small step in the right direction.


----------



## jughead500

One good thing...... well can good is that they replacrd the fs250 with the strato fs240.but it was a step away from the 4 mix


----------



## 1955CJ5

And here I am wondering if a clean BR320 for $100 is a good deal....


----------



## porsche965

The BR600 Magnum is the blower I use the most, but when the going gets tough the Husky 580 shines.


----------



## z71mike

NJ landscapers are 90% Redmax. 9% Stihl. 1% Echo. For what it's worth.


----------



## Andyshine77

z71mike said:


> NJ landscapers are 90% Redmax. 9% Stihl. 1% Echo. For what it's worth.



Totally believable, if you have good support, most companies will buy whatever brand that dealer has. 

The br600 is a very comfortable blower to use, maybe the most comfortable. The overall construction isn't on par with the quality of their pro saws IMHO.


----------



## SAWMIKAZE

I picked up a fs 94 last friday , i like it better than my 90..it surprised me how light it was.


----------



## sawfun

I was looking at getting something lighter and less aggressive than my fs250r. The choices were fs94, fs90r, or fs100rx. Looks like its going to be the fs94. Its early yet, but I haven't heard anything bad about them so far.


----------



## blsnelling

SAWMIKAZE said:


> I picked up a fs 94 last friday , i like it better than my 90.*.it surprised me how light it was.*


That's one of the main reasons I bought it.


----------



## TK

Husky backpack blower sales have boomed here. Commercial guys are dumping their Stihls for the 570's and 580's. They don't care about a couple pounds, they want flat out performance. And they're getting it. Zero issues so far except for one machine that just didn't last on straight gas. Stupid Huskys gotta have oil. Pshhhhh


----------



## jughead500

When I fire up my 580 im the least favorite person in the neighbor hood.that thing is loud.


----------



## TK

Air in motion with large volume is hard to keep quiet without adding weight and complexity. Engine noise as far as I can tell isn't any better or worse than any other brand. It's the blower fan intake and exhaust of air making the most noise.


----------



## jughead500

Actually my worktunes are useless with the exahaust noise from my 580.of course it doesnt have a spark screen or diffuser either.not complaining I kinda like the sound of it.lol


----------



## joe25DA

I vote for the redmax 8500. I had a sweet 65cc kawi. Only 4 years old when some scumbag robbed it off the back of my stakebody. I was on the other side of the building and didn't realize it was gone till I got home and unloaded the truck. I replaced it with the husky 580, it's an orange 8500. It's barely broken in and I don't use it for my 11 lawns, my little hand held bg55 Stihl is strong enough for clippings on the sidewalks. It is easily the strongest backpack I've used. I liked my kawi over the br 600 at work and the husky beats that. It wasn't cheap around $600 with tax but I had a $100 gift card to my dealer so that helped. I'm looking forward to fall now


----------



## nitehawk55

Haven't run a backpack blower for years but I loves my Stihl FR-350 backpack brush clearing unit


----------



## big t double

nitehawk55 said:


> Haven't run a backpack blower for years but I loves my Stihl FR-350 backpack brush clearing unit


Pics of that beast?


----------



## nitehawk55

Haven't got any pics handy but if you google FR350 you'll see some .

50 units were brought into Stihl Canada when I was still with the company and 2 were used as display units as shows . One was sent to our western branch and the other remained at head office . It was a damn shame they didn't market them better , they really should have sent some out in the field with big landscapers and forestry . These machines are very common in Europe but never really caught on here . I can use it for hours as the weight sits on your hips and you are only holding the shaft . It's excellent on uneven ground or hills and moving through brushy terrain . With .105 line it cleans up stemmy grass and weeds or a grass blade for tougher stuff which will clear sapplings as well or a saw blade will do small trees up to 2-3" no problem .

Unfortunately they never got much attention so the company sent the remaining 48 units back across the pond and the 2 display units were sold.....I was lucky enough to get the one unit which I have done a lot of paid jobs with clearing and cleaning up acres of land . In the 11 years I've had it I had to replace 1 flex shaft which was my fault and I had to do the fuel line and carb last year . I would guess that there is easy 150-200 hours on it .


----------



## sawfun

I have seen one on Ebay and one on Craigslist for sale so somebody else must have brought some in. The did look really cool and I would love to have one someday.


----------



## nitehawk55

sawfun said:


> I have seen one on Ebay and one on Craigslist for sale so somebody else must have brought some in. The did look really cool and I would love to have one someday.



I can only speak for Canada but it's possible some were brought into the US or were imported privately from Europe . 

Anyone given a chance running one of these would soon realise how well they work both from physical ease and how well they are to use in different landscapes and cutting needs .

I believe Echo may have had one as well or still do .


----------



## GrassGuerilla

Maruyama makes a backpack trimmer like that. Ran it at a demo days event. Heard rumors of a Tanaka branded one as well.


----------



## ANewSawyer

I am modding a muffler on a Husky 150BT. It is semi restrictive. The biggest shock was that the outlet on the muffler was a third the size exhaust port on the cylinder! Interestingly, there is some kind mesh on the wall opposite the exhaust port In the muffler.

I know that is smaller BP blower but it all I need for leaves.


----------



## nitehawk55

GrassGuerilla said:


> Maruyama makes a backpack trimmer like that. Ran it at a demo days event. Heard rumors of a Tanaka branded one as well.



What did you think of it ?


----------



## GrassGuerilla

nitehawk55 said:


> What did you think of it ?



Seemed to be a quality piece of equipment. Seemed to be good fit and finish. As is typical of these type events, there wasn't so much as a tall clump of grass anywhere to stick it in. I couldn't help but feel more than a little like a ghost buster. I bought a fs250r instead.


----------



## 166

z71mike said:


> NJ landscapers are 90% Redmax. 9% Stihl. 1% Echo. For what it's worth.





Andyshine77 said:


> Totally believable, if you have good support, most companies will buy whatever brand that dealer has.
> 
> The br600 is a very comfortable blower to use, maybe the most comfortable. The overall construction isn't on par with the quality of their pro saws IMHO.



The first RedMax distributor (and largest) in the country is based in NJ.

We're on our 6th RedMax distributor since 1992. But we're now with the largest for the past 3 years or so.


----------



## z71mike

Maybe that's why! Haha


----------



## blsnelling

Welcome home. She started on the second pull and runs perfectly. It is a dream on the back.


----------



## sawfun

I think you will like the quiter low idle rpm as well as the smoothness Brad. Mine always starts easy and has all the power I need, and that coming from me. At idle that br600 seems to put out the same air as my Shindawa 24cc 4-mix type does at wide open.


----------



## PogoInTheWoods

Just be careful with the positioning of the velcro strap that stows the tube. Mine disappeared....into the fan! The shoulder strap works just fine for stowing the tube by the trigger handle anyway.

Yep, gettin' to be that time o' year again...


----------



## PogoInTheWoods

​


----------



## dolmarkid

redmax 8500


----------



## blsnelling

dolmarkid said:


> redmax 8500


If you're ok with a heavier and less comfortable blower.


----------



## shorthunter

blsnelling said:


> Welcome home. She started on the second pull and runs perfectly. It is a dream on the back.



Just curious, how did you end up settling on the 600?


----------



## bwalker

blsnelling said:


> If you're ok with a heavier and less comfortable blower.


You have to pay to play.


----------



## blsnelling

shorthunter said:


> Just curious, how did you end up settling on the 600?


I used my Dad's and was shocked how much lighter and more comfortable it was than what I had. There's not another blower on the market than can compete with it's combination of weight, ergonomics, and power output. I would prefer a 2-stroke engine, but the BR600 Magnum has proven has proven itself to be a reliable performer. Yes, there are stronger blowers out there, but at too much of a weight penalty for my needs.


----------



## porsche965

I have the Husky 580 and BR600. The Husky is called upon for the heavier work and the BR600 is a breeze to handle and performs very well. No complaints. 

The pair reminds me of the 661 and 562 only in reverse order. Yep, that's a pretty good analogy.


----------



## shorthunter

blsnelling said:


> I used my Dad's and was shocked how much lighter and more comfortable it was than what I had. There's not another blower on the market than can compete with it's combination of weight, ergonomics, and power output. I would prefer a 2-stroke engine, but the BR600 Magnum has proven has proven itself to be a reliable performer. Yes, there are stronger blowers out there, but at too much of a weight penalty for my needs.



I have not been impressed with the 600. Have you run the Echo 770?


----------



## porsche965

Thought not asked I ran the 770 and was impressed with the unit. We did a side by side test of the 580 and the 770 and I really liked the 770 but it had a "torque steer" to the engine that would turn your body to some degree to the right when the trigger was deployed. During full WOT you really couldn't tell it but to me and the Dealer it was definitely there through the testing. Loved the 770's back cooling from the fan and the build quality but when put head to head to the Husky the Husky, though heavier was less intrusive with it's attitude. 

The BR600 has none of this torque steer I experienced from the 770. IF it wasn't for that I would have bought the 770 from the standpoint of weight and a true 2 stroke engine and ergonomics. Echo makes a quality product no doubt.


----------



## bwalker

Long term reliability on the 4 mix engines hasn't been that great. That alone would prevent me from pulling the trigger on one.


----------



## porsche965

It's only money, Live in the moment with what you like and buy another IF it breaks.


----------



## bwalker

True, its only money, but id rather not spend on something that wastes my time when it's not reliable. Time is one resource that's finite. And I'd rather not waste mine farting around with equipment that's potentially fragile and failure prone.


----------



## porsche965

With a call in two days a unit is delivered to.my door. This is the 20th century.


----------



## bwalker

Expectations vary.


----------



## Rockjock

bwalker said:


> Long term reliability on the 4 mix engines hasn't been that great. That alone would prevent me from pulling the trigger on one.


Yes I would have to agree, mine is 3 years old used 10 hours a day 5 days a week and it still runs great. Now mind you it has had the valves adjusted a time or 3 but all in all not reliable at all 

do not get me started on the trimmers! they just keep running and running! POS !!!


----------



## porsche965

It's obvious we are on two different plains. I don't "fart around" with anything but to each their own. 

My 2014 BR600 is flawless at this time. As is all my equipment or it is out of here. 

Life is too short and I'm way to busy having fun with the next adventure. 

Life is short, the world is waiting on all of us to enjoy!


----------



## blsnelling

bwalker said:


> Long term reliability on the 4 mix engines hasn't been that great. That alone would prevent me from pulling the trigger on one.


Not an issue since the upgrades to the BR600 Magnum cylinder. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought this unit.


----------



## bwalker

porsche965 said:


> It's obvious we are on two different plains. I don't "fart around" with anything but to each their own.
> 
> My 2014 BR600 is flawless at this time. As is all my equipment or it is out of here.
> 
> Life is too short and I'm way to busy having fun with the next adventure.
> 
> Life is short, the world is waiting on all of us to enjoy!


I would expect so given its a year old.


----------



## bwalker

blsnelling said:


> Not an issue since the upgrades to the BR600 Magnum cylinder. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought this unit.


When was it upgraded?


----------



## porsche965

Yes. First ones had some growing pains.


----------



## ZeroJunk

That new BR450 electric start is pretty cool. Just push a button to start rather than having to take it off your back.


----------



## bwalker

The other thing is what's "best" is dependant on what your doing with. In my climate the time between when leaves are fully dropped and the snow flies is very short or some times non existant. It also tends to rain alot this time of year. I also use a blower to remove snow off cars, wood piles etc. Also use it for burning stump piles when clearing land. For these types of applications I want the most powerful blower made. Hence I went with the Husk 580/ Redmax 8500. I had a Redmax 8000 before that that I ran for over a decade, including 6-7 years commercially with great results, so the 580 was a no brainer.


----------



## backhoelover

the br 450c is about out or has already came out. stronger then the 600 and 2 cycle. (what it has electric start )


----------



## Need2Saw

I am happy with my blower. It does get heavy after burning a couple tanks but the back cooling is nice...remember ear plugs!
I bought this blower last fall, I have probably 10-15hrs run time. This thing should last awhile! I decided on redmax after seeing so many units on commercial landscape trailer.


----------



## blsnelling

backhoelover said:


> the br 450c is about out or has already came out. stronger then the 600 and 2 cycle. (what it has electric start )


It's been out for a little while now. They added quite a bit of weight. IIRC, power is not up with that of the 600.


----------



## GrassGuerilla

That should serve any home owner quite well Brad. Chances are it will only need one valve adjustment after it breaks in. Might take a while to even do that.


----------



## sweetjetskier

I have owned Stihl 380,400, 420; Shindaiwa 630, 802, Husqvarna BT150.

For the guys who have been around *** for a considerable amount of time; my first back pack was the ECHO PB 400E, old school. original back pack. Loved that thing, except for small throttle mounting bracket ( white metal ) used to snap far too easily.

2105, We just picked up a Redmax EBZ8500, great blower, very happy with it


----------



## blsnelling

Today I removed the muffler screen, opened the muffler up a bit more by bending the opening up a little farther, slotted the carb needles, and re-tuned. It doesn't seem that much louder. What's the factory RPM on these? Mines turning 7,200.


----------



## porsche965

Mines right at 7050 if I remember correctly but will double check. 

I just use the Stihl Carb tool  Have to look into doing the muffler.


----------



## PogoInTheWoods

I find it difficult to believe you don't have the service manual, but....


----------



## ktoom

In my 10 years of landscaping, ive only used the br600's and echo 403t. I like the br600 a lot, but i want to try something knew. In the past 5 years of working with my brother-in-law part time, we've had 2 blow up. One was the new version and one was the older version. We want to go to a true 2 stroke design.... Like the 580bts.

I think the br600 scours really good for only pushing 712cfm at 201mph. When comparing the br600 to the 580bts,that should mean that the 580bts should be just as good with the "scouring" as the br600, cuz the 580bts is at 206mph. If im use to how the br600 scours, then i wont know what im missing out on by not getting the 570bts, right?


----------



## hopm

Not a lot of experience with backpacks. I usually buy Stihl when i put them out in our system. We have good dealer support that is important to us. However, our dealer made a price on a Echo 580 that I bought for myself and I have been pleased with what I got for the dollars.


----------



## swatbwana

epicklein22 said:


> I have a BR600 and it is a nice machine (especially for 50 bucks :msp_flapper, but I have a love/hate relationship with the 4-mix engines. They are awesome when working well, but seem to be quirky all the time.
> 
> If it was my money, I would go with a Redmax. I've tried one and it seemed more powerful than my BR600.


I have the BR 600 I did a slight muffler mod on and adjusted the valves recently my neighbor has the red max and mine takes care of wet leaves better than his

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


----------



## PartnerR16

Bought a Echo 580T,removed the base gasket and gutted the restricted EPA muffler, readjusted the carb and this BP runs 10 times better with more air volume.


----------



## Flash

My br600 is a couple of years old now and has seen more time pushing snow than leaves. It is the most reliable starting machine I have ever used. Even in 0 degree weather it will pop off in one or two pulls. 
I'm a big fan of the br600 but after all this husky/red max talk, I'm curious to check them out.


----------



## bikemike

Where is the husky option they build the most powerful back pack blower out there. At least it's still orange


----------



## bwalker

The Husky is a Redmax.


----------



## Flash

bwalker said:


> The Husky is a Redmax.


We don't have much for red max dealers in this area. So it's husqvarna to me


----------



## bwalker

Flash said:


> We don't have much for red max dealers in this area. So it's husqvarna to me


Same here, hence I went with a Husky to replace my very well used Redmax 8000.


----------



## joe25DA

I was going to get the red max, but after my meeting with the people at that dealership I walked away. Then I remembered I could get the 8500 in orange and gray. Problem solved my dealer carries husky. That said my dad has had a br550 for 12+ years and been very happy with it. We have a 600 at work that gets used hard and has been dependable, like brad said the weight to power is good. I even have a low hour old school br420 57cc I love that blower! All in all that the husky 580 is a beast. Lives up to the hype.


----------



## bwalker

I ditched the muffler screen and screen holder on my 580 and gained a bit of power. Also gained a few hundred rpm.
I was a bit concerned about it being lean, but it ran for 6 hours straight at full throttle saturday burning stumps without issue.


----------



## Flash

I stopped by the husky dealer to demo a 580 today. That was a pretty slick machine. It is heavier. But all the weight was on my hips and not noticeable. In contrast, the echo 770 was about the same weight and was terribly uncomfortable. It hit on my back higher up than the 580 and i had to "work" to be in an upright position. That and the back padding was pretty stiff. 
I really liked the adjustable handle and the handle controls. 
The air barrel was a bit short for my liking so I had them throw on another section. That degraded the power though. I don't know if it it didn't seal right or if it had to do with the length. With the extra section off, power was nice. It put a smile on my face.


----------



## joe25DA

The 580 is a bit heavy, but I don't mind. The straps are wide and thick padded also the waist and chest straps disperse the weight very well. I actually find the 600 a bit uncomfortable and not due to the weight.


----------



## Brad Krause

*1-Year Update:*

The RedMax EBZ8500RH blew very strong out of the box, just under full throttle. Personal opinion: it seems like a Stihl BR600 Magnum, but with much more air volume (and being somewhat heavier, not as good on gas, and way louder). If you remember, I detailed a specific need for power to rip & launch wet oak leaves into wooded land and wanted more....and the smaller pipe I'd ordered wasn't cutting it.

I added one extension pipe and changed the nozzle to the scraper--that did it, but it's a real bear on the arm. Serious power, incomparable power, but it's a monster. Lawn-bombs away! (Yeah, it launches them with a vengeance.)

To open this year the RedMax two-stroke started in seven pulls, where as the Stihl 4-stroke started in two, and wanted to start in one. The Redmax ran a bit rough for 1/8 tank but was perfect after that, the Stihl ran perfect from the start. The RedMax isn't Brad Snelling's silky smooth-running machine, rather it's a troll with a spiked club that's going to do some damage. The only real issue is if the thumb-throttle is pushed a bit too far forward it dutifully shuts the unit down, and won't restart even with a quick flick back and plenty of RPM--off is "off," which requires a dismount and pull-start. My extended tube makes the re-mount a bit of a proposition, but it's doable.

My previous impressions throughout this thread (last year about the same time, also the best price I could find and free shipping) were accurate, tube thickness and all. I really like the RedMax for the power, but the Stihl BR600 Magnum is an excellent choice for normal jobs. Although, tell you what, with the normal nozzle the RedMax takes a mountain of leaves and re-plants them wherever you want in no time, no time at all.

If you're wondering how controllable the RedMax EBZ8500RH is, take a look at the girlfriend with the standard equipment:

​


----------



## Deleted member 83629

i want the F18 billy goat tried it at a demo has a briggs and stratton vanguard engine.
you can blow a house down with it.


----------



## Brad Krause

jakewells said:


> i want the F18 billy goat tried it at a demo has a briggs and stratton vanguard engine.
> you can blow a house down with it.
> View attachment 457941


If pulling a trailer and it has a ramp, or the truck has a lift-gate, that blower is an option for certain types of terrain, such as mostly flat, open, large areas. One of the members bought something similar (check back in this thread) and loves it. For swaths of land it must be great due to the volume it's able to move.

I am not able to use such a blower. It's hard to maneuver on hilly, narrow areas, especially where discharge directional control is important. (Blowing a rock into a plate-glass window is financially unrewarding.) As I'm discharging down and on an angle to the edge of the woods, then into the woods, the blower would want to roll away constantly, and it would be a battle to maintain control on steep grade.


----------



## ANewSawyer

My local Redmax dealer has a deal on the EBZ8500 and EBZ7500. It is $50 off and this is supposed to be national.


----------



## Deleted member 83629

I would get either redmax or husq brand blowers they seem to have great feedback and lots of power.
my second choice would be echo it isn't as powerful but it is reliable and always starts.


----------



## 166

bwalker said:


> The other thing is what's "best" is dependant on what your doing with. In my climate the time between when leaves are fully dropped and the snow flies is very short or some times non existant. It also tends to rain alot this time of year. I also use a blower to remove snow off cars, wood piles etc. Also use it for burning stump piles when clearing land. For these types of applications I want the most powerful blower made. Hence I went with the Husk 580/ Redmax 8500. I had a Redmax 8000 before that that I ran for over a decade, including 6-7 years commercially with great results, so the 580 was a no brainer.



Why would you own a 8500/580?


----------



## sweetjetskier

We are running 3 back packs this year: Shindaiwa 630, 802 and a brand new Redmax 8500.

They are all great runners, the 630 has a million hours on it, runs like a champ. 802 has 500k hours and is still a champ.

The 8500 is the grand champion: power, ergonomics, fuel economy, etc.

If I was on the prowl for new back pack, the Redmax 8500 comes out on the top!

Stihl blowers are at the bottom of the heap here, so not an option for most


----------



## ANewSawyer

Is there a consensous as to whether the 580 or ebz8500 is better? Some people say the straps are better on the 580 but I would think it would be personal preference. I liked the cruise control on the EBZ8500 but I am concerned about accidently shutting the unit down.


----------



## bwalker

ANewSawyer said:


> Is there a consensous as to whether the 580 or ebz8500 is better? Some people say the straps are better on the 580 but I would think it would be personal preference. I liked the cruise control on the EBZ8500 but I am concerned about accidently shutting the unit down.


I thought the Redmax straps where more comfortable, but Redmax is a mail order only proposition for me. Have a good Husky dealer, so that's the route I took.


----------



## joe25DA

We run back packs 6hrs a day this time of year on campus. We have an echo 500, the 600 Stihl and I use my BR420. I've only used my husky 580 for about 2hrs total, maybe an hour straight. The chest and waist straps make the weight a non issue. Do the red maxes have the straps? Can't remember. 
The echo has the most hours and none have been easy. It's 50cc and gets the job done. It sips fuel, not super loud and it's not uncomfortable. 
The 600 is very strong as others have said. It's louder than the echo but it also has 15ccs on it. Moves leaves very well. Burns 2/3rdsmore fuel than the echo
I use my 420. I am in the minority I'm sure but I like just about everything better on these backpacks than the 500,550,600 that replaced them. And yes I'm aware of the power increases. Power is good, the controls are better than the 600 (you can lock the throttle at any point not just wide open.) and it's the most comfortable back pack I've used. Lastly, conventional 2 stroke, bolt on jug to a mag crank case. These run so good they didn't even put primer bulbs on them. 
The 580 is a beast, comfortable, I like the hip mount controls, like the echo and like the 420 the throttle can be locked at any point. If you are blowing out flower beds with ANY on the 50cc^ machines full throttle will make a mess and easily tear out planted flowers. I bought the 580 cause a lowlife robbed my Kawasaki back pack off my truck while I was on the other side of the building. I wanted the best, strongest back pack available, that's the 8500/580. No wuestion


----------



## ANewSawyer

The Redmax has straps but there is no buckle to draw the straps together. I was worried about the shape of the backguard/pad but I really liked the feel of the 8500 when I tried it on at the Redmax dealer. I want to try the 580 but I don't know when I will get to a Husky dealer. I have a Redmax dealer about 8 min from me and a Husky is a solid 15 min drive. 

The IPLs do a good job of showing the difference between the two straps. Husky: http://www.partstree.com/parts/husq...ts-husqvarna-backpack-blower-2011-05/harness/
Redmax: http://www.partstree.com/parts/redm...ack-blower-sn-10200101-above-2012-08/housing/


----------



## ktoom

My question is, has anyone put the husqvarna straps on a redmax? I like the husky strap setup, but dont care for the throttle tube setup.


----------



## Onan18

I have, not a direct fit but will work with a little tweaking. Of course you could just buy a Husqvarna with the LH controls. 

Joe


----------



## joe25DA

ktoom said:


> My question is, has anyone put the husqvarna straps on a redmax? I like the husky strap setup, but dont care for the throttle tube setup.



You can get the controls on the hip


----------



## ktoom

Im not a fan of the hip mounted setups. I like to be able to control everything with one hand. The handle on the 580BFS is still off set to the side anyways.

I was thinking about going with the ebz8500rh and putting the husqvarna harness setup on it, but they want $110 for the harness/pad setup. 

Which brings me to my next idea of putting the 8500 throttle tube assembly on the 580. In order to put the throttle assembly from a 8500 to the 580, it looks like you would have to change the swivel joint and the mid pipe. $64 for the throttle assembly and $11 for the 2 tubes. The swivel joint on the 580 has grooves on the pipe that help hold and guide the throttle assembly in place. On the same note, i have herd people say that the 8500 throttle assembly isn't that comfortable cuz its in one position and is not adjustable.

Last weekend I picked up a 580bts for my brother in laws business. I was going to buy 2 of them, one for my brother and one for my self. Nobody around me had 2 in stock. I was crunched for time, so I couldn't drive all over to get another one. I thought to myself, maybe this is a sign that I should just try my BIL's 580 to make sure I would like it lolol. I service his handle helds and mowers for him, so he had no problem with me trying it out. I put a tank and half of fuel through it and checked all the hardware. I was very impressed with the blower. It not as heavy as people made it out to be.... Yes are br600's feel lighter, but there's a price to pay for everything. The only thing that kinda bothered me was the throttle setup. I tried it a few different ways, even switching the location of the clamp so that the throttle assembly sat above the pipe. I ended up putting it back to the stock way. Yes I could live with it, but I would like to know what the engineers were thinking, that made this setup?


----------



## joe25DA

Here is the 580bfs


----------



## winchester

Mr. Snelling. I'm looking at the Shindaiwa EB802RT. Did you install a Walbro WYK-33-1 carburetor to get a fully adjustable carburetor? I definitely want the ability to adjust both high and low sides on the carburetor if I decide to pull the trigger on this unit. Thanks again for this detailed write up.


----------



## ANewSawyer

So I am looking over the part numbers for the EBZ7500 and EBZ8500. I am not doing an exhaustive search but just checking points of interest on Partstree dot com. No plug intended, I am just doing research. The tubes are the same between the two blowers, as is the fan, crankcase and crankshaft. Shoot, the muffler is supposed to be the same too! But the end nozzle is different. The case around the fan is different on the 7500 and 8500. The Piston and cylinder are different. Carburetors are different. That really makes me wonder what is so different about the EBZ7500 that is supposed to give it that 30mph difference over the EBZ8500.


----------



## ktoom

ANewSawyer said:


> So I am looking over the part numbers for the EBZ7500 and EBZ8500. I am not doing an exhaustive search but just checking points of interest on Partstree dot com. No plug intended, I am just doing research. The tubes are the same between the two blowers, as is the fan, crankcase and crankshaft. Shoot, the muffler is supposed to be the same too! But the end nozzle is different. The case around the fan is different on the 7500 and 8500. The Piston and cylinder are different. Carburetors are different. That really makes me wonder what is so different about the EBZ7500 that is supposed to give it that 30mph difference over the EBZ8500.



I have looked over the parts diagrams like you, trying to see what is actually different. It looks like the different blower housing is what makes the difference. One housing is geared towards more cfm and the other is geared to more mph. 

I was wondering what would happen if you put the blower housing from a 570 onto a 580? Would it be the best of both worlds since the 580 has a slightly bigger motor... maybe...???? Only one was to find out lol


----------



## blsnelling

winchester said:


> Mr. Snelling. I'm looking at the Shindaiwa EB802RT. Did you install a Walbro WYK-33-1 carburetor to get a fully adjustable carburetor? I definitely want the ability to adjust both high and low sides on the carburetor if I decide to pull the trigger on this unit. Thanks again for this detailed write up.


I'm sorry, but I do not remember the model of the carb. You might find it in the thread I did on that blower.


----------



## bwalker

ktoom said:


> I have looked over the parts diagrams like you, trying to see what is actually different. It looks like the different blower housing is what makes the difference. One housing is geared towards more cfm and the other is geared to more mph.
> 
> I was wondering what would happen if you put the blower housing from a 570 onto a 580? Would it be the best of both worlds since the 580 has a slightly bigger motor... maybe...???? Only one was to find out lol


Piston and cylinder might have a differance too.


----------



## ktoom

bwalker said:


> Piston and cylinder might have a differance too.



Yea im sure they are different.

Max power rpm is 7200rpm for the 580 and 8100rpm for the 570. Yet they both use the same coil.


----------



## Onan18

The 570/7500 piston is noticeably smaller than the 580/8500 piston, therefore the different specs. I believe the 570 is 66cc while the 580 is 72cc.

Joe


----------



## Brad Krause

Quick update:
I normally do city lots, but have that one large oak-surrounded property detailed in this thread. For city lots, the little Stihl is plenty. Here's the breakdown of the large property with a helper:

Stihl combi w/largest motor & blower: 1.5 days
Stihl + Redmax 8500 w/7500 nozzle (for more power): 4.5 hours
Stihl + 8500 w/1 extension tube and scraper nozle: 1.75 hrs

The helper uses the Still to gather as much as possible, the 8500 is used once the Stihl runs out of lift, so "the hard part."

City lots go about twice as fast. That's double the jobs per day...

That last setup is a killer on the arms, but time is money. Highly recommended.


----------



## ktoom

Does the 7500 nozzle make the 8500 perform better? Ive red some posts where others say they dont notice a difference with the 7500 tip.

I dont like the flared out tip on the 580/8500. It seemed not be as controlled causing debris to come back towards the operator which means u have to take a few steps back to get the scattered debris. 

What does the extra tube do for the scraper nozzle? Get the air flow lower to the ground to get under stuff?


----------



## ANewSawyer

ktoom said:


> Yea im sure they are different.
> 
> Max power rpm is 7200rpm for the 580 and 8100rpm for the 570. Yet they both use the same coil.



I would like to have a look inside a 8500 muffler. The 150BT I have had a kind of restrictive muffler, I bet it picked up some revs as I "cleaned" the muffler. I don't understand much about ports, timing and that kind of stuff. We do know that the 7500 and 8500 share a crankcase, and crank. At least according to the IPL I looked at. I assume that means the same stroke length. You say the same coil so there must be something in the porting and timing that controls this. Maybe there is room for porting?.......



ktoom said:


> Does the 7500 nozzle make the 8500 perform better? Ive red some posts where others say they dont notice a difference with the 7500 tip.
> 
> I dont like the flared out tip on the 580/8500. It seemed not be as controlled causing debris to come back towards the operator which means u have to take a few steps back to get the scattered debris.
> 
> What does the extra tube do for the scraper nozzle? Get the air flow lower to the ground to get under stuff?



When I was at the Redmax dealer, the tip for the 7500 was different from anything I have ever seen. It looks like it was designed to impart a deflection to the air. IDK.


----------



## ktoom

Muffler part numbers are different too.


----------



## Brad Krause

ktoom said:


> Does the 7500 nozzle make the 8500 perform better? Ive red some posts where others say they dont notice a difference with the 7500 tip.
> 
> I dont like the flared out tip on the 580/8500. It seemed not be as controlled causing debris to come back towards the operator which means u have to take a few steps back to get the scattered debris.
> 
> What does the extra tube do for the scraper nozzle? Get the air flow lower to the ground to get under stuff?


EBZ7500 vs 8500 vs Stihl BR600 Magnum
HP: 4 / 4.5 (+10%) / 3.8
CFM: 750 / 900 / 712
MPH: 235 / 205 / 200

The 8500 nozzle has a flair at the end to create a wide blast and move a large amount of dry leaves and grass. The 8500 nozzle therefore sucks air from around the outside of the nozzle and adds it to the air inside the tube to create an even larger blast of air. I'd guess the 8500's blast has slightly more effective speed than the Stihl backpack, but with a lot more volume. The effective speed should be about the same as out of a 7500, but with more volume.

I say "effective speed" because the speed is measured in the end of the tube as a industry "standard" (because that's where the highest reading is, and that makes for better marketing literature), but what reaches the target is what we're really interested in. Real-world testing shows up a lot different than "in the tube."

The 7500 nozzle doesn't have the flair at the end (which the 8500 does), just a cone where the output is a bit "tighter." The 7500 nozzle therefore sucks air from around the outside of the nozzle and adds to a straight jet of air that is a bit stronger/faster for more distance at a slight cost in air volume. The end result of putting the 7500 nozzle on the 8500 is more "lift" and "throw" on wet debris, but has more of a tunnel effect than the wide wall from the 8500 nozzle.

The scraper head is like a Dyson hand dryer, a "knife edge" of air. Turn it sideways and it blows the nozzle to the left (or right), but it's really effective at ripping wet oak leaves out of long grass. Turn it flat and it has more lift, but "scrapes" far less area at a time and takes longer. This is where the 8500 shines, it puts the power down and pulls the leaves up. It's as much backpack as a person can reasonably manage, in my opinion.

The extra tube is used as an "extension" to get the nozzle closer to the ground (I'm 6'2"), and is much harder on the arm. I use my left hand under the tube to help guide it and take strain off the control handle. This plus the scraper peels the leaves out of the grass (and acorns, branches, shingles, candy wrappers, dog chocolate, etc.) for a clean, "fresh" looking lawn that outshines the neighbors service (huge selling point) at half the cost in time or less (about twice the income, plus the bump for "the best lawn guy ever!"). Find an opening in the brush and it'll jet them through. The trick is to have the helper do the fast stuff with a smaller blower, then use the 8500 to jet the mess into a huge row. Use the scraper turned flat to start 8" in from the closest edge of the pile at one side and kind of undercut the pile, meaning if you start on the left side the pile will want to blow further left because the leaves on the right act as kind of a wall. When you get to the far right, back up, and hit the 8" left over, and "scraping" the lawn clean at the same time.

I keep working that way until there are so many leaves I have to form a "U" shape to keep the debris in a more narrow path toward "the goal." Then I'll wind up with an outer protective U and an inner, huge U. I'll cut the inner U back and forth 3 or 4 times to get the huge pile moved, then attack the outer U, moving the "protective barrier" forward. Toward the end the helper and I form a "V" and keep the blow-back to a minimum. The 8500 will generally "lift and throw" while the smaller has a supporting stream to act as a barrier and keep the blow-back down. If that's not working the 8500 with one of the nozzles will work to form a huge air wall.

This is a lot of coordination and a hell of a lot of work and constant thinking, evaluating, and predicting. Because of the wind there's pre-planning and a game plan. However, the day goes extremely fast, there's no time to be bored, and we clear twice as many jobs in the same amount of time (travel and unload time doesn't get any faster, but the jobs go at least twice as fast). At the end of the day we're darn sore, there's no getting around that. Fuel consumption is down over-all, because of the time savings, but the gallons per hour is way up, so bring extra tanks and use two (or four) pumps at the station early in the morning.

This is not the luxury BR600. This is men's work, in a truck, not a latte-sipping electric car surf-my-important-facebook-profiles and tweet my sweater color at the coffee shop pillow-fluff day. They don't even have homes, they rent a box with 400 other rodents. This is not "hipster," this is trees and nature, oil-and-gas mix, the smell of sweat, leaves, and rugged. 

When it's about doing an excellent job "putting brown down" and "green in the jeans," this setup works.


----------



## Flash

Brad Krause said:


> This is not the luxury BR600. This is men's work, in a truck, not a latte-sipping electric car surf-my-important-facebook-profiles and tweet my sweater color at the coffee shop pillow-fluff day. They don't even have homes, they rent a box with 400 other rodents. This is not "hipster," this is trees and nature, oil-and-gas mix, the smell of sweat, leaves, and rugged.


I think you forgot to grunt after the rant. Ol' Tim Taylor style


----------



## KG441c

Anyone have recommendations on the best handheld blowers?


----------



## joe25DA

KG441c said:


> Anyone have recommendations on the best handheld blowers?


I have a Stihl BG55, rated for occasional use but during the mowing season mine gets used on 12 lawns a week. Bounces in the trailer and has never missed a beat. I don't use it much this time of year because I have the 420 Stihl and 580 husky but it moves light leaves, lawn clippings no problem. I've had mine for 5 years and have had 0 problems, also great size to dry off the vehicles after a wash


----------



## KG441c

joe25DA said:


> I have a Stihl BG55, rated for occasional use but during the mowing season mine gets used on 12 lawns a week. Bounces in the trailer and has never missed a beat. I don't use it much this time of year because I have the 420 Stihl and 580 husky but it moves light leaves, lawn clippings no problem. I've had mine for 5 years and have had 0 problems, also great size to dry off the vehicles after a wash


I just fixed a Stihl BG55 today and it was pretty impressive and had good build quality also. Ive been liking Echo trimmers from working on them and the build quality also


----------



## Onan18

BG55 is the best handheld blower currently on the market IMHO.

Joe


----------



## ANewSawyer

KG441c said:


> Anyone have recommendations on the best handheld blowers?



I like my Husky 125B but it can be uncomfortable at first without gloves. Husky put a seam right in the middle of the handle. I used to really bother me but I haven't noticed it in a long time. Nice n powerful with a muff mod.


ktoom said:


> Yea im sure they are different.
> 
> Max power rpm is 7200rpm for the 580 and 8100rpm for the 570. Yet they both use the same coil.



Can I ask where you found those numbers? I don't see the same numbers in the manual.




ktoom said:


> Muffler part numbers are different too.



Huh, parts tree list them as having the same muffler but Redmax's IPL says they are different.


----------



## ktoom

Those numbers came right off of Husqvarna's website. Also they are in the manual as well. Page 25 Technical data, 3rd row down.

I looked at the p/n for both husky and redmax. Shows thats the numbers are different for the 570 and 580 mufflers. The odd part is that the 570 muffler is not available? Then you go to the redmax page, the 7500 and 8500 share the same muffler. Weird?


----------



## mikefunaro

I have the following: 
Stihl BG 85 handheld
Redmax 7500
Little wonder Optimax 8hp briggs. 

As far as handhelds go the BG 85 is great. Got it for $80 in like new shape. needed a carb two years ago. $30 carb makes more sense to replace rather than fix. 

Redmax 7500 is the best backpack I have ever used. reasonably light, and tons of power. Great ground scour as has been mentioned. I only see redmax blowers where I'm at, except for an occasional echo but RM really runs the commercial market. The machines take a beating and keep going and going and going. The only thing I've had to do is replace the fuel grommet in the tank due to ethanol. 

When you have lots of leaves and big areas, there's no replacement for a walk behind blower. The 8 hp little wonder I have can move 3' deep leaves like they're not even there. It basically eliminates the tarping that I used to have to do--I can just push everything from one side of the property to the other. 

With that said, we've had public campaigns and pressure from local munis to do more mulching in place and less collection of leaves. it certainly has its limits, and while some proponents will say you can mulch infinity leaves down to nothing, this is not the case. But early to mid fall, it is certainly possible to significantly reduce the leaf volume coming off the property by aggressively mulching. At the end of the season if I have time I will mulch up remaining leaves and then distribute this in selected beds -- a 2-3 inch leaf mulch of finely chopped leaves really does great things for the soil.


----------



## ANewSawyer

ktoom said:


> Those numbers came right off of Husqvarna's website. Also they are in the manual as well. Page 25 Technical data, 3rd row down.
> 
> I looked at the p/n for both husky and redmax. Shows thats the numbers are different for the 570 and 580 mufflers. The odd part is that the 570 muffler is not available? Then you go to the redmax page, the 7500 and 8500 share the same muffler. Weird?



Have a look in the Redmax manuals. It list the numbers as the same between the two units. Seriously, go look. Something hinky going on with manufacters claims on these things. Wait, didn't we already know that?

It says that my 150BT has a max power speed of 7500 rpm but Redmax says that the EBZ5150 has an operatimg engine speed of 2200 to 6300. Wah?!


----------



## ANewSawyer

Well, I went and looked in the manual. It isn't a misprint. The same numbers that are on Husqie's webpage are in the manual. But I do think I have seen misprints before on Husqie's site. How can Redmax say the EBZ7500 turns at 7250 and Husky say 8000?!?


----------



## ktoom

ANewSawyer said:


> Have a look in the Redmax manuals. It list the numbers as the same between the two units. Seriously, go look. Something hinky going on with manufacters claims on these things. Wait, didn't we already know that?
> 
> It says that my 150BT has a max power speed of 7500 rpm but Redmax says that the EBZ5150 has an operatimg engine speed of 2200 to 6300. Wah?!



Thats weird lolol. The Husky manual embellishes a little bit with the ratings. In the husky manual, they bump the cfm up to 770 for the 570.

I assume you have the Redmax version?

Im torn as to if i should buy a 580 or wait to see what Stihl and Echo are going to come out with in the next year.


----------



## ktoom

ANewSawyer said:


> Well, I went and looked in the manual. It isn't a misprint. The same numbers that are on Husqie's webpage are in the manual. But I do think I have seen misprints before on Husqie's site. How can Redmax say the EBZ7500 turns at 7250 and Husky say 8000?!?



Yea it doesn't make any sense.

Ive seen that some people say these newer husky blowers run really lean, so maybe thats why they have the 580 turned down to 7200rpm?


----------



## ANewSawyer

I have neither. I have looked but haven't decided which to get. Or even if I am getting one. I do like that the Redmax's I looked at had fully adjustable carbs, like my 150BT. You just have to know where to look for the needles...

My Redmax dealer in potentia is offering $50 off the 7500 or 8500 through Nov. 14th.


----------



## blsnelling

The Redmax HBX2610 gets my vote for a handheld. It's a true professional grade blower with a vertically split crankcase and bolt on cylinder. http://www.redmax.com/products/blowers/hbz2610/


----------



## KG441c

blsnelling said:


> The Redmax HBX2610 gets my vote for a handheld. It's a true professional grade blower with a vertically split crankcase and bolt on cylinder. http://www.redmax.com/products/blowers/hbz2610/


Thats what I was looking for Brad was a pro unit thats built well and serviceable


----------



## joe25DA

blsnelling said:


> The Redmax HBX2610 gets my vote for a handheld. It's a true professional grade blower with a vertically split crankcase and bolt on cylinder. http://www.redmax.com/products/blowers/hbz2610/


Great. Now I have to go get one


----------



## Deleted member 83629

good luck adjusting the carb the only mixiure screw it has is the low speed side.


----------



## Brad Krause

On the hand-held blower, I'll take a slightly different path. I have the Stihl Combi unit with the largest -everything- available, so one motor and a lot of attachments. Snap on the pivoting hedge trimmer and cut the bushes. The edger and hit the walkways--looks sharp. Assistant is mowing the lawn and chops up the mess (you do the bushes regularly, right?), pop on the string trimmer and hit the edges, then while they load the equipment pop on the blower and finish up. There's even a pole-saw (chain) and extension attachments.

The only catch is it's a quiet 4-stroke, so the valves should be adjusted as recommended.


----------



## Jon1212

Is there a vane driven saw attachment for the backpack blowers listed?

No.

Why is this "thread" in the Chainsaw Forum?


----------



## Rev

Jon1212 said:


> Is there a vane driven saw attachment for the backpack blowers listed?
> 
> No.
> 
> Why is this "thread" in the Chainsaw Forum?



In the Pro tree biz, we use them to blow chips off roofs and off patios. Hope this helps...


----------



## Jon1212

Rev said:


> In the Pro tree biz, we use them to blow chips off roofs and off patios. Hope this helps...



Thanks for your reply. However, I am keenly aware of what a backpack blower can be used for.
I'm still not sure what your answer has to do with why an opinion poll for a Leaf Blower is in a Chainsaw Forum?


----------



## Rev

Jon1212 said:


> I'm still not sure...



Nice to meet you not sure. I'm not sure why you kids need a muffler three feet long but can't seem to pull your pants up. lol

-edit sorry Jon1212. Just joking around. You were the low hanging fruit. The real explanation is we are engine performance enthuisiast. yup Especially two-stroke stuff. It's facsinating really. Doesn't matter that much what it runs as long as it runs good.

Remember, herd the cattle but leave the water bugs swim. For non-Shaolin Earthlings it means, prioritize, Jon. Don't sweat the small stuff. Work out the big problems instead. Time is a _gift_ to the young.


----------



## Brad Krause

Rev said:


> In the Pro tree biz, we use them to blow chips off roofs and off patios. Hope this helps...


Hey Rev,

Jon is asking why this blower thread is under:
Forums > Equipment Forums > Chainsaw​instead of under: 
Forums > Equipment Forums > Hand Held Equipment and Tools​which specifically lists "blowers"

A moderator should probably do a thread move to the proper forum.


----------



## blsnelling

Because it will be seen and posted in here. This thread has been here for several years. Besides, it's more relevant than half the stuff posted in "relevant" threads, lol.


----------



## Jon E

This thread has been very interesting to me, even though it has nothing to do with chainsaws. I have about an acre and a half of "yard" (I won't call it a lawn) in the woods and I've always spent days raking, mowing, mulching and cussing leaves off the yard. This past Monday I went and rented a Stihl BR600 Magnum leaf blower, burned up four hours of my time and 2 gallons of premix, and had a blast doing it (pun intended). I'd never used a backpack blower before, only a small cheap Craftsman handheld and a Ryobi battery-powered job, and this was a totally different experience. I got leaves out of places that would have just frustrated me before, and sometimes two and three years worth of layers just peeled up and left. It cleaned dust out of the garage, gravel off the driveway and wood chips out of the garden. Acorns went flying and I think I saw a chipmunk go by at 200 mph. 

Now I find myself wanting one and have followed this thread to see what everyone else thinks. Rental including the 2 gallons of premix was $48. I wonder if it 's worth continuing to rent, or simply buying a machine and having it available whenever I want it. I can buy a used machine on eBay or craigslist, or I have a local Stihl dealer and a local Redmax dealer. Plus there's always the big box and Amazon. I did really like the Stihl and am wondering if there any advantages to not having the grip throttle, or if a different manufacturer has a more comfortable strap system. I am a big guy and I did not have any problem hauling that machine around for 4 hours, except that occasionally my right hand would get a little tingly from the pressure on it.


----------



## joe25DA

It's in the right place.


----------



## Jon1212

blsnelling said:


> Because it will be seen and posted in here. This thread has been here for several years. Besides, it's more relevant than half the stuff posted in "relevant" threads, lol.



Hmm? 

So the Forum Guidelines don't apply? 

Interesting. 

Good to know, Brad.


----------



## blsnelling

Funny that a 4 1/2 year old thread would suddenly become an issue. Are we really going to go hear again? I hope not.


----------



## Jon1212

blsnelling said:


> Funny that a 4 1/2 year old thread would suddenly become an issue. Are we really going to go hear again? I hope not.


What are you saying, Brad? 

It's in the wrong forum. Plain, and simple.


----------



## blsnelling

Perhaps it is. Please tell me why it's suddenly am issue after 4 1/2 years. That's the real question.


----------



## Jon1212

blsnelling said:


> Perhaps it is. Please tell me why it's suddenly am issue after 4 1/2 years. That's the real question.


Because, I honestly didn't notice it until late last week. It isn't any different than people posting CL or eBay links in the Trading Post, or Trading Post ads in the Trading Post Info Forum.

Besides, I figured if I posted in the thread itself, it would be construed as a "personal" attack on you, solely based on who I am friends with. Which is why I was reluctant to do so.


----------



## blsnelling

It's all good guys. Let it go. We don't need to fight.


----------



## CJ1

What can you do? There always seems to be one. CJ


----------



## ANewSawyer

Back to your regularly scheduled programimg: I called one of my local dealers and they told me that they sell the eb802rt for $479. But that they are out. I wonder why?


----------



## PogoInTheWoods

ANewSawyer said:


> Back to your regularly scheduled programimg:



Yeah, more reruns.


----------



## ANewSawyer

Went by a not so local dealer that carried Stihl and Shindaiwa. Strange brands to carry together, I think, but semi common around here. They let me try out a stock EB802rt and BR600. The Shindaiwa felt funky on my back at first. I don't know if it was the straps or what. It had the turbo tip on it, at least until start up. The tip wasn't twisted on and led to a funny moment when the blower started because it came off. Easy fix though. I do like the cruise control lever and stop button placement on the tube throttle. I know it was stock and I was just blowing a few loose leave around, but I wasn't terribly impressed. I think it needs a muffler mod bad. I didn't try to push my arm around like the ebz8500 did but I count that as a good thing. The BR600 is slick looking and feeling. But I think it is a little small for my needs. It does blow but when I would hit the throttle the whole pack would torque on my back slightly. Just enough to be annoying. Might be fixable by proper strap adjustment. That and I didn't care for the cruise control setup.

I think all the two cycle designs share a common need for a slightly richer tune, possible exception to the EB802RT, and a muffler mod. If you could see how much I cut on a 150BT muffler to get it free flowing, you would under stand why my 150BT runs well, IMO.


----------



## winchester

Mr. Snelling I installed one of those WYK-33-1 carbs, but I can't get this thing to run right. It idles great, but seems like it can't get enough fuel on the top end. Did you have to modify the jetting on your carburetor to get it to work right? I can back the high side screw all the way out and it still won't pickup enough fuel. It has good pulse & good fuel lines. Pressure tested the carburetor and it holds 10psi all day long. I know this is kind of old, but any help would be great.


----------



## winchester

Has anyone else tried this carburetor? It almost seems like it's not getting enough fuel. Any suggestions? I'm fixing to put the original carburetor back on.


----------



## Four Paws

Fuel line pinched or kinked?


----------



## blsnelling

I had no trouble at all with mine.


----------



## ANewSawyer

Not an expert but it sounds like there is a blockage in the carb or the metering lever is set wrong.


----------



## j. karl

I like the BR 600 and the Echo 770 seem to be on par. Maybe a matter of cost(?)


----------



## Sagetown

I'm seriously considering a Husqy 570 for next year.


----------



## j. karl

i haven't used a husky blower for over ten years. I recall it being okay though. But I just looked up the 580bts. It looks like it rocks. That air filter is insane! Didn't see the 570 on the site though.


----------



## Sagetown

j. karl said:


> i haven't used a husky blower for over ten years. I recall it being okay though. But I just looked up the 580bts. It looks like it rocks. That air filter is insane! Didn't see the 570 on the site though.


To me it looks like the 560 with improvements. My original choice was the 560 until I ran across the add for the 570.


----------



## huskyboy

I don't notice any difference between my 560bts and my friends br600 pretty much the same power and weight, the straps are better on the husky and it seems to scour the ground a bit better. The husky was about 50$ cheaper than the br600 at my dealer.


----------



## Onan18

Husqvarna 570 = RedMax EBZ 7500 
Husqvarna 580 = RedMax EBZ 8500

Joe


----------



## Sagetown

huskyboy said:


> I don't notice any difference between my 560bts and my friends br600 pretty much the same power and weight, the straps are better on the husky and it seems to scour the ground a bit better. The husky was about 50$ cheaper than the br600 at my dealer.


I think U-Tube has a video of the two in comparison on forced air power, and the Husqy blew away the Stihl using those two models.


----------



## j. karl

If it sounds like a 390xp done deal!!


----------



## CJ1

I picked up a 580bts a few weeks ago to replace my ebz8000. What little bit I got to run it, I like it so far. CJ


----------



## Brad Krause

*2-Year Update:*
(1-year update)

Remembering I detailed a specific need for excessive power to rip & launch wet oak leaves into wooded land previously in this thread...

The RedMax EBZ8500RH two-stroke was stored from Spring until Fall drained of fuel. I've switched to 93 octane fuel and Stihl HP Ultra oil. It started on the first pull with the fuel out of the can from last Fall--wow. Ran perfectly smooth too, just let it idle to warm up for five minutes and then started in.

I used one extra extension tube beyond the factory setup (add-on item at the time of purchase) and the constrictor nozzle from the EBZ7500 (add-on purchase), but not the scraper nozzle (add-on purchase). This year the combination was enough to get the leaves up and into the woods. This time they were just "moist" and the leaves were already pushed back from the edge of the woods from last year, allowing these to cleanly jet in without issue. This setup is much easier to use than having the scraper nozzle on the end.

Time was down to 1.5 hours for a moderate amount of leaves (vs. heavy last year), 7/8 throttle and one tank of gas. That's a huge savings over last year!

Given noise is not a concern and the property is large, the RedMax was a huge advantage over the Stihl BR600 Magnum.

The Stihl KombiSystem is running well, although I would not want to go smaller than the KM 130 R engine (heavy, but tons of power, and I really like the power*). No issues at all, with the attachments or engine, everything works like new. The blower seems to have slightly loose bearings, but other than the fan vibrating a bit everything is working fine.

Thanks again for the up-front advice before buying all this, you've made my work much easier!


*Please remember I'm a big guy who wants to power through tough jobs, these tools are pretty heavy for the average person.


----------



## ZeroJunk

Time to switch to a BR700 now.


----------



## blsnelling

ZeroJunk said:


> Time to switch to a BR700 now.


No thanks. Same engine, but heavier blower. More volume, but significantly less velocity.


----------



## gmcman

I don't think the BR700 has the same breakaway force as the BR600. I had a conversation with a landscaper recently and while he likes his BR700, his BR600 clears out the small sticks, acorns, etc, from the grass easier than the 700.

I'm on the fence of a Husky 580/BR700 as an upgrade to my 600 but I think if I had to pull the trigger it would be the Husky.

I used my 600 yesterday and it still works great but would like a more powerful blower....but hard to justify the price of a new one.

I had this discussion in another thread and the temptation is there, but I want a big upgrade, like 1000 CFM and 220 MPH....


----------



## sawfun

One thing to consider is the area of operation. Here west of the Cascades, it's wet most of the time so the speed of the 600 may be advantageous to the volume of the 700. Lots of stuck leaves & small branches.


----------



## gmcman

We need a BR800 or a Husqvarna 590 BTS.....something with about 80 cc's or more and capable of big CFM and airspeed. If you don't need all that power, then use the smaller blowers. For landscaping I can see the need for a smaller, lighter, fuel efficient blower. However for the ones who want big power and don't like to spend a lot of time clearing their property then build a big a$$ blower.

I know this is an old thread, but has good info and we will always be looking for the best backpack blower.... 

I would gladly pay a little more for possibly a slightly heavier, more thirsty blower since I don't put a ton of fuel through them anyway. Again, 1000 or more CFM with the reducer on the tube, and 200+ MPH.

I understand the BR500 is quieter and has a specific purpose, but there's too many models with similar performance. With all the years Stihl had after the first BR600 was avail to come up with a blower that would trump what was avail by other vendors, I think they came up short on the BR700 IMHO. All these blowers tend to overlap in performance at some point, granted the 700 has big CFM, but now how long will it take them to come up with a successor to the 700? I'm actually surprised with the specs on the EBZ8500/580BTS, the 700 came with such a low airspeed.


----------



## vw_motorsports

I have used and repaired all the big bowers including

Stihl BR600
Echo PB-770, 755
Shindaiwa EB802, 854
Kawasaki 63cc
Redmax/Husqvarna ebz8500, 580

and I have no allegiance to any brand...not a dealer.

The most powerful of the group is the Redmax/Husqvarna blowers. Blower has both CFM, and MPH. It's no contest....I'm not talking about the crap the manufactures say these blowers do in a lab. This is real world testing. 

EBZ8500/580 Drawback is weight, much heavier than the Stihl. The Kawasaki and Echo 755 are the weakest of the group, older designs and it shows. The Echo PB-770 I find as the most efficient, for a 63cc engine, essentially the same as the 755 same piston, cylinder essentially the same, it really amazes how much air it can move.

The Shindaiwa's are the biggest let down, the 854 4-cycle runs like a Stihl BR600, fan is not as efficient as Stihl so output seems to be equal even though the 854 has a larger engine nad heavier. Same with the 802, this blower should crush every blower on the market but it has the old style fan...the Br600, ebz8500, pb-755/770 use what I call a radial/squirrel cage style fan. I can't understand why Shindaiwa hasn't taken the PB-770 fan/volute design and bolted it to that 78cc 2 cycle engine, or vice versa for Echo to use the big engine. In the 802, don't use cheap gas or you could blow the top of the piston above the ring land off on the exhaust side. I have pics...

I'm not a fan of the strato or 4 mix engines....not as reliable. Strato motors have a propensity for the rings to hang up in the transfers and ruin the engine....not just in bowers but all equipment. Cylinders get destroyed, you didn't see that with the common slug piston. IMO to many ports/transfers contribute to the ring becoming unsupported and moving so much that they squeeze out and whack it's over. The early 4-mix engines stunk, dropped valves/seats etc. The new engines are much better but still require annual maintenance. If you want the most reliable blower I would say the Echo or kawasaki does it...properly maintained you'll wear out the chrome plating in the cylinder or rings before it dies. Again, why not Nikasil???

In closing, For the most powerful blower the husqvarna 580 is a better blower than the ebz8500. It comes down to better ergonomics. The 580bfs in particular uses the same hip controls, engine, tubes etc. But the straps are nicer, the backpad is padded, nylon covered, instead of the foam rubber backpad in the redmax. Finally the addition of a chest strap and a lap belt make it great for doing trails or areas where you have to pick up and move objects. With the additional straps the 580 stays put while the redmax will try and slide off your shoulders.

If you disagree that's fine and I don't care so please lets keep the flaming to a minimum.

Hope this helps....Good Luck


----------



## ANewSawyer

Muff modded EB802rt turning 7,700k good enough for me! I don't have to have the best but it should do what I need. I can replace the fan, if it gives out.

And I agree that Stihl dropped the ball on the BR700.


----------



## vw_motorsports

ANewSawyer said:


> Muff modded EB802rt turning 7,700k good enough for me! I don't have to have the best but it should do what I need. I can replace the fan, if it gives out.


Is your carb adjustable or did you re-jet it?


----------



## ANewSawyer

The factory carb is high low adjustable with a micro d driver, which I am ordering off amazon. I have a $15 chinese carb on it, which is also fully adjustable. I put a half inch hole in the mufflers deflector plate. I don't actually know what the upper limit of the rpms is, could probably push it up some more by opening that hole. I haven't leaned it out that much. It is four stroking at around 7400k. Leans out at the upper 7700k. Manual states that the power rpm is 7500. I see that the 580 BTs has a four bolt fan mount, so does the EB802. Who is up for a hybrid?!


----------



## vw_motorsports

If you don't mind can you PM the link for the micro D tool. I have a micro D, but partially damaged the tip. I filed it square but I'd like to get another. My local dealers are scared to death to sell me one, even though they can have the old one if Echo wants it returned.

I modded my 580bfs, I did the .085 main jet upgrade then stepped up the jet, then a muffler mod. It's a pain with the fixed jet but workable...plus the jets are cheap.

The 755 fan uses a 4 bolt as well but I believe the bolt hole circumference was different. I think the Shiny is a smaller dia bolt pattern


----------



## vw_motorsports

using the redmax fan might be doable, I did a 560bts with a 580 engine, with the 560 fan, the 580 carb ran very rich because the 560 fan didn't have the cfm's of the 580 fan...I was able to install the 580 fan in a 560 volute but had to use a 580 hub. The only issue you have to be careful about is making sure there is enough air going over the cylinder so it doesn't overheat.


----------



## ANewSawyer

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUSQVARNA-F...060421?hash=item43e9f69605:g:g3IAAOSwuAVWxfjc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shindaiwa-E...651363?hash=item2ef36f4563:g:lBkAAOSwMtxXvLMZ

For comparison. I think the pattern is larger on the 802 fan. Hard to tell though. Maybe some tech wizard could figure out the size based on number of pixels. I am not that good.


----------



## vw_motorsports

ANewSawyer said:


> http://www.ebay.com/itm/HUSQVARNA-F...060421?hash=item43e9f69605:g:g3IAAOSwuAVWxfjc
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shindaiwa-E...651363?hash=item2ef36f4563:g:lBkAAOSwMtxXvLMZ
> 
> For comparison. I think the pattern is larger on the 802 fan. Hard to tell though. Maybe some tech wizard could figure out the size based on number of pixels. I am not that good.


but you can see the difference in fan design


----------



## ANewSawyer

Yes, I can. I don't know if it would work or not. The shindaiwa has some reinforcement on the back which the husky lacks. I don't know if the reinforcement moves enough any air to matter or not.


----------



## Husky187

blsnelling said:


> No thanks. Same engine, but heavier blower. More volume, but significantly less velocity.



- How come you never considered the Husky at the beginning of the shootout? I only have time to read through the first 12 pages...


----------



## gmcman

Husky187 said:


> - How come you never considered the Husky at the beginning of the shootout? I only have time to read through the first 12 pages...



I want to speculate he would have, but that blower wasn't available in 2011...


----------



## Rockjock

We are sold out of the BR700 and that speaks volumes. The landscapers that buy it are not second guessing the purchase. For the vast majority of our customers there is no comparison.. it is all about service and getting the blower back in action. For us No company can boast parts next day other than Stihl. I have run both blowers quite a bit, I have no blown many leaves but have demoed it by blowing zero turn batteries across the shop floor. That pretty much gets the wallets to open up.


----------



## ANewSawyer

What type of battery? What weight? I saw a vid of a 580 blowing a gallon jug of water around on an asphalt driveway. Let me try to find that.


----------



## gmcman

Rockjock said:


> We are sold out of the BR700 and that speaks volumes. The landscapers that buy it are not second guessing the purchase. For the vast majority of our customers there is no comparison.. it is all about service and getting the blower back in action. For us No company can boast parts next day other than Stihl. I have run both blowers quite a bit, I have no blown many leaves but have demoed it by blowing zero turn batteries across the shop floor. That pretty much gets the wallets to open up.




There's no doubt the 700 is a fine blower, it just doesn't look like a substantial upgrade over the 600. If you don't have a blower, then I can see the attraction, but if you're looking to upgrade, I would rather spend $30 more for the Husky 580.


----------



## mikefunaro

I have two redmax ebz 7500 and couldn't be more happy with them. IMO the new BR 700 is a total cop out. Push the CFM over the redmax 8500 by 4 cfm while dropping the MPH down by 40 and call it a win? yeah right. The weights are basically the same too...2 pounds out of 24...either way they are not light but also not all that hard to wear. The 7500 blows so well and the ground scour is phenomenal. At this point I'm convinced that the 4 mix is an inferior product, you can see that they're movign away from it as we speak. Time to make way for the ARASHI.


----------



## 166

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk


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## opinion

You're all acting like Sawtroll... specs, specs, specs. Why not take the Echo approach and just try it? The BR 700 is a big imrpovement over the 600. The weight isn't noticeable on the frame but is on the tube.


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## Rockjock

gmcman said:


> There's no doubt the 700 is a fine blower, it just doesn't look like a substantial upgrade over the 600. If you don't have a blower, then I can see the attraction, but if you're looking to upgrade, I would rather spend $30 more for the Husky 580.




Actually you are partly right but once both have been run or a landscaper comes in for a replacement all that is left is to write up the bill for the 700 and call it a day. Upgrade it is, I can only speak about how it is selling in my part of the world. Also no landscaper would touch a husky around here. Not because the quality is lacking, it is the dismal dealer network. There is none. We service all brands where I am at, but when you need your equipment back right quick and I am waiting 2 weeks for a part from Husqvarna, Echo, and alike you get a bad taste in your mouth.


----------



## Tired Squirrel

In my part of the world....with the landscapers, tree guys and lawn services Redmax and Husqvarna are by far the most widely used. Stihl and echo on occasion but nothing close to the numbers you see with the other two. Sorry I don't have any model numbers for ya.


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## GrassGuerilla

Rockjock said:


> Actually you are partly right but once both have been run or a landscaper comes in for a replacement all that is left is to write up the bill for the 700 and call it a day. Upgrade it is, I can only speak about how it is selling in my part of the world. Also no landscaper would touch a husky around here. Not because the quality is lacking, it is the dismal dealer network. There is none. We service all brands where I am at, but when you need your equipment back right quick and I am waiting 2 weeks for a part from Husqvarna, Echo, and alike you get a bad taste in your mouth.



I'd like to add a little to this. When you depend on your tools to earn your living, it pays to go mainstream. If the pros in your area use one brand overwhelmingly, pay attention. Chances are, someone locally is supporting them well. It does little good to have the "best there is" if when you need a simple part it isn't available for days/weeks. I've had a Hustler mower for several years now. Amazingly well built. Solid design. Trouble is precious few local dealers . And of those, nobody stocks much for parts (they're built well enough you won't need many). So when you do, you're screwed... Ferris or Exmark are a different story. Very well supported. Need a part? Get it same day or next most of the time.

So as much as I hate to admit it, on some level I regret buying one of the best mowers I've ever owned. Make sense?

Now, back to backpack blowers. The above explanation is why in my area at least, Redmax or Stihl are the choice of most pros. For handheld blowers, it's Stihl all day, everyday. Redmax gets my money for backpacks.


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## gmcman

Rockjock said:


> Actually you are partly right but once both have been run or a landscaper comes in for a replacement all that is left is to write up the bill for the 700 and call it a day. Upgrade it is, I can only speak about how it is selling in my part of the world. Also no landscaper would touch a husky around here. Not because the quality is lacking, it is the dismal dealer network. There is none. We service all brands where I am at, but when you need your equipment back right quick and I am waiting 2 weeks for a part from Husqvarna, Echo, and alike you get a bad taste in your mouth.



I understand what you're saying, ...however I'm not a landscaper and I haven't had any major issues with any 2-cycle equipment I've owned regardless of manufacturer. Regular maintenance, fresh fuel (alot of non-ethanol) high quality oil, etc....I take care of my stuff. If I was a landscaper or ran a company, I would look at the local dealer support and equipment that was economical to operate. As a homeowner with a good acre of leaves plus the forest that surrounds me which dumps 3 times the leaves that my own trees treat me with,as well as many hard to reach areas, I don't want to spend a lot of time cleaning up or at least minimize the time or make it easier. I want the most powerful blower I can get so my personal dilemma comes down to $30 more for the Husky over the Stihl, but with a step backwards in ergonomics with the Husky.

Now with that being said, I know you have to factor in not just the specs, but the design of the unit. My BR600 blows more air with the open tube, but with the smaller tip the air stream is much more controlled and forceful. 

As I said before, the 700 is a fine blower and I'm sure it suits the customer base more than adequately. I would liked to have seen a blower that had similar performance to the Redmax/Husky with the ergonomics of the Stihl. The throttle grip of the Stihl is superior...the Husky is too close to the tube but that's a minor complaint. I'm fairly confident the 700 would suit my needs, but I really want the added airspeed for my personal needs.



GrassGuerilla said:


> I'd like to add a little to this. When you depend on your tools to earn your living, it pays to go mainstream. If the pros in your area use one brand overwhelmingly, pay attention. Chances are, someone locally is supporting them well. It does little good to have the "best there is" if when you need a simple part it isn't available for days/weeks. I've had a Hustler mower for several years now. Amazingly well built. Solid design. Trouble is precious few local dealers . And of those, nobody stocks much for parts (they're built well enough you won't need many). So when you do, you're screwed... Ferris or Exmark are a different story. Very well supported. Need a part? Get it same day or next most of the time.
> 
> So as much as I hate to admit it, on some level I regret buying one of the best mowers I've ever owned. Make sense?
> 
> Now, back to backpack blowers. The above explanation is why in my area at least, Redmax or Stihl are the choice of most pros. For handheld blowers, it's Stihl all day, everyday. Redmax gets my money for backpacks.



I agree, but for me it's not an issue of making a living with the equipment so yes, it's best to choose within your local networks and use what will profit the most if you are running a business. 

I have a strong Husqvarna and Stihl dealer network in my area. My local Husky dealer carries a large selection of equipment from top handle saws, homeowner and XP saws, blowers, lawn and garden tractors and zero turns. They also have a good deal of Stihl equipment so I'm fortunate in that regard.

The BR700 feels better on my back but the Husky isn't that bad. I don't have a Redmax dealer near me but the Husky 580 is basically the same as the 8500.

So all in all, what you both are saying makes sense from a business/financial standpoint. I think the 700 would suit my needs rather well, but it's a tough choice if you already have the 600...for me anyway.


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## 166

There is a new player to the big backpack blower club coming very soon. 

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk


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## gmcman

166 said:


> There is a new player to the big backpack blower club coming very soon.
> 
> Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk



Would this be the rumored Echo??

I will surely be keeping an eye on whatever makes the news.


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## TreeswingerPerth

I have a Stihl 550 , never had any bother with it . My brother has the echo and it's a bit of a beast , when it's time to change I'm going for the echo .


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## ANewSawyer

I guess the br700 is an upgrade over the BR600 in a bizaar way but I don't know how it stacks against the Husqvarna 580. Almost exclusively, I see Redmax blowers on the local landscaper trucks. Which is funny because the nearest dealer, was an hour drive until a new dealer ship opened 2 years ago. But I was seeing Redmax blowers before that.


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## gmcman

166 said:


> There is a new player to the big backpack blower club coming very soon.
> 
> Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk



Suspense is killin me btw.


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## 166

gmcman said:


> Suspense is killin me btw.


Waiting for some more guesses. 

Brand starts with M and ends with A. 

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk


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## bryanr2

166 said:


> Waiting for some more guesses.
> 
> Brand starts with M and ends with A.
> 
> Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk



is it a 4 stroke or 2?


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## 7sleeper

You mean the Dolmar PB-7650.4?

Looks really impressive!

7


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## Stowe Boy

166 said:


> Waiting for some more guesses.
> 
> Brand starts with M and ends with A.
> 
> Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk



So a perennial non-player is suddenly going to be a major player in the backpack blower market? I find that hard to believe. 

Back in the 80s, I was told Yugos were going to great economy cars. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 7sleeper

Stowe Boy said:


> So a perennial non-player is suddenly going to be a major player in the backpack blower market? I find that hard to believe.


Obviously you suffer from a reading/understanding disorder. I never read anything about someone becoming a major player over night. I was so free as to quote it below so that you can reread it again and hopefully all questionable fragments will become clear again.



166 said:


> There is a new player to the big backpack blower club coming very soon.



7


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## 166

Still no guesses on the brand. It's not Makita like some of you thought. 

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk


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## Stowe Boy

Maruyama. 

Have heard a couple of people claiming to be in the know say their new one will be close to the redmax. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Stowe Boy

7sleeper said:


> Obviously you suffer from a reading/understanding disorder. I never read anything about someone becoming a major player over night. I was so free as to quote it below so that you can reread it again and hopefully all questionable fragments will become clear again.
> 
> 
> 
> 7



No disorder, 7. 

I read the subject to be "What's the best backpacker blower on the market?" And know the thread was started a while ago. 

I read a comment that there was a new player coming to market. (I am excited to read someone generating talk of new products.)

I know that these threads frequently derail from the original subject, but have not followed this one as doing so. 

I have been part of several best debates in my life. Few have had a strong candidate for best that is not viewed as a major player in the respective field.

My intent was only to question how a product not yet on the market could be considered "best".

No disorder. No offense intended. 

166, interested to hear more. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mikefunaro

The interesting thing is where there _is _good and comparable dealer support for brands, the better product will prevail. 

When I was at school in NH, Redmax really didn't have a foothold, and the husky versions weren't really out, and so echo was a very popular blower due to acceptable performance and good dealer support. In downstate NY markets, there are tons of redmax dealers, and so the superior blower easily outsells the echo backpacks, of which I see few.


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## gmcman

I actually have a few dealers somewhat close to me, looks like the end of leaf season for the release but here's some info. Seems pretty impressive, the tornado tip boosts the CFM but it appears to work well based on the dealers experience. I've never heard of Maruyama, but they seem to have a following.

Sure looks a lot like the redmax.


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## mikefunaro

day late/buck short type situation w that release date


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## ANewSawyer

At least it doesn't use that silly combined cruise control/kill switch. That was one thing I don't like about the redmax/husky blowers.


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## 166

It will not be released until spring. We did have a demo unit a couple days ago but it did not have the tornado tip. 

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk


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## Rockjock

166 said:


> It will not be released until spring. We did have a demo unit a couple days ago but it did not have the tornado tip.
> 
> Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk



What would it be sans tip? on other models it seems to add 155 cfm. So 863 cfmish?


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## gmcman

My dealer said it will be avail in January, looks like the hip mounted throttle is the one avail in March.


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## gmcman

I'm not fond of the extended length tube to incorporate the nozzle, looks rather cumbersome especially in tight areas.

I would also rather see a machine thats capable of those numbers on brute force alone. With what's available now, it appears the performance levels have almost plateaued and the top 4 blowers are very close in overall performance with the slight edge to the big 900 CFM units. 

I feel the BR700, EBZ8500, 580 BTS are all very capable and would suit most needs very well.

However I truly believe there's a market for high end models, and people don't mind paying a little extra for them. I can't imagine it's very hard to manufacture, or use a current larger engine, larger blower, larger tubes, to generate big time airflow numbers.

Would it be more $$$, you bet. There are people who use Stihl 880's, Husky 3120's, drive ZR1's Vipers and AMG 63's. Make a big blower and someone will buy it, probably alot more than some think. Surely R&D has a cost but it's a safe bet they would sell...why hold out, we're not getting any younger, leaves are still falling.


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## ANewSawyer

The add calls it a bl9000 but the sticker on the starter says cer800


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## huskyboy

My husqvarna 560bts has the same power as a br600 but is cheaper and easier to maintain. Better straps and weighs same as a br600 as well.


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## Jimbo209

166 said:


> Still no guesses on the brand. It's not Makita like some of you thought.
> 
> Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk


Mayurmana?? 
(edit) Guessed before reading that it was. 
Have the small blower and vac handheld but which I could MM and retune it.

Sent from West Coast AUS


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## Jimbo209

Need a better clean up blower for tree(and hedge/lawn) service then the bg86 and maruyama bl3210 

Just grabbed a br500 from the swap meet for $80 will clean and run tomorrow, should I drop it off to the dealer for a valve check?? 

I have been looking at these previously even just for the fractional price tag, 2 stroke engine and will do service myself
What about blowers like these ebay models. Do any look like the redmax or clone models

$319 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-MTM-...rcial-2-Stroke-Garden-Yard-Hand-/131725910427
$269 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-MTM-...088065?hash=item58d5bd7fc1:g:BegAAOSwx2dYCzr0

$999 for the br600/br700/570bts 
http://www.husqvarna.com/au/products/blowers/
http://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Produ...s-and-Mistblowers/01578/Backpack-Blowers.aspx

Sent from West Coast AUS


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## Rockjock

Jimbo209 said:


> Need a better clean up blower for tree(and hedge/lawn) service then the bg86 and maruyama bl3210
> 
> Just grabbed a br500 from the swap meet for $80 will clean and run tomorrow, should I drop it off to the dealer for a valve check??
> 
> I have been looking at these previously even just for the fractional price tag, 2 stroke engine and will do service myself
> What about blowers like these ebay models. Do any look like the redmax or clone models
> 
> $319 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-MTM-...rcial-2-Stroke-Garden-Yard-Hand-/131725910427
> $269 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-MTM-...088065?hash=item58d5bd7fc1:g:BegAAOSwx2dYCzr0
> 
> $999 for the br600/br700/570bts
> http://www.husqvarna.com/au/products/blowers/
> http://www.stihl.com.au/STIHL-Produ...s-and-Mistblowers/01578/Backpack-Blowers.aspx
> 
> Sent from West Coast AUS




You can buy the kit and do it yourself. Very easy process.


----------



## BIG JAKE

mikefunaro said:


> I have two redmax ebz 7500 and couldn't be more happy with them. IMO the new BR 700 is a total cop out. Push the CFM over the redmax 8500 by 4 cfm while dropping the MPH down by 40 and call it a win? yeah right. The weights are basically the same too...2 pounds out of 24...either way they are not light but also not all that hard to wear. The 7500 blows so well and the ground scour is phenomenal. At this point I'm convinced that the 4 mix is an inferior product, you can see that they're movign away from it as we speak. Time to make way for the ARASHI.


If you haven't compared them side by side using quantifiable/scientific testing methods then you don't know what your talking about. Cfm and air speed should be measured at the end of the nozzle, not the elbow. If it doesn't say then it was probably tested at the elbow for better numbers, aka hype and BS.

Now my opinion. the overall design and ergonomics matter. I don't personally like the air filtration design on the husky or red max units looks like a cheap after thought that is 3 times more likely to suck dirt (which we we have a lot of around here), and break off the first time something drops on it. Hate the cheap bolt on gas tanks too in favor of the Stihl design and the air filter is tucked away and protected without the stupid snorkel. So I bought a br 600. Love it. I'm sure the others are good chevy vs ford run what you want. BTW around here commercial outfits run Stihl mostly.


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## gary courtney

i have an echo 770 .almost bowls me over at full throttle


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## mikefunaro

BIG JAKE said:


> If you haven't compared them side by side using quantifiable/scientific testing methods then you don't know what your talking about. Cfm and air speed should be measured at the end of the nozzle, not the elbow. If it doesn't say then it was probably tested at the elbow for better numbers, aka hype and BS.
> 
> Now my opinion. the overall design and ergonomics matter. I don't personally like the air filtration design on the husky or red max units looks like a cheap after thought that is 3 times more likely to suck dirt (which we we have a lot of around here), and break off the first time something drops on it. Hate the cheap bolt on gas tanks too in favor of the Stihl design and the air filter is tucked away and protected without the stupid snorkel. So I bought a br 600. Love it. I'm sure the others are good chevy vs ford run what you want. BTW around here commercial outfits run Stihl mostly.



Do you think that the big silver stack canister air filters on a westernstar 4900 truck look like a cheap afterthought?

Re the air numbers: Stihl, RM, Husky and everyone else now specify air at tube vs air at elbow. Unlike for push blowers, there is now a standard testing convention for BP blowers so the whole oh they tested it differently argument doesn't really hold up. You can go on youtube and watch videos of the guys who make PVC pipe towers with balls or whatever in them and watch how high the balls go...the RM 7500 outperforms the BR 600 and the 8500 definitely outperforms the BR 600. I hear what you are saying on the BR 600 and 700 being more sealed, finished looking units whereas you could see a redmax as looking a little bit more cobbled...it's also a priorities type thing. They could wrap the whole thing in a plastic shroud if they wanted to.


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## mikefunaro

I'll also say I care more about the performance and reliability of the equipment. I have two pieces of 4-mix equipment out of 20+ pieces of other outdoor power equip and they are by far the most problematic, tempermental units that I have. I wish I could get a redmax powerhead or at least just a stihl strato power head to run all the kombi stuff I have because I have 5+ attachments for the KM-90 powerhead I have.


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## mikefunaro

I just see the BR 700 as being a cop out as the weight now approaches the weight of the redmax units despite everyone praising the BR 600 for being a whole two pounds lighter, they managed to beat the CFM numbers on the top redmax by 4 cfm (omg) yet they dropped the MPH by 40 mph but somehow everyone who bleeds melted creamsickle is suddenly beating the CFM drum.


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## Rockjock

mikefunaro said:


> I just see the BR 700 as being a cop out as the weight now approaches the weight of the redmax units despite everyone praising the BR 600 for being a whole two pounds lighter, they managed to beat the CFM numbers on the top redmax by 4 cfm (omg) yet they dropped the MPH by 40 mph but somehow everyone who bleeds melted creamsickle is suddenly beating the CFM drum.



I guess I need a bigger fridge for all the creamsickles I need to order. Since the br700 came out I have been selling the steady, and that is to those that run these machines 8 hours a day everyday. I have not had a single guy or gal come in an say it is too heavy nor that it lacks power. It is 1 thing to look at specs on paper then there is the real world.


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## CR888

mikefunaro said:


> I'll also say I care more about the performance and reliability of the equipment. I have two pieces of 4-mix equipment out of 20+ pieces of other outdoor power equip and they are by far the most problematic, tempermental units that I have. I wish I could get a redmax powerhead or at least just a stihl strato power head to run all the kombi stuff I have because I have 5+ attachments for the KM-90 powerhead I have.



Get the KM94 2mix two stroke powerhead if you don't like the 4mix, I have one and its pretty light/good.


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## Brad Krause

*3-Year Update:*
(2-year update)
(1-year update)

(I usually post an update in Fall, but did not have the opportunity last year to do so. This is the update that would normally be posted in Fall of 2017.)

Remembering I detailed a specific need for excessive power to rip & launch wet oak leaves from long grass into wooded land bordered by wild black raspberries previously in this thread...

The RedMax EBZ8500RH two-stroke backpack blower (recommended here as the most powerful backpack blower) continues to start on the first pull and run well and without issue on 93 octane fuel and Stihl HP Ultra oil mixed slightly rich (40:1 instead of 50:1). (The laws keep changing and it seems WI has ethanol in every grade of fuel except "premium," hence running 93 octane instead of 89.

Cleaning the yard this year was a breeze thanks to more moss and less grass, so I pushed the leaves back farther into the woods, hoping to grow natural grass for the deer to eat over winter. The scraper nozzle (add-on purchase) wasn't needed, just the constrictor nozzle from the EBZ7500 (add-on purchase). This time the leaves were "mostly dry" and the leaf piles were already pushed past the border and into the the woods from last year, allowing the new leaves to cleanly jet in without issue. This setup is much easier to use than having the scraper nozzle on the end.

Time was down to 1 hour for a moderate amount of leaves in the lawn, 7/8 throttle and one tank of gas. I burned another tank of gas at full throttle when pushing the leaves back further into the woods.

Given noise is not a concern and the property is large, the RedMax was a huge advantage over the Stihl BR600 Magnum.

The Stihl KombiSystem is running well, although I would not want to go smaller than the KM 130 R engine (heavy, but tons of power, and I really like the power*). No issues at all, with the attachments or engine, everything works mostly like new, but attachments are due for tear-down and inspection. The blower is still doing okay with what seems to be slightly loose bearings, but other than the fan vibrating a bit everything is working fine. The chainsaw, tiller, string trimmer, are all great, the multi-angle-head hedge trimmer seems to be heating up a bit and needs a tear-down to check on the internals. All the steel pole extensions are fine with no issues.

Thanks again for the up-front advice before buying all this, you've made my work much easier!


*Please remember I'm a big guy who wants to power through tough jobs, these tools are pretty heavy for the average person.


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## lone wolf

Brad Krause said:


> *3-Year Update:*
> (2-year update)
> (1-year update)
> 
> (I usually post an update in Fall, but did not have the opportunity last year to do so. This is the update that would normally be posted in Fall of 2017.)
> 
> Remembering I detailed a specific need for excessive power to rip & launch wet oak leaves from long grass into wooded land bordered by wild black raspberries previously in this thread...
> 
> The RedMax EBZ8500RH two-stroke backpack blower (recommended here as the most powerful backpack blower) continues to start on the first pull and run well and without issue on 93 octane fuel and Stihl HP Ultra oil mixed slightly rich (40:1 instead of 50:1). (The laws keep changing and it seems WI has ethanol in every grade of fuel except "premium," hence running 93 octane instead of 89.
> 
> Cleaning the yard this year was a breeze thanks to more moss and less grass, so I pushed the leaves back farther into the woods, hoping to grow natural grass for the deer to eat over winter. The scraper nozzle (add-on purchase) wasn't needed, just the constrictor nozzle from the EBZ7500 (add-on purchase). This time the leaves were "mostly dry" and the leaf piles were already pushed past the border and into the the woods from last year, allowing the new leaves to cleanly jet in without issue. This setup is much easier to use than having the scraper nozzle on the end.
> 
> Time was down to 1 hour for a moderate amount of leaves in the lawn, 7/8 throttle and one tank of gas. I burned another tank of gas at full throttle when pushing the leaves back further into the woods.
> 
> Given noise is not a concern and the property is large, the RedMax was a huge advantage over the Stihl BR600 Magnum.
> 
> The Stihl KombiSystem is running well, although I would not want to go smaller than the KM 130 R engine (heavy, but tons of power, and I really like the power*). No issues at all, with the attachments or engine, everything works mostly like new, but attachments are due for tear-down and inspection. The blower is still doing okay with what seems to be slightly loose bearings, but other than the fan vibrating a bit everything is working fine. The chainsaw, tiller, string trimmer, are all great, the multi-angle-head hedge trimmer seems to be heating up a bit and needs a tear-down to check on the internals. All the steel pole extensions are fine with no issues.
> 
> Thanks again for the up-front advice before buying all this, you've made my work much easier!
> 
> 
> *Please remember I'm a big guy who wants to power through tough jobs, these tools are pretty heavy for the average person.


Stihl has a redesigned HT 132 pole saw out now.


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## PogoInTheWoods

And a BR700...


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## Brad Krause

lone wolf said:


> Stihl has a redesigned HT 132 pole saw out now.


The STIHL HT 132 is a fixed-length shaft with an overall length of 7'. The chain is STIHL's proprietary 1/4" STIHL PICCO™ Micro™ 3 (PM3) saw chain.

The HT-KM Pole Pruner uses the same 1/4" PICCO chain, has a 12" bar, is somewhere around 6' in overall length, but when combined with multiple 37" HT-KM Shaft Extensions (steel, less flex than carbon fiber) can reach a long, long way. (I've used 5 of the 37" extensions on a KM 130R engine, but that's not advisable).



PogoInTheWoods said:


> And a BR700...


I understand he BR700 is a BR600 with a higher volume fan at the expense of nozzle speed, which isn't a bad thing if the debris is light and dry. With the RedMax I can have insane nozzle speed via the scraper, incredible volume via the stock EBZ8500 nozzle, or a balance via the EBZ7500 nozzle. (Remember I'm over 6' tall and added one extra extension pipe to extend the length of the discharge tube and blow out more rather than down.)


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## backhoelover

They is a stihl br 800 listed on e biz see if I can get a pic


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## sawfun

The 133 is likely the extended Pole saw.


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## lone wolf

sawfun said:


> The 133 is likely the extended Pole saw.


Yes.


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## sawfun

I have a 131 for occasional orchard work. Nobody gets to borrow it. I have the ht250 as well but am warming up a lot to the much heavier 131.


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## lone wolf

sawfun said:


> I have a 131 for occasional orchard work. Nobody gets to borrow it. I have the ht250 as well but am warming up a lot to the much heavier 131.


If they borrow it they might bend the shaft.


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## sawfun

lone wolf said:


> If they borrow it they might bend the shaft.


That's guaranteed. I already had a buddy want to cut with it that didn't want to start at the end of a branch and work in or pay attention to the tension/compression aspect. I told him I would make any needed cuts. He questioned me and never did get it, bit I didn't get a bent shaft or tube that way either. While I'm certainly no pro, too many armchair experts with little to no experience, I find.


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## cus_deluxe

4mix may be great for trimmers, but ive seen too many br600s that run for 200 hrs ( or less) and then completely **** the bed. Maybe they got the br700 to stand up to long periods of WOT, but Redmax imo is still the only way to go on backpacks.


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## Brad Krause

cus_deluxe said:


> 4mix may be great for trimmers, but ive seen too many br600s that run for 200 hrs ( or less) and then completely **** the bed. Maybe they got the br700 to stand up to long periods of WOT, but Redmax imo is still the only way to go on backpacks.


I think the 50:1 2-stroke mix is too lean, especially if the fuel has an ethanol blend. I run 40:1 Stihl oil with non-ethanol fuel and still burn clean (no smoke) in the Stihl KM 130R and the RedMax, both start on one pull. From other engines I've worked on I'm guessing the 93 octane ethanol-free fuel is too high of octane, and if ethanol-free 91--or better yet 89 were available I'd use that.

I don't know what to say on the 4-strokes other than the members in this thread said to get a 2-stroke and for me it's been great advice--no problems and all smiles.

The video *CR888 *posted is valuable as it relates to real-world blowing. Note the RedMax is heavy, loud, and burns fuel, and it does get large jobs done quickly. It's not the best tool for every job, it's a big tool for big jobs where a backpack is preferred to a walk-behind blower.


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## lone wolf

Brad Krause said:


> The STIHL HT 132 is a fixed-length shaft with an overall length of 7'. The chain is STIHL's proprietary 1/4" STIHL PICCO™ Micro™ 3 (PM3) saw chain.
> 
> The HT-KM Pole Pruner uses the same 1/4" PICCO chain, has a 12" bar, is somewhere around 6' in overall length, but when combined with multiple 37" HT-KM Shaft Extensions (steel, less flex than carbon fiber) can reach a long, long way. (I've used 5 of the 37" extensions on a KM 130R engine, but that's not advisable).
> 
> 
> I understand he BR700 is a BR600 with a higher volume fan at the expense of nozzle speed, which isn't a bad thing if the debris is light and dry. With the RedMax I can have insane nozzle speed via the scraper, incredible volume via the stock EBZ8500 nozzle, or a balance via the EBZ7500 nozzle. (Remember I'm over 6' tall and added one extra extension pipe to extend the length of the discharge tube and blow out more rather than down.)


You know what you are right I was thinking of an HT 133


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## Brad Krause

lone wolf said:


> You know what you are right I was thinking of an HT 133


The HT 133 (15.9 lbs, 7'6" to 11'6") is basically the same as the

KM 131 R + HT-KM Pole Pruner (14.7 lbs, 37" + 49.6" = 86.6" = 7'3") with the option of adding a

HT-KM Shaft Extension (+3.2lbs = 17.9 lbs, +37" = 123.6" = 10'3"), except more extensions (3 max. suggested) can be added for a

total of 24.3lbs, 197.6" = 16'5". Although it's not suggested and quite a balancing chore, I've added (and don't recommend)

5 sections (30.7 lbs, 271.6" = 22'7").


Obviously great care must be used when adding extensions, and if 3 are used I think it's best to add 2 to the saw head, hold the assembly with it leaning against the tree in a vertical orientation and add the third extension (5 extensions maximum), walk it further up the tree and add the engine, then carefully saw the limb. An alternative is to assemble the engine, extensions, and saw on the ground then lift the assembly from the saw end over your head and keep increasing the angle while walking toward the engine (3 extensions maximum). This helps prevent bending a shaft, and great care must be taken. Using five extensions as I did becomes quite precarious and I don't recommend doing it. Adding a sixth extension is just asking for disaster in my opinion, as five extensions is barely manageable (and hence not advisable).


The nice part about the Kombi system is the engine can be used to power a string trimmer/blade, hedge trimmer (with optional extension), sweeper, edger, blower, etc. Returning to the topic, the blower has the most power with the largest motor, and makes a great compliment to a backpack blower when cleaning sidewalks and small driveways, porches, stoops, patios, etc. Being a Stihl the engine is quiet by comparison to other engines, and is fuel efficient and reliable, plus is comparable with low-end backpack blowers. If a lower-end blower is all that's needed, it might be better to get a KM 131 R to reduce the number of machines to store/transport/maintain, even if the job takes a little longer to finish, as the overall cost might be lower.

By the way, I have a request for a RedMax EBZ8500RH Service Manual in the Beg For Manuals thread.


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## PogoInTheWoods

backhoelover said:


> They is a stihl br 800 listed on e biz see if I can get a pic



No such animal.


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## PogoInTheWoods

I stand corrected. This just popped up on YouTube recently. Evidently is a BR700 with a variety of ergonomic changes and improvements. Too bad it didn't include a 3-Step Proactiv Kit for the overly excitable dude.

​


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## Mycrossover

Based on what I read here, I went with the Husky that is the corresponding model to the top of the line Red Max. By all accounts, the only difference, besides the color, is the harness. The back pad design is quite different. I read that the Husky was more comfortable and after trying both, I agreed but that is something the OP can easily check out for himself. Anothor option on both is where the controls are located. They are either on a swing down stalk on your left side or on the blower tube hand grip. My dealer said pros usually go for the stalk because the hand grip design has a longer cable that can get tangled in shrubbery or on the truck but the easier to use hand grip sells better with home owners. I went with the hand grip, as I am not a pro and it is more convenient. I am happy with my choice.


Brad Krause said:


> *3-Year Update:*
> (2-year update)
> (1-year update)
> 
> (I usually post an update in Fall, but did not have the opportunity last year to do so. This is the update that would normally be posted in Fall of 2017.)
> 
> Remembering I detailed a specific need for excessive power to rip & launch wet oak leaves from long grass into wooded land bordered by wild black raspberries previously in this thread...
> 
> The RedMax EBZ8500RH two-stroke backpack blower (recommended here as the most powerful backpack blower) continues to start on the first pull and run well and without issue on 93 octane fuel and Stihl HP Ultra oil mixed slightly rich (40:1 instead of 50:1). (The laws keep changing and it seems WI has ethanol in every grade of fuel except "premium," hence running 93 octane instead of 89.
> 
> Cleaning the yard this year was a breeze thanks to more moss and less grass, so I pushed the leaves back farther into the woods, hoping to grow natural grass for the deer to eat over winter. The scraper nozzle (add-on purchase) wasn't needed, just the constrictor nozzle from the EBZ7500 (add-on purchase). This time the leaves were "mostly dry" and the leaf piles were already pushed past the border and into the the woods from last year, allowing the new leaves to cleanly jet in without issue. This setup is much easier to use than having the scraper nozzle on the end.
> 
> Time was down to 1 hour for a moderate amount of leaves in the lawn, 7/8 throttle and one tank of gas. I burned another tank of gas at full throttle when pushing the leaves back further into the woods.
> 
> Given noise is not a concern and the property is large, the RedMax was a huge advantage over the Stihl BR600 Magnum.
> 
> The Stihl KombiSystem is running well, although I would not want to go smaller than the KM 130 R engine (heavy, but tons of power, and I really like the power*). No issues at all, with the attachments or engine, everything works mostly like new, but attachments are due for tear-down and inspection. The blower is still doing okay with what seems to be slightly loose bearings, but other than the fan vibrating a bit everything is working fine. The chainsaw, tiller, string trimmer, are all great, the multi-angle-head hedge trimmer seems to be heating up a bit and needs a tear-down to check on the internals. All the steel pole extensions are fine with no issues.
> 
> Thanks again for the up-front advice before buying all this, you've made my work much easier!
> 
> 
> *Please remember I'm a big guy who wants to power through tough jobs, these tools are pretty heavy for the average person.



Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## gmcman

Sorry to bump this thread, I was disappointed in the BR700, Stihl really needed the 800 when the 700 came out. I feel they are late to the game again. That being said, I still have my BR600 and am contemplating the 800.

What would be great...how about a BR900 with at least 250 MPH and 1200 CFM. Make the throttle grip double as a moveable joystick with forward and aft movement to open and close the nozzle for breakout force or max CFM..similar to a jet engine nozzle.


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## RedneckChainsawRepair




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## full chizel

Lol...I actually know that guy Brian^^^^


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## Brad Krause

*5-Year Update:*
(3-year update)
(2-year update)
(1-year update)

Remember I detailed a specific need for excessive power to rip & launch wet oak leaves from long grass into wooded land bordered by wild black raspberries previously in this thread...

The RedMax EBZ8500RH two-stroke backpack blower (recommended here as the most powerful backpack blower) started on the 3rd pull (last-year's fuel wasn't drained) and runs well and without issue on 93 octane fuel and Stihl HP Ultra oil mixed rich (now 32:1 instead of 40:1 previously instead of 50:1 in the owner's manual). (State laws keep changing Wisconsin may now have ethanol in every grade of fuel including some premium" brands, hence running 93 octane instead of 89 and using more oil to lubricate the internals.)

Cleaning the yard this year was a breeze even though the grass was long thanks to it being dry out. The scraper nozzle (add-on purchase) wasn't needed, just the standard and constrictor nozzle from the EBZ7500 (add-on purchase). 

4 hours for the whole yard full of oak leaves, 7/8 throttle and one tank of gas.

The Stihl KombiSystem needs a tuneup and therefore wasn't used this year. The attachments are due for tear-down and inspection. The blower is still doing okay with what seems to be slightly loose bearings, but other than the fan vibrating a bit everything is working fine. The chainsaw attachment was completely plugged up, has a slightly burned bar, and needed the chain sharpened. The string trimmer is getting a bit loose, the multi-angle-head hedge trimmer seems to be heating up a bit and needs a tear-down to check on the internals. All the steel pole extensions are fine with no issues.

Thanks again for the up-front advice before buying all this, you've made my work much easier!


*Please remember I'm a big guy who wants to power through tough jobs, these tools are pretty heavy for the average person.


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## toadman

It might have been mentioned, but does anybody else run a backpack & hand blower at the same time? 
I bought my girlfriend a BR700 stihl because the old BR340 (? stickers worn off but started with a 3) wasn't blasting the leaves away like she wanted & power was her main concern... long story short, I stopped by and ended up running my 10 year old 55 in the left had & the BR 700 on my back & blew me away is not just a pun. 
It normally takes her or me 4-6 hrs with the 700 alone depending on volume & wetness, but with both at once it took me around 2.5 with nearly a whole seasons worth of leaves.


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## Brad Krause

I've done it. Two people working together works well, but the coordination of just one person using two blowers can be far faster at times.

A single large jet of air down the middle of a large & deep leaf row causes the leaves to roll into the jet once a path is cleared, but it works best when leaving a 1-foot blocking wall of leaves so a heavy load doesn't back-blast and scatter, then go back for cleanup. 

With two jets the large one can blast the main pile and the other can alternate between assisting and cleanup. If the wind picks up the smaller jet can stop a backblast by sucking the leaves into the jet and pushing them forward again. The small one can act as an outside trap when getting to the end of a row, forcing the leaves forward instead of them scattering to the side. 

As good as that can be, in wet leaves much of the time the second blower is idling because it doesn't have the power to scrape the leaves out of the grass or push a heavy load, and it destructively interferes with the big blower. Ear plugs and muffs to combat the noise helps, but it's still loud. I'm guessing single-handing the smaller (though still large) blower can lead to arthritis as the hand is carrying the weight of the unit / fighting the blast, plus has no real leverage for directing the nossle unlike using two hands spread apart. (Some people probably use a sling to carry the blower, I should probably pack it and see if that helps.)

Since all the leaves are down in one falling this year I'm done! Looks like saw rebuilds until it's snow season.


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## RED-85-Z51

Got to work on a couple Echo pb8010x blowers this week and son those things are wild, the air flow is insane.

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk


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## sawfun

I've run my BR600 and my Shinny handheld in my left hand. I'm not sure its much better than the 600 is alone though.


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## porsche965

RED-85-Z51 said:


> Got to work on a couple Echo pb8010x blowers this week and son those things are wild, the air flow is insane.
> 
> Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk


What did you do to these animals?


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