What's the best backpack blower on the market?

[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??


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[flyboy]

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

1. Stihl BR600 - LINK
2. Echo PB-770 - LINK
3. Shindaiwa EB802 - LINK
4. Shindaiwa EB8520 - LINK
5. Redmax EBZ8050 - LINK
6. 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]

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]

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.


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[blsnelling]

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]

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]

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 OPE at my work gets beat into the ground physically before the engines blow anyways.

 

[Zombiechopper]

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 OPE 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]

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