Hello –
I am looking at buying a gas leaf blower/mulcher/vacuum. It is just for personal use. I am guessing it will get used about 6-8 times per year. I looked at a couple cheaper ones at menards but wasn’t impressed at all. Anyone have any recommendations? Oh, and I don’t want electric. I currently have an electric one and done messing with the cord! Thanks.
Chad
Stihl commercial and use premium, no ethanol gas and it will last a lifetime!
i would recommend the Stihl line. not cheap but you get what you pay for
I love my Toro, but it is electric.
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i would recommend the Stihl line. not cheap but you get what you pay for
X 2
I have the largest hand held & the largest back pack they offer and they are outstanding.
I too thought I’d use ony a few times per year. I find myseld using all the time.
Back pack would be my suggestion!!!
I have the husqavarna blower/vac and love it! Not sure of the model # but I to use it more than I thought also. Sweeps the garage in 45 secs, blows dustings of snow of the side walk like a charm, and turns 10 bags of leaves into 2! 
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I love my Toro, but it is electric.
X-2
just got one of these myself – love it
light weight and lots power
I went thru many blowers and string trimmers until I bit the bullet and bought Stihl…never looked back. Take a lot of abuse and if taken care of should last you till you push daisies.
Husquvarna X2
I have a Stihl SH85 that I bought a few years ago to replace an El Cheapo Ryobi that lasted 5 hard years.
I’m not impressed with the “legendary” Stihl quality.
I used it once when brand new and it became very hard to start. Took it back to my authroized Stihl servicing dealer. Cracked housing on carb. Repair not possible had to get a whole new carb, part currently on backorder from manu with no ETA. So right off the bat I sat 3 weeks of the fall without the new leaf blower I bought a few weeks earlier. Dealer would not swap out the unit because the part was “coming any day”.
Unit has never been as easy to start as the Ryobi. Dealer claims that is normal and implies that I’m not using the proper starting technique. Since I used chainsaws, brush cutters, blowers, and other 2 stroke equipment in logging and commercial forestry as a job, I can assure you that I have an hour of experience for every 5 minutes the dealer has when it comes to running this stuff.
Buy Husky or Echo would be my advice.
Grouse
I don’t have one to form an opinion, but it sounds like you’re problem is more the dealer than anything else.
I bet if he would have replaced the blower on the spot, you might not have such a bad taste in your mouth regarding Stihl.
I have all Echo.
A Cadillac of the Japanese brands! 
They produced no better!
Mine are 20 to 30 years old. Owning a backpack blower, 2 chain saws, straight shaft line whacker that triples as a garden cultivator, tree blade trimmer (up to 2″ branches in a 1.5 second count), and grass standard line trimmer through the heaver crap. 
I could not be more impressed with my purchases’ from years ago!
Another Stihl guy here. Bought a FS46 trimmer and SH86 blower/vac last year and they work great. Start up easy and I know I can count on them for years.
Grouse….sounds like you got a bad unit and even worse service.
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Grouse….sounds like you got a bad unit and even worse service.
It may be the case, but how’s an individual consumer to know if it’s just bad luck? Very few people buy 20 of the same unit from different dealers such that they can report on the average experience.
Grouse
I’ve got a couple Ryobi tools (whip and blower) that are pushing 20 years. Both still run good. Bought a new Ryobi whip a few years back and its still like new. I wouldnt be afraid of buying that brand. I have a 3 year old Stihl blower which is also like new still.
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Grouse….sounds like you got a bad unit and even worse service.
It may be the case, but how’s an individual consumer to know if it’s just bad luck? Very few people buy 20 of the same unit from different dealers such that they can report on the average experience.
Grouse
Assuming your referring to the service part of it, I guess a guy would not know unless he has had previous dealing there or word of mouth from others……or ya learn just like you did. I would not be going back and would let the manager know what I thought. A 3 week wait would have me requiring them to replace the unit now, or get me my money back.
As far as the machine itself goes, I think the Stihl brand has a good enough reputation that I would certain not look at one single instance like this to make my mind up on the brand in general. No product is 100% perfect, but if you have had multiple bad experiences with the brand then I would expect that would be enough to rule it out.
I have heard good things about Echo as well, but have no experience with them.
Just picked up a new Ryobi for $99. Lightest unit HD carried.
ps-just fired it up. Exhaust through blower tube sounds cool. 
Now it will take 10 years before I can offer any meaningful feedback!
I previously owned an electric blower and then I had the Poulan Pro PPB300E that worked fine for the first couple of times I used it. Then for the next two years it was very hard to start, the engine would not run properly and had to keep it running mingling with the throttle and choke, and when it ran it did not seem to blow as it should have. Now it finally gave its ghost, the engine locked up. Since it was not worth fixing it, I went out and bought the Husqvarna 125B
I had a few surprises:
– At the first touch I noticed how much lighter is than the Poulan. After mounting the air pipe and nozzle, although is so light, it feels “solid”.
– The starting rope can be pulled very easily. In fact so easy that at the first pull, I put my back into it and pulled so hard that I reached the end of the rope probably and the handle just flew out of my hand. I know… you’re not supposed to do that, but it didn’t seem to have hurt it.
– It started at the third pull, which I think is great for a brand new motor.
– Thereafter, I stopped and restarted as I was cleaning the yard several times, and every time it started at the first pull.
– The air speed and the blowing pattern seem to be very good because the dirt blows away really fast, significantly faster than the other blowers I used.
– I love the throttle being mounted on the handle as it gives you nice control over the air speed, especially when you are close to the finish and try to pile up the dirt. Also I love that it has a “cruise control” lever, which you can move to get the desired speed and then you don’t have to hold the throttle, which is helpful on larger areas.
For the Stihl guys they did open a plant in china recently. As of this summer they were only building their cheapest trimmer over there but time will tell if they move more overseas.
Wow, I’ve seen enough Stihl leaf blower recommendations and it’s quite amazing to hear stories like they last a lifetime and is much cheaper than any other brands.
I have the Stihl combination unit with string trimmer, edger, blower, blade brush cutter, and tree trimmer extension saw. Have been very happy with it but Stihl equipment is not cheaper than the competition that’s for sure.
Husquarvaa x3 bought it from lowes last year blows leafs like its meant to be , takes care of garage in seconds, starts every time no problem
This is the one I bought last year.
It’s one of the cheaper backpack style blowers but it has way more power than the comparables. Similar power Husqvarna is close to $100 more.
I’ve had zero problems with it and it’s a BEAST.
Stihl backpack style for the serious jobs and a Toro electric for the small stuff. Both work great! The Stihl is well over 15 years old and was a hand-me-down from my father when we bought our first home. It just keeps running!
I should look into a backpack style one that blows over 200MPH. The electric Toro just doesn’t cut blowing the little leaves of oak trees down hear. Not to mention the hand held (non backpack) style ones will wear you out holding them and they are pretty clunky to use.
Just picked up a new Ryobi for $99. Lightest unit HD carried.
ps-just fired it up. Exhaust through blower tube sounds cool.
Now it will take 10 years before I can offer any meaningful feedback!
Still runs like new.
I have a Husqvarna backpack leaf-blower and a Stihl Backpack blower/sprayer for mosquito control… I love them both so I can’t help you decide which brand is best, but I can say that making the jump to a backpack style blower was a great decision for me. It gets much more use than I’d ever imagined in summer and I’ve even started using it the winter for blowing snow off of the driveway and outdoor vehicles when we get just a dusting.
Will
I have a Husqvarna backpack leaf-blower and a Stihl Backpack blower/sprayer for mosquito control…
Will
Will, what do you spray in your backpack blower/sprayer? My dad has a Stihl blower/sprayer that all of my family ends up using for mosquito control…..just curious what spray others are using.
I don’t recall what we are using now, would have to run and take a look at the bottle. I know I am fully geared up, covered, with a respirator when I go out to spray.
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