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So I posted on another forum planning to get an Echo Backpack Blower but a few people had commented that Stihl is superior. I'm a home owner with a single property and will use mostly for fall cleanup but can see using it for grass clippings during the summer.

I just came back from the dealer who sells both. He said the landscaping guys mostly get the Echo but the Stihl would be perfectly fine for me. He also said that Stihl had previous carb issues but those seem to be worked out. My research showed that Echo had major issues on the 8010 but most seem resolved with the 9010.

On my back, the Stihl felt 5 lbs. lighter and the wand was a lot easier to maneuver - I felt like I could carry it all day. The Echo seemed awkward in comparison and much heavier but is noticeably more powerful (according to research).

My gut is telling me to go with the Stihl as I'm sure it will be a massive upgrade from my old Hitachi hand held (half the CFMs) and not having tried the Echo I won't miss the power.

Before I purchase, would love to hear your opinions - thanks!

Having sold both this is one time where I tell the customer to go with their gut feeling. Both are good units and will do what you would expect out of them. I personally recommend and have Echo products due to their 5 year warranty over Stihl products which only has a 2 year warranty.

Rivets said:

Having sold both this is one time where I tell the customer to go with their gut feeling. Both are good units and will do what you would expect out of them. I personally recommend and have Echo products due to their 5 year warranty over Stihl products which only has a 2 year warranty.

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Thanks for the input!

Stihl has a "double your warranty" if you get a gallon of their moto-mix at time of purchase (and use for residential only). The dealer wasn't sure how this worked so are investigating.

That makes me feel better as now it's only 1 year less.

How can you prove you’ve only used their moto-mix. I’ve never had to warranty a unit under the double warranty, and glad I’m retired so won’t have to find out if it’s just a paper warranty. That said I’ve never been displeased with Stihl’s warranty program. Again I’ll say “Go with your gut”.

Rivets said:

How can you prove you’ve only used their moto-mix. I’ve never had to warranty a unit under the double warranty, and glad I’m retired so won’t have to find out if it’s just a paper warranty. That said I’ve never been displeased with Stihl’s warranty program. Again I’ll say “Go with your gut”.

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No idea. My guess is they just want to sell their moto-mix and are comfortable giving a 4 year warranty. Just a guess though.

I hope I won't have to warranty either.

spta97 said:

No idea. My guess is they just want to sell their moto-mix and are comfortable giving a 4 year warranty. Just a guess though.

I hope I won't have to warranty either.

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The double the warranty by using Stihl synthetic pre-mix has always seemed very weird to me. Anyway, I am a Stihl guy and would go Stihl. The BR800 is a beast of a machine. I do find it very odd that a homeowner would buy this commercial blower, unlike it takes you two long days to do leaves, like it does for me the first part of December.
I also absolutely love Echo products!

Tiger Small Engine said:

The double the warranty by using Stihl synthetic pre-mix has always seemed very weird to me. Anyway, I am a Stihl guy and would go Stihl. The BR800 is a beast of a machine. I do find it very odd that a homeowner would buy this commercial blower, unlike it takes you two long days to do leaves, like it does for me the first part of December.
I also absolutely love Echo products!

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It does take two moderate days. I've always been a fan of buy once, cry once.

Well I finally got a chance to clean up some leaves with the Stihl BR 800 C - WOW! I had to trick it down on my river rocks as it was blowing them out of the garden.

I'm super impressed with the power of this thing. Some of them were wet but dry afterwards lol. I wouldn't want any less power than it has.

The easy start takes a bit of getting used to but overall I didn't have any issues....sans the amount of gas it uses. I blew through a ($10) quart of Motomix for this initial cleanup (about 1.5ish hours). I'm tempted to use regular gas and mix but I do like that it doesn't have ethanol (which I can't find locally). I guess that's the price for power (neither of my vehicles get over ~13 MPG very often).

I still used my handheld as there were some tight areas and it will take me some getting used to having reduced space due to this thing on my back.

Overall I'm super happy with the purchase