Backpack Blower V.S. Handheld

[13obrienjo]

Hey guys I'm new to this sight. I currently mow about 20 yards a week and do landscaping the rest of the week. My hand held Echo leaf blower is starting to die on me. Im trying to figure out if i should just buy another handheld blower or if i should upgrade to a backpack blower. I have a stihl dealership in the area that i really like so i want to go with that brand. One of the problems i have is when it rains i have trouble getting the wet grass and green tire marks off of the customers driveway, would a backpack blower be strong enough to pull the marks off? Also for leaf clean up in the fall what is the power difference and how much time will it realisticly save me blowing leaves exspecially if there wet? The hand held im looking at is 180$ and the back pack is about 500$, next time im at the store i will get the exact models of the ones i was looking at. Any help would be appretiated. Thanks

 

[exotion]

I use the stihl 86 handheld its more power than I need to move wet grass, leaves, pine needles, I can even clean a lawn with it. Mine is a sh (shredder vac) I don't recommend getting the shredder Attachment.

My recommendation is the bg86 hand held more power than you need.

A backpack will serve you well as well and it will provide more power come fall and spring

 

[Mad Mackie]

I had a Stihl 86, good unit for a handheld. Tried a Stihl BR600, bought one, retired the 86.
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::smile:

 

[Ric]

Hey guys I'm new to this sight. I currently mow about 20 yards a week and do landscaping the rest of the week. My hand held Echo leaf blower is starting to die on me. Im trying to figure out if i should just buy another handheld blower or if i should upgrade to a backpack blower. I have a stihl dealership in the area that i really like so i want to go with that brand. One of the problems i have is when it rains i have trouble getting the wet grass and green tire marks off of the customers driveway, would a backpack blower be strong enough to pull the marks off? Also for leaf clean up in the fall what is the power difference and how much time will it realisticly save me blowing leaves exspecially if there wet? The hand held im looking at is 180$ and the back pack is about 500$, next time im at the store i will get the exact models of the ones i was looking at. Any help would be appretiated. Thanks

Many people get confused when looking to buy a leaf blower on how to find out it's blowing strength and it causes many people make the wrong decision when buying. There are a few things on gas powered leaf blowers that are an indication of it's blowing strength. My guess for the price you indicated you're looking at the BR 600

First is CFM, this term designates cubic feet per minute, the BR 600 has 712 CFM means that every minute 712 cubic feet of air volume is pushed through the end of the nozzle, so the higher the cfm the more cubic feet of air volume will be pushed through the nozzle. (That moves debris and or leaves.) Second is MPH, this designates the velocity / speed in which the air escapes the end of the nozzle only. (that doesn't necessarily move leaves) In short, buy the blower with the highest CFM your budget (and yard size) dictates.

The Br 600 has 712 cfm @ 201 mph which is more than enough to do what you want to do. there are others that are more powerful units on the market and cost more money but IMO are overkill in lawn-care or for moving debris. The BR 600 will handle wet stuff with no problem and can save you a ton of time. The other thing that may be of interest is the cost involved in running one or fuel consumption.

	Fuel Consumption (fl. oz. / hr)	Running Time in min / 1 qt of Fuel (min)	Annual Fuel Expenditure	Savings when you use STIHL BR 600
Echo PB 770 T	51.9	37	$1,156.40	$193.85
Echo PB 755 S	52.4	36.6	$1,167.54	$204.99
Husqvarna 570 BTS	52.6	36.5	$1,171.99	$209.44
Husqvarna 580 BTS	59.4	32.3	$1,323.51	$360.96
RedMax EBZ 8500	59.8	32.1	$1,332.42	$369.87
STIHL BR 600 MAGNUM[SUP]®[/SUP]	43.2	44.5	$962.55

* Fuel consumption data provided by a third party independent laboratory: IAVF Antriebstechnik GmbH. Two-cycle engine oil cost per gallon is included in figure and is based on an MSRP of $1.10 per 2.6 oz. bottle of STIHL High Performance Two-cycle Engine Oil. STIHL estimates the average annual run time for professional blowers as 620 hours per year. All company names are trademarks of their respective companies.

 

[13obrienjo]

Thanks for all the information, in the past i have just bought the first blower that caught my eye so this time i want to do it right and get the best deal. The two units i was looking at are the Br 600 magnum and the bg66L. The reason i was looking at those two is because the sales man (who i have known a long time and mostly trust) said that with hand held blowers cheaper is better because you don't really gain all that much power going up in price you just pay for more bells and whistles (Antivibration, bigger fuel tanks, and so on). He said however that with backpacks bigger is better and that each price point is significantly better then the last. So he said ether go small or go all the way. I will have to do some reasech on the different models on stihls site.

 

[Mad Mackie]

Don't waist anymore time and research effort, buy a BR 600, the most amount of bang and the lightest weight of any backpack units!!

 

[Ryan Rognstad]

Many people get confused when looking to buy a leaf blower on how to find out it's blowing strength and it causes many people make the wrong decision when buying. There are a few things on gas powered leaf blowers that are an indication of it's blowing strength. My guess for the price you indicated you're looking at the BR 600

First is CFM, this term designates cubic feet per minute, the BR 600 has 712 CFM means that every minute 712 cubic feet of air volume is pushed through the end of the nozzle, so the higher the cfm the more cubic feet of air volume will be pushed through the nozzle. (That moves debris and or leaves.) Second is MPH, this designates the velocity / speed in which the air escapes the end of the nozzle only. (that doesn't necessarily move leaves) In short, buy the blower with the highest CFM your budget (and yard size) dictates.

The Br 600 has 712 cfm @ 201 mph which is more than enough to do what you want to do. there are others that are more powerful units on the market and cost more money but IMO are overkill in lawn-care or for moving debris. The BR 600 will handle wet stuff with no problem and can save you a ton of time. The other thing that may be of interest is the cost involved in running one or fuel consumption.

"Great response MPH means nothing if you aren't moving any air"

 

[Ryan Rognstad]

Back pack all the way when was the last time you saw a Professional walking around with a handheld.Its all about image in Lawn care you have to look professional by the way be careful with Stihl they are great but cannot handle ethanol so put in 92 octane or higher ETHANOL FREE believe me its worth it just had to throw out a BR500 because the carb went and the piston was not getting enough lubrication from unproperly mixed oil from one of my employees and that piston dug a nice little hole in the cylinder wall and got stuck there $500 just flew out the door and it hard to finish a job without a blower Good Luck and remember treat a Stihl like the Cadillac of lawn equipment and it will last you.

 

[Ric]

Thanks for all the information, in the past i have just bought the first blower that caught my eye so this time i want to do it right and get the best deal. The two units i was looking at are the Br 600 magnum and the bg66L. The reason i was looking at those two is because the sales man (who i have known a long time and mostly trust) said that with hand held blowers cheaper is better because you don't really gain all that much power going up in price you just pay for more bells and whistles (Antivibration, bigger fuel tanks, and so on). He said however that with backpacks bigger is better and that each price point is significantly better then the last. So he said ether go small or go all the way. I will have to do some reasech on the different models on stihls site.

Well an alternative if you don't want to spend the money on a Br 600 and still want the power of the hand held your looking at in a Back Pack would be to go with the Br 200. The BG 66L has 418 cfm @ 143mph, a 27.2 cc engine and cost 239.95. You can get the BR 200 which is a 27.2 cc engine for 279.95 and it has 406 cfm @ 132 mph so actually there real close to being the same except it's a Back Pack. That's just a suggestion if money is an issue.

I run four different BP blowers The BR 200, 380. 550, and 600 and each have a purpose for me. Like the Br 200 is far more efficient doing entrance ways and smaller areas than the 600 as I said before it all comes down to overkill. To much blower in some circumstances is more of a hindrance than a benefit. I can also tell you there is a lot of power differences between the blowers I use.

 

[13obrienjo]

Alright I have a couple more questions.
According to the fuel usuage calculator on stihls webpage the BG 600 is 2-3 times more fuel efficient as the BG 66, is this true or just "funny" math? If this is true it would pay for itselve very quickly.

All the 600's being sold near me are "hybrid" models, built like a 4 stroke but runs on 2 stroke fuel. Is there any pros or cons to this, I'm very mechanically skilled so minor problems arnt a big deal. I'm guessing the valves will have to be adjusted every year but is there anything else i should be aware of? (Extra adjusting on the carbs, or extra cleaning)

I can afford the extra 300 dollars for the bigger one im just trying to figure out if its actually worth the money or just my pride and ego telling me that I need the biggest baddest toy.