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Until now we had to choose between very loud backpack blowers to get decent performance or settle for wimpy performance in order to get quiet operation. Now Echo has managed to to get both high performance as well as quiet operation in a gas two stroke backpack blower.



Leaf Blowers, Handheld Blowers, Backpack Blowers, Quiet Yard Blowers | ECHO USA

MowerMike said:

Until now we had to choose between very loud backpack blowers to get decent performance or settle for wimpy performance in order to get quiet operation. Now Echo has managed to to get both high performance as well as quiet operation in a gas two stroke backpack blower.

Leaf Blowers, Handheld Blowers, Backpack Blowers, Quiet Yard Blowers | ECHO USA

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Yeah and it's $529.99 and the kicker is it only weighs 26.1 lbs without gas. No thanks I 'll stick with my BR 550, it's everything the Echo is for $449.95 at I think 22 lbs.

Ric said:

Yeah and it's $529.99 and the kicker is it only weighs 26.1 lbs without gas. No thanks I 'll stick with my BR 550, it's everything the Echo is for $449.95 at I think 22 lbs.

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The Stihl BR 550 has a sound pressure rating of 73 db(A), which makes it more than six times louder than the Echo PB-760LN. Some municipalities won't allow that level of noise from blowers and some people like to use their blowers w/o needing ear protection. Obviously, such considerations are not important to you.

MowerMike said:

The Stihl BR 550 has a sound pressure rating of 73 db(A), which makes it more than six times louder than the Echo PB-760LN. Some municipalities won't allow that level of noise from blowers and some people like to use their blowers w/o needing ear protection. Obviously, such considerations are not important to you.

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Six times louder, I don't really think so. Do some research. Do you know that whisper quiet in a library at 6' is 30db or that normal conversation at 3' is 60-65 db. You talk about the BR550 having a 73db sound rating, crap the the dial tone on your phone is 80db, a hand drill is 98db so how loud can and bad can a blower be? The difference between the two blower is not even noticeable, the sound difference you will hear is the difference between the sound of a 4 stoke and a 2 stoke engine only and the 4 stoke is always quieter than a 2 stoke or at least has a lower tone quality which is less offensive to the ear.

Ric said:

Six times louder, I don't really think so. Do some research. Do you know that whisper quiet in a library at 6' is 30db or that normal conversation at 3' is 60-65 db. You talk about the BR550 having a 73db sound rating, crap the the dial tone on your phone is 80db, a hand drill is 98db so how loud can and bad can a blower be? The difference between the two blower is not even noticeable, the sound difference you will hear is the difference between the sound of a 4 stoke and a 2 stoke engine only and the 4 stoke is always quieter than a 2 stoke or at least has a lower tone quality which is less offensive to the ear.

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You obviously don't understand how sound ratings for blowers are made. They are done per ANSI B175.2 and measure the sound pressure at a 50 ft (15 m) distance from the blower outlet. The sound level at the operator's ear will be much higher, and well above the level that would require ear protection. If the sound level is much higher at a 50 ft distance, then it will also be much higher at the operator's ear. The typical 2-stroke leaf blower produces about 110 db at the operator's ear, which is definitely noticeable. The following article covers this more in depth:

Shush, Please! | Landscaping | Landscape Care & Ideas

Also, as a professional you should be aware of local noise ordinances in your area, which could affect your ability to operate your equipment.

Ric said:

Six times louder, I don't really think so. Do some research. Do you know that whisper quiet in a library at 6' is 30db or that normal conversation at 3' is 60-65 db. You talk about the BR550 having a 73db sound rating, crap the the dial tone on your phone is 80db, a hand drill is 98db so how loud can and bad can a blower be? The difference between the two blower is not even noticeable, the sound difference you will hear is the difference between the sound of a 4 stoke and a 2 stoke engine only and the 4 stoke is always quieter than a 2 stoke or at least has a lower tone quality which is less offensive to the ear.

Click to expand...

MowerMike said:

You obviously don't understand how sound ratings for blowers are made. They are done per ANSI B175.2 and measure the sound pressure at a 50 ft (15 m) distance from the blower outlet. The sound level at the operator's ear will be much higher, and well above the level that would require ear protection. If the sound level is much higher at a 50 ft distance, then it will also be much higher at the operator's ear. The typical 2-stroke leaf blower produces about 110 db at the operator's ear, which is definitely noticeable. The following article covers this more in depth:

Shush, Please! | Landscaping | Landscape Care & Ideas

Also, as a professional you should be aware of local noise ordinances in your area, which could affect your ability to operate your equipment.

Click to expand...

I think you are blowing this thing with the blower sound ratings way out of proportion. The echo has a 65db rating the Stihl a 73 db and you are trying to tell me you can hear a 8db difference, I really don't think so. As I said in the previous post the sound difference you will hear is the difference between the sound of a 4 stoke and a 2 stoke engine only and the 4 stoke is always quieter than a 2 stoke or at least has a lower tone quality which is less offensive to the ear. The or a 2 stoke will be louder than the 4 stroke with the same db, it's the nature of the beast. I can set my BR 550 and BR 380 next to each other running wide open and guess what the 380 was loudest of the two, we tested it this morning and both are running the same 73 db. Read your own article below, it's all in the perception.


While Stihl has developed electric models, they have put most of their efforts into a hybrid dubbed the “4-cycle mix,” which features a 4-stroke engine that burns a gas/oil mix. Stihl has reduced the noise level of their equipment in recent years, paying attention to the difference between the technical measurement of noise and the human perception of noise.

“With the 4-cycle mix hybrid, the equipment has a more pleasant sound, not the high-pitched whine traditionally associated with 2-cycle equipment, so it is often perceived as being quieter,” Hanks says. He adds there is not an industry standard for measuring sound for trimmers and chain saws, etc., but blowers are measured per ANSI B175.2. (American National Standards Institute).

Ric said:

I think you are blowing this thing with the blower sound ratings way out of proportion. The echo has a 65db rating the Stihl a 73 db and you are trying to tell me you can hear a 8db difference, I really don't think so. As I said in the previous post the sound difference you will hear is the difference between the sound of a 4 stoke and a 2 stoke engine only and the 4 stoke is always quieter than a 2 stoke or at least has a lower tone quality which is less offensive to the ear. The or a 2 stoke will be louder than the 4 stroke with the same db, it's the nature of the beast. I can set my BR 550 and BR 380 next to each other running wide open and guess what the 380 was loudest of the two, we tested it this morning and both are running the same 73 db. Read your own article below, it's all in the perception.


While Stihl has developed electric models, they have put most of their efforts into a hybrid dubbed the ?-cycle mix, which features a 4-stroke engine that burns a gas/oil mix. Stihl has reduced the noise level of their equipment in recent years, paying attention to the difference between the technical measurement of noise and the human perception of noise.

展ith the 4-cycle mix hybrid, the equipment has a more pleasant sound, not the high-pitched whine traditionally associated with 2-cycle equipment, so it is often perceived as being quieter, Hanks says. He adds there is not an industry standard for measuring sound for trimmers and chain saws, etc., but blowers are measured per ANSI B175.2. (American National Standards Institute).

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You must have cast iron eardrums or be deaf. The decibel scale is logarithmic. For each 1 decibel increase the sound is 26% louder. For an eight decibel increase that is 1.26^8 = 6.36 times louder. I have a B&D corded electric blower vac that has a 69 db(A) rating (at 50 feet distance) and an Echo PB-250LN 2-stroke gas blower rated at 65 db(A). That is only a 4 db difference or 1.26^4 = 2.52 louder. There's a big difference in noise level. I can't use the B&D w/o earmuffs w/o going deaf but I can use the Echo w/o them with no problems. Sound pressure is sound pressure, regardless of the source. Go to a live concert some time and try to tell me otherwise.

MowerMike said:

Until now we had to choose between very loud backpack blowers to get decent performance or settle for wimpy performance in order to get quiet operation. Now Echo has managed to to get both high performance as well as quiet operation in a gas two stroke backpack blower.

View attachment 14270

Leaf Blowers, Handheld Blowers, Backpack Blowers, Quiet Yard Blowers | ECHO USA

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Nice..:thumbsup:

I don't want to get in the middle of this argument, but I think I have to agree with MowerMike. I think the "decibel scale" works almost like the scale used to measure the intensity of an earthquake. There is a big jump up with each number on the scale. So I definitely think you would be able to notice a difference in 8 db.

But I do have to agree with Ric that this blower is very heavy and expensive!

lawn mower fanatic said:

But I do have to agree with Ric that this blower is very heavy and expensive!

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Well, it does cost $200 more than the PB-500T that's on your wish list, but it's only 4 pounds heavier, so I don't think that's such a big deal. I've carried backpacks that were a lot heavier than either of those blowers. Sure, if it were a handheld blower, that would be way too heavy, but with a good shoulder harness you will hardly notice it. Also, the PB-760LN has a back cooling system, which the PB-500T does not.