What a difference a blower makes!

[HOMER]

My Stihl blower is in the shop. The other LCO that has been teaming with me only has a handheld. I told him that the handheld wasn't going to cut it, he had to get a backpack. I suggested that he get the Shindy..........EB630 and told him his dealer carried them. He called them to ask if he could demo one and they let him. We've used it for 2 days now and I'm here to tell you that a powerful blower can really increase your time a whole lot. If the Stihl can't be fixed I guess the only thing left for me to do is buy a Shindawa for myself.

If your in the market for a blower then I would strongly suggest buying one of these or at least demo'ing one before you buy anything else!

[Unionturf]

Hey Homey I told ya so!

[Esby]

Backbacks beat handhelds in ALL situations. Adjustable throttle, tons of power, what more can you ask for. Its like comparing apples and oranges. Once you buy a backpack you will never want to pick up the handheld again!

[mowerconsultant]

Homer,
Whats wrong with the Stihl, and how long have they had it in the shop ????
Back in my dealer days I worked on a few (hundred) br400's....
I was just wondering....
Later
Pj

[SLS]

I agree...once you go "backpack" you can never go back! I bought a Homelight backpack two years ago (yep, REAL lean times) and can't wait for it to wear out so I can move up in CFM's. Thinking Redmax or Shindiawa......decisions, decisions....:D

[65hoss]

I recently bought the new Redmax EB7000, but I will only use this machine for leaf season. I will stick to my Stihl BR400 for cutting season. The redmax uses more gas in an hour than the Stihl does all week. For mild grass cleanups during cutting the stihl will do the job perfectly and save me some gas money.

[HOMER]

I think the Br 400 has a carb problem, at least I hope that's all it is. It's been in the shop since late Friday and no word on it since. I've had it for about 3 years and that's about all the life I've gotten out of my Stihl products.

65 Hoss..............I did notice that the Shindy burned a ton of gas, I was thinking that maybe because it was new it was burning so much. You can blow for 15 minutes and it nearly drains the tank.............does it get any better?

My old Echo still rund fair but I can tell it's lost some of it's strength and it weighs several more pounds than my Stihl. I haven't tried the new 420 from Stihl so I can't really compare the difference.

[65hoss]

I have put about 3 gallons thru it so far and it hasn't gotten any better. This thing uses more fuel than my Lazer. Thats no lie either. Unfortunately its the truth so far. Sure would be nice if it did get better.

[SLS]

Let me see if I have got this straight:

The Redmax EB-7000 uses a ton of fuel but the Stihl BR-400 is a gas hog too? I know you said the Redmax uses more fuel in 15 minutes than the Stihl does all week...but is the Stihl a gas hog too?

Homer said the Shindaiwa guzzles fuel too.

Although that 'ol Homelight is only rated at 150 mph I can run that thing all day on a tank. It does a good job (maybe not as fast as the big boys), but it has not had any problems and fires on the 2nd or 3rd pull...consistantly. I have dang sure gotten my moneys worth out of that thing. I must have gotten lucky. ;)

I have a brand new Ryobi RCBV-3100 "convertable" blower/vacuum mulcher (just flick a lever to convert) that takes several yanks to fire up and it really gobbles the fuel. It does have a bag and is great for vacuuming out gutters and tight spots the Lazer can't get too. I have only used it for leaf cleanup though...want to make it last as long as possible. ;)

Redmax, Stihl, Shindiawa...which way to go??? :D

[65hoss]

SLS, no, I never said the Stihl was a fuel hog. Quite the opposite. During grass season I fill it up on monday morning, and usually again on wed. mid day. All my Stihl's get very very good 'gas mileage'.

[TurfKingLawn]

I'm getting a backpack next spring, leaning towards a PB-650. I'm ready to get rid of the dinky Crapsman handheld. Any comments on the PB-650?

[Kevin]

I bought the new Stihl 420 this past season and no problems, good on fuel and the hand controls were easier than the Shin I demo'd. One hand did it all.

[Rich DTLC]

I've got the Redmax EB6200, great blower, used to and still have a Stihl handehld. Use the Redmax exclusively now, only use the Stihl to blow out gutters with the tube extensions. I can never go back to the handheld the BP is so much more powerful. It does use more gas than the handheld but it has more power too.

[leebbb]

I bought a BR420 back in August, I really like it. It's easy on fuel, powerful, and light.

[65hoss]

The Stihl is much lighter and more comfortable.

[MOW ED]

I have the Shindy EB630 and it is a hurricane. I added to my collection as I needed another blower for me since my boss (wife) uses the Husky 140 now. What a difference!

If you start the Shindy on half throttle you could make it spin on the ground if you don't have a hand on it.

One of the BEST purchases made.

[moonarrow]

homer, howdy, I have a shinny 400 and can run it wide open for about 3 hrs continously on one tank of gas mabey the one you are using needs the carb adjusted

[accuratelawn]

I noticed a Big difference in the amount of gas used by the 630 vs. the old BR400. Not a bad idea using a 400 until leaf time.

[HOMER]

No..............the Br 400 is light on gas. I couldn't run 2 days on it but at the most 2 tanks a day. At the rate the Shindy is going it'll use a 2.5 gallon can a day easy. Never seen anything like it. I guess that's what you get when you increase that power though!

Arr Arr.............mo powa!

[Mowingman]

I really like the Echo PB24ln handheld. I have an Echo PB601 backpack but I almost never take it off the truck as it is really heavy and takes longer to start up and put on. My helpers also prefer the handhelds, unless we are doing a big parking lot or moving a lot of leaves. The handheld 24ln is really pretty powerful.