Hi all,
My beloved Echo backpack blower went in for repair today and I fear it may be something terminally expensive. Certainly no complaints though - five years work out of a second hand piece of kit costing £180 - happy with that.
I have been meaning to get a handheld blower as a back up anyway and I'm wondering what to go for.
Echo - definitely be considered because the backpack has been brilliant.
Stihl - the obvious choice - downside, parts have been hideously slow for my Kombi - five weeks for an electrical part recently.
Honda - love my Honda mower and dealer backup locally is outstanding. The blowers are four stroke though - what difference will this make to performance? (will be cheaper to run I guess)
Leftfield choices - Tanaka - recommended to me recently by another gardener
Makita - anyone tried their blowers?
All feedback/views appreciated
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Interesting, and if Stihl can't supply dealers with parts then they will lose reputation fast!
Andy Lawrence said:
Hi Paul,
No I'm not blaming the dealer at all. Heard them on the phone a few times to Stihl Uk chasing the part and they were getting frustrated on my behalf.
Dealer has previously sourced Echo parts for instance by the following morning and I have a good relationship with them.
I had exactly the same fault with the engine last year and almost the exact same waiting time, hence my slight reluctance to lay out money on more Stihl stuff.

I have the Makita BHX2501 4 stroke blower - love it, itgs very quiet compared to the Stihls and I use about 1/2 the amount of fuel. Vibrations are very low on it too. So far so good.
Permalink Reply by Gary, GS Grounds Maintenance on May 11, 2012 at 0:08 I use a Stihl backpack BR600 and they are bullet proof. Has lasted me years with no problems just a yearly service, and they are sooooo powerful. In terms of handheld blowers i would only buy Stihl again. I also have a Stihl handheld blower. I would buy the most powerfull one you can afford. Cant go wrong with them!
Gary
www.gsgroundsmaintenance.co.uk

Pellenc every time. Feather light, vanishingly low vibes, no exhaust fumes, quiet. What more do i have to say. Oh - reassuringly expensive so you can keep above the commoners.
Ha, ha!
Thanks again for all replies.
Quite interested in the Makita actually now but not sure about dealer back up around 'ere.
Will prob end up with the Stihl.
Won't be buying a Pellenc Stuart as I know my place in the social strata, think I am firmly in the commoners' section!
Stuart @ Eco Garden Maintenance said:
Pellenc every time. Feather light, vanishingly low vibes, no exhaust fumes, quiet. What more do i have to say. Oh - reassuringly expensive so you can keep above the commoners.

I've needed a spare plastic fan thingy for my Makits 2501 as I used my blower as a vac and wrecked it with some stones.
Ordered it through local dealer and arrived in 3 days so I dont think the spares are that bad - ask your dealer maybe before you buy?
As for Pellenc - Its a wish list tool for many! The maths shows they would buy themselves after 2 years, and save me about £1500 a year, possibly more if I keep getting large hedging jobs. Down side is I would need to spend £6k upfront to get what I need.
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