Blower Purchase decision

[dkamp]

I decided to buy a Leaf Blower. I'm looking for opinions.
When I look at name brands, they seem pretty expensive. local dealers are all over the place and claim their brand is the best. On AZ, I see a lot under $100 but with Brands that are odd names.
My primary question is should I overextend my budget or go with an unknown with a 2-yr warranty?
If there is a particular Brand/Model that is a reasonable compromise or am I just kidding myself.
Any push toward a vendor, Brand, Model to purchase is appreciated.
I only use a Blower once a week for 20-30 min.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

once a week for that long, i'd consider a battery operated unit.

 

[7394]

If you want gas / mix, Echo has good blowers, mine (PB250) is over 10 years old & no issues..

And 5 Year warranty, & Lifetime warranty on coil pack..

 

[Craftsman Garage]

For a gas blower, I would recommend a stihl or hitachi leaf blower. Last a long time with little maintenance.

 

[StarTech]

This something to consider too. What is you ability to repair the unit if it actually needs repairs. A lot of the battery powered equipment simply don't have parts available after the sale especially if it is from China. Yes battery power are usually fairly reliable until they break down. Replacement costs and usage are be to considered, then just live with your decision afterwards.

Question here is... Do we continue to support the Chinese dumping cheap none repairable equipment or do we buy something that can be repaired down the road?

Now I would avoid the Troybilt and other MTD produce 4 cycle versions as they just don't oil themselves properly and I see a lot of them failing within two years of use. Makita, Stihl, and Shindaiwa all make good 4 cycle units. For local your best bet on a gas powered unit would be your local Stihl dealer and not the big box stores like HD or Lowes.

I just repaired of all things a gas powered jack hammer that don't even have any make or model numbers on it as it came from China. I got lucky as it had Walbro WJ or WL series rotary carb clone on it so I had the spares in the saved parts kit. And boy that 52cc engine could use a decompression valve.

 

[dkamp]

I ended up buying Stihl BG56 C-E
There are two kinds of Stihl oil a Orange bottle and Silver.
The Sales guy told me to use the Silver since it was Synthetic, and the Orange was not.
Is it sales talk or true to only use Synthetic? (The Owners Manual does say to use Synthetic Oil)
Should I Always use Stihl oil?
Opinions?

 

[dkamp]

I also noticed that none of the Premix fuels state that the Oil is Synthetic. So is Premix off the menu?

 

[7394]

Using the synthetic oil used to add a year of warranty. Not sure if still does..

Pre-mix is good, costs lot more, Ur choice..

 

[Craftsman Garage]

I've always used silver

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

I decided to buy a Leaf Blower. I'm looking for opinions.
When I look at name brands, they seem pretty expensive. local dealers are all over the place and claim their brand is the best. On AZ, I see a lot under $100 but with Brands that are odd names.
My primary question is should I overextend my budget or go with an unknown with a 2-yr warranty?
If there is a particular Brand/Model that is a reasonable compromise or am I just kidding myself.
Any push toward a vendor, Brand, Model to purchase is appreciated.
I only use a Blower once a week for 20-30 min.

When it comes to handheld equipment and what brand to buy:
Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, and Redmax.

Buy the cheap Troy Bilt, Ryobi, Craftsman, etc. and you will not be as happy, have the longevity, or often a shop that will work on it. Silver (synthetic) Stihl premix is the way to go. Or any other good oil such as Red Armour, Echo oil, etc.

Buy a big box store battery handheld piece of equipment, and it will be difficult to find a shop to repair it. Basically a disposable unit for the hypocrite greenies.