Well I can write a quick review of the PB-500T, I used it on Sunday pretty extensively. I do not believe that the 500T that I have will be the same 500T you could get. The CA model is only to be sold in CA.
Getting the blower out of the box and assembling was very simple. Attach the flexible hose to the blower, attach 2 hose clamps and connect the rest of the tubing. The two sections of tubing twist lock into place and are pretty heavy duty.
My first impression was that this thing starts very easy, just like my edger. Put the throttle in the middle "idle" position. The instruction booklet wasn't clear enough on this. I started the blower on full throttle (aka Cruise Control). I haven't read the entire manual but I'm sure it will explain, in order to start you have to step on the engine platform in order to pull start.
The throttle on the tubing is pretty cool. The throttle is pretty tough to pull, but I got use to it. I do wish it felt more like my edger, smooth and easy. My only complaint on the throttle being on the tubing is that the tubing can twist and when you set the backpack tube down the wiring harness gets kind of twisted. Not a big problem, but something I'll have to be aware of. Even when storing the blower, I have to be conscience of the wiring harness that goes to the throttle.
The blower makes very little noise at idle and not much worse at full throttle. I did not wear hearing protection as I've been around dirt bikes and other loud machines my whole life. It never even occurred to me to wear protection, even though on my way home from the store I thought about wearing ear plugs.
The blower makes tons of power for my condition. It took care of all my leaves hiding in bushes, corners of the lot and even blew must of the leaves in my crab grass filled front yard. (association mows it). Even at idle speed the blower took care of sensitive areas, where full throttle would destroy. Very cool!
The gas tank on the blower is plenty large for consumer use, I ran the blower for over an hour and I assume I still have plenty of gas to run. I believe it has a near 60 ounce tank.
My overall impression is very high and am glad I bought this. This blower will save a ton of time. My negatives for this blower are not specific to this back pack blower, but back pack blowers in general. My yard is relatively small and I have a ton of bushes and tight spots. Being that the pack is on your back, you have to fit into small areas too. I also need to learn how to not blow all the leaves into a corner that I can't get to. A hand held blower might have been better for my personal house, but I wanted something a little more versatile if I start my own business once my current employment runs out.
I'll add more after my usage tonight.
