I have a 145 Husqvarna that has some years on it. Many now.
Only real problem has been the plastic fuel tank. The cap was easy to cross thread and finally was leaking all the time. Probably more my fault though. With the new tank I have learned to stop and back off before screwing it up.

I put a cheap carb and fuel lines on every few years due to shitty fuel destroying the rubber.

To me its cheaper to replace carb and lines every few years then it is to buy premix or go to the airport and buy good fuel.

I have 5 nasty pecan trees on my lot and deal with 6 more trees on the neighbors lots on each side. Also have to keep my roof and gutters blown off about monthly due to the pecan trees trash year round.

End up doing the neighbors driveways one neighbors when I mow and my buddies when its really bad. Its a beast and will blow regardless of the wind which is nice. I have a corded electric and a handheld gas for light duty if needed.

I am getting old and my rt knee is worn out and the days of doing anything I want are getting harder with the backpack weight. I looked at light weight backpacks several years ago but as long as this one is still going and repairable i will keep using it.

So the next one I buy the weight will be a determining factor with air movement second. When I looked at them a few years ago Stihl and Echo had the lighter units.

had a husky weed eater that did good, lasted a long time but we always bought Stihl on everything else,

my bother has the blower attachment to his combi weed eater,
I had a 90's vintage backpack that had many many hours but just wore out,

replaced it last year with a new Stihl 450 or something, similar,

it blows, as in leaves fear me now, (chuckle)

I bought a Husq 350BT to clear the wooded acre my house sits on. No complaints at all and it makes relatively easy work of the job. Standard small engine PM and some seafoam before winter storage has kept it running trouble free. Paid $350 for it several years ago. Looks like they go for $430 now.

I’d be hesitant to go electric b/c of initial cost, replacement battery cost, and raw power, but I admittedly haven’t shopped them and have no experience with them, not including my 18V Milwaukee blower which I keep in the closet for quick clearing of the deck.

-Rob

I have an echo backpack, the biggest one HD sold at the time. I’ve had it more than 10 years, still works great.

I’ve used my Ryobi handheld for the last 2. Quieter, still gets job done, a 40v lasts as long as I want to work at a time.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

I have a husky handheld that's trouble free. I splurge and buy the synthetic premixed fuel. I think the premix is the way to go unless your a landscaper.

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
Plus one for electric. How large of an area do you need to care for?

I have a large yard with four trees plus my neighbor across the street his leaves always blow in my yard. The electric backpacks I looked at are a bit more than I desire to pay at this time.

EGO's newest non backpack blower has a deal now where it comes with an extra battery. The cost of the new spare battery is greater than the cost of the blower with it's stock battery. It puts out 765 cfm and will move leaves, grass, just about anything, is lightweight and with two batteries you'll have more than enough run time.

These are very sturdy, light weight, have a switch you can turn to on so you don't have to hold the trigger in all the time and a boost button for those difficult Magnolia leaves that stick to the ground...

They also make and 880 CFM that comes with two batteries and a E-Backpack but it's a lot more money

You can get them at ACE, Lowes, etc...

EGO 765 CFM Blower Sale

I moved to a new place a couple of years ago with lots of trees that the leaves accumulated over the years. I owned a smaller Echo backpack blower that wasn't really powerful enough for all the packed wet leaves so I bought the Echo PB 9010. It is a serious powerful blower. It has been great so far. My only complaint is that being an old man, I find it gets heavy after a while. Other than that I can't recommend Echo enough.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
Plus one for electric. How large of an area do you need to care for?

I have a large yard with four trees plus my neighbor across the street his leaves always blow in my yard. The electric backpacks I looked at are a bit more than I desire to pay at this time.

EGO's newest non backpack blower has a deal now where it comes with an extra battery. The cost of the new spare battery is greater than the cost of the blower with it's stock battery. It puts out 765 cfm and will move leaves, grass, just about anything, is lightweight and with two batteries you'll have more than enough run time.

These are very sturdy, light weight, have a switch you can turn to on so you don't have to hold the trigger in all the time and a boost button for those difficult Magnolia leaves that stick to the ground...

They also make and 880 CFM that comes with two batteries and a E-Backpack but it's a lot more money

You can get them at ACE, Lowes, etc...

EGO 765 CFM Blower Sale

Thanks for the link I appreciate it but I really prefer a backpack blower instead of hand held due to the size of my yard.

We used Echo backpack blowers almost exclusively back in my commercial landscaping days. Very reliable, and sturdy, laughing at multiple drops from truck bed height onto pavement. I am not sure if Husquevarna made blowers back then, no experience.

WRT "power," blower manufacturers love to tout their MPH velocities, but CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air moved is a far more important measure. Look for something above or near 800 CFM.

For home-owner use, a cordless electric unit should be more that sufficient. If you're going to be running it 6 hours/day, five days a week, go gas (and a blower with wheels on it).

I was a Stihl guy, drifted Echo in recent years. I now have two Echo chainsaws and a weed whipper, all gas.

I looked at electric for a small chainsaw, ended up with a very slightly used Echo 3510, $200, works great.

I always have mixed gas around, no biggie.