Echo PB-250LN leaf blower

Hey Gang! Thinking a buying an Echo PB-250LN leaf blower for blowing the pine needles and leaves off my dirt driveway and wondered what you think of this one? I can get it for about $150.00 at my local dealer and you get a 5 year warranty plus they throw in a bottle of premix fuel. This blower is rated to be very quiet which I think would be a plus and I like Echo and feel they are a good value. Thought it may be handy around the flower beds around the foundation as well..Let's see what your opinions are on the Echo hand held leaf blowers..

Ray

 

Compare it against a Stihl BG50 for $140. Comparable in power and quality, see which you like better for ergonomics. Handhelds are awesome for quick jobs but the gyro forces can wear you out quick. Best to do a hands on demo before you buy.

 

Hmm the specs are pretty close! The decibels are a bit lower on the Echo and similar price points.. I do like the cruise control feature as well on the Echo.. Bet they are both good choices! As always I value your advice Brian!

 

The Stihl is likely to have a wee bit more power (cfm vs mph) and the rest is going to be your personal preference and how it feels in your hands. 5dB is going to be a noticeable difference in noise too, with the Echo being the clear winner there.

 

As always great advice.. I swore I'd never get a blower because of the noise but I think it would be useful here.. My other concern is I will find more uses for a blower so now I am considering a backpack type which would be more comfortable I would imagine.. Ugh I drive myself crazy lol!

 

Backpacks are great for semi-big jobs, I use one for my 1 acre lot. But I only use it for leaves. I use my handheld for just about everything else because it's so much easier to pick it up and fire it up vs suiting up with the backpack. There usually isn't a huge price gap with the handhelds from entry level to the "pro" models either. I have a Stihl SH86 (same as a BG86 but comes with all the vacuum gear) and love it. Great power, not noisy at all, and very, very versatile cleanup machine.

Look at the top end of handheld blowers before going the backpack route.

 

Thank you Brian!

 

Good input, thanks! The noise is a factor and cruise makes lots of sense too..I am sure they are both decent plus I like both brands..

 

I also found this unit interesting.. Reviews seem good and the CFM is excellent.. From my research CFM is important for wet leaves which is a possibility.. This model is same as Tanaka and I think made in China but not sure.. Comes with 7 year warranty and good price.. MasterMech what is your opinion on the Hitachi blower? The one drawback is the air intake is on the left side and being right handed will probably pull your pants against the intake.. Reviews are excellent and Consumer Reports liked it too.. Why the Tanaka is professional and the Hitachi is medium duty is odd.. Seems like they are the same blower..

Shop Hitachi 23.9cc 2-Cycle 170-MPH 441-CFM Medium-Duty Gas Leaf Blower at Lowes.com

 

I have an Echo weed whacker about 25 years old I guess.. The Husky 125B gets good reviews, is this the model you have?

 

Man I drive myself crazy with this stuff.. Just realized I have a $75.00 HD giftcard and found this deal.. This looks like a kick butt blower!
ECHO 215 MPH 510 CFM 58.2cc Gas Backpack Blower with Tube Throttle-PB-580T - The Home Depot

 

That's a nice unit as well with great CFM! Wet leaves and pine needles are always a possibility so I expect the blower to handle this as well..

 

That's a good deal .. Was that at VM Innovations?