What backpack blower should I get

Preparing for sale.

Look how abused that poor blower was lol.



I only run Rec. 90 and Husqvarna mix (I prefer the color)

 

Also this is just the random lines and grommets I pulled out of a box. Who knows, I probably already had the necessary part lol.

 

Welp. I pruned a half mile of driveway and started up the blower and got 100 feet and it bogged out and died. Same issue as before. I ran it 10 mins the other day as a test and it seemed okay but under actual use it's clearly still having the exact same issue. FML.

Zero (0) bites on my CL ad for the thing so I am well and truly screwed at this point.

 

Okay I have calmed down a little bit. Time to get solutions-oriented. Facts:

- I can't sell it. There is no market for Stihl here, and given my experience I think I get why
- Even if I could sell it, it's broken and that would be unethical
- Stihl does not give a f*** about me and will not be participating in the repair

So time to roll up my sleeves and eat the time and costs to fix it myself. I note that amazon has knockoff carbs, I don't remember seeing them before but there is a highly-rated replacement carb for $23. It can't possibly be worse than what is in my PoS.

Question: before I go slap a new carb in this, does anyone know of other fuel-delivery items I should be looking for first? Just to recap, this unit has only seen Rec.90 fuel and high quality mix, and has very few hours on it, so I do not believe there are any ethanol or mixture related problems afoot. Also this issue only occurs when warm.

 

I'm looking to buy a backpack leaf blower. Ma has a sales tax-free weekend in August. Just in time for the autumn leaf drop.

I'm leaning towards the Stihl BR600 $549.99.

It'll be from a local dealer that's been around for a long time that services lots of different power tools/brands.

Sorry to hear about your experience, cezar

Other than big box stores, there's not many Echo dealers around here. Thought I'd take a look at them anyways. I keep hearing Echo chainsaws are a good value.

 

We have a Stihl backpack blower, I like it, I think it's the BR400.
ECHO makes o e of the strongest blowers on the market, a bit heavy though.

 

I like my Echo Chainsaw and Echo Trimmer. BTW I had a warranty issue with the trimmer it it took 24 hours start to finish to get the thing fixed.

Big difference with Echo is you don't NEED a dealer because you can order parts, unlike Stihl.

 

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Stihl took mercy on me and swapped out the blower with a new unit. But before that they warned me that the tech concluded I was using bad fuel. I told the rep in no uncertain terms that was a load of crap.

Anyway, got the new blower, tank was totally clear so they didn't test this unit. Oh well. But I added the _same batch_ of fuel as was in the other blower and ran it. Fired right up and ran it up to operating temp for a while and the new blower works totally fine.

So I guess this story d

 

Great news...But, since you are done with Stihl, what time can I come over and take that new POS off your hands??? LOL

 

Just cause the tech said it had bad gas means next to nothing. They're always looking for the easy way out.

My dad took his 14 f250 to a local Ford dealer for a driveability issue. They suggested it was bad gas so my dad paid them to drain it and refill. Turns out the truck needed a cylinder head cause of a bad valve.

Needless to say, I don't think it's anything you did.

 

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, glad they finally made it right with you!!! Sadly for them the damage is done and another customer gone.