I Need To Buy A New Leaf Blower.....(A Little Help Please?)

[A383Wing]

New leaf blower needed....gas preferably, not a heavy one because of my back issues. Don't need one that will blow the paint off a car, but need to blow leaves & pine cones out of my yard and walkway. I don't want the cheapy ones, but I also don't want to take out a loan to buy one either.

I have Lowes, Home Depot, & Sears close by....

Thoughts? Opinions? What you guys got?

[ITSA426]

Get something really loud, and use it about 5 AM.  It works great to blow dry the water from under the deck lid emblem after you wash the Charger.

[Brock Samson]

i use mine before i wash to blow the leaves and little stuff off, then the dust afterwards... I'll take a look i think it's an electric black and decker i got at Home Depot or Lowes'...

  but, ya' might wanna wait a few days to drop the coin on such a huge expenditure... 

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/retiree_spends_140k_on_subway_doomsday_message/

[PA Dodger]

FWIW- I bought a weed whacker and leaf blower last year. Both items were 4 cycle. Now I don't need to mix gas/oil for anything. Seems like more power equipment is being offered as 4 cycle. My leaf blower is a Troybilt. It had the best specs except for the Husqvarna which was pricey.

[BIGBLCK11]

I like my Echo PB-250. Home Depot has them for $159.  I researched alot before buying, it was well rated.  Stihl are top, but cost alot.  A number of commercial lawn crews use them all the time.  I can't say it is the lightest one out there though. Look for a moving coupon or something for Home Depot.

[resq302]

I have a shindaiwa back pack 2 cycle model.  It is not that bad compared to some other backpacks like Redmax or Stihl models but has plenty of power to it to get the heaviest wet leaves out of the grass and moving.  I even blew a brick down the driveway with it once.

[Old Moparz]

The Black & Decker I have is electric & ancient, from around 1990 if I recall. I have no idea what I paid, but probably well under $100. The thing I like about certain things being electric is that there is virtually no maintenance & it always starts. It has the vac option that picks up leaves, grinds them into mulch & stores them in the attachable bag. There is a shoulder strap that clips on, but it's not heavy, it's all plastic. I never use the vac option since I'd probably fill the bag 6943 times living in the woods.  

Looks like the one in the first pic.

I don't know why that woman in the short dress shows up in a google image search, but I like it. 

[twodko]

10 years or more ago I bought a Tanaka handheld leaf blower. I tell you the blower is like the energizer bunny. Best tool I've bought in many years. It is easy to start.....every time and is plenty powerful. Look at Tanakas before you buy they are solid trouble free tools.

[derailed]

You could always kill 2 birds with 1 stone if you need a shop vac as well. I bought the large craftsman one with the detachable head that turns into a blower and was very pleased with the power of it. Otherwise I think I would scope out craigslist for a nice used Stihl.

[Richard Cranium]

I have one of these...

http://www.redmax.com/node3937.aspx?pid=249887

[resq302]

I have one of these...

http://www.redmax.com/node3937.aspx?pid=249887

yup, thats similar to my Schindaiwa.

[A383Wing]

I have one of these...

http://www.redmax.com/node3937.aspx?pid=249887

that one looks killer...but with my back issues, I don't think that will be for me....I'm trying to stay away from electric because I have leaves all around the house and I gotta get on the roof to blow the pine needles off the gutter mesh.

Husqvarna has a good one for around $150 that I have found....appreciate the suggestions guys....gonna try and make a decisions and get one this weekend

[charger490]

i have a john Deere blower and like it.not to heavy. in the winter i also use it to blow the snow off the top of my cars if it is a light fluffy snow. i also have an attachment to blow the leave and pine meddles out of the gutters without getting on the roof

[A383Wing]

I went with a Poulan blower/vac. They are a little less expensive as a Husky but Husky makes them. You can find them at Kmart and Walmart for around $80-90. Mine runs great and I've used it quite a bit since I bought it.

Whatever you decide to buy, preventative maintenance is your best friend.

which is what I bought yesterday..Poulan Pro for $100....comes with vacuum attachment accessories as well, not that I will ever use them.....found it at Lowes..they say I have a 30 return policy...unconditional...for whatever reason.

I tried it out after I got home....this blower is really quiet...weighs just under 10 pounds....went up on both the house roof and garage roof and blew the gutter mesh clean in 30 minutes total.....this little thing was even blowing the moss off the 3-tab roofing. I'm pretty impressed with it. I don't think I could handle a heavier one for much longer

Thanks guys

[Old Moparz]

The real reason A383Wing wanted a leaf blower.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q_ifItT5i8

[vancamp]

Stihl Magnum backpack blower
http://www.stihlusa.com/blowers/BR600.html

[A383Wing]

The real reason A383Wing wanted a leaf blower.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q_ifItT5i8

I liked the shopping cart & skateboard ones.....If I tried those at my age...funeral would be next