Landscaping, Outdoor power equipment, Power Tools, Tool Reviews, Tools Whether you own a commercial lawn service or are a landowner looking to blow away the competition, any of these units will do the job. We looked at five of the most popular and powerful backpack blowers available, Stihl’s Magnum BR-600, Husqvarna’s 380 BFS, RedMax’s EBZ 7150, Echo’s PB-770T and Shindaiwa’s EB854. With the exception of the RedMax, these units are the respective companies’ top-of-the-line blower. RedMax’s 8050 series was back-ordered and unavailable for testing. For commercial use testing, units were supplied to a local town’s parks and recreation department; and for landowner testing, the units were used on a suburban estate of five acres, with two acres of lawn and outdoor living areas. Manufacturer’s technical specifications are included for comparison. Features common to all units are cruise control, remote throttle, either stick or tube mounted, commercial warranties, rigid backpack frames and positive-lock adjustable tube systems.

Stihl’s BR-600 was the lightest of the units tested and for smaller framed testers, its light weight drew rave reviews. Even though the BR-600 appears diminutive, don’t let its size fool you. hibbett backpackStihl’s BR-600 performed as well as the larger units. o3 backpack canadaStihl obviously spent time designing its backpack to mimic features found on backpack frames used by mountaineers and backpackers. backpacker zone beach resort boracayWith the addition of a hip belt, the Stihl Magnum could distance itself further from the competition when it comes to the weight factor. superdry tarpaulin backpack for sale

The parks and recreation department that performed our commercial test were already using a variety of Stihl blowers with its most powerful unit being a recently purchased 550 model, but when the BR-600 Magnum showed up, everyone wanted to use it for its additional power. fur backpack dayzWhoever got the BR-600 finished faster and could rest in the shade waiting on the others to finish. sarape backpackThe Stihl Magnum, according to the EPA’s website, has the lowest emissions in its class. best backpack for marathon des sablesHusqvarna’s 380 BFS excelled at handling wet, sloppy stuff. When it came to moving a compost pile of leaves, once the dry material on top was removed and the wet leaf mold was exposed, Husqvarna’s 380 kept moving material.

Another Husqvarna highlight was the 380’s ability to blow hardened clay from a driveway. Traffic had pressed the clay firmly to the concrete, but the Husqvarna simply lifted it and it was gone. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find more clay samples to test the other units on, but we were impressed by the Husqvarna’s performance. The 380 BFS includes a hip belt, which transfers the weight of the machine onto the hips and off the shoulders. The Husqvarna is a larger unit, just under 30 pounds, but the hip belt alleviates the weight, and the performance is worth the additional weight. Shindaiwa’s EB-854 is part of the H4 family of hybrids, using 4-stroke engines that burn a fuel-oil mixture. The result is a cleaner and more efficient engine that is not susceptible to engine failure due to loss of oil pressure, as the oil is already in the fuel mixture. The EB-854 handled the compost pile test with no problem, either. The Shindaiwa was the one unit our commercial testers had not yet seen and were excited to finally get their hands on.

EHT is located in the Southeast U.S., and although Shindaiwa’s blowers are commonplace in other areas of the country, they are not as common here. The EB-854 did not disappoint. Shindaiwa incorporated two features to protect the engine from damage due to intake clogging, one is a pre-filter intake cover and an engine overheat kill switch that shuts down the engine if it overheats. We had no problems with the unit clogging in its three months of testing. The EB-854 also has a quiet mode that allows the unit to be operated at a lower decibel unit in areas that are noise sensitive. The Shindaiwa is a powerful unit, and if noise is an issue for you or your company, then the hush feature alone should make it worthy of your consideration. Also, the Shindaiwa was one of two units that has a ground wire running from its frame through the tube to disperse static electricity buildup. Once you have been shocked, you will understand the value of this feature. The Echo PB-770 shares many of the design elements and features of Shindaiwa’s 854 Model.

The PB-770 has a leaf guard incorporated into its design to prevent debris from clogging the intake and damaging the motor. Both the commercial and the landowner testers gave high marks to Echo for incorporating an active ventilation system that supplies fresh air to the back of the user. In our unbearably hot summers here, this feature cannot be overemphasized. Since blowers are used here more in the summers to remove grass clippings than they are in the fall to remove leaves, keeping the operator cool is a nice design feature of the PB-770. The Echo engine has a different pitch than the other tested units. Some users preferred it, others didn’t and some didn’t even notice until side-by-side tests were done. It seems a lot of attention has been paid to this on the internet lawn sites. Our thoughts are, if it runs like a scalded dog, we don’t really care. Echo’s ProFire ignition made starting easy, and our testers liked this. The BR 600 MAGNUM professional backpack blower is one of the cleanest-running in its category, thanks to a fuel-efficient, low-noise STIHL 4-MIX engine delivering increased durability and longer life.

It offers an impressive power-to-weight ratio with many enhancements including a new nozzle with extended wear area to prolong equipment life, and a specially designed nylon harness for high wear resistance. This is the most powerful backpack blower for the landscaping professional. * Manufacturer's featured price updated as of January 1, 2017. Manufacturer’s featured prices are subject to change without notice. The version(s) available in each country may differ from the above range and specifications; specific details may be subject to change without notice. Please ask your local STIHL Approved Dealer for further information. You can always rely on STIHL to keep setting new benchmarks this time with 4-stroke mixed lubrication technology. The STIHL 4-MIX engine, which runs on a fuel-oil mix just like a 2-stroke, offers the benefits without the compromises of 4-stroke power. STIHL 4-MIX engine technology provides fast acceleration, more power, added torque, lower noise, reduced emissions and increased fuel efficiency to complete jobs quickly, quietly and more easily.