Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I have been going back and forth as to the  blower that would be best for me.  The stihl has a nice design to it and I know people that have good luck with older Stihl blowers.  The Echo is nice  for the reason that it produces almost 100 cfm more than the Stihl. I am going to go and put them both on and see if I can find one that fits better than the other.  Does anyone have anything to say good or bad about these two blowers.  The dealer I plan on purchasing from sells both and recommends the Echo.

You said your local dealer had both in stock right? Go there and tell them you are gonna buy one for sure, but you don't know which one you like better, and that you wanna gas both them up and try them.  If they think you are serious and not some jackass that is wasting their time they will do that for you. Are you gonna be using this around your house or is it commercial use? Some things to look for is how easy it is to start. How loud or quiet it is. The weight and comfort on your back, you don't wanna spend $500 and let it sit in your garage because it is too heavy. Another thing Stihl came out with this year is more vibration dampeners. So try to feel which one vibrates less and is more comfortable on your back. And last but not least the power. On the Stihl I know for a fact the the little nozzle on the end of the tube restricts ALOT of power. So before you start up the Stihl pull that nozzle off. It's a half round tip it's only about 4 inches long. That will make a big difference. Once you pull that off  put the blowers head to head to see which is more power. So I'm not saying one is better or you should buy one over another, just trying to help you out. Hope this helps in your purchasing decision.

What's the price difference?

Neve, thanks for the info on taking the pipe off.  It will be used for commercial use.  The place that I am purchasing one from should know that I am not someone taking up his time.  I called him last week to see if he had a Stihl FS 110 trimmer in stock, and he did.  I went over and purchased it 1/2 hour later with a power sweep attachment. 

Marshall, the price is almost the same depending on what I get for extras.  $20-$30 difference stripped.

Ok, then buy the one you like the best because they are both excellent manufacturers. I must admit that I am biased toward Echo engines.

Oh yea, after you buy one and use it a little bit, give us a review in the review section. 

Well I bought the Echo 650.  My dealer said that he didn't want to sell me the Stihl.  He has tried to get it to run three times and said that it wont run on high very well.  He also says that since it's a new model for Stihl that he would rather see it out in the market for a season or two before selling it to a landscaper.  I have run a tank and a half of gas  through it so far and it seems to run nice.  The first taste of gas that I gave it took only 3 pulls to bring it to life.  I wasn't sure if I was going to like the way that it felt on my back for any length of time.  So far it seems to ride nicely and doesn't seem to bother my back at all. 

Congrats on the new Echo, heck of a product! Let us know as life goes on how you like it.

Thanks Marshall, I will let you know how things go in the future.  The rain has stopped for now so I am going to go out and play some more.

Speaking of blowers and water (rain), I use mine to dry off my Snapper after a wash and to blow the dirt, dust and grass off of it too. Matter of fact, I have found so many uses for my blower that I think it gets used more for things other than blowing leaves.

Blowers are nice toys aren't they Marshall?    Almost as much fun as a motorcycle.