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

I was at HD today looking at hand-held blowers and saw an interesting 4-cycle model made by Makita.  Upon closer look, I found that the engine is a Robin-Subaru which are good engines generally.  Anyone know anything about these Makita 4-cycles...are they new on the market?  The tag on the engine stated that it is a very low polluting engine and that it is a category A engine, rated for 300 hours.  Weight seemed comparable to the 2-cycle echo sitting next to it.  It is selling for $199.99.  Let me know if I should try it or pass it up for a Husquavarna or Echo 2-cycle hand-held blower.  Thanks.
-Steve

Really new is my guess. What's the cc rating of the engine? In my experience tiny-bore (less than 3hp) 4-stroke engines are problematic because they have a small displacement-to-power ratio. About 18 months ago I bought a weed whacker with a 35cc 4-stroke engine and it turned out to be weaker than even a 15cc 2-cycle WeedEater, I mean even dandelions were quite a challenge for it which was surprising considering that 35cc is usually considered a heavy-duty engine on such a tool. It just didn't pack the punch and I ended up giving it away and replaced with a 25cc 2-stroke model which is much more powerful yet lighter.

That said, the 4-stroke engine did have its perks. It was quieter, didn't require as much maintenance, used regular gasoline and best of all was practically smokeless. Since blowing leaves can be done with less power than whacking tough weeds (depending on one's patience) it may be worth considering. Sorry I didn't have specific info about the engine on that Makita.                

Why would you pass up the Echo?  I just bought the Echo leaf blower/vac and it looks like a fine piece of equipment.  I have other Echo (as well as Stihl, Jonsereds) machines.  I've owned an Echo two cycle lawn mower that's nearly 20 years old, have never had to work on it and it runs like the day I bought it.  I would not pay a premium for Husqvarna.  Sure it's good equipment but not necessarily better.  I checked out the Husky blower as  well as the Stihl before buying the Echo.  The quality/price ratio favoured the Echo.  

P.s. I didn't buy it a HD.  I bought it in the U.S. for $75.00 less than what they want for it in  Canada.