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

Thought I¡¯d provide a review of this Stihl BR550 Backpack Blower that I purchased back in mid September. I¡¯ve been using a McCulloch Backpack Blower that I originally purchased new about 13 years ago. It served me well over the years but was slowly dying so I thought I¡¯d make the move sooner than later and not get stuck in the middle of leaf clearing season ¨C bad news when you live in an oak forest.

Here¡¯s some info on this model:

BR 550 Backpack Blower
DISPLACEMENT	64.8 cc (3.95 cu. in.)
ENGINE POWER	3.0 kW (4.0 bhp)
WEIGHT	9.9 kg (21.8 Ibs.)
FUEL CAPACITY	1400 cc (47.3 oz.)
AIR VOLUME	¡¡900 m3/h (530 cfm)
AIR VELOCITY	89 m/sec. (199 mph)
SOUND PRESSURE RATING	73 dB(A)

Pros:

Very powerful and able to clear leaves from a distance of about 8 -10 feet with ease; Run time of about 1 hour at WOT; Fairly quiet but you still need hearing protection; Engine sound is less annoying than most leaf blowers; Easily pushes large volumes of leaves; Weighs a bit less than my old McCulloch; Blow Tube/Control Handle rotate easily; Blow tubes stay together; Flex hose is soft and very pliable yet heavy duty; WOT locking lever so you don¡¯t have to hold the trigger constantly; Throttle Trigger controls the engine speed very precisely; Starts easily ¨C 5 pushes of the primer bulb, 1 or 2 clicks of the choke knob and 1 -2 pulls and your ready to go: Automatically switches from the choke position to the idle speed position when you press the throttle trigger; Harness is nicely padded and fairly comfortable

Cons:

You have to be careful when releasing the WOT lock lever ¨C move it too far and you shut the engine down. No big deal, but you have to remove the blower to start it again. Fuel cap takes a bit of getting used to but again, not a deal breaker. $ 420.00 ¨C A little pricey but comparable to others in this class and you get what you pay for.

I highly recommend this to anyone needing a really good leaf blower. It¡¯s well constructed and moves leaves and other yard debris my old McCulloch could never even think of moving.