Stihl Petrol Leaf Blower or...?

[Chucklehead]

I need a petrol leaf blower. I was looking at the £100-150 backpack ones on eBay from the likes of Hyundai etc, but would prefer a more compact unit.

Man maths took me to the Stihl BG56 and then the BG86. I don't have a huge garden, so 30 mins runtime is probably the most it'd see, but it's probably overkill for what I need, but I hate buying twice.

They seem to hold their value quite well, so second hand doesn't seem worthwhile.

Is it worthwhile buying a new Stihl unit for £290 or will any petrol eBay special for a third of the price be sufficient?

[AndyTR]

Stihl and buy the most powerful one you can afford. I got a backpack model as I need to be able to collect up acorns and branches, not just leaves. We've a large oak and whilst it's a lovely tree it doesn't half shed some crud on the lawn.

[Chucklehead]

That's that settled then! Is the Stihl the one to go for over something like the Husqvarna 525BX?

[Furbo]

Chucklehead said:

That's that settled then! Is the Stihl the one to go for over something like the Husqvarna 525BX?

We've got a Stihl. Pretty much bomb-proof. Whenever I ask our groundworker what we should buy, when it comes to garden equipment, Stihl is always the answer. He uses their stuff all day every day and won't use anything else.

[trickywoo]

I’ve had a Makita BHX2501 four stroke for 8+ years. A quick search suggests you can get a new one for £200.

It’s hand held but I’ve never had a problem using for an hour at a time.

I’m normally a 2 stroke fan but the four is great for this. Always starts first half pull.

[alfabeat]

I've used Mitox stuff for years (strimmers, chainsaws, leaf blowers) and all have been extremely reliable and spares readily available/supported.

https://www.sam-turner.co.uk/products/mitox-760bpx...

I have one of these and it's a monster. Hang on tight!

[Gren]

Got a Stihl BGA160 the other week just on time for the season. Bordering on the too powerful for garden use - you feel it pushing your arm back. Moves wet magnolia leaves with ease though which is what I needed. Also moves gravel, slate chippings and the top layer of soil off the borders if you point it downwards too much. I've even had fun trying to group up all the fallen bramleys

Battery lasts around 20 minutes. I like the trigger switch it has but it's not very easy at all to modulate so you end up blasting everything at full power.

[Chucklehead]

If I was going to go electric, I'd have stuck with Makita to match all my other 18v stuff, but I think in this case I'd rather go for petrol.

I've bought the BG86, so hopefully it's here for the weekend. I think it's the right combination of smaller and less cumbersome Vs powerful enough to actually achieve something.

[PRO5T]

If you don't have a massive garden the Stihl suck and blow ones are good, in fact I should probably upgrade to a back pack one but the Stihl one works perfectly well and the suck and bag feature is really good for patio ares on dry days-it mulches the leaves up for less space in the garden waste bins too.

I think I've had mine circa 15 years, never serviced, never changed filters or plug. Just hammered to full throttle on every start. Impressive engineering really and it's virtually no more expensive than when I bought it all those years ago (about £350?).

[robinh73]

We use the Stihl BR600 back pack and smaller BG86 blowers. Both are brilliant and do a huge amount of work each week. I would also look at the Echo range, really impressive and that is what I will replace the Stihl fleet with next.

[ukwill]

Do yourself a favour and buy an Ego blower.

No fuel, no ongoing maintenance and you can start adding other tools using the same battery.

[Chucklehead]

i bought the Stihl BG86. Ran it for the first time today, and i can confirm it's everything i wanted and need it for. Very happy!

[AdamV12V]

ukwill said:

Do yourself a favour and buy an Ego blower.

No fuel, no ongoing maintenance and you can start adding other tools using the same battery.

Agreed, we have a Stiga 48v leaf blower and its excellent! I often clear the road with the neighbour who has a husqvarna petrol blower and we've both agreed that there's nothing in it in terms of blowing power. Both are the equal of each other.

To put it iin context as to how much use it gets - Ive cleared x106 one cubic meter sacks of leaves so far this autumn off the lawn and drive and did a similar number last year. Plus I generally blow the drive of twigs and tree blossoms all summer long at least once or twice a week.

The stiga cost me £99 last year in a sale and I now have 5 devices in the Stiga/Mountfield 48v range and have managed to accumulate 5 additional batteries (7 in total) without paying for them as always got them in a "free battery" promo event which Stiga seem to run every other month.

[LunarOne]

I bought the Stihl SH86 (I think it's the same as the BG86 but with a vacuum bag and nozzle) and it's good and not too loud. Used with a skateboard, it will jet you around and there's nothing the Police can do to stop you as it's not a motorised scooter and therefore doesn't fall foul of the rules in the UK!