Echo 220 MPH 1110 CFM 79.9 cc Gas 2-Stroke X Series Backpack Blower with Tube-Mounted Throttle PB-9010T

Unbelievable. I'm literally blown away. Dad jokes aside, what a monumental upgrade. Ran a PB580 before. Great machine! Then I inherited a PB755ST from my landscaping crew at work as they were retiring it. It was a pretty significant upgrade from the 580, so I ran with it but there were still some areas where I could benefit from MO POWA. Enter the PB9010. An absolute powerhouse, and reduce the time I spend keeping my property spotless. This thing moves air like I've never experienced. And at the price I got it, which felt like a steal under 600 bucks, it's worth every penny. Now, I admit, I wanted the new Husqvarna 590, but for nearly 200 more... It didn't feel justifiable. I'm sure it's an unbelievable machine, but this Echo is plenty. Note that it is loud, so be prepared. I like to use my noise canceling earbuds, and it seems to make it very tolerable. It's also heavy, and moves so much air that it pushes against you as you walk forward. It runs very smoothly, it starts easily, and is pretty simple to use. I preferred the off switch on the old 755ST, versus the shutoff integrated into the cruise control similar to the 580... But you get used to it.

Like others have said, this thing is a beast. I'm 68 and getting wimpy so, I don't want to spend a lot of time blowing leaves. My review will be all pros. So far, I can find no cons. I've only put 2 hours on it so far but I am thoroughly impressed. I couldn't wait to write a review. I haven't given it full throttle other than to test it. Half throttle, it blows harder and faster than I can walk behind it. Like one review, idle speed cleans up around the house easily. The straps are very comfortable and it doesn't feel heavy. The accordion and tubes work perfectly, they are not too stiff. The throttle on the tube works perfect, I don't see it ever breaking like others mention. I have owned several backpack blowers, none are close to this thing. You won't regret buying it.

It offers excellent blowing performance; it is a powerful and versatile tool that is easy to handle. I gave it to my husband, and—having used it during the snowy season and now in the summer—it has been a total success.

First the negative: The assembly instructions are abysmal. Good grief, can't a company like this actually do instruction tests with a sample consumer audience? The prose instructions suck. The assembly drawings suck. The back-and-forth between languages, as opposed to segregated language sections is just pointlessly annoying. I will also say that I very much dislike the admonition to not run the machine in temps below 15F-- because I want to use it to remove snow, regardless of temp, as well as fall leaves. I will also say that the bower tube extension pieces are a major PITA to connect and disconnect, making the thing virtually impossible to disassemble enough to carry around in the cabin of a vehicle. Now the good news. This thing is a monster. I just used it to blow 6" of snow off the first 300' off my gravel driveway, clearing a 10' width. The snow was NOT just powder; it had a fairly high moisture content: Snowball wet, but not slush wet. Yes, it took me 90 minutes, but it would have killed me if I had tried to shovel it. Wet leaves are also no problem whatsoever. I did not find the shoulder straps a problem, as some reviewers experienced; the thing seemed to settle well on me. It started right up, after pressing the primer bulb 8 times and setting the choke, as prescribed in the instructions. second pull in my first go at it, in 20 degree F temp. Subsequent starts with the machine warm were1-pull exercises. Why did I start it more than once? First restart was due to the fact that I forgot to get my noise-reduction headset out of the truck. Yes, I agree with other reviewers that headphones are strongly recommended. No, it wasn't outright painful to operate without noise reduction in place, but it sure wasn't pleasant. Second and third restarts were due to having to refill the tank. My first fill was only half-tank, so that's on me. But this tool is not like a chain saw, where you use full throttle maybe 25% of the time. With the blower, it's full throttle 90% of the time, and this is a thirsty tool. I possibly went through 1 gallon in 90 minutes, maybe a bit less. The tool's gas tank is decently sized; you will welcome the opportunity to set it down and take a breath before refilling the tank, after running through a tankful. I did not need to use the choke in my re-starts, even after 10 minute cool-downs. While I don't claim that ear protection is an absolute must for short-term use, eye protection is an absolute must for any use whatsoever. There are going to be times when you aim the nozzle closer to you than Echo intends (they recommend 15' minimum, but that won't work with medium heavy snow), and you WILL get a faceful of very fast moving debris on occasion. Some reviewers didn't like the set-and-forget throttle, saying that they often turned the tool off when they went to reduce air flow.. I just put the set-and-forget throttle in the idle position, which was just right for starting the tool, and then I exclusively used the trigger throttle to vary air flow. It seemed very intuitive and ergonomic to me, and I didn't have any issues with that approach. BTW, this has a 2-stroke engine, so you MUST pre-mix your gas with oil. And, for goodness' sake, BUY A HIGH QUALITY 2-CYCLE OIL! DO NOT USE normal motor oil. When I buy a new 2-stroke powered device, I always mix the first few gallons of gas a little rich on oil. Echo recommends 50:1 mixture ratio for normal operation. I mixed my first 2 gallons 40:1. That helps the engine break in nicely, without running the risk of fouling the sparkplug. OK, I haven't run the Stihl with similar size engine. (I'm going to have a "blow off" competition next fall with a friend who has one.) But I can't imagine it blowing any harder, being more comfortable, or quieter, or less thirsty. This Echo is a very good machine (I can't speak to durability yet) at $300 less money. If Echo included decent assembly and use directions with it, I would recommend it unconditionally. As it stands, I can only recommend it to folks who can work through REALLY crappy directions. Two final points. Although the thing weighs on the order of 23 lbs, it is just SO much easier to get it on if you are working off a tailgate or similar platform, or have a friend help you get it up onto your back. The last point is that after 90 minutes, my right shoulder was aching from directing the output tube through the arc that you swing to move material (snow, leaves, gravel) around. But in 90 minutes, you will be able to move literal tons of loose material, and the alternative of shoveling or hand raking is just infinitely worse.