Blows me away
YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAA!<br /><br />After a few years of using a very good electric, I'm thinking I should've gotten this three years sooner. I've rented before, this is my first one. (I got this from the listed mfr., before it was listed here.)<br /><br />It got here in three days, beautifully packed (injected foam surrounds the main unit), and it is a Cat 5 tornado in a backpack, at a pretty good price. (Local, $330, + $10 for oil 6-pack, + tax. This a very good buy.)<br /><br />The tubes are a snug fit --- plan on using a little lube to fit the end pipes on, as recommended in the manual. Don't be shy priming, especially on the first run. Runs great, idles smoothly, and it cleans things up amazingly well. I'd say at idle it runs close to the 2/3 point of the top-rated electric handheld. (At some point I'll use  Kestrel to measure things, just for the fun of it.)<br /><br />I opted for the tube-mounted trigger throttle, and find it very, very easy to use. The off/idle/throttle slider lets you set your own back-off speed (from the trigger) and acts as a cruise control. Very low-fatigue. It's pretty "tight" --- no gas smell in garage storage.<br /><br />If you can handle about 21 lbs. on your back, this is pretty easy going --- but don't expect to squeeze into tight spaces in shrubbery without a spotter (branches on muffler!).<br /><br />According to the manual it can be used for snow-blowing, something I've never tried with a blower. Can't wait.<br /><br />This is the top-rated unit in its class, according to that well-known site and magazine. I can see why.<br /><br />So, how easy is this to use, really?<br /><br />My right arm is in a cast. I managed to finish Spring cleaning outside by myself. A little extreme, maybe, but still ...
Rating: 5 stars