Customer Reviews

Makita BHX2500CA Commercial Grade 4-Stroke 24.5cc Handheld Blower (CARB Compliant)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My Makita Leaf Blower arrived quickly using Amazon's Prime Service. Even though the machine in new, and built in 2007, it started right up on the third pull. After that, it quickly starts on the first or second pull. There is no hesitation once it starts and from there on it just purrs like a big cat. Don't be fooled by the 145 MPH air speed from this tool. I thought it was going to be underpowered. But most leaf blowing tasks can be done at idle or 1/4 throttle. I think this is because when you carry the tool around, the nozzle is always close to the ground. Only when encountering wet leaves I had to use more power from the rather quiet engine. Oil (10W-30) is not included. Being a 4 cycle engine, no oil and gas mixing is required. The manual is poorly translated from Japanese, but adequate. At 10 pounds (wet) and with a sore elbow, I had no trouble doing my yard and blowing leaves from inside the garage. You can even blow away pesky cobwebs off windows and dry your car.

I ordered this to replace my 2 stroke leaf blower. When I heard these leaf blowers were available in four cycle I knew that is exactly what I wanted. For $199.00 I can tell you to buy this leaf blower. But remember to put oil in it before you start it up. The crankcase takes 2.7 floz. of 10-30 oil. It starts right up and is really quiet compared to my old two cycle one. You have to let it warm up for at least one minute and gradually open the choke. The throttle is cool and the sound reminds me of a little Honda mini bike. Some people were complaining about the position of the off/on switch I actually think it is in a perfect location. They always recommend ear protection but I cleaned my patio and driveway of leaves without ear protection and did not need to throttle much. There is a mild gyroscopic effect when you gas up all the way but it is mild. When you get this unit you get only the blower pipe, the pipe fits into position in channels then you turn it to lock it in. If you want the vacuum part they are extra. Who uses the vacuum anyway? It has a three year warranty. Mine did not come with oil so remember to fill the crankcase with oil before you start it. And hallelujah no more mixing gas and oil.

I just received this blower yesterday. I have been a long time user of 2 cycle / 2 stroke Stihl blowers (SH85) and trimmer (FS85). I am known as the neighborhood lawn fanatic or lawn nut as my wife would call me.

Sure Makita makes great power tools. The big question here is: How do you think they'll do on gas powered stuff versus electric? Well after 12 years of use, my 2 cycle blower has given up and I just found out. I read good reviews and bad reviews of the Makita blower. I was skeptical of the Makita blower. Owning some Makita power tools I'm am familiar with their quality and attention to detail.

So in need of a new blower and my desire to get away from mixing gas and oil I decided to take a chance on this one. I received it yesterday and it promptly got its first test run and use. I was very pleased with the results. After filling the oil and gas this thing started up with a few pumps of the primer and 2-3 pulls of the cord, it started right up.

This blower is much quieter than my 2 cycle ever was. The controls are well laid out. It is powerful unit. I usually have issues with damp/wet grass sticking the sidewalks and drive way. This blower removed 99% of the wet grass from the sidewalks, which was more than my previous blower. I'm sure it will do a great job on the leaves when the time comes for that.

If you buy this unit, I'd suggest you only use synthetic oil in small engines like this. It prolongs their life.

This is not a real strong blower but is certainly adequate for most chores around the house. It is quieter than the 2 stroke it replaced and quieter than the electric blower I own and has a much lower pitch. It has always started on the 1st or 2nd pull and can be taken off of choke almost right away. If you are right handed, it will occasionally suck up to your right leg just a little if you let the blower touch your leg since the intake is on the left side and not underneath. No big deal and not a problem when you switch between hands. It is easy to accidentally shut it off while using it because of where the on/off switch is located on the handle and your thumb will push it off sometime until you get used to it and keep the thumb away from the switch. I am very pleased with this and how easily it starts.

I purchased this blower to replace my electric blower that works well but has the hassles of the extension cord. I have an acre that is about one quarter concrete and black top to keep clean. I have several pine trees that drop needles year round and several more assorted deciduous trees that are just now starting to drop their leaves.

This blower does a very good job on all my surfaces. The one area where it is a little weak is removing wet leaves and needles that have been pressed into the rough black top by the car tires. My electric actually works a little better on these stubborn spots but I suspect that is due to the fact that the electric blower has a much smaller concentrator nozzle on it. However that just means that it takes me that much longer because it blows a much narrower swath than this Makita does. Which is significant. What used to take me an hour, now takes 15 minutes.

It starts very easily and is ready to go in just a few seconds. It is way quieter than a two-stroke, no fuel mixing, and when you're done using it, you and your clothes don't stink like a motocross track tramp after a long night in the pits. Not that there is anything wrong with that! The muffler is behind the plastic shroud so you are protected from burns.

In use I do find that the vibration and gyroscopic action to be a bit tiring to my wrist and forearm. But switching hands is easy and you won't be using it for long periods of time in most home owner situations. There is a reason the pros use a backpack blower. I just have an aversion to strapping a hot running motor and a quart of gasoline on my back.

All things considered I am giving it a five star rating, and I would buy it again.

I ordered this blower because I was no longer satisfied with the blower accessory that attaches to my string trimmer power head. The Makita is extremely quiet and very easy to start. After receiving the blower via Amazon, I added oil and it started right up. The next day I helped a few buddies to clean out an old hangar (about 30-40,000 square feet). They had similarly sized 2-stroke blowers and the difference in noise level was amazing. I ran four tanks of gas through it at full throttle, stopping only to refuel. Vibration is low and my hands did not get numb. The CFM ratings for the Makita were lower than the 2-stroke blowers my buddies were using, but the Makita was visibly more effective at moving heavy dirt and debris. Unfortunately I did not time how long the Makita ran on a tank of fuel, but it seemed like it was running 30 minutes or more at full throttle.

Seemingly all of the dirt that came out of the hangar landed on my truck. I went home, washed my truck, and then used the Makita to dry it off. It was much more effective than the 220 MPH/345 CFM electric blower I usually use for that task, with about the same noise level.

I was having so much fun with the new toy, that I went ahead and mowed the lawn. The Makita was eons ahead of the string trimmer blower attachment. Wet grass and rocks, were no problem.

The only con is that the accessories are not as readily available as the blower itself. I did find that the tapered end tube will fit directly on the blower without the extension. I find this useful for blowing out the garage, or pickup bed where maneuverability can be an issue.

Light, quite but not super powerful. The leaf blower works as advertised, and is really easy to start. When warm, it needs a little bit of throttle to start. The fuel tank is a bit small, but will last roughly an 30min-1hour depending on usage.

Although this is the cheapest 4-stroke blower you can buy, I'm afraid you get what you pay for. Mine has always been extremely difficult to start, and with use only became more so. I have carefully cleaned the carb, checked the wiring and the spark plug, used brand new fuel, etc and have never been able to get it to run well. Today I can not get it to start at all so it's time to find something else.

Maybe I just got a bum one but I doubt it. The fact that Amazon also stocks refurbished units tells me that there must have been a large quantity of returns, which are now making it back to the market after engine repairs. I suspect there's not much worth owning in between the price points of a small electric blower and a higher quality / professional blower.

came to the house in five days very easy to start a few pumps to the primer you cant over prime it the gas goes back to the tank. the chocke down and two pulls it started.its not that loud like outher blowers only draw back was the 2nd tube that conects to the 1st tube keeps coming off.easy fix with black electrition tape. 4 stroke is the way to go great product buy it you will not be sorry. thanks amazon.

Kid you not, the first thing I said was, "Is this thing on?" This leaf-blower is well-designed, sturdy, and has power to spare. It's also quiet. Really quiet. I'm an electrical contractor and Makita power-tools have never let me down. Glad I went with them on - of all things - a leaf-blower. I was shopping for a new leaf-blower when I first saw this baby and I figured, heck if Makita makes it, must be good. I was right. I have a half-acre in a park-like Northern Virginia setting - translation, leaf-raking hell. I've had B&D and Toro before, and but this Makita beats them hands-down. Pricey, but a damn good piece of equipment.

PS Did I mention how quiet it is?