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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Always Dreamed of Having a Back Pack Blower, May 19, 2008
This review is from: Factory Reconditioned Homelite ZR08580 26cc Gas Powered MightyLite Backpack Blower (Lawn & Patio)
I have a Ryobi gas blower that wouldn't start. After replacing the plug and feeding it starting fluid, still no firing, so I went blower shopping. Consumer reports rated the Toro Ultra 12 Amp Electric Blower/Vacuum #51599 as the number one, beating out any gas or electric model, with more power at 235mph. So I bought one, with a 100 foot 14 gauge cord. It was powerful, but quite frankly dragging around a 100 foot cord was a challenge after growing accustomed to a portable gas driven unit.
I was considering this reconditioned Homelite gas powered back pack before buying the Toro electric so I decided to try it out. The entire unit looked brand new. The one feed tube could have a few scuffs on it from a little use, or it could just be from sliding the control cuff over it during assembly. It looked, smelled, and was wrapped in plastic just like new. It did have the word "recon" on the plastic shroud, the letters were clear, like they had been touched by a hot metal iron. Thought it was a logo impression at first. Ok on to performance.
Immediately after taking it out of the box, brought it outside, and put some fuel/oil mix in, pressed on the fuel bulb a few times, turned the large easy to read knob over to the choke setting, pulled it twice, and it fired up. Then I popped the unit on my back, and decided to try it out. My first impression was with the motor so close to my head, the noise became a factor. Not that it was louder than my Ryobi, but it was closer to my ears. Fortunately I have a set of NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES FOR PC CD and MP3 (980409-0403).
The amount of air that was moved is more than the small hand held units, but after using the Toro electric it didn't seem like a lot, although I would consider it more than sufficient. The half throttle setting has a very pleasant whir to it that is much quieter.
After putting the unit on for the first time, you simply tug on the straps to snug it up to a comfortable fit. After using it for a while, it gets more comfortable, the harness settles to a natural fit, something I wouldn't mind wearing for extended use.
I love the extreme power of the Toro, and considering the price, it was a keeper. The Homelite is a backpack, and one I do not want to give up either. By the way, with a backpack, you do not have the flexibility that you have with a hand held; for instance clearing off the top of the boat cover from pine needles is difficult. A hand held you can raise it up over your head.
One last feature I wanted to comment on; this reconditioned model is (Non carb compliant) which as I understand it means that it does not pass California's stringent emission standards. To the green enthusiast in me, that is something worth being concerned about. To the motor head in me, less smog controls means more stable starts when cold, and more power as in more horsepower coming out of the same motor. I noticed the compliant models are now selling at Amazon for more money then these units new, so these recons may be, and I am not sure of this, but may be the last of the oldies but goodies. This is mere conjecture on my part, but is another reason why I am glad I got one of these, especially at such a nice price. I did notice the reviews had mentioned running problems with complaint new model just as I had anticipated.
So the Toro will come in handy when I am clearing out the gutters on the roof, due to the flexibility of the hand held, plus the Toro has metal blades, and leaf vacuuming/shreadding capability, and the Homelite does not do leaf vacuuming/shredding, as stated in the instructions, but does have the back pack feature, and does a great job of clean up after cutting the lawn. Both are keepers for sure. I was also pleased with the overall build quality on the Homelite, it didn't seem like a toy at all. It's built pretty solid, especially for a unit at this price point. I highly recommend getting one, before they once again, run out of them.
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