Makita BBX7600N 75.6 cc MM4® 4-Stroke Engine Backpack Blower

We really did our homework on this one and we bought the Makita. Its function and purpose are simply unbelievable and it has won a couple of awards already as the "Best" backpack leaf blower against its competitors. It's manufactured in Japan - not China, which only distributes this item to the USA. This seems odd, but it says so right on the box. We have plenty of oak and maple trees in our neighborhood here in New England. In the fall, their leaves cover our landscape. We're in our sixties and we needed to invest in a high quality leaf blower. The Makita easily enabled us to powerfully blow back mountains of leaves from the front of our home to the backyard woods in no time. No more raking for us. This Makita leaf blower really is very fuel efficient, high quality, solidly-built, offers a monster of power while is not even nearly as loud as other brands - Husquvarna in particular - and, with regular maintenance and proper storage, it will undoubtedly outlast the competition measurably by years. The 4-stroke engine, without any question, makes all the difference. No messy gas-oil mixing and measuring - a real plus. We took the blower out of the box, added the oil first to its own tank, gassed it up, and off we went. Very easy. When idling, it's perfect for cleaning up the driveway, steps and walkways, and especially for ridding hidden leaves from delicate flower and tree beds. Spring cleanup has been just as simple and convenient as we blew away thatched lawn roots and clippings, more leaves, broken twigs, and whatever else Mother Nature threw at us over the winter. Our next door neighbor has the Husquvarna 580 and he's not the only one who needs to wear ear protection. All the fuss about the Husquvarna brand, for one, leaves us shaking our heads. We live on a cul-de-sac and our neighbor drives the entire neighborhood crazy with that incredibly loud, blasting thing all summer long. He even blows the street debris around and runs it for 3 hours every weekend, just after he mows his lawn with his equally as deafening Husquvarna lawn tractor. As if this were not enough, he even adds to the weekend noise pollution with his Husquvarna weed trimmer - all three of which, incidentally, more often than not, are in pieces all over his driveway as they are constantly being serviced or repaired. No thanks. Certainly, everyone here and there has gardening tools which have their respective decibel issues, but the Makita BBX7600N Leaf Blower is one of the best investments we have made. Don't hesitate a purchase for a moment. This is far above "the middle of the pack" - as another reviewer states while still offering a 5-star review. Buy the Makita.

Took a chance and bought a gasoline implement online--never recommended, but I was emotionally scarred by my Stihl BR350 not working properly after only three years (clogged spark arrestor-- since fixed, and will be sold). I was done with 2-stroke and it's foibles. My brother has a Dolmar (which he laughingly noted was the SAME thing, when he looked at the pic) and it's been a champ. So, this Makita arrived on time on a leafy afternoon a couple weeks back. I put it together (10 minutes and a screwdriver), and filled it with 10W30 and 89 octane gas + StaBil. ...set the choke...primed the bulb until the gas filled it and flowed..FIRST PULL! Ran it for 10 min and set it down to get some work done. Came back an hour later. No choke. FIRST PULL! You get the point. It starts immediately every time. I've used it for only about 6 hours so far. My first impression is that I can do MUCH more work with this than the old one. It is slightly heavier than my old model, and a bit more vibration due to four-stroke. That said, I can work from twice the distance, with a much wider swath being blown. I used to be able to blow leaves into piles, then cut them forward. Now I blow the whole pile. Leaves used to get caught under the rhododendron bushes in the front...now, there's nowhere to hide! I almost gave this four stars--why? It's a bit noisy, a tad heavy, and vibrates. I then considered that for what I paid, this thing is perfect. 4-5lbs less, runs like a sewing machine, sipping gas like a diesel Jetta....I'm sure these things could all be engineered for $1000 more, but not with a price and a duty cycle like I want. (change oil yearly and filters/plugs bi-annually) Construction is solid and with a high-quality finish. I'm no mechanical engineer, but I'm guessing this thing will run trouble-free for years.