Most powerful backpack blower for under $600; Most powerful for under $500

[Ridin' Green]

Originally Posted by Brules

I picked up a new Husqy 570 BTS Saturday. I chose it over the Echo 770t and the Stihl 600 Magnum. I was the most comfortable of the 3, the cross chest strap and the hip padding are great. I went with the 570 over the 580 due to the higher MPH for better scouring power. I hate nothing more than wet clumpy half decayed leaves that won't get up and go.......the 570 makes short work of anything and everything.

Being a Redmax - it is a great machine. I stayed away form the Stihl due to the eventual and possibly multiple valve adjustments over the lifetime and the 570 was way more comfortable than the 770 for me as I have very broad shoulders and the 770 kept feeling like it was falling off.

I've been using my 570 BTS almost exclusively this fall, and about 50% of last fall, with the other 50% last fall going to my 600. The 570 is flat out just a great blower. I can move impressive amounts of debris with it, even after the 600 won't move it any farther.

I did a couple clean up jobs this fall already where I wish I had had a video camera to post what I was able to move with it. On one occasion I had a pile of wet oak leaves approximately 75' long, 20' wide, and 30" deep all blown together, and I decided to see if I could move it on across the property and out the back gate into the compost pile. Like I said, the leaves were wet, so I had to "cut" a few channels through the pile with the 570 to get them moving, but it did it, and I moved the entire pile about 120' in a relatively short amount of time.

[Mikegyver]

The redmax 8500 is one of the most powerful ones out there hands down. The 600 mag is not as powerful and I was not impressed. Mine through a rod after around a year of use. My second choice would be a shin 802 which is also an excellent machine.
Theres several sellers on ebay that have the Redmax blowers for a discounted price.
Mike

[retrodog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePqL085xf-g I think hands down the 8500 is the stoutest out there, this video should back up what I say... I own a BR 600 have had it quite a while, when I got the Redmax is was so much more, even the 7500 feels stronger.... I think the echo is the most comfortable. I used the handhelds alot while sitting on the mower and blowing my grass clippings off the side walks and driveways. I had 15mph mowers, so that made up alot of time....lol

[Ridin' Green]

Originally Posted by retrodog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePqL085xf-g I think hands down the 8500 is the stoutest out there, this video should back up what I say... I own a BR 600 have had it quite a while, when I got the Redmax is was so much more, even the 7500 feels stronger.... I think the echo is the most comfortable. I used the handhelds alot while sitting on the mower and blowing my grass clippings off the side walks and driveways. I had 15mph mowers, so that made up alot of time....lol

That's an excellent link RD- thanks.

However, the 7500 will scour up stuck down wet leaves and debris better than the 8500 due to its much higher MPH, and do it using less fuel and be a few pounds lighter while doing it. Plus it's $50 less. It almost went as far up the scale as the 8500. The difference between the two of them was much less than the difference between the 7500 and Echo 770, and it backs up what I've been saying on here for over a year now. The 7500/Husky 570 is demonstrably stronger than the 600 and 770, and is about the best machine out right now all things considered. I own both a 600 and a 570, and all my other handhelds are equally devided between Stihl and Husky brand machines so it isn't brand loyalty for me.

BTW- I wish they'd have included the Shindy 802 in that test. I'm betting it would have been right in there near the 600 and 770 depending on which nozzle (high CFM or high MPH version) they had on it at the time.

[Brules]

Originally Posted by retrodog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePqL085xf-g I think hands down the 8500 is the stoutest out there, this video should back up what I say... I own a BR 600 have had it quite a while, when I got the Redmax is was so much more, even the 7500 feels stronger.... I think the echo is the most comfortable. I used the handhelds alot while sitting on the mower and blowing my grass clippings off the side walks and driveways. I had 15mph mowers, so that made up alot of time....lol

That video doesn't show the RM/Husqy's true power like this one does:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5EKGSI59KY&feature=plcp

LOL

[kawasaki guy]

I thought lawnsaspire just got a Kawasaki KRB750