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RedMax EBZ8500 review

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#21 ·
A+Grounds said:
they get hard to pull when they need a valve adjust correct? were both in michigan so i would have to imagine we use similar fuel and see a similar amount of leaves in the fall. in you honest unbiased opinion do you think the br600 is really that much better than the ebz8500 in usable air and performance?
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I wouldn't say a lot more usable air, but rather, a difference in how it's applied. I don't know what model Stihl the other posted used, but I run them side by side (My Husky, and Stihl) and there's a definate difference between them. The Stihl is a wolf in sheeps clothing. I would be willing to bet good coin that those who don't like Stihl 600's have little time with one in real world conditions, or just assume that they are weaker because of their sound.

My review will be fair and unbiased. I see no need to promote one brand over another just because I may own that one. I could have bought any blower I wanted whe I bought this last one, but I went with the Husky for several reasons that I'll cover in the review. In other words, I'm not particularly brand loyal.
 
#24 · (Edited)
sjessen said:
I hear you but you just can't beat a wheeled blower for wet leaves!
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It's really hard to argue with that since they are so powerful, but the latest generation of big BP's makes them a lot less useful than they used to be. I have yet to see any wet leaves, even in large number that I can't move handily with either the 600M, or the Husky 570. I used them exclusively this fall for leaf clean ups BTW, so I got a lot of good demo time behind them.
 
#25 ·
Ridin' Green said:
It's really hard to argue with that since they are so powerful, but the latest generation of big BP's makes them a lot less useful than they used to be. I have yet to see any wet leaves, even in large number that I can't move handily with either the 600M, or the Husky 570. I used them exclusively this fal for leaf clean ups BTW, so I got a lot of good demo time behind them.
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Agreed.

With apologies to the original poster I own a 13 hp billygoat wb blower. I think wb blowers would be much more useful if the engine/blower housing was rotated 90 degrees on the frame so that the air discharge came out the front. Then put a swivel "tube" that rotated 180 degrees on the air discharge. May be hard to execute this idea though.
 
#26 ·
sjessen said:
Agreed.

With apologies to the original poster I own a 13 hp billygoat wb blower. I think wb blowers would be much more useful if the engine/blower housing was rotated 90 degrees on the frame so that the air discharge came out the front. Then put a swivel "tube" that rotated 180 degrees on the air discharge. May be hard to execute this idea though.
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That's funny, because I have thought the same thing when looking at some of the new ones lately. I saw a youtube video of a tractor 3 pt mounted unit that did that, and it was sweet.
 
Discussion starter · #28 ·
Ridin' Green said:
I wouldn't say a lot more usable air, but rather, a difference in how it's applied. I don't know what model Stihl the other posted used, but I run them side by side (My Husky, and Stihl) and there's a definate difference between them. The Stihl is a wolf in sheeps clothing. I would be willing to bet good coin that those who don't like Stihl 600's have little time with one in real world conditions, or just assume that they are weaker because of their sound.

My review will be fair and unbiased. I see no need to promote one brand over another just because I may own that one. I could have bought any blower I wanted whe I bought this last one, but I went with the Husky for several reasons that I'll cover in the review. In other words, I'm not particularly brand loyal.
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ill be looking out for your review
 
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#30 ·
no plans at present to get an 8500 but if the company continues to grow as we have a need for additional bp blowers I will definitely entertain the 8500. We love everything about the shindy 854 except the fuel usage and it is by far and away the hardest starting piece of equipment I have ever owned.
 
#31 ·
I don't know if I'll be able to get it posted tomorrow or not, but for sure I should be able to by Thursday.

I am curius why you went with the hip mounted throttle. Was it a persoanl choice, or was that all that was left in stock when you bought? Several dealers I have been to, or caled lately are out of tube mounted control type blowers, so they must be coming into their own.

I have no specific issue with anyone who does use the hip mount, especially since it seems that until recently, that was considered the only "professional" way to go. I just can't see any use for it, and I've ran both types. The ease of havng the throttle control right at your finger tips while your hand is already on the tube handle just makes sense to me. I know a lot of guys worry about snagging the throttle cable on shrubs etc, but I have never even come close to doing that, not had any other reason to want to switch over to hip mount.
 
#32 ·
Ridin' Green said:
I don't know if I'll be able to get it posted tomorrow or not, but for sure I should be able to by Thursday.

I am curius why you went with the hip mounted throttle. Was it a persoanl choice, or was that all that was left in stock when you bought? Several dealers I have been to, or caled lately are out of tube mounted control type blowers, so they must be coming into their own.

I have no specific issue with anyone who does use the hip mount, especially since it seems that until recently, that was considered the only "professional" way to go. I just can't see any use for it, and I've ran both types. The ease of havng the throttle control right at your finger tips while your hand is already on the tube handle just makes sense to me. I know a lot of guys worry about snagging the throttle cable on shrubs etc, but I have never even come close to doing that, not had any other reason to want to switch over to hip mount.
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Had a 8001 with the tube mounted throttle. Could not keep the on/off switch working. Seems the wires were too short. The hip throttle has been flawless.
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
Ridin' Green said:
I don't know if I'll be able to get it posted tomorrow or not, but for sure I should be able to by Thursday.

I am curius why you went with the hip mounted throttle. Was it a persoanl choice, or was that all that was left in stock when you bought? Several dealers I have been to, or caled lately are out of tube mounted control type blowers, so they must be coming into their own.

I have no specific issue with anyone who does use the hip mount, especially since it seems that until recently, that was considered the only "professional" way to go. I just can't see any use for it, and I've ran both types. The ease of havng the throttle control right at your finger tips while your hand is already on the tube handle just makes sense to me. I know a lot of guys worry about snagging the throttle cable on shrubs etc, but I have never even come close to doing that, not had any other reason to want to switch over to hip mount.
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no they had both i just prefer the hip. don't always have my hand on the handle usually just hold the tube
 
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#35 ·
I've always had a hip mounted throttle. The 580BTS is my first machine with a tube-mounted throttle and I like it better. If frees up my left hand for picking up sticks and I have better throttle control for blowing out beds without disturbing the mulch. My only concern is catching the exposed wires on shrubbery or on something in my truck bed and ripping them out.
 
#36 ·
Darryl G said:
I've always had a hip mounted throttle. The 580BTS is my first machine with a tube-mounted throttle and I like it better. If frees up my left hand for picking up sticks and I have better throttle control for blowing out beds without disturbing the mulch. My only concern is catching the exposed wires on shrubbery or on something in my truck bed and ripping them out.
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I got 580bts with a tube-mounted throttle so I could use handheld blower at the same time when I am in a super fast mood.
 
#37 ·
Using a handheld blower with something like the 580 really doesn't help much. If you want to get serious strap on of your other blowers on your chest. I do that with mine...EB 630 on my chest with the 580 on my back and the 10HP Billy Goat on the ground. Carrying two blowers is a bit tiring so sometimes I'll just use the 580 and the Goat.
 
#39 ·
sjessen said:
I have 2 8500's. Way more power than the 8050's. Uses more fuel and is louder. Lighter. Taller and narrower so is a bit top heavy, if you keep them in the back of your truck. The back pad is a little different but no less comfortable. I like the handle on the air tube in that the handle rotates rather than the tube itself. Seems like a nice feature.

Paid $540 total for one and $568(paid extra $25 for shipping/special order) for the other.

One other thing, being a strato-charged engine they are a bit harder to start when cold. If warm, they start first or second pull.
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My BR600 starts right up when its cold. I'm still going to buy a Redmax 8500 so I can have the best of both worlds!
 
#40 ·
lawnboy dan said:
wearing 2 backpack blowers at one time? that is serious
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The problem is that I have to bend the flexible portion of the discharge tube back fairly hard on the one on my chest and it can get tiring. It's not something I do all of the time, but for pitching a pile into the woods it works great, espeically if you use the backpacks to feed into the air stream of the wheel blower.
 
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