I've had the Stihl for 9 or 10 years and have never had any problems other than having to change the primer bulb once :clapping:. I can't comment about the Echo because I have never used one, but the 5 year warranty is definitely a plus. One thing I forgot to mention was that the vac attachment on the Stihl is not very well like by those that have it. I have read that it tends to clog often .

 

I did the research on shred and vac, consensus are it is pretty useless with those small hand held blowers regardless of brands.

For home owners, you should also put Husqvarna 125 in the mix. It is 28cc, more powerful than the two you mentioned. It should be cheaper than those two. I had seen it for $149 in OSH. For the bang for the buck, I don't think anything can beat this. Quality should be comparable.

 

move up to the stihl bg 85 or bg 86 well worth the extra money, you wont b sorry

 

If it's for only your home, either will fit the bill. The Echo PB-250 is the new model that replaces the PB-251. Engines are the same, appearance is a little different. Main difference between the two is that the new model has a somewhat curved tube coming from the housing which keeps the blower from rotating in toward you.

 

move up to the stihl bg 85 or bg 86 well worth the extra money, you wont b sorry

thanks for the reply, but it's $149 vs $239, and looks like they share the same engine, I guess just the added comfort on the grip and cruise control? is it really worth the extra money though? I use my blower about once a week.

 

My Echo PB230 has worked flawless for going on 10 years. Haven't had to do anything to it since it was new.

 

Bg-85, over and done.
Actually in terms of price the 55 is almost as good, the two are so close in
performance it doesn't quite make up for the big $ difference.

My Echo PB230 Haven't touched it since it was new.

Yeah...

 

not sure what you mean there TS.

 

there is no comparison in the 55 and 85. the 85 is much much much stronger!!! THE 85 IS AS STRONG AS SOME SMALL BACK PACK, THE COST DIFFERENCE IS PENNIES OVER THE LIFE OF THE BLOWER

 

I've run the crap out of a Stihl BG 85 for several years with absolutley no issues, very dependable unit and much stronger than a 55. The 85 is a much stronger unit, well worth the money. Stay away from the chinese made home owner husky junk sold at the big box stores, some are just rebadged poulan stuff. My dealer I've done business with for over thirty years has always carried both Stihl and Echo, he's dropping echo this year, he thinks the quality has went down hill, he's picked up Kawasaki in the place of echo.
I don't think you can beat the quality of Stihl Pro series handhelds.

 

there is no comparison in the 55 and 85. the 85 is much much much stronger!!! THE 85 IS AS STRONG AS SOME SMALL BACK PACK, THE COST DIFFERENCE IS PENNIES OVER THE LIFE OF THE BLOWER

You are right the bg 85 is as strong as some small backpack blowers. The question is if you need that much power or not. Most would say yes specially during the fall and after a storm.

 

My Echo PB230 has worked flawless for going on 10 years. Haven't had to do anything to it since it was new.

Same with my Echo handheld blower--except I think it's a little smaller than the 230.

Ecrew, what will you be doing--blowing grass clippings from walks and driveway? If so, the smaller one should do fine. If you're blowing leaves, then bigger is better!!!!

When it comes to blowers, most will probably say the bigger the better. But for homeowner use, I've been happy with my small Echo--used a rake for leaves.

 

the bg85 is now a bg86. besides more cfm's, it has antivibration system which makes it much smoother on the hands. the echo 5yr warranty is just a marketing ploy. we all know, hopefully, that there are 2 things that go wrong with blowers...bad/stale fuel(which is not warranty), and an occasional ignition module problem(which stihl warrants for 5 yrs also). buy quality and American made STIHL!

 

buy quality and American made STIHL!

Know your facts.

 

manufactured in virginia beach, va.

 

I purchased the stihl sh86 (The Shred N Vac version of the BG86). Absolutely beautiful machine. It does surprising well as a vac as long as you don't shove too many leaves through it or try to suck up a bunch of wet leaves. I found it to be a very valuable tool for flower beds, leaves that got stuck under hedges, final pick ups, etc. As a blower, it was excellent too. Very easy to start, very good on fuel, light weight. I did try an echo pb230 prior to buying the stihl and was not impressed. It made a lot of noise but did nothing in terms of blowing. That's what I've found with a lot of echo stuff....makes a ton of noise but never gets the job done. I know lots of people love echo equipment but that's been my experience with their blowers and trimmers. At the end of the day, Stihl, Shindaiwa, Redmax, Kawasaki, Dolmar make the best handheld equipment.

 

BG86 if doing leaves and BG55 for general use. The Echo lacks power

 

My experience with the Echo hasn't been good. If you are going to use it as a vac then I suggest you go with the BG86 or the Kawi. The Echo housing and air chamber tends to crack and break. I'm on the second one and I patched it with epoxy and fiberglass cloth twice now, because it broke it the same places as the first one. I guess I vac'ed up a small stone and that is what did it; however, I may be wrong. The Kawi has been fine. I didn't buy the Stil because they had just gone to the 4 mix and I wanted to see how they were going to hold up. I use them in flower beds and basement window wells when set up as a vac.

 

Stihl doesn't have a 4-mix handheld. Neither the 85 nor the 86 is a 4-mix.
4-mix is available in the "turtle" backpacks though.

I had the sh-85. The vibration was pretty bad, but it did have decent power.
As a vac, it was ok, but clogged easily with wet leaves. Still, it didn't hold a candle to my sears walkbehind vacuum, so I ended up selling it.
Now, I use my backpack, and the blower attachment on a KM-110, which is as powerful as the sh-85.

 

Same with my Echo handheld blower--except I think it's a little smaller than the 230.

Ecrew, what will you be doing--blowing grass clippings from walks and driveway? If so, the smaller one should do fine. If you're blowing leaves, then bigger is better!!!!

When it comes to blowers, most will probably say the bigger the better. But for homeowner use, I've been happy with my small Echo--used a rake for leaves.

I'll be blowing grass clippings for cleaning up drive way patios after mowing and winter/fall blowing leaves perhaps if I need to purchase vacuum attachment. which is another $40. I used to own Ryobi, after 12 yrs finally crapped out. Now is time to buy a reliable brand. Will test out the difference between BG55 and 86.

 

If you have many leaves, you'll spend more time emptying bag than anything else. I bought a lawn vac (looks like a push mower, but vacuums and grinds into a bag) last year at a garage sale--looked new. It works great, but the bag can fill in less than a minute. I now understand why the vac was for sale, and why it looked new!!!!

My son-in-law bought the Echo handheld with vac several years ago--says he never uses the vac-too much trouble to convert, then to empty!!!!!

 

I have a PB250 that I use as a secondary for someone else to use if the backpack is in use. I love it. Its lightweight, blows up to 135 MPH, and was inexpensive.

The STIHL I found to be heavy and unbalanced although it was a little more more powerful. It was also more expensive.


Also shred and vacs with a handheld is a waste of time and money. Its quicker to rake and bag then mess with one of those things.

 

I had an echo es 210. I traded it in on a sh 56 stihl. The 56 has a lot more cfm. The 210 was almost worthless. The 56 and 86 are the same cc engine. It must be a little tuning that gives the extra power.

 

I have owned a handheld blower from each camp and believe that Stihl wins hands down as far as performance/ dollar. Echo should change their slogan to It just works... year after year get out the old echo handhelds and they just work... Stihl blows way harder, but has always been a bit more prone to flooding or at least this one has. The Redmax handheld seemed to torque sideways more but still didnt blow near as well as the Stihl. Further the Redmax crapped out the first time I used it. some screw had backed out and sounded like it was gonna come apart! I love my old Redmax trimmer but it seems like things have slipped since Husky bought them.

 

The biggest differences between the bg55 and 86 are better bearings on the crank a different carb and vib reduction. If your using one a lot those things matter and add up to a longer life, better performance, and smoother operation. If you are using it 20 minutes a week at home and a couple hours during the fall for leaf cleanups, well you be the judge. the bg 55 is great for home owners, pros will appreciate the power and smoothness of the 86.