Echo 220 MPH 1110 CFM 79.9 cc Gas 2-Stroke X Series Backpack Blower with Tube-Mounted Throttle PB-9010T

I’ve had this beast for over a year, and it still fires up in 2–3 pulls every time. It’s heavy, sure — but that’s the price of power. This thing blows harder at idle than my handheld does at full throttle. I’m pretty sure it could send a brick sliding across the driveway. Leaves? Forget it — they don’t stand a chance. Absolute monster of a blower.

Like others have said, this thing is a beast. I'm 68 and getting wimpy so, I don't want to spend a lot of time blowing leaves. My review will be all pros. So far, I can find no cons. I've only put 2 hours on it so far but I am thoroughly impressed. I couldn't wait to write a review. I haven't given it full throttle other than to test it. Half throttle, it blows harder and faster than I can walk behind it. Like one review, idle speed cleans up around the house easily. The straps are very comfortable and it doesn't feel heavy. The accordion and tubes work perfectly, they are not too stiff. The throttle on the tube works perfect, I don't see it ever breaking like others mention. I have owned several backpack blowers, none are close to this thing. You won't regret buying it.

This blower is a Beast! Well worth the money! I’ve owned Echo blowers for years but the largest one I had owned previously was 800 cfm. This one moves over 1100 cfm. Wow!

Amazing, just amazing. Just like any engine make sure you break it in if you want it to last you a long time. Also, if you are going to run full throttle on this more often then not, go a tad bit heavier on the premix to help the rings and cylinder last. Once I figured out how to wear this and adjust it, it sat great on my back. I cleared over 5 acres with this and went through 3 tanks. Amazing! Just use ear protection (shouldn't have to say this but....)

First the negative: The assembly instructions are abysmal. Good grief, can't a company like this actually do instruction tests with a sample consumer audience? The prose instructions suck. The assembly drawings suck. The back-and-forth between languages, as opposed to segregated language sections is just pointlessly annoying. I will also say that I very much dislike the admonition to not run the machine in temps below 15F-- because I want to use it to remove snow, regardless of temp, as well as fall leaves. I will also say that the bower tube extension pieces are a major PITA to connect and disconnect, making the thing virtually impossible to disassemble enough to carry around in the cabin of a vehicle. Now the good news. This thing is a monster. I just used it to blow 6" of snow off the first 300' off my gravel driveway, clearing a 10' width. The snow was NOT just powder; it had a fairly high moisture content: Snowball wet, but not slush wet. Yes, it took me 90 minutes, but it would have killed me if I had tried to shovel it. Wet leaves are also no problem whatsoever. I did not find the shoulder straps a problem, as some reviewers experienced; the thing seemed to settle well on me. It started right up, after pressing the primer bulb 8 times and setting the choke, as prescribed in the instructions. second pull in my first go at it, in 20 degree F temp. Subsequent starts with the machine warm were1-pull exercises. Why did I start it more than once? First restart was due to the fact that I forgot to get my noise-reduction headset out of the truck. Yes, I agree with other reviewers that headphones are strongly recommended. No, it wasn't outright painful to operate without noise reduction in place, but it sure wasn't pleasant. Second and third restarts were due to having to refill the tank. My first fill was only half-tank, so that's on me. But this tool is not like a chain saw, where you use full throttle maybe 25% of the time. With the blower, it's full throttle 90% of the time, and this is a thirsty tool. I possibly went through 1 gallon in 90 minutes, maybe a bit less. The tool's gas tank is decently sized; you will welcome the opportunity to set it down and take a breath before refilling the tank, after running through a tankful. I did not need to use the choke in my re-starts, even after 10 minute cool-downs. While I don't claim that ear protection is an absolute must for short-term use, eye protection is an absolute must for any use whatsoever. There are going to be times when you aim the nozzle closer to you than Echo intends (they recommend 15' minimum, but that won't work with medium heavy snow), and you WILL get a faceful of very fast moving debris on occasion. Some reviewers didn't like the set-and-forget throttle, saying that they often turned the tool off when they went to reduce air flow.. I just put the set-and-forget throttle in the idle position, which was just right for starting the tool, and then I exclusively used the trigger throttle to vary air flow. It seemed very intuitive and ergonomic to me, and I didn't have any issues with that approach. BTW, this has a 2-stroke engine, so you MUST pre-mix your gas with oil. And, for goodness' sake, BUY A HIGH QUALITY 2-CYCLE OIL! DO NOT USE normal motor oil. When I buy a new 2-stroke powered device, I always mix the first few gallons of gas a little rich on oil. Echo recommends 50:1 mixture ratio for normal operation. I mixed my first 2 gallons 40:1. That helps the engine break in nicely, without running the risk of fouling the sparkplug. OK, I haven't run the Stihl with similar size engine. (I'm going to have a "blow off" competition next fall with a friend who has one.) But I can't imagine it blowing any harder, being more comfortable, or quieter, or less thirsty. This Echo is a very good machine (I can't speak to durability yet) at $300 less money. If Echo included decent assembly and use directions with it, I would recommend it unconditionally. As it stands, I can only recommend it to folks who can work through REALLY crappy directions. Two final points. Although the thing weighs on the order of 23 lbs, it is just SO much easier to get it on if you are working off a tailgate or similar platform, or have a friend help you get it up onto your back. The last point is that after 90 minutes, my right shoulder was aching from directing the output tube through the arc that you swing to move material (snow, leaves, gravel) around. But in 90 minutes, you will be able to move literal tons of loose material, and the alternative of shoveling or hand raking is just infinitely worse.

As a senior citizen that owns a large property in the woods of New Hampshire, I am always looking for machines that enable me to keep up with the yard chores at my age. This Echo blower easily cut my time on the job in half. As an engineer, I appreciate good machines, and this is a keeper. I love this thing, it makes me lough out loud every time I use it. At idle it sounds like an old dirt bike, not a blower. It is so powerful that I think some states might require a License To Carry. If this blower grew up to be a vehicle, it would become a Ram-TRX. Now for the down side of ownership: This thing is thirsty, but that's why it has a large gas tank. The design of the cruise-control needs a redesign. It is too easy to go from "return to idle", to "turn it off". Since this unit is somewhat heavy, it needs a waist belt and chest strap added to the harness. I adapted the waist buckle assembly and the chest strap from my old dead Husky blower onto my Echo. All is good now.