Stihl Backpack blowers

[lehman live edge slab]

The only thing Stihl does better vs the echo 9010 is the auto return kill switch. The 9010 easily wins otherwise.

Definitely personal opinion and preference it’s not always about blower performance ect. Theres certain areas without echo dealers and or they suck also some people find the Stihl more comfortable to wear. Also my br 600 has done everything I’ve needed just not as fast as an 800 or the echo 9010 would. 600 was bought by my dad new when they first came out to blow leaves at his cabin that was to rough to rake ect. Still runs great and while I should have done it the valves have never been adjusted.

 

[pbillyi69]

i have a br600 that i have been running 32:1 mix in for years with zero issues. the only thing it didnt like is 100ll fuel.

 

[Merkava_4]

Have you ever run a 9010? Almost without fail, when I let a customer run one a few minutes, they walk out the door with it. It's like having a dirt bike on your back.

I have one. The first generation swivel cuff used to pop out of joint. They have since came out with an upgraded version. The unit still has a very stiff corrugated elbow that is cumbersome to move around. The runtime is only about 40 minutes on wide open throttle. Most of the time it sits in storage. For everyday use I prefer my STIHL BR600.

 

[FergusonTO35]

My new FS-91 gets VP synthetic 40:1 with an ounce of fuel stabilizer and premium gas, same as all my other mixed fuel engines. So far it runs great on the stuff, we shall see over the long run. I'm planning to adjust the valves periodically.

 

[r7000]

I went by the store and tried on both the Echo and the Stihl. I was going with the Echo, (that’s what they recommended) and the counter was going to order me a hip strap but after some research that’s not available in the US from Echo.
The Stihl was more comfortable with the hip strap on my back and for me a little better.
But I would have to agree, the Echo is more powerful and moves around leaves quicker. It maybe a better machine overall, but I had to get the one that fit me. I’m sure the Stihl will be good enough for my needs on the farm.

 

[lilspenny]

I see the Stihl line up of backpack blowers (br600 and above) use a 4 cycle “mix” engine. I was reading it needs a 50:1 of Stihl ultra oil and only that due to ash that can build up on the valves.
First off I hate Stihl ultra oil in chainsaws. I feel It doesn’t provide adequate oil in the crankcase, and very little oil on the cylinder walls. I prefer red armor at 40:1 because of the FD rating, better cleaning, cleaner burning, a little thicker and it pools down in the crankcase providing a little more protection.
Basically I want one mix for all my 2 stroke equipment. Will a 40:1 mix be bad for the design of the Stihl 4 cycle mix motors causing damage to the valves due to “extra ash”.
One of the few issues with the BR600,700 and 800 is the crankshaft failure from a copper bushing, which I’m hoping the 40:1 will help prevent this.
If this is a concern, should I be looking at the Echo 9010 that has a conventional 2 cycle engine?

Had a 4-mix fs100rx since 2005 and it runs great. I've run all kinds of oil, mostly 40:1, no guard, .105 string. Just like any other brand, watch excessive heat. I have used that thing in all conditions, even with a blade cutting everything smaller than my pinky. Also.... I am a low rpm trimmer. Adjusted the valves in 2025 for the first time, and they were barely out of spec. So, there. I've broken rule after rule after rule and that thing still runs great. I have always done my own maintenance. 10 of those years were commercial use.

 

[lilspenny]

I see the Stihl line up of backpack blowers (br600 and above) use a 4 cycle “mix” engine. I was reading it needs a 50:1 of Stihl ultra oil and only that due to ash that can build up on the valves.
First off I hate Stihl ultra oil in chainsaws. I feel It doesn’t provide adequate oil in the crankcase, and very little oil on the cylinder walls. I prefer red armor at 40:1 because of the FD rating, better cleaning, cleaner burning, a little thicker and it pools down in the crankcase providing a little more protection.
Basically I want one mix for all my 2 stroke equipment. Will a 40:1 mix be bad for the design of the Stihl 4 cycle mix motors causing damage to the valves due to “extra ash”.
One of the few issues with the BR600,700 and 800 is the crankshaft failure from a copper bushing, which I’m hoping the 40:1 will help prevent this.
If this is a concern, should I be looking at the Echo 9010 that has a conventional 2 cycle engine?

Someone either wants you to buy Stihl Ultra, some other brand equipment besides Stihl, or who knows because they don't know. I've got an fs100rx that I bought new in 2005. 10 years of heavy commercial use and 10 years of personal use. Valves adjusted once and that was in 2025. They were very close to spec and did not need adjustment. The rope was hard to pull and that was a displaced rubber grommet that was caught in the flywheel, not tight valves. That machine has had a diet of various oils but about 1/5 Ultra which was in the last 5 years. When I opened it up and inspected the cam it was so dirty I said "no more" concerning Ultra. Black oily film. I recently tried VP, Saber, HP2, and Red Armor. Those, imo, are better than Ultra. The cleanest of the bunch is VP but imo it should be 40:1. Many Stihl models do not have needle bearings on the wrist pin. It's not typical for them to seize unless the air filters don't catch all of the dirt, or the machines are run without oil. In a model with needle bearings a new engine might be needed. Stihl 4-mix engines are fine machines but just like Toyotas, they are not for everyone.

 

[EFSM]

I have one. The first generation swivel cuff used to pop out of joint. They have since came out with an upgraded version. The unit still has a very stiff corrugated elbow that is cumbersome to move around. The runtime is only about 40 minutes on wide open throttle. Most of the time it sits in storage. For everyday use I prefer my STIHL BR600.

They are excessive for small jobs. I wonder how soon it will be until we see twin pipe blowers. Echo toyed around with that many years ago but didn’t pursue it past the prototype stage. Two smaller, more maneuverable tubes would make the 9010 a lot more practical.

 

[Merkava_4]

When I opened it up and inspected the cam it was so dirty I said "no more" concerning Ultra. Black oily film. I recently tried VP, Saber, HP2, and Red Armor. Those, imo, are better than Ultra.

I think it's the 40:1 that's killing you.

 

[EFSM]

I think it's the 40:1 that's killing you.

You’re in the minority. Not a lot of love for Ultra around.

 

[lilspenny]

I think it's the 40:1 that's killing you.

Could be, but the machine has lasted 20 years, ten if which was hard commercial, but run solely by mwa.

 

[lilspenny]

I see the Stihl line up of backpack blowers (br600 and above) use a 4 cycle “mix” engine. I was reading it needs a 50:1 of Stihl ultra oil and only that due to ash that can build up on the valves.
First off I hate Stihl ultra oil in chainsaws. I feel It doesn’t provide adequate oil in the crankcase, and very little oil on the cylinder walls. I prefer red armor at 40:1 because of the FD rating, better cleaning, cleaner burning, a little thicker and it pools down in the crankcase providing a little more protection.
Basically I want one mix for all my 2 stroke equipment. Will a 40:1 mix be bad for the design of the Stihl 4 cycle mix motors causing damage to the valves due to “extra ash”.
One of the few issues with the BR600,700 and 800 is the crankshaft failure from a copper bushing, which I’m hoping the 40:1 will help prevent this.
If this is a concern, should I be looking at the Echo 9010 that has a conventional 2 cycle engine?

I think it's the 40:1 that's killing you.

That may be somewhat the case. Ultra still smells like a burning skunk.

 

[pbillyi69]

i have a friend that has gifted me a pb9010 that has carb issues. he replaced it with a br800 c e that has become hard to turn over. he took it to the dealer for warranty work and they told him since he wasnt running ultra that it voids the warranty. he is running a high quality synthetic fd rated oil at 50:1. he basically told them to pound sand brought it to me and gave me that one an bougbt a red max 9500 or 9000 whatever the umber is. does anyone know what issues the br800 has. its not one that there is a recall on

 

[lehman live edge slab]

i have a friend that has gifted me a pb9010 that has carb issues. he replaced it with a br800 c e that has become hard to turn over. he took it to the dealer for warranty work and they told him since he wasnt running ultra that it voids the warranty. he is running a high quality synthetic fd rated oil at 50:1. he basically told them to pound sand brought it to me and gave me that one an bougbt a red max 9500 or 9000 whatever the umber is. does anyone know what issues the br800 has. its not one that there is a recall

What high quality fd rated oil first off? Second the dealership cant deny warranty on that if he bought the machine new and it’s inside of 2 years it is warranty and if he bought the 6 pack of ultra its 4 years. Stihl ultra is only fb rated if I recall correctly and the fd will still be above that spec even if the 4-mix doesn’t like this particular oil. Could be anything from a smeared piston or bad bearing to just needing a valve adjustment and maybe some cleaning because the unnamed oil carboned it up. Your friend needs to call Stihl directly and complain about the dealer I will also contact my buddy about it. Unless it’s a smell thing any four mix engine I still think should run ultra no matter what the popular opinion on YouTube is against it. The ultra was actually designed for the 4-mix engines and does seem to make them live a long time seems amsoil is good also but not all high quality oils seem to be great in them. This Stihl blower would fall under the magnuson moss act so long as the product used meets or exceeds the requirements they cannot deny warranty. If they say that only their oil can be used then it needs to be supplied for free during warranty period.

 

[pbillyi69]

i told him the same thing about the warranty. im not sure what oil be uses but he has owned a yard maintainence company for over 30 years. he buys good stuff. he has moved almost all of his equipment to milwaukee electric tools. he keeps a honda commercial mover and a big gas bp blower for big yard in leaf season because time is money. the echo blower went down in leaf season last year and bought the stihl. the stihl had trouble at the end of leaf season this year he moved to the red maxx. he just gave them to me because i have fixed things for him in the past. he is so discusted with stihl he said he wont spend a other minute of his time on them unless that one was recalled he said he would have the recall work done and give it back to me.

 

[pbillyi69]

i havent tore into it to see wtf is happening

 

[lehman live edge slab]

I understand the frustration ect but it’s a dealership problem not Stihl and as mad as he is he really should say something to Stihl for everyone and I will talk to my friend. Stihl does reprimand dealerships that do stuff like this. This is a dealership issue and problem is if they did it to one they did it to more and all it does is make all the other dealerships and Stihl look bad. They can’t even use the pro use excuse because blowers have the same warranty pro or consumer.

 

[EFSM]

Hard to turn over is usually a valve adjustment or bad cam ACR

 

[Seachaser]

I have the Stihl 800. If the Echo is stronger, I don’t know if I could control it. All the pine straw crews now use the Stihl 800 instead of rakes.

 

[pbillyi69]

i have a br600 that i have had for years i got it used for a good price and i have used it to clean all of the leaves and pine beedles for years. i have a double lot with lots of leaves and one pine tree that just makes a mess. it was the best decision i made when i didnt have the money