I had the blower for 3years and a bearing locked up.

dukes

grants pass or.

In all my years as a golf course and landscape professional, I have never used a better leaf blower than the Stihl backpack series of blowers. The 86 C-E is no exception! We have a crew of greens keepers that blow leaves in the fall and we use all Still 86 series blowers. They are run for 8 hours each day. They have the durability and the strength for this continuous operation without failure or reduction in output. This backpack blower has the power to move all kinds of leaves (wet or dry) along with stick and even small pebbles. It is great for both small clean up jobs and large industrial applications. After using the Stihl blower, I can honestly say that it is the only one that I would consider in the future. Weight It is a little heavier than some less expensive brands, however what it adds in weight, it makes up ten-fold in durability and performance. Performance This unit can run for 8 hours a day repeatedly without any sign of wear or reduction in performance.

rogerkumar111

USA

This new Stihl leaf blower/vac replaced my older Black and Decker Leaf Hog. That blower still works although three years on it has developed a strange bearing noise near the impeller and unless it is being run wide open it makes a horrible grinding sound. So, I decided to buy something a little more robust considering how much I found myself using a leaf blower. With more than twenty trees in my backyard all dropping their foliage at the same time it was obvious I needed something with a little more power. My little Black and Decker was great at blowing leaves but not so great at vacuuming or mulching them. It would slow down and get bogged down by even the smallest pile of leaves. The Stihl just eats up anything I throw at it! It will pulverize leaves all day every day until you get tired. If I had one criticism it would be that if the leaves are wet it can sometimes clog but this has only happened to me on two occasions this fall. It's easier and a lot less messy to just wait for the piles to dry anyway so I don't consider this a major issue. Weight A little heavy at twelve pounds but it is very evenly balanced.

therealjustin

Oneida, NY

I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE 86. IT WAS AN UPGRADE BY ME FROM THE PREVIOUS MODEL SH 85. WHAT A STEP BACKWARD IN EVERY DIRECTION FROM THE SUCTION TUBE, THE BLOWER TUBE, THE EASE OF CHANGE FROM BLOWER TO SHREADER,, THE NEW AND UN-IMPROVED VACUUM TUBE DESIGN, THE NUTS THAT HOLD THE TUBES ON TO NAME A FEW. Ease of Use I HAD A SH 85 FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND DECIDED TO UPGRADE TO THE NEWER AND IMPROVED 86 MODEL LAST WINTER. I LOVE THE ON-OFF SWITCH, HATE THE THROTLE SET, AND CAN'T BELIEVE THE CHEAP JUNK TUBES. IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 1 MINUTE TO CHANGE FROM BLOWER TO VAC ON THE 85 MODEL, TAKES 2 SCREWDRIVERS AND AN EXTRA SET OF HANDS TO MAKE THE CHANGES ON THE 86. IT IS HARD TO GET THE LOCATION RIGHT ON THE SUCTION TUBE AS WELL AS THE BLOWER TUBE. INSTEAD OF TURN AND LOCK ON THE 85, THERE IS A JUNKY TUBE NUT ON EACH THAT ACTUALLY LOCKS IN PLACE IN TWO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS ON EACH TUBE. THE LOCKS NEED TO BE RELEASED WITH A SCREW DRIVER. ALL IN ALL, I WISH I HAD THE 85 BACK AND WILL SELL THE 86 TO SOMEONE I DON'T KNOW IF I FIND ANYTHING BETTER. STIHL, YOU WENT THE WRONG WAY. OH YEA.....THE 85 HAD A ROUND TUBE FOR THE VACUUM AND THE 86 HAS A ROUND TUBE, BUT IS OVAL SHAPED AT THE LOWER END. I RARELY PLUGGED THE ONE ON THE 85, FREQUENTLY PLUG THE ONE ON THE 86. SO TO GET IT UNPLUGGED, YOU MUST IDLE IT DOWN AND TRY TO KICK THE TUBE OR BANG IT ON THE GROUND TO GET THE DEBRIS FREE. WHEN THE STUFF DOES FREE ITSELF, THE ENGINE IS IDLING AND DOESN'T SHREAD THE LEAVES. OH BOY! Durability BLOWER TUBE IS CHEAP AND JUNKY, AND THE LOCKING NUTS IT AND THE VACUUM TUBE ARE PATHETIC AT BEST. STIHL IS USUALLY MUCH BETTER THAN THIS. I CAN'T SEE THIS STUFF LASTING VERY LONG.

chulet

USA

This shredder vac/blower is perfect for a hobby farm or house with some acreage. We bought it because we have a long driveway that needs the leaves cleared from it almost daily in the fall. We like that it is not only a blower but a vac/shredder because we are able to save the leaves from the driveway and shred them and add them to our compost. It doesn't move the gravel, just leaves and sticks which is nice. Not to powerful but powerful enough. I am a woman and it isn't too heavy for me to handle. I was using it when I was four months pregnant with no problem. It was a little hard to start though. My husband can start it no problem, I just don't have enough weight to hold it down to start but am getting more use to it. My only other complaint about it is that it is loud, I have to wear earplugs with it, and it only lasted about an hour until I needed to fill up the gas again. Other then that it works great, isn't too heavy or strange to hold and does everything we need it to.

toaster1

Louisville, TN

My new Stihl SH 86 C-E blower/vac was three times the price of my old Homelite Vac Attack II--but it's ten times the machine. First time out, I had to blow and vacuum leaves in a downpour. The rain was no match for the Stihl. The unit never clogged once, and the job was completed in less than a third of the time as the Homelite. Also, the Homelite vacuum would clog even in dry leaves. I have 17 trees littering my backyard in the fall. Where the Homelite was a backbreaking contraption that required a full afternoon of tough work, the Stihl takes only an hour's time and makes the job easy. Spend the extra money on a truly quality American product. Buy the Stihl. Trust me--you will have no regrets. As a final note, the unit comes with a gutter cleaner tube assembly. It reaches from the ground up to the gutters. Carry an umbrella, but be prepared for quick results and clean gutters! Ease of Use Swapping the blower assembly for the vacuum is easy. Again, I compare to the Homelite which was cumbersome.

tommykat1

West Linn, OR

Are you looking for a leaf blower for chritmas or for someone else?? Well look no further than the Still SH86 C-E Shredder Vac/Blower. This state of the art leaf blower will amaze you! It is the perfect tool for the job and you wont regret buying this product. I have owned my leaf blower for a year now and honestly I dont know how I lived without it. The leaf Blowers I owned in the past couldnt combine to have enough strength to get the job done as quick and easy as this blower. This Blower gets the job done in half the time my old blowers did and it does a much better job in the process. I would not recommend purchasing a different blower than this. If you do happen to buy another blower, boy do I feel bad for you. You wont come close to the quality of this product with any other model or brand!! So christmas is right arounf the corner so hurry to your local hardware store today and purchase this product. I promise you wont regret it!

heinfe0085

Buffalo, NY

My husband has this Stihl shredder/vac blower and it is awesome.  We have three huge trees in our yard that really put the leaves down every year.  He has had this leaf blower for two years and it has really helped cut down on the time it takes to take care of our yard.  Especially with new rules in our community about bagging leaves, this Stihl leave shredder/blower is great to have.  With the shredding capability, the leaves will be ground down into tiny pieces and you can fit tons more in a bag than if they are just raked up.  The blower part is nice to use all year long with blowing off our patio, driveways, and sidewalks after my husband mows.  It is easy to start up and I can do it myself.  It is a little heavy but not too bad.  This Stihl leaf blower is a great value.  I would highly recommend getting one that shreds instead of just blows as well.  It is worth the extra money because it will definitely save time.

emilya0415

Roanoke, VA