I basically narrowed my choices down to Stihl 380, the comparable Echo, and the Husky 150 BT or 350 BT, which seem to be the same model. The Husky is just a Redmax EBZ5100 with orange plastic and a slightly different backpack system. Redmax has had a great rep among commercial users for a long time, so I can understand why husqvarna bought them and rebadged it.

Anyway, I ruled out the Stihl 380 since the echo and husky perform closer to the Stihl 420 but cost a bit less. The 380 and 420 seem to be essentially the same blower with different tubes. So I can’t see why there’s a $100 price difference. They have the same engine, and the same specs at the housing, but at the tube end the 420 has more volume. The Stihl is also an older design, but in it’s favor, it’s proven to be essentially bulletproof.

As far as how it works, it’s an amazing product compared to the homelight, and the time we save clearing leaves makes me wish we’d bought it a long time ago. I really can’t see making a decision based on the $30 price difference between the brands, so I chose the one I liked best based on performance and perceived noise. These light commercial grade blowers are all so close, I think the best advice is to pick the one that has a good dealer close by.
Rating: 5 / 5