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My Almost-daily Journal |
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| About I love trying out new things, especially when it comes to internet technology. I never really kept a journal, but it's something that I've always wanted to do. Now, everybody will get a chance to look inside my twisted, and somewhat-warped mind.
I've also subscribed to Audio Blog, so a few times a week, I'll leave actual voice blogs. Very cool!XML Newsfeed Previous Posts
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Wednesday, May 11, 2005
The Blower/Vac/Mulcher Saga I went to Lowe's for lunch in my search for the perfect blower/vac/mulcher. Why oh why don't they make a product that every homeowner would buy!? I don't think that I'm asking for much. I want a quality gas-powered blower/vac combo, with a metal impeller that will shred sticks larger than 2 mm wide, that's lightweight, ergonomic, has a leaf bag larger than a lunchbox, with quick-connect attachments. Echo is the best quality (and most expensive) brand of two-stroke gas-powered tools that Home Depot sells. Obviously, that company has problems, since three out of three blowers I attempted to purchase shoots a spark arc to any portion of your hand that touches any metal part on the blower. Plus air speed is below 200 mph. I think they're rated to 165 mph. El-cheapo blowers sport 200-205 mph. If that isn't bad enough, the vac attachment requires you to unscrew/screw a large radiator-style clamp to secure it. Can you believe that? And the impeller is plastic, but it has four metal blades attached to inside of impeller. Won't chop a femur, but some metal is better than no metal. Regardless, the shocks don't work for me. Echo is out. Toro sports a blower/vac with a metal impeller, but it's electric. I don't want electric. Toro is out, unless some rare boutique store sells gas-powered Toros in Birmingham. Everything else about the Toros are perfect: easy-on-easy-off attachments, large bags, 200 mph air speed, metal impeller, lightweight, and very ergonomic. Couldn't ask for a better designed blower/vac, other than the fact that you need a power source and extension cord. Toro is out. Then there's the offshore-built blower/vacs like Homelite (Home Depot brand) and Poulan (a Dewault look-alike, wanna be). All are gas-powered, have 200+ mph air speeds, and easy-on-easy-off attachments. These are made for the masses for the "light residential" guy that uses the product twice a year. The price is right too. Their top-o-the-line product sells for under $100 (the average is about $79). Echo's residential-quality blower, that sports a smaller motor, less air-speed, and not-so-easy-to-attach attachments costs $199. Differences between Echo (and other high-end brands) vs. Poulan and Homelite are you get actual bearings instead of bushings, higher quality motors, and better quality control. Basically, it's the difference between a blower that lasts 15 yrs and one that lasts 3 yrs (I owned a Poulan... it lasted 3 years... I took a sledge hammer to it after it didn't start). So I went to Lowe's during lunch. Guess what? No luck. Their high-end blower is a Husqvarna. Super! Too bad Husqvarna only sells gas-powered blowers. They don't sell blower/vac combos! Can you believe that shit!? What else do they sell? Next in line is the Troy-Bilt. I saw the exact same blower/vac at Sears Craftsman store. I guess Troy-Bilt makes blowers/vacs branded as Craftsman too. No big deal. Only problem with their blower/vac is that it feels like I'm holding onto a blower with a Kawasaki Ninja 750 motor. It's huge, cumbersome, and heavy. Secondly, the leaf bag is about the size of a lunchbox. I'd be emptying that thing every 30 seconds. Other bummer is that the blower requires 40:1 gas/oil mix. All my two-stroke tools in my garage use 50:1. WTF? What else? Plastic impeller. I don't want a plastic impeller, and I don't want a blower that requires professional sports conditioning/weight training to be able to operate for more than ten minutes. The thing weighs a ton. So Troy-Bilt is out. So what the heck are my choices?! WTF!? Am I asking for much? I want a two-stroke motor that runs off 50:1 gas/oil. I want a metal impeller that can actually cut up small twigs (actually, I want an impeller that can cut up a femur). I don't want to get electrocuted every time I use it. I want easy to attach/detach accessories. I want it to be ergonomic, lightweight and easy to operate. And I want a quality name which should translate into a quality product. Where do I find this non-existent blower/vac? Home Depot - nothing. Lowe's - nothing. I guess my only option is to buy the Poulan, then sledge-hammer it to pieces and buy a new one every three years. Any other hardware stores other than Lowe's or Home Depot? How troubling! posted by Dino at 2:35 PM (permanent link)
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