Husqvarna 350BT Gas Leaf Blower, 50.2-cc 2.1-HP 2-Cycle Backpack Leaf Blower with 692-CFM, 180-MPH, 21-N Powerful Clearing Performance and Ergonomic Harness System, Gifts for dad

I was window shopping on Amazon to see where the technology was in terms of battery powered backpack blowers and happened to stumble on this with the notation in the listing "last purchased November 2011."I recently gave up on an old Stihl string trimmer and went Makita electric -- the 36 volt model. Also went to Makita hedger -- 18 volt model. Not that I have anything against 2 stroke or gas equipment, it's just I needed something that started easily and the Stihl was way past its prime and for a residential setting the electric is plenty of power and keeps the noise down as well. Was just curious as to where these backpack blowers were in terms of electric powered.Anyway, time does fly but this blower is truly one of the best purchases I made. Others have written detailed reviews so I won't go back over them, I just wanted to let everyone know that this blower is still going strong after 13 years and starts on the second or third pull every time. Its comfortable to wear, fairly quiet, has lots of power, and doesn't really smoke at all. Its a two stroke so obviously there is some, but there is no large plume of blue smoke emitting from my yard. I open my three bays up and walk through it with this and clean it out -- airs out in a few minutes.I treat it well. Put the highest grade gas in it at Costco (I believe it's 91) with a quality two stroke mix that has some anti ethanol properties. I have a Honda mower and add some treatment to that gas as well -- 4 stroke. Every now and then Ill put some injector/carb cleaner in and let it smoke it out. I keep it inside a shed when not in use and put it on the bench and wipe it down every few years as well.I live in the pnw and my yards over the years have been more pine trees than leafy trees. Although I have had some fairly large maples and walnuts. This has plenty of power moving wet leaves, pine needles -- wet or dry -- and whatever else falls into the driveway.I do remember that I was debating getting the larger engine model when I decided on this. I don't think I need more power than this for what I use it for. Great quality product -- good value for the money -- mine was mid 200s when I bought it. This is one of those purchases that I wish I had made earlier.

. . . . which I mean in the best sense of the words. I bought this blower as an upgrade for a corded electric blower which I just got tired of plugging in and lugging around the cord. This backpack blower has great power, good throttle response, and flat out gets the job done. I have had to change my technique a bit. With the electric, you had to get up close and personal to get leaves and grass clippings moving. With the back pack, I have needed to use a more stand off attack - too close and stuff goes everywhere - and fast too. Standing back, I can control the direction of moving stuff better.Other than blowing really well, this new backpack blower shines in 4 other areas. First, it so far has been very easy to start - usually on the first pull. I have been using the premixed Husqvarna fuel, which I bought as a deal to extend the warranty to 4 years. The combination of the fuel and the blower are great. The blower holds about a quart of fuel so you get good long runs before refueling. If I am just using this for lawn cleanup after a mowing, I get about an hour of total operation per tank.Second, the build quality of this blower is good if not great. Sure it is built with a lot of plastic parts but it is solid. The hose connections are tight. The straps are heavy duty nylon. The strap pads for the shoulders and the hips are firm and wide to distribute the loads well and make it comfortable.Third, this blower is light enough not to wear you out during use. I am not a big or young man, but this blower is easy to move, put on, and carry. There is a nice plastic handle (part of the frame actually) that is built into the top of the machine for carrying it without wearing it. Great for storage or bringing it out in preparation for use. Using the waist belt with its hip pads make wearing this like using a high quality hiking backpack. Properly adjusted and placed, the combination of the waist/hip belt and the shoulder pads distribute the weight of the machine and lightening the feel of it on your back. You may need to loosen or tighten the shoulder straps to get the waist/hip belt pads to ride on your hip bones. This would mean nothing however if you cannot get the thing on and the machine is light enough to pickup and swing onto your back with relative ease.Fourth and finally, the machine is quiet. I wear Pelator earmuffs for hearing protection during yard work but even with the muffs on, this blower is quieter than the electric blower I am replacing. The electric had the high pitched scream of the motor combined with the audible sound of the air stream. The backpack motor is nicely muffled and due to its displacement, has a nice medium note rather than a sharp high pitched sound. The second part of quiet though is that the engine is well balanced. It is a 50 cc engine on your back and if it was not well balanced and built, it would shake you till your ears bled. None of that!All told, this a great product. I should have bought one of these years ago but I am glad to own one now.

I bought this late in the Fall season but still was able to get 4 full days usage out of it. i have an acre of land with plenty of surrounding trees so normally would take me 3-4 hours to get leaves to the curb. This blower has the power, very comfortable to wear and adjustable handle feels great on the wrist and arms.I'd say it took me about an hour using this to get the leaves done and my back or shoulders did not hurt after. filled the gas tank before use and had a small amount left afterwards. My guess is it could run for about 2 hours straight without running out of gas, possibly more depending on the blower speed. Highly recommend.

It’s a beast. It’s also heavy. It works amazingly.