Husqvarna Consumer 28cc 2-Cycle Handheld Leaf Blower/Vacuum

I just received mine and have used a few times. It replaces a Black & Decker electric. This unit is deceptively quiet. It didn't appear to be working well, then I had someone grab the old unit and go side by side. It was actually about the same. The benefits were obvious. The bag on the Husqvarna is huge in comparison, and can get quite heavy if leaves are wet but you can always empty whenever that happens.

No cord!.........again, no cord. Started right up every time. Build is quite solid even though it doesn't "look" to be. I was amazed at how quiet the unit is but then it doesn't "sound" like it's running at a gazillion rpm either, but it works quite well. I doubt I will ever use the "blower" part but the vacuum is just fine. Overall, I am quite pleased.

I just received mine and have used a few times. It replaces a Black & Decker electric. This unit is deceptively quiet. It didn't appear to be working well, then I had someone grab the old unit and go side by side. It was actually about the same. The benefits were obvious. The bag on the Husqvarna is huge in comparison, and can get quite heavy if leaves are wet but you can always empty whenever that happens.

No cord!.........again, no cord. Started right up every time. Build is quite solid even though it doesn't "look" to be. I was amazed at how quiet the ... more

I just used mine yesterday for about 3 hours blower and vac set up getting up those fall leaves in Ohio and wanted to share my opinions. There are many reviews out there (which helped me choose this Husq blower vac) so I will skip over the obvious. I have used a sears craftsman gas blower vac for about 12 years so this is my second blower vac. What I liked about the blower, great velocity on the blower I was happy with an increase in power from my old sears machine. As a blower it shines and I like the trigger control for variable control of the blower. The "speed control" lever works great too. Starts quickly and it is a pretty easy pull on the rope.

I thought when in idle mode it was not too loud for a 2 cycle. When you shift to your left hand the engine wants to suck up your pant leg. If I was a "lefty" I don't know if I would buy this because of that. Blower dislikes, my arm got tired pretty quickly while using it. (That's why I know about the lefty side problem). I don't know if its the weight of it or the ergonomics-balance but my sears wasn't as bad. I'm going to try using the strap that came with the leaf bag next time I use it. I DO NOT like the off switch. It has a soft clear plastic cover over the rocker switch and it makes it very hard to shut the thing off. If you have gloves on, it is almost impossible!

Likes for the vac, very good suction and the bag is pretty good size. I was amazed at how many leaves it sucked up between dumping the bag compared to my sears model. It does a very nice job of mulching large leaves into small shredded leaves. If you are careful about how you suck up leaves it won't jam up. I experienced one or two jams always in the big suction tube never in the small tube at the bag end. Vac dislikes, I hate the way all of these blower vacs are designed for vac, including my 10 yr old sears. A pain to switch over from the blower. With this one you'd better carry a screw driver in your pocket. I was way in the back yard and removed the main tube to clear the jam. The door slammed shut when removing the tube and you can not get it open without a screw driver. So I had to go back to the house just to get a screw driver...grr. Also be careful whenever reaching inside the main suction tube, you have to secure the 2 tube sections with a screw and it will tear up your hand if you scrape by it with your hand or arm. Also after about an hour of using this vac my back was about ready to break. (I don't think any of them are any better in this department). When I was done for the day I had one heck of a time "unlocking" the vac tube from the unit. My sears was much easier to undo.

So all this said I am happy with my Husqvarna and at this stage after a few hours of continued use I would buy again. No it's not perfect but neither will the others all of similar designs. Funny how you have so many brands of blower-vacs and they all seem to build around the same basic (somewhat flawed) design. I'll update later if needed.

I just used mine yesterday for about 3 hours blower and vac set up getting up those fall leaves in Ohio and wanted to share my opinions. There are many reviews out there (which helped me choose this Husq blower vac) so I will skip over the obvious. I have used a sears craftsman gas blower vac for about 12 years so this is my second blower vac. What I liked about the blower, great velocity on the blower I was happy with an increase in power from my old sears machine. As a blower it shines and I like the trigger control for variable control of the blower. The "speed control" lever work... more