TGHanks wrote:Is this something like the oft-described cordless screwdriver?

You've never seen the guys with the leaf blower on their back? Backpack Leaf blowers?

froogle

Including 2 Home Depot reviews

and product webpage:
http://www.hitachipowertools.ca/en/Products?cat=146&pid=376

OK, buy this if you must, but PUH-LEEZ (and I'm talking to you here, Mr. Clueless Across-the-street) don't chase those last six leaves around your driveway for twenty minutes, while your neighbors glower at you through closed windows on what would otherwise be a lovely and peaceful fall weekend afternoon.

Remember, raking is good exercise!

wr7en wrote:Will this work on snow?

I second this question. This would make it a purchase for me if it handles snow.

TampaNative wrote:FYI, don't forget to note the weight to power ratios between the 2 to 4 stroke versions. The weight of the 4 cycle engine that matches the power of the 2 cycle (much lighter, same power) is a major factor for consideration in many cases considering the uniqueness of your situation... Just trying to share my God given knowledge based on 51+ years of real world experience :D

I hear ya. I only need a handheld to clear a few small areas where I can't get in with my wheeled unit (or even a rake), like around my outside heat pump units and behind my shed.

Scooley01 wrote:Today is my birthday...I actually said to my roommate earlier "I hope the Woot for my birthday is something that doesn't blow..."

V_V Thanks, Woot.

Depending on how old you are, you might need this to blow out your candles! (BTW, Happy Birthday!)

kyuuketsuki47 wrote:So how many people are planning on buying 3 of these to make a personal hovercraft ala the Mythbusters?

LOFreakinL! Should be a best of "humorous post" list, I'd vote for it. :D

PoAng wrote:I'm not sure I've seen a leaf blower that was not handheld.

Backpack blowers, man. Engine on your back, lightweight handle part, and more power than you really need for a leafblower. But oh the fun

miken927 wrote:Does the 2 stroke require mixing oil with the gas?

Yes, It's best to buy a 1 gallon can and oil bottle with correct mixture for 1 gallon and then premix before filling fuel tank. If you mix anymore than that, the gas will go bad before you use it all. Today's gas with all the ethanol will go bad after 90 days or so unless you add stabilizer.

sixdolla wrote:I can't buy one of these because this plus the lawnmower in the garage will have my wife under the impression that I'm capable of doing the yard instead of the gardner.

Better than your wife under the gardner I guess.

theherbshack wrote:This is available on other sites for $100 also, but the $30 mail in rebate makes this a DEAL!

The rebate is from the manufacturer and not Woot-specific.

E.G. Amazon pdf

How much horse power can I expect to gain if I turbocharged my pickup with this leaf blower?

thumperchick wrote:After watching the recent immigration episode of South Park... this woot makes me giggle.

Game ON Montequito!

Window

Windex....

miken927 wrote:Does the 2 stroke require mixing oil with the gas?

Pep, 2 stroke engines require pre mixing the oil, unless the system has oil induction in which case these induction systems are known to be eventually undependable, so most recommend pre mixing the fuel as a form of "cheap insurance" rather than smoke/melt the top end if the induction system fails and the top end doesn't get lubricated. Just my humble opinion though.

sixdolla wrote:I can't buy one of these because this plus the lawnmower in the garage will have my wife under the impression that I'm capable of doing the yard instead of the gardner.

Depending on how kinky you are, I suppose you could use this to do the gardener instead of the yard.

fenguin wrote:Has woot sold things with a mail-in rebate component before? That's the first stop to sketchytown.

This is the first one I've caught wind of and must say that I got the same sketchytown feeling that you did and must agree!
Aren't there other deal of the day sights out there??? LOL

A local lawn equipment place near me sells cans of pre-mixed 2-stroke oil/gas mixture. No idea what it costs compared to doing it yourself, but I guess it is cheap insurance for the mechanically declined.

If Dyson made a blower it would undoubtedly cost $500 or more. But unlike normal blowers with their nasty buffeting air, the Dyson would blow very smoothly.

These have secretly been micro-miniaturized for years and nearly every politician has one installed in his/her larnyx.

wr7en wrote:Will this work on snow?

Sure. Turns it into sorbet. But that takes technique. :D

When you factor in the post-rebate price, I paid around the same amount for my electric model... and after using it for a few years, I really wish I would have opted for the gas version.

There are pros and cons to each of course... so here is what I came up with.

Electric Pros:

No messy gas and oil to mix.
Less noise.
No fumes.
No concerns about off-season storage or spring start-up.
No issues starting (just flip a switch).

Electric Cons:
Limited mobility - you can only go as far as your longest extension cord.
Cord seems to always get stuck on bushes and creates a tripping hazard.
Less power.

Gas Pros:
More power.
Unlimited mobility.

Gas Cons:
Generally more expensive.
Requires gas and oil mixture.
Louder.
Can be difficult to start.
Needs to be winterized to prevent issues in the spring.
Heavier to handle.
Due to exhaust, it shouldn't be used indoors for speed-drying the cat.

If I didn't already own my electric model, I'd probably spring for this. Hitachi makes good power equipment and this would be a solid performer.

Scooley01 wrote:Today is my birthday...I actually said to my roommate earlier "I hope the Woot for my birthday is something that doesn't blow..."

I guess your rooommate won't be getting you a stripper or escort, eh?

ThunderThighs wrote:Yep. And here's my Rebate 101 Info

Very Nice step by step and appears genuinely unbiased! I followed your advice and book marked it for easy future reference.

Thank You Good Sir/Mam,
Tampanative

2-cycle, requires mixing oil & gas. I bought this a couple of weeks ago (rebate was available then). It is no noisier than the toro electric I had, and it is nice to be able to adjust the airflow (throttle). Starts easily and very powerful. Good reviews and 7 year warranty - nothing else comes close at this price.

Yes, some environmental concerns, but it meets the latest/highest California emissions standards and is much cleaner than 2-cycle lawn tools I have used in the past.

ginawoot wrote:OK, buy this if you must, but PUH-LEEZ (and I'm talking to you here, Mr. Clueless Across-the-street) don't chase those last six leaves around your driveway for twenty minutes, while your neighbors glower at you through closed windows on what would otherwise be a lovely and peaceful fall weekend afternoon.

Remember, raking is good exercise!

I would just reach down and pick up those last leaves, but the blower noise drowns out the "MOM!!! THE MEATLOAF" comin' from across the street

TampaNative wrote:Read the features and you will see that this model is the Greener/Environmentally less unfriendly model.

Seriously/sincerely,
TampaNative

Oh, well if the manufacturer *says* that this is 'low emission' I guess it must be true. It probably only produces as much particulate emissions as 15 SUVs, instead of twenty...

SinnFein wrote:Looks real good for $99. I'd be up for this as I need a handheld blower, but I am trying to get away from 2-stroke stuff. Been eyeing the Makita 4-stroke handheld blower.

I got a wheeled unit that just can't get everywhere.

You have one of those yard fan units?

Why do you dislike the 2-stroke stuff? Current 2-strokes usually still have to meet emission standards, and they do, and the 2-stroke motor oil in the past 5 years or so have gotten substantially better. They don't smoke. You can use the motor in any position unlike a 4-stroke. The only 2-stroke I disliked were those 1-stage snowblowers, but I don't think anyone makes them anymore with the closing of the Tecumsah factory.

That said, I have the Makita handheld blower, sort of--I have the John Deere version, which was/is the same thing (yellow plastic not blue but same thing when I got it 2 years ago except the JD cost more and had a shorter warranty (2vs3), same Robins engine and plastic (compared it with a Home Depot Makita version floor model when they sold the Makita (my store doesn't anymore)), bought the JD before I realized Makita was available). I also have a couple Echo 2-stroke blowers, All are nice pieces of equipment.

Just be aware the Makita usually goes for $200, or about $40 more than a comparable 2-stroke Echo, and double the pre-rebate price woot is selling the Hitachi for. I find the Echo blowers lighter, but the Makita is well balanced and easy to use. You will change the oil in a 4-stroke engine that small more frequently than you think too; I find it a bit inconvenient, more so than just adding oil to the gasoline as required for the 2-strokes, but I also start-stop mine frequently which is probably contributing to charring the oil up.

Also be aware that with a 4-stroke, you can't use the engine in every position. Usually not an issue with a blower, but it's something to be aware of with hedge trimmers and string trimmers. I unknowingly tipped over the JD once for 30 seconds when I set it down to take care of a problem and turned my back on it, and it plumed grey smoke like crazy. A 2-stroke you can use in any position as long as air/exhaust aren't blocked and it won't smoke out like that.

I knew woot was full of hot air but a gas powered blower, that's ridiculous.

ginawoot wrote:

Remember, raking is good exercise!

Bah. Raking is for the Amish. Real men want everything powered by a gas engine.

wr7en wrote:Will this work on snow?

Progressive states like Florida have applied for stimulus $$ to replace their highway snow-plows with 12 of these mounted on the front bumper.

cartman wrote:Gas-powered blowers are bad for the environment - and a complete friction' noise-pollution nuisance. Boo!

Yes because that coal burning power plan that provides the power to run the electric leaf blower is so much more green.

I'll agree with the noise pollution thing if you live next to someone who feels the need to fire it up on a daily basis to blow a dozen leaves off of their driveway, but for most people it shouldn't be a huge issue consider it is probably less noise than a typical lawn mower, and in theory should be used less often.

wr7en wrote:Will this work on snow?

From my experience with even more powerful blowers, these will move snow only if it's the cold, dry kind of snow; and only if you get to it right away, before anyone walks or drives on it, and before it forms a "crust" on top.

Wet snows are too heavy for a leaf blower to move.

I use a blower on snow from time to time, but it isn't a reliable or complete solution.

P.S. I hope I'm not the jerk that SinnFein mentioned.

SinnFein wrote:I hear ya. I only need a handheld to clear a few small areas where I can't get in with my wheeled unit (or even a rake), like around my outside heat pump units and behind my shed.

Sounds like you could benefit from either 2 or 4 cycle blowers then, since you aren't going to have to handle this for long periods, the convenience of using straight pump gas (no mixing oil required) in a 4 cycle model would be worth factoring in.

Remember rakes? Remember actually raking leaves, rather than chasing them around with Rube Goldberg's hair dryer? Remember when your neighbors looked at you with something other than utter disgust and loathing? Get one of these - or Hell, even an electric one, with their lack of fumes almost negated by their grating, banshee-like shrieking - and you won't remember any of those things. Sure it's hard to get kids to do anything at all these days, much less rake leaves, but if you had an electric mulching mower and a sturdy rake, you wouldn't be so damned fat and out of breath all the time...

fenguin wrote:Has woot sold things with a mail-in rebate component before? That's the first stop to sketchytown.

Yes, several times. For example, the Samsung Bluetooth Headset w/$20 Mail-In Rebate on Apr 6, 2011. It was also offered several times before that. There have been other rebates too.

Here's a thread claiming that Woot rebates are fraudulent. Note that this is a manufacturer's rebate, and not handled by Woot.

ThunderThighs wrote:Yep. And here's my Rebate 101 Info

How did you get these images (or others like this) when you posted this rebate info back in January?






Edit: I haven't found them through searching the site yet, but maybe I'm doing it too inefficiently.

Costner wrote:Yes because that coal burning power plan that provides the power to run the electric leaf blower is so much more green.

I'll agree with the noise pollution thing if you live next to someone who feels the need to fire it up on a daily basis to blow a dozen leaves off of their driveway, but for most people it shouldn't be a huge issue consider it is probably less noise than a typical lawn mower, and in theory should be used less often.

First, even with a coal-fired power plant, electric units produce much less pollution, because of economies of scale and industrial emissions requirements. Folks like you just can't seem to grasp that having an individual gasoline engine that both wastes most of its fuel as heat and burns its own lubricating oil continuously as well, is much worse than a centralized power plant burning anything at all.

Second, if you have six neighbors within earshot, you can bet that you will be hearing these things at least four different days a week. Or, at best, with a lot of luck, four times a day twice a week.

tesla33 wrote:Oh, well if the manufacturer *says* that this is 'low emission' I guess it must be true. It probably only produces as much particulate emissions as 15 SUVs, instead of twenty...

"Every little bit counts" Imagine if everyone in this country reduced their carbon footprint by 2o% as your analogy above suggests?

I was on the fence as to whether your above quoted reply was sincere or sarcastic? You can take that as a compliment either way, as the finest/wittiest sarcasm leaves the reader/listener unsure, and in this case you have achieved this with me. Bravo!