Side by Side Comparison of: Hitachi vs Briggs & Stratton vs Arnold

Been using about six months and have had no problems what so ever. Just wish it was reversed engineered to have the air cooling fan facing out for right handers (which most of us normal people are). I have to use left handed to avoid pants material from being sucked up into the fan. Otherwise this is a great value.

Had already owned one bought new 2 yrs ago. Loved it so bought this recon unit....can't tell apart other than the warranty is a lot less.

Bought this to replace one that was stolen, used it once but it started right up with little effort.

Mine looks brand new. I use 90 octane gas and Hitachi's oil and it revs high and loud. I've owned a fine electric Toro for years but I'm tired of hauling the 100' cord. What has surprised me with this Hitachi is it's rated 170MPH while the Toro was 230MPH, but it's obvious the ratings for blowers don't conform to a set standard. This Hitachi is a LOT more powerful, and smooth as silk with its easy variable speed trigger. I have no problem moving twigs/broken small branches, some dirt, even small rocks. When it snows this should easily do the job to clear a few inches assuming it's not 'wet' snow. It goes quite a while too on just over half a quart tank. This may be the best buy for this quality blower.

I ordered this as my last blower finally went out after like 3 years. After the reviews, I decided to take a chance on this product. The box came with just the reconditioned product inside, no manuals. That wasn't a big deal since you can pull manuals off the internet. I added the 2 cycle mixed fuel, primed, choked and on first pull started right up. This thing has some power to it. It is so powerful it vibrates. I have a corner lot and I live in the south so the weather is only cold down here for around 3 months. So the other 9 months the grass grows like crazy. I use this atleast every 10 days. Thus far I've used it twice and it has worked flawlessly. Starting immediately on the first pull after priming. Great buy!

Looked brand new when it arrived! Fires right up every time!

This is an excellent little blower. Although I am partial to Stihl products, this blower is more powerful, lighter, and less expensive than its Stihl counterpart. I have both Stihl and Tanaka (identical to Hitachi, but orange) chainsaws and find them equally impressive. I'm not suggesting that the Hitachi an equal the Stihl's ruggedness and long-term durability, but for most of us, as a practical matter, there is very little difference in the distinction. This blower always starts on the second or third pull when cold - first pull when warm - idles steadily, and runs powerfully. The throttle is very sensitive. It is more of a toggle switch than a regulator. It would be nice to have cruise control to permit easier operation at partial settings. But such bells and whistles add to the cost, are not essential, and it is hard to find a machine of this quality at this price.

I have only had this a couple of weeks now but so far I am beyond impressed. It blows wet pine needles and wood chips without an issue (as long as they aren't piled super high). Assembly was a piece of cake (came in 3 pieces, main body, and 2 nozzle pieces). Weight is good, noise is fine (I listen to misc with headphones while working so no issue for me).Again only had it a short time so if I run into any issues in the future I'll update my review but so far extremely happy with product & price!

I just unpacked and assembled this item. I used it for about 1/2 hours with no issues! Very easy to assemble and get operated! For the price, it's very powerful and should suit my needs. As for a long term review, only time will tell. I'm a homeowner whom will use this once a week for about an hour each time. If you use a good gas mixture and use this product, it should work for trouble free use like most gas engines. It's not top the top of the line item like Stihl but again for under $100 you can't argue with the value!

Bought this 4 years ago and it still works great, starts on the second pull every time. Haven't needed to replace the spark plug or rebuild the carburetor either, unlike other brands I've owned that have needed constant maintenance. It's also lightweight and doesn't vibrate, so your fingers don't go numb when using it for a while. This is a great price also, as I paid $30 more from Amazon back then.

I have used this quite a bit and I love it, I only wish there was an attachment to do gutters with. I used it to clean the yard in about 2 hours on 1.5 acres. Noise level isn't bad, I would not be a hero-use ear protection!!

When I opened the box, I thought, "No way this thing is a 5-star product." I couldn't have been more wrong. Fueled it up, primed it, and it started on the second pull. Thing has been a total beast for me for the past couple of months. Word of warning: this blower is so powerful that I've had to rebuild my garden shed three times, re-roof my house twice, and I've scraped at least 1/2" off the top of my driveway from using it around the yard. The first time I fully squeezed the trigger my neighbor's loud-ass beagle was picked up from across the street and thrown nearly 1/4 mile. This blower is Macho Man Randy Savage in mechanical form. 5 stars!!!

Works good.I tend to use name brand oils if recommended.

No complaints on this! Easy to follow instructions and works as expected for our yard equipment. Good value as well! Will order again.

It's 2 cycle oil, put it in a can, mix with gas and it works fine

Just as product description says, cheaper on amazon from what i could find at my local stores.

You can't go wrong with Briggs & Stratton products I believe they are the best you can buy and I never had a problem with anything they produce.

So far so goo. Does the job with the recommended mix ratio.

was a gift to my husband, he said he likes it. Starts on first pull/

Does a good job. Starting is easy . Only thing is the trigger sometimes sticks on.

The unit functions as promised - it is light and powerful. It does a great job moving grass, leaves, twigs, sticks and other debris after yard work duties. Surprisingly it will even move the cobble stones edging some of my walkways! I was not expecting that from such a compact unit. I only gave it 4 stars because it did not come with an owners manual and had to download a PDF - a minor inconvenience but annoying nonetheless. All in all it is an excellent value for the money.

Very good for the price. Good power - handles my St. Augustine lawn as well as hard surfaces. As a previous poster mentioned, the intake on the left side is a minor distraction. Will suck in loose shorts when held in the right hard.

Powerful Blower,the most power that I have ever had from a Gas Blower.Directions would have been nice to have for installing the Tubes but you will figure it out eventually.Highly recommended but Ebay will save you $10 Less for the same unit and Brand new.

bought this for my husband..found it for $139 new then while thinking about it found it refurbished for $106...so I went for it. My husband is thrilled which makes me happy. Only issue was didn't come with a manual but I found it online and really didn't need it. If you have used any small gas engine (weedeater, etc) you know how to mix the gas/oil, etc. I'd recommend this

Ready to go.....just twist on the tube and tip and fill it up. Being the first one I've ever owned, I have nothing to compare it too. I can tell you it does the job of blowing off driveways, sidewalks, and building interiors like nobodies business! It even blows the driveway gravel off the concrete pad and back into the gravel part of the drive after a heavy rain. I love it.The only thing I don't care for, nor understand, is the vibration. It rattles your hand....but it's tolerable.When it comes time to replace this one,....I'll buy another one just like it.

The stats say it puts out as much as my old bg55 but it doesn't. The trick is the tapered cone. It increases the velocity, probably as advertised, however the volume is lower because of this. Handle vibrates more than the Stihl, I just use it for my house, however it could be annoying doing multiple jobs. Made in China. This model is for left handed people. It will suck to your leg if you are right handed. Definately not commercial quality, just occassional homeowner use.

Very Easy start, good performance, good price and nice warranty! The suction from the left side kind of sucks up your clothing while you are using. But if you use your left hand or hold it away from your body this isn't an issue. Overall, very reliable and good power for this gas powered 2 stroke. I would suggest the premixed gas and oil products you can find at any hardware store. Ethanol is no good for any engine much less a small two stroke blower like this one.

This thing blows! I've seem things that blow and suck, but this thing blows and does it well. All jokes aside, the Hitachi RB24EAP is a very powerful leaf blower which I have used for my yard in the fall. I have yet to be able to test it on snow as we don't get much around here. It would be nice to be able to decrease or increase the blowing power though.The one thing I wish this would have is the ability to suck the fallen foliage. For locations like bushes or corners, vs trying to forcefully blow them out.

First time using Hitachi, I think they're reliable? I did a lot of research and planned on buying an Echo but the one I wanted was discontinued and any respectable ones were around 200. Right out of box super easy to set up. I put pre mix into it and 10 pumps / 7 pulls later it started. Hesitated a bit but new gas.and new gas lines so to be expected. It sounds really strong at full throttle. It's not bogging or hesitating. I'm 6'2 180 and had to switch hands now and then. It blew a pile of sand 20 feet away. 4 stars because in between full and idle it slightly chokes like gas isn't getting to it but only slightly. Semi cheap plastic but makes up with the strong engine. Buy the pre mix 50/50 the first few times. Hell... Can even just use that to save the hassle. For the price vs the strength and reliability it's so worth it. I'll update my review in a few months.

Lightweight, a little loud, but really throws a huge volume of air! It's much better performance than the leaf vac/blower combo I replaced. Plus the blower tube stays on the blower, my old one would always fall off.I bought this blower in Sept 2011 and got 3 solid summers out of it with no issues at all. 4th summer was a different story, as I started to experience stalling issues. It would start back up then stall again. I looked at the fuel lines and found the black tube was starting to perforate right where it connects to the carb; and the pink / clear looking line from the primer bulb was disintegrating inside the plastic fuel tank. Looks like ethanol in the fuel was eating away at these parts.I bought some exact replacement parts this summer from ereplacementparts dot com. Black fuel line p/n 6698716 and the pink (or clear looking) fuel pipe p/n 669-8401. Granted I wish I didn't need to do any of this in the first place but it was an easy repair and cost less than $10. In the future I will avoid getting gas with ethanol in it, use a good fuel stabilizer, and take out the fuel and burn any leftover fuel in the carb before winter storage here in Michigan.

OK

writing a review for oil, it's oil you mix it with gas put it in the trimmer and wala it works imagine that.

good

It is as expected

worked well for what I needed it for

Good quality 2 cycle oil.

Work fine from the start but the nozzle blew off and I can't l find it. Also the air intake is on the inside when holding it in your right hand. It suck your pants leg against it which is uncomfortable and slow the velocity.

I returned it. The reconditioned one I received showed significant wear. I will often buy reconditioned products but this was the first one that looked like it had been through the ringer.Might have been just fine if they gave it all new guts, I just figured I'd spend the extra money to make sure it would be. The base of it had significant scrapes and scratches as well. Thought I had a pic of that but didn't, I did however attach a photo of the blower tube which you can see.Like I said, might have been fine so it gets three stars...

not a powerful as I expected. My electric blower is much more powerful.

It is very powerful and blows everything like it should. I am not experienced starting a motor you have to pull a handle hard to start. It would be easier to press a button. I used to have an electric leaf blower which did not have much power but was easy to start.

Hard to start, almost totally impossible without at least 50 priming pumps on the bubble (instruction states 10 to 15.Reliability is anything but assured. 3 usages and parts already fell off , other shut off mechanism has failed.Funny thing is, this is a Hitachi. Had a no name, Chinese model that had kept going and going for ten years untik lt was hoisted away by an unscrupiolous passer by from the mail box area at the end of the driveway.Not highly recommended. Other makes are available for a whole lot less money, and a whole lot more proven performance and reliability

I have two of these one at Kentucky house and one at Florida house. When the blower works its fantastic, power is great. Gets heavy after 10-15 minutes have to keep switching hands. The problem I have is they don't last long. I had the one in Florida in shop twice. You have to pay shipping to send it to repair shop. $26 and $29. They did send it back free of charge. I sent it to two different shops since first shop only lasted 6 months. Now it is dead again and leaking. I use non-ethanol gas since I was told ethanol dries out the seals to carburetor. The one in Kentucky is still working but starting to act up. Yes, I had the one in Kentucky first. Both a little over 3 years old.

Good info: Nice unit. It started with two pulls out of the box. Blows strong and is easy to handle. Not as good info: Blower is supposed to have off - on switch that defaults to the "ON" mode. It does not.......has OFF OR ON switch. My biggest issue is the unit vibrates badly when at half to full power. It will make your hands itch quickly. You have to change hands every minute or so to keep from vibrating you to an uncomfortable level. Amazon transaction went very smooth and the unit was delivered several days early.

Amazon is Great! got the blower in a day. The blow pipe assembly instruction said; Conical pipe to straight pipe Fig 2. Align groove (5) on conical pipe (6) projection (4) on straight pipe (1) and rotate the conical pipe in place. This is not possible! The tolerance on the two pieces are to tight and the tubes can not be pushed together and rotated. I call Hitachi and they are aware of this and said that the blower specifications were based on conical tip installed. To bad none of the reviews I read indicated this was an issues.

I read the reviews about this unit and saw a thread where one of the reviewers mentioned that you should make sure you have a local service center before ordering. Here is the rub - once you put fuel in it, you wont be able to ship the unit anywhere (by law) for repair/returns etc. I went online and saw a service center within 10 miles of me, so I ordered. It arrived and I was quite pleased.. but after a few uses, suddenly it wont fire anymore. I am guessing the switch has failed as it seems to have stopped firing.I called about return and was informed about the issue with shipping anything that has had fuel in it. So I have no choice but to take it to the repair center. I called the repair center to arrange it, but was told that they havent serviced the hitachi units for several years!. The online list isnt up to date.. I went through all the rest in my local area. I called each one. Some of them are listed as a service center but dont service all types of devices (like hand operated tools). As luck would have it, the closest service center to me is 58 miles away. Arggggh...I have no choice but to take off work to drive the hour to the service center (they are open until 5:00 pm). I made the trip.. checked the unit in and was told that they dont actually work on them at that facility, and it will have to be transferred to one that does, another 10 miles away. I said ok (whats the difference NOW?) Then the kicker.. After all this, I was told it would be 6-8 WEEKS!..In the end, I will have gone without the blower I bought for most of the season, taken off work twice, driven a total 240 miles. In hindsight I would have gone to my local power equipment house and bought the Echo. It would have cost 40$ more, but it would have saved a ton of hassle.If you are going to purchase this product, you owe it to yourself to check your area for a service center at [...] and call them to ensure they will service the blower.A lot of the issues I am working through arent a fault of the vendor or Hitachi (like the law about returning via mail, or the repair time etc) but the prospective buyer needs to be aware of the situation. The blower itself was fabulous before it died.

This blower moves a lot of air, it is much stronger than my last blower, a 5 year old Craftsman. For just over $100 after mail in rebate, you can't beat the price. A 7 year warranty on top of it, who could ask for more? One possible con, the blower tube is made with a very thin plastic, it doesn't seem very strong so it may break somewhere down the line, but it works great at the moment!!Update: So I've had this blower for about 2 years now, went to start it up a week ago after the long winter was over and it wouldn't start. After some tinkering I found both the main fuel line and the line leading from the primer bulb to the carb had split. I do realize that the 10% Ethanol in the fuel around here is the likely culprit, but I will say that I have other outdoor power equipment much older with no fuel line issues. I will replace the lines myself instead of hassling with warranty repairs.

Pricey, but in the size container that fit my needs.

Not what I through I was buying but it was needed for my chain saw

Prefer Husqvarna 2-Cycle Oil. Also, better price.

need it for my generator

Ok B&S... a little effort here. It would be helpful to print a mix ratio chart on the bottle (e.g 50:1 = 2.6 oz oil per gallon etc). Perhaps a bit more nit picky would be to also include *.oz tic marks molded into the bottle. Yes I can figure this stuff out. These simple little accomidations would save me the hassle of mix-guessing in my cold, dark, sleepy, early morning garage prior to facing the awesome task of gassing up the snow blower and clearing my driveway.

I bought this a few months ago hoping Ia got a good deal. It worked fine for about 2 months. It now runs like crap, makes really loud grinding noises and the primer ball leaks like crazy. Not a happy camper. I was hoping I got a good deal after reading all the positive reviews but i'm guessing I got a lemon.

Wouldn't start. Returned.

It came with no instruction booklet, had to take apart to attach blower shaft because it was to big to fit in the "provide slots", showed use and internals looked dirty. I have other reconditioned and this has been a disaapointment in comparison!!!!!

Blower does not have a lock button on the throttle,must keep finger on the trigger at all times. If you are right handed the air intake is on the left side and wil pull your pants in and slow down the power. There is no secondary handle for lifting it up high to blow out flower beds etc. Other than that it starts easy and has plenty of power .I traded mine to a left handed neighbor.

A little about me. Homeowner, but also an ex-landscaping worker who has used Echo, Husqvarna, Snapper, Lawnboy, Grasshopper, Gravely...you get the picture.Short version, my beat-up, dropped, run-over, four year old, left out in the rain, squeaky, Toro corded blower STILL beats the pants off this thing.Longer(ish) version.What is the DEAL with all these positive reviews?It vibrates badly, leaves my hand tingling and numb after 15 minutes of use (I am a bigger guy, 6'2, 200 pounds), has a weird gyroscopic effect that makes turning it from side to side under high power, a battle, and delivers literally half the volume of air from my old Toro corded blower.On the positive side, it starts easily, burns clean and uses little fuel. But so what, if all the time I saved not having to unspool a cord and wind it back up again after using the electric, is wasted making three times as many passes to clear the same amount of debris?Save yourself some dough and buy an electric blower.For big jobs I use a backpack blower which this Hitachi couldn't, in its wildest dreams, replace.

The blower is difficult to start, (My wife can't start it) the nozzle length is too short for anyone 6'-0" or taller, the on / off switch is annoying and the air intake is on the left side ( designed for left handed people, which I am not. Save your money and buy the Husqvarna 125B.

The unit suck in air from the left so when held in your right hand it tends to suck in any loose clothing. It would be better with a longer tube and no nozzle. The tapered nozzle does increase air speed, but reduces the volume of air. It runs at a very high RPM which causes an uncomfortable vibration.

This is a nicely powered tool once you are able to get it running, but it's very difficult to start. I follow the directions printed on the case explicitly each time and it occasionally starts but runs for less than a second then stalls. It takes me about 30 minutes to actually get it to run so you can use it. It works well once it starts although it is definitely designed for a right handed user. I would NOT buy it again simply because it's too hard to start. My husband and adult son can start it after about 5 minutes of pulling.

I was one of those 5-star reviewers. After dealing with a POS Sears blower I bought the Hitachi and loved it. Started first time, every time. Then, after about a year, I noticed the primer bulb leakage problem reported by others. OK, I can deal with a little gasoline spurting out where it shouldn't and kept using it.Now, into the third year of ownership, it has started making funny noises, runs rough and won't start consistently. Could I send it back to Hitachi? Probably, but between shipping costs and the likelihood that it won't be returned in time to finish leaf blowing, I'll just buy something else.

I wasn't real happy with this blower from the beginning. There was NO owners manual with it. No documentation whatsoever. But, It seemed to work okay although I don't like the all-or-nothing concept with the speed trigger. It's been very difficult to control any kind of intermediate speed. It was either full low or full speed. Also, the position of the fan on the left side means it's always trying to pull my pants leg into it. I'm right handed, so that's the hand I most often use to operate it.However, all that became moot when the gas line sprung a leak. When I try to prime it for starting, I can't because the gas spurts out of the line. I've only had this for 8 months.I intend to try to return it. Since there was no documentation with it I don't know if there is even a warranty.

I previously owned this same blower for 6 years and it was fantastic. I purchased this refurbished one and it looked great upon arrival. I live in Montana so I didn't need to use it until this weekend . I was never able to get it started !! I watched numerous YouTube videos on this model and I did everything correctly. I never should have purchased a refurbished model. I guess I have no choice but to trash it and buy a new one from Home Depot. I've never had a problem with anything I've purchased from Amazon. I guess my luck ran out.

Used only 2 times. Worked adequately but now it won't start. It was properly maintained after every use, so it wasn't due to misuse. It was the right size and weight, but now a piece of trash.

DOA. $15 more for a factory new one, what was I thinking. WOULD. NOT. START.

The "refurbished" version is pretty beat up and has functional issue. Will not buy refurbished again!!!!!!

I realize for the most part this leaf blower got good reviews but I had to return mine. I used it for all of about 5 minutes and then tried it again the next day to see if I was over reacting. The vibration made my hand numb after a couple of minutes. Also, I set it down with just the motor on, no blowing and it danced all over. The fumes were intolerable. I actually smelled like gasoline after five minutes. Perhaps I just got a bad one but I'm not willing to try another.

Blower has a defective priming mechanism and can't be started right out of the box. Amazon doesn't do returns on leaf blowers so I contacted the manufacturer. HITACHI said the part isn't covered under warranty but, after some terse emails, they agreed to send the part to me out of the goodness of their hearts. I asked HITACHI how I was supposed to install the replacement part once I got it. HITACHI said I would have to go to a service center or ship the blower to them at my expense. I checked the website for a service center and the closest one is over an hour away. I called them and they said that they don't service HITACHI and that their name should have been taken off the website years ago. I have to say, I already have one of these and my old one works great. I was a HITACHI fanatic. But the new one looks cheap and it doesn't work, plus HITACHI service is apparently more concerned about schooling their customers on their policies than they are listening to and working with them. Even the supervisor stepped in and drew the line with me. I am sure someone important at HITACHI would be embarrassed if they knew.

Hardest tool in the world to start. From day one when I brought this device it was difficult to start I thought it was me because it was the first blower I ever purchased. I've had it now for over three months and nothing has changed it takes me at least 30 minutes or more to get started by then I'm wore out by the amount of times I pulled on the string. I've even broke skin off my middle index finger trying to get this thing started as I'm writing this review I'm sitting here now unable to start this device.

Blower ran only 20 minutes and seized. Closest repair shop over 50 miles from Dayton. Nice blower but poor quality.

Did not last long... Horrible customer service. Good luck!

I paid for new item and what i got was not new. was refurbished. I tried to return but not allowed to return.

only used a few times, the design is not smart, the blower outlet is not at the center of unit, when you turn the power on, it make you feel the blower unbalance, you are not just need to hold it upright, also need to maintain it towards front.update on 9/28/2017it only last one year, primer plastic tube broken, have to look for repair. do not buy it.