Some of you participated in a thread I started to help me sort my options for replacing a long suffering 30 year old Echo blower. Note the duct tape, handy carb tuning screw driver, missing sections of fan shroud, and aux hose clamp holding the blower tube in place.
Well, I completed my decision and purchase two weeks ago when I picked up a Stihl SH 86C at my local ACE Hardware with a one day only discount card I had gotten in the mail.
Stihl have a broad range of blowers, and the xx 86 models are the top end of their hand-held models. The BG 86 is a blower, while the SH 86C designates the same mechanical blower, packaged with a suction/shredder/bagger conversion kit. The C on the end designates it incorporates Stihl Easy2Start technology.
So, with my discount, the Blower and Shredder kit was essentially less than $20 more than the Blower alone. I decided to up-buy.
The Dealer took mine off the top shelf where it was assembled in Blower mode, handed me the Shredder/Vacuum/Bagger kit and walked me out back to fill it with a proper 50:1 mix and start it up. Started "easily" but with more pulls than I expected. Still, worked great as we blew off the propane tank fill area. Dealer then took me back inside, filled out the Warranty info, gave me a 6 of Stihl mix, and checked the double warranty box on the form.
This is what it looked like straight from the dealer.
I'm only on my third tank of mix, so this is an early review. The blower also comes with an alternate round or flattened end tube for the blower mode. I prefer the flattened end, feels like I sweep the leaves I am blowing better.
Let me say, I am usually not a fan of compression release or spring assist starting systems for this class 2 cycle engine. But, the SH model only comes with the Easy2Start system. Here is a quick video of me starting it cold this morning at a frosty 32°.
http://youtu.be/dRxHe7CXHGc
4-5 pumps on the primer bulb, set the choke, then 6 pulls on the "Easy2Start". Well, they are easy pulls, but I feel like I'd prefer it started on second or third pull. Maybe it will settle in better after a couple more hours, or maybe I need to adjust my start procedure. Easy to notice it has a nice vibration isolation built in, and that does come in handy on the long (1500') trip down my driveway to reclaim the black top from the leaves.
First Task - Blow off the Hardscaped patio and Deck. Today also happened to be seasonal rotation day, so the Deck and Patio furniture gets stowed for the winter, the hoses drained and stowed, the Breezy Summer Room gets all screens replaced with windows for a toasty Sun Room.
http://youtu.be/h2IhovokuYQ
And, no surprise, it works great. Easy acceleration, low (ish) volume, light weight, and the leaves are flying. This was one of my primary uses, and though just about any blower does this well, I expect this one to do it well for many years to come.
Ok, time to try out the Shredder/Vacuum/Bagger. The conversion is very straight forward, but I was out of capacity on my camera, so I took this still picture of fan intake cover open, exposing the shredder blade.
The suction tube attaches here, and the vacuum bag replaces the blower tubes, resulting in this configuration.
The conversion was pretty straight forward, even as this was the first time. It requires a screw driver to deflect a plastic tab on the right side of the fan cover to open it up.
All converted, I want around back to my exterior basement stairwell, a natural capture point for Maple leaves to test it out. (My videographer/director gives me the "Go")
http://youtu.be/5alrp3mvgcY
And that too worked quite well. Stihl suggests the shredder blade will give you 11:1 compression on dry leaves. They don't recommend using it in wet leaves. Still, it is a little awkward, or maybe I am. And to be honest, I have so many leaves, I'd never consider any significant attack on them with this little bagger. Not when I have a Trac-Vac 880 for my bulk clean up. But the Trac-Vac doesn't fit in the stairwell though.
Ok, first videos unloaded, so I made this quick video of the conversion from Shredder back to Blower, where I think I will keep this thing 90+% of the time:
http://youtu.be/plgOzpssaq4
Sorry, the audio sounds very muffled. Steps are easy. There is a tightening ring on the suction tube and the exhaust/bagger tube. The ring clicks over a tab, so you need a screw driver to depress the tab, unscrew the ring and remove. Then insert the blower tube, push the ring down and screw it on a quarter turn till it clicks in place. You might notice I struggled briefly here attempting to screw it on in a counter clockwise direction. Probably spent too much time on an ANZO business trip.
Anyway, here is my summary so far:
Pros
Stihl Name, Warranty, Packaging, and Engineering
Easy Pull Start
Inclusion of multiple options for Blow, Shred, Vacuum, Bag
Shock Absorbing Engine Isolation
The foot on one side is configured as an extra handle for reaching blower into awkward places. And, of course is handy when operating as a vacuum.
Cons
Requires multiple (though easy) pulls to start
The size and shape of the Owner's Manual does not easily fit into my binder of Tool/Equipment Manuals
No buyers remorse, I'll certainly use the vacuum a couple times a year. I would also have been just as happy with the BG86 blower only, and might have liked the straight start system even better.
I'll run several more tanks of fuel through it over the rest of this month as I do battle with the tons of leaves. I mostly blow large elipses of green around my trees and other obstacles and let the x728 and Trac-Vac mulch and collect the leaves. Once I get some more trigger time, I hope to have it starting with fewer (of those Easy) pulls.
Finally, I have noticed several folks have some how mastered getting their YouTube video links to appear directly in their posts. Well, I read a thread on how to do it, and it just isn't working that way for me. I've still got a lot to learn.
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