I have been using the shred N Vac for about 5 years. i use the Vac to clean off trampoline and basement window wells. it works great. and the only issue i have had was a burned out ignition coil. which was covered by warranty. great solid machine.
I've had this machine for several years now. Its biggest use for me is for sucking up live oak leaves, which are small, waxy, and get embedded into everything, making a mower not very effective. Since they are waxed leaves, they also take years to break down, even when mulched, so mowing is really not a good way, especially if you have 4 huge oaks. The vac is really good for my weekly maintenance of leaves piled up into corners, along curbs, and in mulch/flower beds. I can just run it along all the edges. Its also really good for getting crap off my gutter guards and the valleys of my roof where leaves and pollen collect. Biggest downside is the weight as the bag fills up, the noise level, and the constant electric shocks from static buildup. If you have southern oak trees over a lot of tricky terrain or beds as I do, this thing is a lifesaver.
Thanks for the demo. I’ve used the Toro electric version of this one year but with six mature maple trees, it was a huge job and way too time consuming. Subsequently I have used my Honda lawnmower in mulch and bag mode which was much more efficient and effective given the size of my front/back yards. It takes four hours to mow. I continue to look for the right combo equipment for the leaves. I’d rather see something which is battery powered if it can handle the volume more effectively. This year My lawnmower carb needs a carb tune up as it won’t crank so this year it’s raking and bagging. lol That means it’s a full workout, the challenge every year is timing based on the weather, rain, snow and wind, and all the leaves falling off the trees and praying that the municipality schedules the pick up after all of that. lol Cheers That
I would attach a hose to the exhaust end and send it directly into a refuse can, lined with the debris bag ; then cinch and replace with another bag. This would save time and effort.
If I get a chance to mow before too many leaves fall I definitely will take that approach. In this case, i just wanted to fully test out this piece of equipment and see what it could do.
@theworldofwebby I have 1 as well, but I only use it for certain areas. Stopped bagging leaves about 20 years ago. My wife will make my boys do it the old-fashioned way if they look a little too bored ‼️🤣🤣🤣🤣
I have done the lawn mower method as well. I have a huge maple tree that dumps a LOT of leaves. If I wait until all the leaves are off the tree, it's way too much for the lawn mower to handle. If I do it in sessions after the leaves first begin to fall, it would likely take 2 or 3 full lawn mowings (with a lot of bag empties). For my yard, the Echo ES-250 method will definitely be my preference moving forward.
I do run into issues if the leaves are too high with the lawnmower method. My three maples in my front yard are young and getting much larger each year. Maybe I need to look into adding another piece of equipment into the garage :D
@ I live in Florida and have an in ground pool and my pool deck gets covered in leaves and pine straw. I can blow it or sweep, but if it isn’t gathered up it’ll just blow into the pool and cause more work for me.
Nice product if you don't mind having an engine to service. I suspect the zipper on the bag will get very dusty with use and be a bear to deal with. That's what happened on my setup which was the Toro version of this tool. I now use the Worx blower/vacuum/shredder paired with the Worx vacuum accessory which attaches the vacuum to a trash can, 96 gallons or less, and works like a charm. This backyard only produced ~2 bags of leaves. Mine produces about 35 - 50 depending on the leaf fall that year. So, that little bag would be all but impossible to use. Anyway, use whatever works for your situation. References to brands are just references based on my experience. Good video!
As I've gotten older & technology continues to improve, gas powered is giving way to corded & battery. This is an excellent video. My only suggestion would be a comparison between the gas vs electric models. For $250 this might be on my father's day 24 wishlist. 😊
My studies show more power for the gas powered models. Also infinite run time as long as you have liquid gold. Lol. I want an electric cordless unit bad, but the soecs and actual testing(torque channel)shows gas to be the winner in the performance category. I think I'm buying gas myself, unless you have any jd the very best recommended comparable units to review.
Actually no. The vac pipe is too big to fit in a gutter and you don't want tooling hanging off your person when in a precarious position well above ground level. The sudden stop on the way down really hurts.
Great review! Great product! Mine is 9 yrs old and love it. Use it weekly as a blower and 3-4 times a year for leaves and spring clean up. Comes with a great mfg warranty just make sure you register it. PS: not zipping the bag makes a real mess.. been there done that😂
Putting it into a pile is the hardest part. I just can’t imagine it being easier to suck it up plus the other steps compared to putting an empty bin or can (on grass) on the side and pulling the leafs into it. Even a normal bin, if I could get half the amount of leafs in the bag into the bin it’s faster as you don’t have the steps. Those big piles all you have to is put bin close and it’ll be good with one push until pile gets really small. I’d still be using a rake to pull the stuff into the bin so it’s not like I’m wasting getting the rake or using blower trying to make it another pile. I live in FL so this would probably good for the lawn clippings after edging and emptying it on top the lawn during the summer. This would be great for once or every other week amount of pick up of leafs.
Im wondering if i can just use this method to mulch at end of season instead of using a lawnmower. I suspect its more efficient than running over my lawn a bunch of times until leaves get to the right size. I never bag my leaves anymore.
How long did the fuel in the Echo Shredder last before it ran out, and how many times did you need to refuel it to complete your backyard in the video?
Nice, I just upgraded to the Agri Fab towable leaf vac for $500 and am able to clear my yard in no time now. Can hold 3 or 4 of those backyard piles before needing to empty.
I would say you can expect 2.5 to 3 of the full Echo bags to fit in a standard leaf bag (depending on how much you like to push the contents of the leaf bag down).
I used to use 10-12 big plastic bags when i raked and bagged..only use 3-4 since i started using the vac n mulch attachment. Wish i would have done it sooner😂
I have seen a lot of issues with that premixed fuel. I recommend you just grab one of those 1 gallon gas cans with E89 just pour the whole bottle of oil into that 1 gallon can and that’s normally the perfect mix for most machines overtime I have seen those premixed fuels burn up the machines prematurely
What if the leaves are wet? Does it work properly? I have a similar model, but if the leaves are wet, it simply gets stuck all the time and doesn't work.
Por the free/incl. 2-stroke engine oil into an empty 1 gallon gas can. Squeeze into/mix 1 gal 89 octane I Put gas cap on, swish more done. Total Cost $2.85 for 1 gallon. Buy a cheap bottle 2 cycle oil later to add to another gallon of gas.
I have to disagree on using 89 and and cheap 2 stroke oil. I only use 93 and good synthetic oil in all my 2 strokes from trimmers, blowers to dirt bikes. It’s only like 60 cents or so more for 93 and worth it especially when you’re running them at full throttle for a long time. In the long run not worth cheating out. Good gas and oil are cheap a new machine isn’t. Keeps my Stihl BR600 blower running perfect since 2007.
It seems like it doesn't do a good job of mulching and it would be faster to use a rake and a shovel once you have a pile instead if you have a lot of leaves. This invention seems mostly designed for somebody with not many leaves or when it is not ideal to rake
The vacuum/shredding feature definitely seems better suited for smaller sections of leaves. However, I still preferred this approach to manually bagging the leaves.
I would say the amount of time spent vacuuming and emptying the bags is similar to the amount of time it takes to manually scoop and bag, but I 100% prefer using this vacuum to doing it all by hand. It's all personal preference, though. I suppose there are people out there who like raking. I'm definitely not one of them.
@RicardoHernandez-zr1pw I've never done that before, so I can't currently give any advice on pecan sorting. Maybe I'll do a pecan sorting video next. Stay tuned to find out.
These seem like more of a pain than they're worth - the weight and body language seems to take more (or similar) energy than a rake. Large yards total waste of time...30ft subdivision house - maaaaaybe. I know Toro makes one with wheels and an external hose - but again...smaller yards i think. Thx for the video.
I have watched your demonstration and like I said that thing just don't have it it be all right for something small but not no big job I'm sorry but not for me but that's my opinion
@@theworldofwebbyI just picked one up. I may do a review when I try it out. I have a few tips that I used with my old vac, finally burned out after many years.
If you look at the description of my video, I included time codes so people can skip ahead to the good stuff so you don’t have to listen to my annoying voice as much.
@theworldofwebby I guess I should have clarified that I was only referring to the machine and not the video. And to be fair none of the non commercial machines are legitimately effective. Just a massive difference between any backpack style vs Push style Billy Goat or riding machines.
Im glad i saw what it can't do.
I'll keep raking or mulching into my lawn.
Lol literally just said the same thing
I have been using the shred N Vac for about 5 years. i use the Vac to clean off trampoline and basement window wells. it works great. and the only issue i have had was a burned out ignition coil. which was covered by warranty. great solid machine.
I have been very happy with it so far!
I've had this machine for several years now. Its biggest use for me is for sucking up live oak leaves, which are small, waxy, and get embedded into everything, making a mower not very effective. Since they are waxed leaves, they also take years to break down, even when mulched, so mowing is really not a good way, especially if you have 4 huge oaks. The vac is really good for my weekly maintenance of leaves piled up into corners, along curbs, and in mulch/flower beds. I can just run it along all the edges. Its also really good for getting crap off my gutter guards and the valleys of my roof where leaves and pollen collect. Biggest downside is the weight as the bag fills up, the noise level, and the constant electric shocks from static buildup. If you have southern oak trees over a lot of tricky terrain or beds as I do, this thing is a lifesaver.
Good production/quality video. Informative! Thank you.
Thanks for the demo. I’ve used the Toro electric version of this one year but with six mature maple trees, it was a huge job and way too time consuming. Subsequently I have used my Honda lawnmower in mulch and bag mode which was much more efficient and effective given the size of my front/back yards. It takes four hours to mow. I continue to look for the right combo equipment for the leaves. I’d rather see something which is battery powered if it can handle the volume more effectively. This year My lawnmower carb needs a carb tune up as it won’t crank so this year it’s raking and bagging. lol
That means it’s a full workout, the challenge every year is timing based on the weather, rain, snow and wind, and all the leaves falling off the trees and praying that the municipality schedules the pick up after all of that. lol
Cheers
That
I would attach a hose to the exhaust end and send it directly into a refuse can, lined with the debris bag ; then cinch and replace with another bag. This would save time and effort.
Mulch those leaves up with the mower and use that thing for small hard to get areas. Then you will have 2 bags of leaves instead of 30.
If I get a chance to mow before too many leaves fall I definitely will take that approach. In this case, i just wanted to fully test out this piece of equipment and see what it could do.
@theworldofwebby
I have 1 as well, but I only use it for certain areas. Stopped bagging leaves about 20 years ago. My wife will make my boys do it the old-fashioned way if they look a little too bored ‼️🤣🤣🤣🤣
Neat! I've always just mowed up the leaves in my final mow for the season. I wonder how this would compare to that method.
I have done the lawn mower method as well. I have a huge maple tree that dumps a LOT of leaves. If I wait until all the leaves are off the tree, it's way too much for the lawn mower to handle. If I do it in sessions after the leaves first begin to fall, it would likely take 2 or 3 full lawn mowings (with a lot of bag empties). For my yard, the Echo ES-250 method will definitely be my preference moving forward.
I do run into issues if the leaves are too high with the lawnmower method. My three maples in my front yard are young and getting much larger each year. Maybe I need to look into adding another piece of equipment into the garage :D
Just bought one, should be here Monday.
@@AUClay nice! Hopefully, you like it as much as I do.
@ I live in Florida and have an in ground pool and my pool deck gets covered in leaves and pine straw. I can blow it or sweep, but if it isn’t gathered up it’ll just blow into the pool and cause more work for me.
Nice product if you don't mind having an engine to service. I suspect the zipper on the bag will get very dusty with use and be a bear to deal with. That's what happened on my setup which was the Toro version of this tool. I now use the Worx blower/vacuum/shredder paired with the Worx vacuum accessory which attaches the vacuum to a trash can, 96 gallons or less, and works like a charm. This backyard only produced ~2 bags of leaves. Mine produces about 35 - 50 depending on the leaf fall that year. So, that little bag would be all but impossible to use. Anyway, use whatever works for your situation. References to brands are just references based on my experience. Good video!
That worked pretty good. I had an electric one a few years back and it wouldn't even touch that one
As I've gotten older & technology continues to improve, gas powered is giving way to corded & battery. This is an excellent video. My only suggestion would be a comparison between the gas vs electric models. For $250 this might be on my father's day 24 wishlist. 😊
My studies show more power for the gas powered models. Also infinite run time as long as you have liquid gold. Lol. I want an electric cordless unit bad, but the soecs and actual testing(torque channel)shows gas to be the winner in the performance category.
I think I'm buying gas myself, unless you have any jd the very best recommended comparable units to review.
Thanks for this!!
Thanks
This is a great tool to take up on the roof and clean your gutters
Actually no. The vac pipe is too big to fit in a gutter and you don't want tooling hanging off your person when in a precarious position well above ground level. The sudden stop on the way down really hurts.
Great review! Great product! Mine is 9 yrs old and love it. Use it weekly as a blower and 3-4 times a year for leaves and spring clean up. Comes with a great mfg warranty just make sure you register it. PS: not zipping the bag makes a real mess.. been there done that😂
Thanks! I am loving it so far. I was quite embarrassed when I realized I forgot to zip the bag, LOL.
You can use a lawn mower with a bag it will work too or you can put a mulch blade on it
Putting it into a pile is the hardest part. I just can’t imagine it being easier to suck it up plus the other steps compared to putting an empty bin or can (on grass) on the side and pulling the leafs into it. Even a normal bin, if I could get half the amount of leafs in the bag into the bin it’s faster as you don’t have the steps. Those big piles all you have to is put bin close and it’ll be good with one push until pile gets really small. I’d still be using a rake to pull the stuff into the bin so it’s not like I’m wasting getting the rake or using blower trying to make it another pile.
I live in FL so this would probably good for the lawn clippings after edging and emptying it on top the lawn during the summer. This would be great for once or every other week amount of pick up of leafs.
I wouldn’t suggest getting it. Had something similar and you’ll get mad eventually after having to empty the bag
Im wondering if i can just use this method to mulch at end of season instead of using a lawnmower. I suspect its more efficient than running over my lawn a bunch of times until leaves get to the right size. I never bag my leaves anymore.
@khimaniz if you have a huge yard, this method isn't ideal. It works great for my yard, but a yard any bigger than mine might be a bit too much.
I got the toro one today. I forgot to close he bag like 10 times.
@@samuelstephens368 at least the comment section is proving that we aren't the only ones that happened to. 😆 🤣
Look like you might be able to rig something up where you can possibly extend the size of the bag ??
I actually found a product that is supposed to do something like that and will be posting a video about it soon. 😀
Black and decker has a universal kit. A 8 ft hose and a bonnet that fits barrels and even the 96 gallon rolling dumpsters.
Great video 🍻
How long did the fuel in the Echo Shredder last before it ran out, and how many times did you need to refuel it to complete your backyard in the video?
I did everything in the video, as well as a portion of my front yard, before it ran out of fuel.
Nice, I just upgraded to the Agri Fab towable leaf vac for $500 and am able to clear my yard in no time now. Can hold 3 or 4 of those backyard piles before needing to empty.
Nice! If I had a riding mower, I would definitely get something like that.
I've got one but I think it's far quicker to use the lawnmower mulch and bag
If you have a good enough mower with large enough bag, I'd agree. My mower doesn't handle leaves the best.
Good to know I'm not the only knucklehead who forgot to zip up the bag after emptying!
The sad part is that wasn't the only time I did that...LOL
@@theworldofwebby it happens to me at least once every season!
How many of the echo bags to fill a standard leaf bag ?
I would say you can expect 2.5 to 3 of the full Echo bags to fit in a standard leaf bag (depending on how much you like to push the contents of the leaf bag down).
I used to use 10-12 big plastic bags when i raked and bagged..only use 3-4 since i started using the vac n mulch attachment. Wish i would have done it sooner😂
@GM-dh5xi Yeah, it's wild how much of a difference it makes to bag up mulched leaves compared to full leaves.
I have seen a lot of issues with that premixed fuel. I recommend you just grab one of those 1 gallon gas cans with E89 just pour the whole bottle of oil into that 1 gallon can and that’s normally the perfect mix for most machines overtime I have seen those premixed fuels burn up the machines prematurely
@@hoffmanxgunnar I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the suggestion!
What song is that it sounds good 😮 ❤❤❤😊
Wonder how this compares (in vac mode) to the Stihl SH86?
I'd be very curious! If I ever get my hands on one, I'll make a comparison video.
What if the leaves are wet? Does it work properly? I have a similar model, but if the leaves are wet, it simply gets stuck all the time and doesn't work.
No, it isn't suggested to use this if the leaves are wet.
Seems easier just to jam 'em in a bag. They didn't seem to mulched up very well.
@JA-gx4hb it doesn't mulch up every leaf perfectly, but I can definitely get a LOT more leaves in each yard waste bag a lot easier.
fixed a dryer exhaust tube onto it and plumbed it into a 96 gallon trash can. I just wheel it around to the piles 😂
I'd like to see a video of that in action!
@@theworldofwebbyme too!
Would be better to be able to put a leaf bag over the pipe to bag up the leaves to put at the curb for pickup.
I think the bag has to be vented in order for the suction to work properly. But I might give it a try sometime and see how it goes.
Por the free/incl. 2-stroke engine oil into an empty 1 gallon gas can. Squeeze into/mix 1 gal 89 octane I Put gas cap on, swish more done. Total Cost $2.85 for 1 gallon. Buy a cheap bottle 2 cycle oil later to add to another gallon of gas.
I have to disagree on using 89 and and cheap 2 stroke oil. I only use 93 and good synthetic oil in all my 2 strokes from trimmers, blowers to dirt bikes. It’s only like 60 cents or so more for 93 and worth it especially when you’re running them at full throttle for a long time. In the long run not worth cheating out. Good gas and oil are cheap a new machine isn’t. Keeps my Stihl BR600 blower running perfect since 2007.
Hey bro great video, don't listen to the dumbass haters out there! If they don't like it they can just go somewhere else! 👍
5 years ago I found one new in the box at a pawn shop for 70 dollars
Oh wow, that's an amazing deal!
@@theworldofwebby I saved extra money from it being that price
Oof...... You forgot to close the bag up 😂
Let the engine warm up a bit before running wide open
That's a great suggestion.
It seems like it doesn't do a good job of mulching and it would be faster to use a rake and a shovel once you have a pile instead if you have a lot of leaves. This invention seems mostly designed for somebody with not many leaves or when it is not ideal to rake
The vacuum/shredding feature definitely seems better suited for smaller sections of leaves. However, I still preferred this approach to manually bagging the leaves.
I use a craftsman electric backpack model and the collection bag is a bit smaller but it mulches up the leaves a whole let better.@@theworldofwebby
I could have them all bagged already.
I would say the amount of time spent vacuuming and emptying the bags is similar to the amount of time it takes to manually scoop and bag, but I 100% prefer using this vacuum to doing it all by hand. It's all personal preference, though. I suppose there are people out there who like raking. I'm definitely not one of them.
To me that thing is more trouble than it's worth it will not suck that good around that building and it will not hold enough
How much?
I bought mine for $249.00 on Amazon.
I would have just used some plastic bags and a shovel in a short amount of time.
That's how I used to always do it. Never again.
@@theworldofwebbyI have to sort through the pecans too. Is there an easy way to do that?
@RicardoHernandez-zr1pw I've never done that before, so I can't currently give any advice on pecan sorting. Maybe I'll do a pecan sorting video next. Stay tuned to find out.
Came all this way to see the steps to convert it with the tubing to a blower and he edited it out
Just watch it in reverse and you will see what you came for. 😆 🤣
These seem like more of a pain than they're worth - the weight and body language seems to take more (or similar) energy than a rake. Large yards total waste of time...30ft subdivision house - maaaaaybe. I know Toro makes one with wheels and an external hose - but again...smaller yards i think.
Thx for the video.
I have watched your demonstration and like I said that thing just don't have it it be all right for something small but not no big job I'm sorry but not for me but that's my opinion
I can definitely see people with huge yards not wanting something like this. It's just right for a yard my size.
My electric corded worx mulcher sucks faster than that thing. 50 foot cord is enough for my whole yard with 2 different outlets.
Nice! Do you have any videos of it in action? I'd like to check it out.
@@theworldofwebbyI just picked one up. I may do a review when I try it out. I have a few tips that I used with my old vac, finally burned out after many years.
just cut your grass with the bag on
I've done that many times. It sucks when there are a lot of leaves.
Who are you kidding, you the neighbor who doesn’t do anything with leaves in your yard.
less talking lets see the machine in action thanks
If you look at the description of my video, I included time codes so people can skip ahead to the good stuff so you don’t have to listen to my annoying voice as much.
My God man. Shut up and power up.
This dude talks to fucking much !
Dud I wouldn't by it..
Not worth it. Could've taken u 1/4th of the time blowing it with a real blower and bagging it yourself.
@@poettreelawncare what do you mean by a "real blower"?
Garbage
@XtraBaseHits it doesn't work well with garbage. However, it works great with leaves!
@theworldofwebby I guess I should have clarified that I was only referring to the machine and not the video. And to be fair none of the non commercial machines are legitimately effective. Just a massive difference between any backpack style vs Push style Billy Goat or riding machines.
i did a better job with my zero turn with mulching blades no bags to empty and grass is shown fully
A zero turn riding mower is likely at least $2000.00 more than this thing. I would hope it does a better job! Lol