I have probably commented on this five times now but I would say that based on how well and how fast each blower did the job, Stihl is first place, Dolmar second, and Hitachi third. The Stihl and Dolmar have round nozzles so more CFMs. The Hitachi has a tapered nozzle giving you more air velocity but less air volume. Higher air velocity doesn't always mean quick clean up. I've found with my Stihl BG 86 with the flat nozzle blows faster with the nozzle off because you get more volume. But overall they all did a good job.
I have the Tanaka handheld blower, same as the Hitachi. 2 or 3 years old. light weight, sips gas, blow hard. I have redmax & backpack blowers if I need anything the Tanaka can't handle. I would buy one again. $139 ain't bad 7 year warranty
My old Stihl trimmer used to be fussy about fuel filters as well as spark arrestor cleanliness. I would winterise it by running it out of fuel but I think the filter would retain a bit and then inhibit the flow later. I am sure this is old news for you but I listen carefully to different videos and I rarely hear the fuel filter discussed. Have a great spring season!
The crazy thing is the blower is only 8 months old and the dealer has refused to help twice. I have run 3 tanks of canned 92 octane ethanol free fuel and still has oil coming out. As a preventative measure I change the fuel filters on all hand held blowers, trimmers and hedge and tree equipment every Spring. Have a great season too.
No problems with my Hitachi after four years. Only use the premixed canned gas that has no ethonal. This blower is my favorite, and I have had a few over the years including the make you mentioned that was expensive to maintain. For the price, it is hard to beat!
The Dolmar sounds really good for a 4 stroke. I've got a Stihl BG 86 and it performs well the only thing is that the spark arrestor likes to plug up, other than that it's a great blower. It's common that manufacturers set the carburetors very lean which might be causing the problem with your BG 55, you could also check the spark arrestor. The Hitachi is actually made in China and it seems like it revs way higher.
I have had one over 3 years now & I would agree with your assessment of the Hitachi' it is a nice machine. I find it to be a powerful and remarkably lightweight blower that starts often on the 1st pull but, if not, always by the second. One common weakness for these type of tools, of any brand, is fuel lines that deteriorate after a few years and that is where I am right now; I have read that, though not listed on the packaging, universal kits you can find at the big box DIY stores will work.
I know this is an old comment but yes the universal kits are great and cheap. I ha e had to replace lines in my chainsaws and weed eaters and just keep a couple kits laying around
I've had a Hitachi rb24eap going on 4 or 5 years now. Never had any issues with it and it blows hard for a handheld. I'd put it up against the PB500 backpack I owned. The cfm is amazing. I've never owned a Stihl handheld but I had an Echo. It wasn't so good.
I have never used Hitachi or Dolmar blowers. But I have used Stihl and Echo. My choice between the two is Echo. Stihl seems to always need more maintenance and the spark arrestor usually gets clogged quickly. We used to have such bad problems that we would either remove the spark arrestor or punch a hole through them with a screw driver. Thanks for showing the comparison. I have been curious about Dolmar because some guys rave about them. But now that I have seen this I will probably stop looking for them. They're market isn't very strong here and why try getting something that will be a pain to service and get parts for down the road.
For a homeowner the Dolmar Makita is fantastic since it's the easiest starting machine I have ever owned. Weight and a bit lower power are the weaknesses. I use a lot of Echo and I agree they are solid machines.
Stihl is just over hyped garbage. This video clearly shows that the the others work as well if not better than the stihl. All it is is overpriced junk.
The Stihl is a good unit just sometimes the muffler plugs up, but not too hard to fix. I also like it because I'm mostly right handed and it's easy to hold. The Dolmar seems like a good blower.
I agree Stihl is usually a good brand. I just got the worst service from my dealer. That is why my business only uses Shindaiwa for bigger tools and 5 Dolmar hand helds. I even said it in the video that this is probably an anomaly. It seems that talking about Stihl is like stirring up the whole Ford vs GM truck battle lol.
I have the Dolmar Makita redmax .i have used the Hitachi a few time at church they are ok ,but I like most the stihl Bg 86 my next door neighbor has it .
Listen to the engines. The Stihl and Dolmar were struggling hard. The Hitachi was singing along nicely. Don't forget, Hitachi has a 7 year warranty. Stihl is 7 minutes if you are that lucky.
I got the 4 year warranty on my Stihl trimmer and blower what are you talking about. Although 7 years goes by like 7 minutes. But Stihl are made in USA Austria and Germany exception of FS 38 which is made in China unfortunately. Dolmar is German but owned by Makita a Japanese company. Hitachi Tanaka is made in China unfortunately.
The Dolmar was struggling a bit probably due to a carburetor problem. The Stihl seemed to run great. The Hitachi I heard the engine speed drop quite a few more times than Stihl or Dolmar.
*That dolmar is set too rich, sounds like a 4 stroke. Lean the high speed screw out a little on the carb and that thing will really move some debris. I have a stihl bg85 blower that I ported the head on and added an expansion chamber pipe like the ones used on dirtbikes and now it runs hard and smooth and sounds better than any other handheld blower I've ever seen or used. Now I don't have to pull out my echo pb8010 backpack blower as much.*
Correct, the Dolmar is indeed a 4 stroke. Due to its ease of use, specifically Dolmar having what has proven to be the easiest and smoothest pull start system, we have switched exclusively to this model for hand held blowers. Our gardeners and lawn care staff use them every day for over 4 years. No problems at all. My company owns 5 of these Dolmar/Makita leaf blowers and I highly recommend them to commercial end users or home owners. Thanks for the comment.
Lol, as soon as you make the decision to buy a leaf blower (gas or even an electric one), you have to assume that you will make some noise... But, it is easier to use a blower than a rake or a broom.
Over the last 3 years I have opted to equip our lawn care and gardening teams solely with Dolmar hand held blowers due to their ease of operation amd reliability. Thanks for watching.
The Hitachi comes with a 7 year warranty.Wish I knew if there good about repairing it or what parts are not covered.Ive seen a lot of people get turned down on their warranty because of lame excuses
tenfeetsmall edge of the rabbit hole Have not made a warranty claim so I don't know. I agree that many claims are rejected at the dealer level for nebulous reasons.
Harvey Gibbons I know lots of guys who like Stihl. I had a bad experience both with this machine and importantly with the local dealer. I refuse to buy anything else from him.
Primo Landscaping that's good that your not going to buy anything else for your dealer but also don't forget that the BG55 is one of the lowest handheld blower that they make. Try the BG86
Harvey Gibbons My buddy has a couple 86 and really likes them. The issue with buying anymore Stihl equipment for me is dealer proximity. The terrible service guy is the only Stink dealer within a reasonable distance from my yard. I have been using Shindaiwa hand held equipment because it has been reliable and the dealer is a 6to7 minute drive away. He also gives good service and expedited help for contractors such as myself. We just don't have time to drive around during the busy April to December rush.
I agree Stihl came in first Dolmar second and Hitachi third. The first two have the edge because more air volume. In reality, the more air volume you have, the harder it blows although it's not as fast of air velocity, you can clear debris faster.
I appreciate your opinion. My local Stihl dealer refused to adress this blower's issues. We have switched exclusively to running 4 Dolmar hand helds over the last 3 years and have had zero issues.
Hitachis murder basically everything else on the market for blowers and trimmers in my experience. They run perfectly for years with nothing more than a bit of a muffler clean. Stihl is hugely overrated for anything other than chainsaws.
We had nothing but problems with it. I'm not saying Stihl does not make quality tools just that this was a lemon and our dealer refused to fix it under warranty. I have switched over to Dolmar exclusively for hand helds. We run 4 Dolmars daily for the last 3 years without any problems. Thanks for watching.
Hashirama Senju It sounds a bit different because it's a 4 stroke. I have a second one that sounds the same. Throaty exhaust sound on all the Dolmar mm4 engines.
Hashirama Senju I have never adjusted it. The 2 Dolmars are the easiest starting machines I own. We use them to clean snow off the plow trucks in winter since they start so easily.
Yeah, maybe in mph but not cfm. Stihl is professional grade for the most part. Do your research and stop trolling people's channels. You don't need to constantly bash people for owning a top name tool. You probably never got the chance to use one of those Stihl blowers. Honestly you don't know a damn thing about how they really perform. I'm a devoted stihl man and seeing you troll multiple people who own stihl equipment pisses me off. Get a life bro.
Bought the Hitachi today!!!! Thanks for the great video
I bought the Hitachi this weekend. Good leaf blower. It surprised me didn't expect it to be that strong. Im happy about the purchase.
I have probably commented on this five times now but I would say that based on how well and how fast each blower did the job, Stihl is first place, Dolmar second, and Hitachi third. The Stihl and Dolmar have round nozzles so more CFMs. The Hitachi has a tapered nozzle giving you more air velocity but less air volume. Higher air velocity doesn't always mean quick clean up. I've found with my Stihl BG 86 with the flat nozzle blows faster with the nozzle off because you get more volume. But overall they all did a good job.
All you have to do is put a round tube on the Hitachi,
Used many over the years and currently have two Stihls and a Makita mm4, the latter is best I've ever used!
This dude bought TWO Hitachi's and said they are more reliable than the over-hyped Stihl junk. Finally an honest review.
I have the Tanaka handheld blower, same as the Hitachi. 2 or 3 years old. light weight, sips gas, blow hard. I have redmax & backpack blowers if I need anything the Tanaka can't handle. I would buy one again. $139 ain't bad 7 year warranty
My old Stihl trimmer used to be fussy about fuel filters as well as spark arrestor cleanliness.
I would winterise it by running it out of fuel but I think the filter would retain a bit and then inhibit the flow later.
I am sure this is old news for you but I listen carefully to different videos and I rarely hear the fuel filter discussed.
Have a great spring season!
The crazy thing is the blower is only 8 months old and the dealer has refused to help twice. I have run 3 tanks of canned 92 octane ethanol free fuel and still has oil coming out. As a preventative measure I change the fuel filters on all hand held blowers, trimmers and hedge and tree equipment every Spring. Have a great season too.
No problems with my Hitachi after four years. Only use the premixed canned gas that
has no ethonal. This blower is my favorite, and I have had a few over the years including
the make you mentioned that was expensive to maintain. For the price, it is hard to beat!
Just picked up a Hitachi off Facebook marketplace. Pulls over easily. The person I got it from said it sat for a few months and fired right up
I have that hitachi. I love it too. But I’m also planning on getting the Echo ES250 to compare against the hitachi
What’s the proper fuel mix for the Hitachi leaf blower RB24EAP?
50:1
The Dolmar sounds really good for a 4 stroke. I've got a Stihl BG 86 and it performs well the only thing is that the spark arrestor likes to plug up, other than that it's a great blower. It's common that manufacturers set the carburetors very lean which might be causing the problem with your BG 55, you could also check the spark arrestor. The Hitachi is actually made in China and it seems like it revs way higher.
I have had one over 3 years now & I would agree with your assessment of the Hitachi' it is a nice machine. I find it to be a powerful and remarkably lightweight blower that starts often on the 1st pull but, if not, always by the second. One common weakness for these type of tools, of any brand, is fuel lines that deteriorate after a few years and that is where I am right now; I have read that, though not listed on the packaging, universal kits you can find at the big box DIY stores will work.
We have been using them for 2 and 1 years respectively. So far so good. Good to know about the fuel lines.
Yep Ethanol in gas kills the fuel lines
I know this is an old comment but yes the universal kits are great and cheap. I ha e had to replace lines in my chainsaws and weed eaters and just keep a couple kits laying around
I've had a Hitachi rb24eap going on 4 or 5 years now. Never had any issues with it and it blows hard for a handheld. I'd put it up against the PB500 backpack I owned. The cfm is amazing. I've never owned a Stihl handheld but I had an Echo. It wasn't so good.
Michael Boykin Nice little blowers for the price.
I have never used Hitachi or Dolmar blowers. But I have used Stihl and Echo. My choice between the two is Echo. Stihl seems to always need more maintenance and the spark arrestor usually gets clogged quickly. We used to have such bad problems that we would either remove the spark arrestor or punch a hole through them with a screw driver. Thanks for showing the comparison. I have been curious about Dolmar because some guys rave about them. But now that I have seen this I will probably stop looking for them. They're market isn't very strong here and why try getting something that will be a pain to service and get parts for down the road.
For a homeowner the Dolmar Makita is fantastic since it's the easiest starting machine I have ever owned. Weight and a bit lower power are the weaknesses. I use a lot of Echo and I agree they are solid machines.
Still 56 ce
hitachi is just a tanaka with a re badge
tanaka small engines are great
stihl all the way!
I got a husky 125 b will piss all over the bg55 all day long.
Stihl is just over hyped garbage. This video clearly shows that the the others work as well if not better than the stihl. All it is is overpriced junk.
This guy is my man Sherman hatch
The Stihl is a good unit just sometimes the muffler plugs up, but not too hard to fix. I also like it because I'm mostly right handed and it's easy to hold. The Dolmar seems like a good blower.
I agree Stihl is usually a good brand. I just got the worst service from my dealer. That is why my business only uses Shindaiwa for bigger tools and 5 Dolmar hand helds. I even said it in the video that this is probably an anomaly. It seems that talking about Stihl is like stirring up the whole Ford vs GM truck battle lol.
what causes the hitachi to blow light smoke when running great ???
what are the prices of each?
I counted the number of seconds between beginning of blowing and end. Stihl BG 55 26 seconds and Hitachi and Dolmar tied second at 27 seconds
can they lift off the ground though?
i haven't watched this video yet :P
I have the Dolmar Makita redmax .i have used the Hitachi a few time at church they are ok ,but I like most the stihl Bg 86 my next door neighbor has it .
Makita is the best hand held I've used!
Hitachi sound is bettet.. 👍
maybe not as powerful as Stihl but the 7 year warranty and price point makes Hitachi a winner hands down.
the dolmar carburetor needs tuned up.
efco makes a fine handheld blower , SA 3000 .
I have the STIHL bg86 and it's great
I hear it's a real beast. Loads of power. Thanks for watching.
+Primo Landscaping I just got the FS94r it's great
+C10KID96 Nothing beats new tools
C10KID96 mcculloch is much stronger blower
Try these on wet leaves.
The Hitachi has a different nozzle on it giving it an edge!
What's wrong with the Dolmar? Sounds really weak.
Pale Horse Absolutely nothing wrong. Great machines. We now have 4 of them and all gardeners use them exclusively as far as hand helds.
Hitachi sounds like it's hittin up in the 10k region rpm wise. The other two were slower
Probably around 8500 rpm. Smaller engine and tapered nozzle are factors
had the stihl -while a powerhouse was always a bear to start. just got the hitachi
You got the engines mixed up on your blowers. The Stihl is 27.2 cc. Hitachi is 23.9 cc. Dolmar is 24.5 cc.
Listen to the engines. The Stihl and Dolmar were struggling hard. The Hitachi was singing along nicely. Don't forget, Hitachi has a 7 year warranty. Stihl is 7 minutes if you are that lucky.
I got the 4 year warranty on my Stihl trimmer and blower what are you talking about. Although 7 years goes by like 7 minutes. But Stihl are made in USA Austria and Germany exception of FS 38 which is made in China unfortunately. Dolmar is German but owned by Makita a Japanese company. Hitachi Tanaka is made in China unfortunately.
The Dolmar was struggling a bit probably due to a carburetor problem. The Stihl seemed to run great. The Hitachi I heard the engine speed drop quite a few more times than Stihl or Dolmar.
John non è vero che hitachi è prodotto in China... io ne ho uno e riporta la scritta made in japain
*That dolmar is set too rich, sounds like a 4 stroke. Lean the high speed screw out a little on the carb and that thing will really move some debris. I have a stihl bg85 blower that I ported the head on and added an expansion chamber pipe like the ones used on dirtbikes and now it runs hard and smooth and sounds better than any other handheld blower I've ever seen or used. Now I don't have to pull out my echo pb8010 backpack blower as much.*
Correct, the Dolmar is indeed a 4 stroke. Due to its ease of use, specifically Dolmar having what has proven to be the easiest and smoothest pull start system, we have switched exclusively to this model for hand held blowers. Our gardeners and lawn care staff use them every day for over 4 years. No problems at all. My company owns 5 of these Dolmar/Makita leaf blowers and I highly recommend them to commercial end users or home owners. Thanks for the comment.
The Dolmar is the best for the neighbours. 4-stroke is the future.
fuck neighbors
Lol, as soon as you make the decision to buy a leaf blower (gas or even an electric one), you have to assume that you will make some noise... But, it is easier to use a blower than a rake or a broom.
4 stroke is garbage for commercial use.
Heavier, less power, runs like a pig if the oil isn''t changed regularly. Forget about it.
Nice one....
Try taking out the Stihl spark arrestor =)
DOLMAR VERY VERY GOOD
The Dolmar very obviously pushed more debris at one time than the other 2, even at a lower rpm and apparently not adjusted correctly
Over the last 3 years I have opted to equip our lawn care and gardening teams solely with Dolmar hand held blowers due to their ease of operation amd reliability. Thanks for watching.
The Hitachi comes with a 7 year warranty.Wish I knew if there good about repairing it or what parts are not covered.Ive seen a lot of people get turned down on their warranty because of lame excuses
tenfeetsmall edge of the rabbit hole Have not made a warranty claim so I don't know. I agree that many claims are rejected at the dealer level for nebulous reasons.
Stihl is the best and don't bother with other brands go with the best
Harvey Gibbons I know lots of guys who like Stihl. I had a bad experience both with this machine and importantly with the local dealer. I refuse to buy anything else from him.
Primo Landscaping that's good that your not going to buy anything else for your dealer but also don't forget that the BG55 is one of the lowest handheld blower that they make. Try the BG86
Harvey Gibbons My buddy has a couple 86 and really likes them. The issue with buying anymore Stihl equipment for me is dealer proximity. The terrible service guy is the only Stink dealer within a reasonable distance from my yard. I have been using Shindaiwa hand held equipment because it has been reliable and the dealer is a 6to7 minute drive away. He also gives good service and expedited help for contractors such as myself. We just don't have time to drive around during the busy April to December rush.
Primo Landscaping fair enough but you can always buy stihl off the internet that's what I did with my stihl bf 86c-e and it is amazing
Don't be sucked in by the so called best, brands. The Hitachi is cheaper and is much better
idk the shilt look like it won but the dolmar in second
I agree Stihl came in first Dolmar second and Hitachi third. The first two have the edge because more air volume. In reality, the more air volume you have, the harder it blows although it's not as fast of air velocity, you can clear debris faster.
Dolmar!!!!!!
Hitachi starts on first pull every time.
I like the stihl sh86c blower. I rather buy a stihl. I do not like the Hitachi and the dolmar blower. Stihl is my favorite brand.
How much more is it than the Hitachi and Tanaka?
I appreciate your opinion. My local Stihl dealer refused to adress this blower's issues. We have switched exclusively to running 4 Dolmar hand helds over the last 3 years and have had zero issues.
i think you use too much oil and hat causes clogs in the spark arrestor
We used the same mix in over a dozen other 2 stroke machines with no issues.
Hitachis murder basically everything else on the market for blowers and trimmers in my experience.
They run perfectly for years with nothing more than a bit of a muffler clean.
Stihl is hugely overrated for anything other than chainsaws.
Yes, Stihl sucks for blower and trimmers. Stihl USED to make good saws, back in the day.
The Stihl is running too rich on the high setting.
We had nothing but problems with it. I'm not saying Stihl does not make quality tools just that this was a lemon and our dealer refused to fix it under warranty. I have switched over to Dolmar exclusively for hand helds. We run 4 Dolmars daily for the last 3 years without any problems. Thanks for watching.
The Dolmar doesn't sound properly tuned.
Hashirama Senju It sounds a bit different because it's a 4 stroke. I have a second one that sounds the same. Throaty exhaust sound on all the Dolmar mm4 engines.
Have you tried tuning the needles? Four stroke or not it is pretty obvious it's running pretty rich.
Hashirama Senju I have never adjusted it. The 2 Dolmars are the easiest starting machines I own. We use them to clean snow off the plow trucks in winter since they start so easily.
My ELECTRIC Toro blower has more power than that shit Stihl.
Yeah, maybe in mph but not cfm. Stihl is professional grade for the most part. Do your research and stop trolling people's channels. You don't need to constantly bash people for owning a top name tool. You probably never got the chance to use one of those Stihl blowers. Honestly you don't know a damn thing about how they really perform. I'm a devoted stihl man and seeing you troll multiple people who own stihl equipment pisses me off. Get a life bro.