Hello again AMAZON fans everywhere!!
August 27, 2016
After 3+ years of use I wanted to give an update of this machine. In my original review (below) I gave it 3 stars which was more a reflection of how the unit arrived and the lack of any documentation (mine is a refurbished unit).
Rating it now on just its performance over the last three years though and it gets a easy 5 stars. My only real gripe about it is the design having the air intake where it is; if you're a lefty it wont matter because the air will be sucked in away from your body. If you are right handed though you will probably have to either keep switching to your left hand or pulling it away from you as it sucks your right pant leg towards it.
After 3 years it still starts by the second pull without fail every time; often even on the first pull. Yes, it is a bit loud; I havent found a leaf blower yet in this category that wasnt.
I just had to make my first repair. One of the fuel lines; the one returning gas from the bulb to the tank, broke and using the bulb caused gas to spray everywhere. No worries though; I found a universal fuel line repair kit at a big box DIY store for less than $5.50 that included a piece that fit so it was a easy fix and it includes a bunch of others so if another goes I will have what I need there too..
The blower I have is used quite often and isnt treated with kid gloves. Aside from the clear vinyl cover that came off the 'OFF' switch the first day I got it this thing has held up remarkably well and is still very powerful, no complaints there at all, it really makes my fall clean up easier.
Having dependable tools to work with makes all he difference when you're trying to get your chores done. If you are a simple DIY guy like me or a landscaping pro I dont think you can go wrong here; it is a very very good machine.
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Original review from July 2013
Nice but not perfect.
After years of coaxing one more season out of my old Homelite leaf blower, this year it done did die. Heck; I got it after pulling it out of a dumpster, so it didn't owe me anything.
For the last couple of years, when I thought that 'Homey' was pushing its last leaf, I eyed getting one of these Hatachi's. So when Homey finally went on to meet that great carburetor in the sky I knew what I wanted and where to go.
Originally I had not noticed that there were refurbished ones available and was happy to see that option now so I could save a few bucks. I have over the years bought numerous refurbed items from various vendors and overall I have had pretty good luck as well. This vendor had decent feedback so I felt comfortable taking a chance here too.
Shipping was very very fast. The blower arrived in a very sturdy box with minimal packing materials and no literature, ie no user manual or warranty info; I got just a blower motor and the solid hose attachments.
There was evidence of some fuel already in the system, looking at the primer bubble, probably a result of them test starting it, and so I tried starting it without adding more & it started immediately. It quickly ran itself out so I then added fresh fuel, it again started quickly with minimal effort and that has not changed.
There were two pauses for concern after I filled it with the fuel and used it for the first time: the first was after it had ran a few minutes; the unit started smoking quiet a bit, this turned out to be due to oil that was on the outside of the motor burning off. No harm no foul; it may have been oil placed there to keep it from rusting while in storage, but the amount of smoke had me concerned about a possible malfunction and so I quickly shut it off. Which was when I encountered the second issue. The off switch is one of those that has a vinyl cover over it to keep out moisture, dirt, etc - that cover fell off when I shut off the blower because of the smoke.
Overall it is a nice machine and I am happy with it; it starts with minimal effort, runs very smoothly, and is reasonably powerful; not as powerful as old Homey, which was a little larger and had a larger impellor as well, but it still gets the job done.
So, why only three stars?
It should have come with some paperwork; a simple print out of the original instruction manual, which I am sure must be online somewhere, a warranty card with the contact info if there is a problem, something with do's and dont's such as make sure you don't use straight gas but a oil/gas mix. I have more than once come across some pretty smart people who burned up tools such as this because they had no idea what a 2 cycle motor was. Personally I suspect that many pieces of equipment such as this are returned as defective, later to be resold as refurbed, simply because the original buyer had no clue how to use it. With that in mind, some dummy proof instructions could go a long; possibly helping vendors avoid having to take back perfectly good equipment, as well as helping newbie buyers from destroying their new toys
The 2nd reason: The cover coming off the off switch. Its one of those things that are too minor to have to deal with the hassle and expense of sending it back, yet, on the other hand, leaves you questioning the quality control process.
Would I recommend it?
Yes. Despite the issues laid out above, having used it a dozen times or so now, I do not have any serious concerns about the product. I just think a couple of things could have been handled better......like maybe a warning that the unit is probably gonna scare the heck out of ya when it starts smoking a whole lot during the first 15 minutes or so of use.......
Have a Magical Day!
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This Item  Hitachi RB24EAP Gas Powered Leaf Blower, Handheld, Lightweight, 23.9cc 2 Cycle Engine, Class Leading 441 CFM, 170 MPH, Commercial Grade, 7 Year Warranty |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $389.00 | -19% $65.00 List: $79.99 | $249.00 | -9% $299.00 List: $329.00 | -31% $89.99 List: $129.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it May 1 - 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 | — | Get it as soon as Friday, May 3 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Drying power | ||||||
| Light weight | ||||||
| Maneuverability | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sold By | — | SCHRÖDER | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | LAZY TECH CO |
| power source | Gas Powered | Gas Powered | Corded Electric | Gas Powered | DC | Battery Powered, Cordless, Electric |
| air flow capacity | 441 cubic feet per minute | 920 cubic feet per minute | 600 cubic feet per minute | 425 cubic feet per minute | 765 cubic feet per minute | — |
| voltage | — | — | 120 volts | — | 56 volts | 21 volts |
| speed | 170 miles per hour | 230 miles per hour | 110 miles per hour | 170 miles per hour | 200 miles per hour | 150 miles per hour |
| batteries included | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| noise level | 71 decibels | 65 decibels | — | 49 decibels | 64 decibels | — |
Reviews with images
This thing BLOWS (in a good way).
My old leaf blower/vac unit seized up on me (10 years old) and never ran quite right to begin with. My oil/gas mix was correct btw. This Hitachi has me very impressed. It only weighs 8 pounds 14 ounces without gas. Much lighter than my previous 14 lb unit. I can feel the difference on my back when using this. This Hitachi is also stronger than my previous unit. I can clear my sandstone patio of debris in about half the time. It was easy to assemble: you just have to push the extension into the outlet, then put the tip on the conic end of the tube, add gas, and you are set. A quick tip is to add some dish soap to the twisty-ends that lock in because it can be kind of tough to twist one. I just licked my fingers and lubed up the knub on the pipe to get it lock easier.... then I added gas, pushed the primer the 10 times, made sure the switch was set to on ("I"), and it fired up on the first pull. I let it idle for a few minutes and off I went. One caveat is that the manual says to use 89 octane gas. I only have a 40:1 gas can so I ran it on 40:1 87 gas. I will purchase another little gas can for 89 later just to make sure if I do need the warranty they cannot use the 87 as an excuse.I use a leaf blower to blow out my gutters in the spring and this unit's weight will make the job safer. I cannot complain about the price either considering a heavier cheaper Ryobi/Craftsman is $99.99+tax and this was only $129 with an extra 5 years of warranty (7 total, craftman has 2 years). I would buy this again and I have recommended it to friends.
Top reviews from other countries
King_of_Cole
All of the leaves are spread onto the lawn and mulched to a fine powder with the mower
Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2014Friedrich
This Blower is amazing First I received it by UPS
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Canada John
Nice unit, but have two small negatives.
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Julian M
High quality, high power, expectations exceeded.
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