| When you're comparing gas blower/vacs, you'll want to make note of three things: air speed, air flow and the unit's weight. All three affect how much of a chore your yard cleanup will be. On the first count, air speed, this Poulan rates very well, registering 205 mph; you'll find a lot of comparable blowers listed closer to 150 mph. Coupled with that is how much air the engine is actually moving, and of course, the more, the better. This one's rated at an impressive 400 cubic feet per minute, which, for a handheld blower like this, is a mighty lot of volume. Combined, these two details mean you've got great air power for blowing leaves, grass clippings, light debris and other yard waste. This blower is no heavier than its competitors, but of course, once you flip the switch and start vacuuming leaves, you're carrying that weight with you, albeit with a shoulder strap. It does have a higher mulching ratio than others (16:1, turning 16 bags of leaves into one mulched bag) in its class, turning leaves and grass clippings into a nice, fine mulch for flower beds or just more compact bagged yard waste. Starting is a bit of a chore; be prepared to pull. But that's par for the gas-powered course. Once it's going, though, it's a pleasure to use, and it beats raking and sweeping.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste What's in the Box
Blower and vacuum kit |
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 Worked GREAT until it DIED |
| Review Date: February 18, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Tom T, Crystal Coast of NC USA |
May 4, 2009: My apologies to anyone who purchased this blower based on my original review below. I would now give it a 2-star rating rather than 5-stars. Unfortunately, when editing a review, it's not possible to change the number of stars originally posted.
The two stars would be for the 2 years it worked perfectly...started easy every time and always ran great. This blower definitely wasn't worked to death. It was only used maybe once a week during fall for blowing leaves off the driveway and off the roof, and maybe once every three or four weeks the rest of the year for spiffing up the driveway.
The day it died, there was no hint of impending doom. It started easily, ran great for about 5 minutes, then simply quit.
I did some research online, and that was a real eye-opener. Seems this model has a long history of either cracked heads or ignition coil failure. Mine had the ignition coil failure. The parts + labor to repair was close to the cost of a new gas blower. I didn't have it repaired.
Interestingly, I have a Poulan 14" chain saw that I bought used back in 1978. I put a lot of hours on that machine cutting numerous chords of firewood and it still runs like a champ. I expected equal longevity from this Poulan Pro blower. Unfortunately, I got a LOT less.
If you can still find a Poulan BVM200LE leaf blower either new or used, I would now recommend NOT buying it.
ORIGINAL REVIEW (posted Feb. 18, 2007):
I've used this blower for a couple of months now. No buyer's remorse. This is my third leaf blower purchase in 20 years. The first two were pretty good, but this one is much better, so that's why I gave it the 5-star rating.
My first blower in '87 was a 2-cycle gas Homelite. As the seasons went by, even with proper maintenance & a couple of rebuild kits, it became a challenge to start. Finally I realized I was putting more time and effort into starting it than if I just used a rake and broom to clear the yard. So, I bought a B&D electric leaf blower and two 50' 12-guage electric cords.
Starting an electric blower is simple: just push a switch. But the whine while running, especially at the High setting, is very loud. Also, being on a leash with that cord is a hassle. Sometimes it gets snagged, so that means going back and unsnagging. Walking around a bush one way requires backtracking around in the opposite direction; then sometimes the cord unpluges either at the blower or from the electrical outlet. Getting up on the roof to clear out the valleys & gutters is another set of unique challenges when attached to a cord. Finally, after whichever job is done, you have to spend extra time rolling up 50' or 100' of cord.
So, a month ago, when the B&D fell on the cement garage floor and shattered the plastic housing, I looked at that as an opportunity, not a tragedy. After reading all leaf blower reviews at Amazon and doing some hands-on of various brands & models at a couple of big building supply stores, I decided on this Poulan BVM200LE.
Setting up this Poulan is easy. Out of the box, it's just a matter of sliding in the blower tube and tightening a thumb screw. A bottle of 2 cycle oil enough to mix with 1 gal of gas is included -- you need to supply the gas can & gasoline. After pushing on the primer a half-dozen times, the engine started on the second pull of the cord. So far, it's extremely easy to do a cold start, as well as easy to restart between tasks.
Altho not whisper quiet, the 2-cycle engine runs a lot quieter than the electric leaf blower it replaced. Plenty of air power; 200 mph it claims on the box, and I believe that. On the driveway, I only need to put the throttle at half or three-quarters speed to move dry leaves & debris. Full power does the job moving stuff thats built up in wet clumps or in corners and under shrubs. Of course, you can set the power anywhere between idle and full speed. That's another advantage over the electric leaf blower this replaced.
The nozzle is well-designed for the job. A previous reviewer here wrote he has to bend over with this blower. That's what I had to do with the B&D electric leaf blower. I'm 6'1" w/o shoes, and I usually had to do a Gracho Marx (for those of you old enough to know who that is) kind of walk to get the nozzle at the right angle to keep stuff moving. With this BVM200LE I was happy to find I can walk upright while blower does it's job.
I tried the vacuum attachment and it works okay, about the same as my previous leaf blowers. Shrinking my leaf pile by 16:1 isn't a concern for me. Interestingly, the BVM200LE promo literature claims 16:1; on the outside of the box this thing is packed in, it says 10:1. Also, if the vac is important for you, know that the impeller is made of plastic, not metal. If you're planning on sucking leaves out of some area with small decorative stones, that may be a consideration.
So far, no complaints with this blower. It's wonderful to be free of an electric cord and to be able to move around freely. |
PoulanPro Leaf Blower
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| Review Date: December 25, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Herk Kel, Muskegon, MI |
| Excellent design and product quality. Using as leaf blower by locking throttle control, pointing a chosen direction and setting on the ground to blow leafs and debris being loosened up by hand rake. I can see that with proper maintainence and even with much usage a long life is expected. |
Decent product - Does what it's supposed and for a good price.
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| Review Date: October 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: J. Kazura, Barrington, NH |
I wasn't sure I wanted a blower, I've always kinda enjoyed raking, but my back isn't what it used to be and my Wife was encouraging me to 'check into it'. I found this Poulan at my local Sam's Club for $99. I quickly read a couple of reviews on my smart phone and decided to get it.
Assembly was a piece of cake. I followed the instructions to the letter - mixing the included 2-cycle oil with EXACTLY 1 gallon of gas (even rinsed the oil bottle with gas to get it all). Anal - yes - I HATE 2-cycle engines and I know that if the mixture is off by the slightest, the engine will be ruined and/or fail to run well if at all. (notice to other reviewers complaining about not being able to start this unit ... ). As instructed in the manual - I primed it EIGHT pumps, pulled the rope with engine set to FULL CHOKE for 5 pulls, on the 4th pull the engine almost engaged - as instructed, I set it for HALF-CHOKE and it started on the 2nd pull. Also as instructed, I let it warm up for 5 seconds and set the choke to the RUN position.
It's my first blower, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it cleaned off my 100 foot driveway in a couple of minutes!
Time will tell how well the unit holds up ... my likely usage is 85% blowing and 15% vacuuming. I'll also follow the directions and NOT suck up rocks and large sticks - I'll also be sure to drain the fuel system when stored for more than 30-days. (Another notice to other whiners about how theirs smashed on 2nd use OR wouldn't start the 2nd season ...).
Pros:
Inexpensive combo-unit, It's very easy to assemble, has VERY easy to follow instructions, has a 'Fixed' adjustable velocity (i.e. no 'trigger cramps').
Cons:
a bit heavier than I expected, the tubes could be longer, being a 2-cycle engine: it's loud & toxic - but applies to a great deal of hand operated gas powered yard tools. |
4 years and still blowing
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| Review Date: December 31, 2008 |
| Reviewer: K. Schmatjen, Colorado Sptings, CO, USA |
I've had this Poulan Pro blower for at least 4 years now. I removed the black plastic door on the bottom and mounted the blower to a 5 gallon bucket lid. I put it on a bucket with a vacum hose attached and vacum dirt sometimes while gold prospecting. It's been used on high speed as a vacum and low speed to run my drywasher for dozens of hours. Many times in a very dirty environment.
It's always started very quickly for me.
I broke the speed lever which is attached to the carb(the blower fell over in the back of my truck) and didn't have any trouble buying a new carburator from poulan. Put it in and the blower worked great again.
I've used the oil that came with it, an 8 oz bottle and about 2/3 of a quart bottle of amsoil during 4 prospecting seasons.
Last year I picked up another one for a spare because I know how hard I've worked this one and can't believe it can last much longer.
I don't know if the quality of these are as good as the one I bought 4 years ago but if they are I expect to get more hard years from this one and the spare when I start using it. |
If it breaks I'll buy another one
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| Review Date: June 25, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Merchant of Venom, SC |
Reviews are an intangible thing. What works good for one guy, sometimes won't work for another. With that said I'll throw in my 2 cents.
I bought one of these about 3 1/2 years ago. I live in SC on a acre of land surrounded by pine trees. I use this blower almost daily (winter and summer) to blow away the pine needles from the back deck and driveway; also after cutting the lawn. I could not be more happy with it. It always starts on the first or second pull. Not that it needed it, but I changed the spark plug, just to make me feel that I was taking care of it.
If it ever fails I would buy another one. |
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