The time-consuming job of sweeping and raking is now a thing of the past, thanks to the powerful blowers and vacuum units from STIHL. You can turn even the toughest yard job into child's play with these yard tools. When I hear the name STIHL it makes me think about chainsaws mostly. This could not be further from the truth, as I found out that they have a very wide variety of yard tools as well that will make you feel like a pro level landscaper in your own backyard.

Doing a little Spring cleaning

The BG 55 blower clears every fallen leaf and blade of grass in the garden and near the house and yard. I used the BG 55 around the house and office quit a bit recently and must say, I was very impressed with the ease of starting with the STIHL ElastoStart'­¢ shock-absorbing starter handle which makes it a cinch to start this blower and operating this piece of equipment once you get it running is a very simple process as well.

Lots of leaves on the stairs

I put this blower through some rigorous trials in different areas and with many types of yard debris. I started off by just clearing a flat area of concrete with dirt and leaves on it, no problems here, it delivered with a quick response at the squeeze of the trigger and surprisingly was very controllable at full throttle with using only one hand (as a quick side note I would recommend the use of safety goggles or glasses and a pair of yard work gloves so that you do not get any blisters). I then moved off to a more daunting challenge as I took on a winters worth of assorted types of leaves that were still pretty wet from the lovely monsoon season that we have been experiencing in Los Angeles this winter. Needless to say I was a little shocked as the blower had no real problems in moving these old and very wet leaves down the stairs and into the parking area.

Blowing wet leaves off the stairs

My STIHL representative Kevin was kind enough to let me in on a little tip when you are looking for a blower with lots of moving power you want to pay attention to the CFM's which is the measurement of Air Volume instead of the mistake I was making and looking at the Air Velocity which is the MPH. That is just a little tip.

Clean Stairs

The STIHL BG55 can be converted into powerful vacuums by means of the easily fitted vacuum attachment (accessory). The fallen leaves are guided through the fan as they are picked up and shredded in the process. In ideal cases, the contents of the bag can be spread out again directly as mulch and help you and your yard.

Another useful accessory, the roof gutter cleaning kit, makes it possible to clean even the most inaccessible parts of the roof gutter (accessory for models BG/SH 55 and BG/SH 85). With this you can knock out that spring clean up disaster you have been putting off for ever.

This blower is a great tool to have in your shed that is for sure and for around $150 this is definitely as worthwhile investment.

If you would like to find out more about this and other great STIHL products you can visit thier website at: www.stihlusa.com

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