Review of the Hitachi Gas Powered Leaf Blower
As of this writing, there are 2,704 customer comments and 202 answered questions for the Hitachi leaf blower. I have read the customer feedback and then condensed the results into this review. I hope that this review helps you when shopping for the best leaf blower to maintain your yard.
Best Features
- Comes with a 7-year consumer use warranty
- Will blow 170 MPH
- Has 441 CFM
- Large two-finger throttle lever allows for easier operation
- Powerful
Item Specifics
The Hitachi leaf blower has 441 CFM for excellent debris movement. It weighs 8.6 pounds and is well-balanced for comfortable use and less fatigue. The 23.9 ccs commercial grade 2-stroke engine makes this leaf blower more powerful and last longer. The Hitachi leaf blower comes with 7-year consumer use warranty, 2-year commercial use warranty, and 1-year rental use warranty. It produces an impressive air velocity of 170 MPH (with taper nozzle). The large two-finger throttle lever allows for easier operation.
Cannot Ship It Back If Fuel Has Been in It
Before you purchase the Hitachi Leaf Blower, you would be wise to see if you have a local service center to take care of it if any problems arise. The reason being is because you can’t return this unit once fuel has been placed in it. If you have a close service center make sure that they service The Hitachi Gas Powered Leaf Blower. If not you may be up the creek without a paddle if anything goes wrong.
A customer explained, “I read the reviews about this unit and saw a thread where one of the reviewers mentioned that you should make sure you have a local service center before ordering. Here is the rub – once you put fuel in it, you won’t be able to ship the unit anywhere (by law) for repair/returns etc. I went online and saw a service center within 10 miles of me, so I ordered. It arrived and I was quite pleased.. but after a few uses, suddenly it won’t fire anymore. I am guessing the switch has failed as it seems to have stopped firing. I called about return and was informed about the issue with shipping anything that has had fuel in it. So I have no choice but to take it to the repair center. I called the repair center to arrange it, but was told that they haven’t serviced the Hitachi units for several years!. The online list isn’t up to date.. I went through all the rest in my local area. I called each one. Some of them are listed as a service center but don’t service all types of devices (like hand operated tools). As luck would have it, the closest service center to me is 58 miles away. Arggggh.”
Will Most Likely Need Servicing
The top complaints and comments were about how to fix the Hitachi Leaf Blower when it quit working. Compared to the battery operated and electric leaf blowers, this gas leaf blower needed serviced way more than the other types. Here is one person’s remarks, “This year, however, it wouldn’t start. To resolve this, I needed to remove the carburetor so that I could re-tighten the two screws securing the intake manifold to the cylinder. Years of typical 2-cycle engine vibration had loosened those two screws on the intake manifold. But after tightening those two screws, it starts and runs strongly after the first pull. The only other problem I’ve had with this model is that a slight amount of gas would dribble when I used the priming bulb. That was cured simply by pushing the primer’s fuel line back into the fuel tank’s rubber grommet. That fuel line had backed out of the rubber grommet, presumably from years of typical 2-cycle engine vibration.”
For a Gas Powered Leaf Blower, Not Too Loud
Gas powered leaf blowers are in general much louder than electric or battery operated leaf blowers. With that being said, comparatively, The Hitachi Leaf Blower is not as loud as many other gas powered leaf blowers. A customer said, “Easy to put together out of the box. Smooth running and not too loud compared to some other gas blowers. Excellent power coming out and easily clears grass/leaves from the driveway after cutting the lawn. Also does a great job in blowing fall leaves into a pile, even when they are damp and not completely dry.”
Poor Customer Service
Unfortunately, if you have a problem with the Hitachi Leaf Blower, chances are good that you won’t get much help from customer service. Poor customer service was a common complaint. One person shared, “Feeling good about the fact that it has a seven-year consumer warranty, I called Hitachi and was forced to leave a message. I also e-mailed them. After waiting several days without a response I called again and, fortunately, was connected to a live person almost immediately. He sounded disinterested and said I had two options only: take it to my nearest service center (100 miles away) or send it to GA and pay for shipping….and hope they agree it’s a manufacturer’s defect. Shipping will not be cheap (from NY) and I was hoping I could take it somewhere more local, which for other similar type machines, I have always been able to do, since I live in a fairly highly populated area. While it worked, it was a great product. But I am disappointed in their warranty. Would I recommend it? Yes, but before buying it you may want to check on where your nearest repair facility is located.”
Good Price
The price is good for what you get with The Hitachi Leaf Blower. In general gas-powered leaf blowers will cost more than electric or battery-operated blowers. But overall, this is a good buy. A customer said, “Yes, this is the best little blower. I ordered this blower 6 years ago for a higher price than today. Absolutely a powerful handheld blower that I use frequently. I have a gas powered push leaf blower, a gas-powered backpack blower, (I live in a very wooded area) and this blower is the one I reach for more than the others. A lot of push power for this handheld. Gas, because of the freedom from electrical cords. I have had electric and battery blowers but none compare to the power of this one. Was even thinking of buying again because the price is good!”
No Cord Is Nice
One of the nice things about a gas-powered leaf blower is that you don’t have to drag a cord around. You also can go wherever you want with a gas powered leaf blower since you don’t need to be connected to an electrical outlet. A customer said, “I totally love this gas blower. I’m a 75 year old woman and I thought it would be difficult for me to start any device with a pull cord. After reading several reviews saying this device is easy to start I decided to get this gas blower. The reviews were right, this blower starts very easily and it has so much power that I was very surprised. Over the years I’ve had both an electric leave blower and a battery operated blower but dragging along the cord and constantly having to recharge batteries was a problem. Now with this gas blower, it’s so much quicker and easier. Also it weighs only 8 lbs so it’s light to work with. Thank you Hitachi!”
Powerful
The Hitachi Leaf Blower is a powerful machine. Overall, gas-powered leaf blowers are more powerful than electric or battery operated leaf blowers. A customer shared, “I have owned or trialed every major handheld leaf blower on the market. Homelite/Toro/Husqy/ etc. This one by far is the easiest and most powerful of them all. Forget about wind speed and other details some manufacturers like to boast about. None of them are accurate. The only way to get an edge on buying these gas powered leaf blowers is by the word-of-mouth. The name Hitachi bothered me but thought what do I have to lose.”
Most Start on 3rd Pull
After reading the reviews for The Hitachi Leaf Blower, I learned that most started on the 3rd pull, which is very good. Gas-powered Leaf Blowers are usually harder to start than electric or battery operated leaf blowers because you have to pull a cord to get it going. But in general, The Hitachi Leaf Blower was easy to start for a gas-powered leaf blower. A customer reported, “‘I’ve had this for two years now and I really like it. After priming it takes 2 easy pulls, then starts on the 3rd. There’s no awkward vibration, it runs great and has plenty out power.”
Pros
- Powerful
- Good price
- Easy start
Cons
- Cannot ship it back once gas has been added. Service centers that service the Hitachi brand may be hard to find in your area.
- Loud but not as loud as some gas-powered leaf blowers
- Poor customer service
Hitachi Gas Powered Leaf Blower Conclusion
The Hitachi Leaf Blower has 441 CFM and weighs 8.6 pounds. The engine is 23.9 ccs commercial grade 2-stroke. The Hitachi leaf blower comes with 7-year consumer use warranty, 2-year commercial use warranty, and 1-year rental use warranty. It produces an impressive air velocity of 170 MPH (with taper nozzle). The large two-finger throttle lever allows for easier operation. This is an easy to start leaf blower, with the majority of customer reporting that it started on the 3rd pull. It is not too loud as far as gas leaf blowers go. The price is good for what you get. The main drawback is that most likely it will need to be serviced, and you can not send this back to the company after it has had gas in it. So that leaves you to find a servicing center that will service the Hitachi brand. Many people found that a service center for this particular leaf blower was not close to them at all.
Common Questions
Here are some top questions that I found for people considering buying the Hitachi Gas Powered Leaf Blower.
- Do I need to use non-ethanol gasoline? Yes, you need to use non-ethanol gas. The owner’s manual specifically states that ethanol gasoline will reduce the engine life.
- Can I use the Hitachi leaf blower to blow pine needles off of my lawn? Yes, the Hitachi leaf blower should work well for blowing leaves off of your lawn.
- Can I blow wet leaves off of my lawn using the Hitachi leaf blower? Yes, the Hitachi leaf blower should be powerful enough to blow the wet leaves off of your lawn.
Related Article: Best Leaf Blower Options to Help Keep Your Yard Well Maintained
