Customer Reviews
Good for the price 
2008-06-06
Package arrived in a timely manner but the straps were missing. I called Amazon and they were very helpful, they told me to return it and they would send a complete package. I opted to make due and made my own straps.
The blower starts easily but it does not blow much better than my Poulan hand held and does not blow as good as my Toro electric, however I do look cool with the back pack unit. The tips that come with it do not restrict air flow enough to create much pressure. I wish I bought a hand held Sthil but for $100.00 it will do.
definately a good buy 
2008-06-01
I've been using a battery operated blower. It does the job but never has enough battery pwr to complete it. I didn't want to spend much money on a gas blower since it's just for around the house. This blower is perfect. Easy starting and does the job fine (and relatively inexpensive)
Good deal!
Great Buy 
2008-05-31
I bought this blower while bidding on other backpack blowers on ebay. The blower was quick to arrive and I immediately put it to the test. I am thoroughly pleased with its performance. Easy starting, less than 12 pounds and free shipping. A Great Buy!
I Always Dreamed of Having a Back Pack Blower 2008-05-20
I have a Ryobi gas blower that wouldn't start. After replacing the plug and feeding it starting fluid, still no firing, so I went blower shopping. Consumer reports rated the Toro Ultra 12 Amp Electric Blower/Vacuum #51599 as the number one, beating out any gas or electric model, with more power at 235mph. So I bought one, with a 100 foot 14 gauge cord. It was powerful, but quite frankly dragging around a 100 foot cord was a challenge after growing accustomed to a portable gas driven unit.
I was considering this reconditioned Homelite gas powered back pack before buying the Toro electric so I decided to try it out. The entire unit looked brand new. The one feed tube could have a few scuffs on it from a little use, or it could just be from sliding the control cuff over it during assembly. It looked, smelled, and was wrapped in plastic just like new. It did have the word "recon" on the plastic shroud, the letters were clear, like they had been touched by a hot metal iron. Thought it was a logo impression at first. Ok on to performance.
Immediately after taking it out of the box, brought it outside, and put some fuel/oil mix in, pressed on the fuel bulb a few times, turned the large easy to read knob over to the choke setting, pulled it twice, and it fired up. Then I popped the unit on my back, and decided to try it out. My first impression was with the motor so close to my head, the noise became a factor. Not that it was louder than my Ryobi, but it was closer to my ears. Fortunately I have a set of NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES FOR PC CD and MP3 (980409-0403).
The amount of air that was moved is more than the small hand held units, but after using the Toro electric it didn't seem like a lot, although I would consider it more than sufficient. The half throttle setting has a very pleasant whir to it that is much quieter.
After putting the unit on for the first time, you simply tug on the straps to snug it up to a comfortable fit. After using it for a while, it gets more comfortable, the harness settles to a natural fit, something I wouldn't mind wearing for extended use.
I love the extreme power of the Toro, and considering the price, it was a keeper. The Homelite is a backpack, and one I do not want to give up either. By the way, with a backpack, you do not have the flexibility that you have with a hand held; for instance clearing off the top of the boat cover from pine needles is difficult. A hand held you can raise it up over your head.
One last feature I wanted to comment on; this reconditioned model is (Non carb compliant) which as I understand it means that it does not pass California's stringent emission standards. To the green enthusiast in me, that is something worth being concerned about. To the motor head in me, less smog controls means more stable starts when cold, and more power as in more horsepower coming out of the same motor. I noticed the compliant models are now selling at Amazon for more money then these units new, so these recons may be, and I am not sure of this, but may be the last of the oldies but goodies. This is mere conjecture on my part, but is another reason why I am glad I got one of these, especially at such a nice price. I did notice the reviews had mentioned running problems with complaint new model just as I had anticipated.
So the Toro will come in handy when I am clearing out the gutters on the roof, due to the flexibility of the hand held, plus the Toro has metal blades, and leaf vacuuming/shreadding capability, and the Homelite does not do leaf vacuuming/shredding, as stated in the instructions, but does have the back pack feature, and does a great job of clean up after cutting the lawn. Both are keepers for sure. I was also pleased with the overall build quality on the Homelite, it didn't seem like a toy at all. It's built pretty solid, especially for a unit at this price point. I highly recommend getting one, before they once again, run out of them.
Broke out of the box 
2008-05-17
Sounded like a great deal BUT received my blower and absolutely NO protective packaging in the box and found the idle screw and bracket embedded in the cardboard box. So thought I'd return it for another but Amazon won't honor what it sells and says no returns on this product. Again buyer BE AWARE!!!!
homelite backpack blower 2008-07-07
product does an alright job but somewhat week in blowing power
metal bracket sticks into my back somewhat uncomfortable
easy to operate and start
blower 2008-06-30
thank u. the blower like a charm. It's helping my lawn care a lot better than last blower.This is the only thing I was looking for a a affordable rate and I was bless with that.
Buyer Beware 2008-06-28
I recieved this blower intact with fast shipping. But had a hard time starting.
Symptoms:
1. Primer bulb did not fill with any gas even though pushed bulb many many times.
2. Spark plug was dry despite priming at least 30 times and pulling starter cord 15 times.
Discovered the "FACTORY" had reversed the fuel line with the fuel overflow so fuel was not being sucked into the carbeurator. An easy fix by just swapping the lines at the carb end. But if you're technically inclined, you may want to get someone to is to do it.
I gave it one star because this is a major flaw which should ot have come from the FACTORY!
Performance wise, my Toro electric blower was better in performance. Blow leaves and debris better and further. But the Homelite blower is very light and does not need a cord. Blower is restricted if you use the round raking wand or if you use the flat sweeping wand. I just used the blower without the last section.
Also the blower bellows tube is very dirgid. I would have liked it to be more flexible as you sweep left and right.
Overall... a cheap blower with ok performance. Good value for the $ but just beware of potential fuel line mixup.
Perfect Backpack Blower for Home use 2008-06-19
Item arrived well packed and once 2-stroke fuel was added, it started after a couple of pulls. Its extremely comfortable and light enough to carry around for serious home leaf blowing. Aside from very minor scratches from previous use and the word "recon" stamped on the red plastic housing, it looks almost new and works like a dream. It has operated much quieter than I expected and I would recommend this Homelite highly if you want to have an effective reliable affordable blower.
Works Great ! 2008-06-10
I bought this blower to replace a new Poulan gas blower that died after two years of use. I didn't have any reservations of buying a remanufactured Homelite product since I own a remanufactured Homelite string trimmer and its worked great for 12 years. The item looked new out of the box with the exception of the trigger throttle mechanism and one section of the blower tube. The throttle had some minor visual wear marks but is fully functional. The engine and backpack assembly all look brand new. I followed the manuals recommendation and purchased a high quality synthetic 2 cycle oil. The blower fired right up and idles smooth. My old blower would vibrate your hand so much it would go numb. This backpack blower is smooth, powerful, and very easy to use, just walk around and the point the nozzle. I could have bought this blower new at my local home center for around $165.00 but chose to save some money and purchase the remanufactured one from Amazon.
