Stihl BR200 Backpack Blower Is A Starter Backpack Blower

stihl br200 review

The Stihl BR200 backpack blower is a smaller backpack blower that can get your residential job done. As the little brother of the BR350 blower and the BR600 from Stihl, the BR200 has all the same features but slightly more manageable power. In fact, most of the commercial landscapers you see will have one of these Stihl backpack blowers on the job.

Backpack blowers are an absolute necessity in the landscaping game. If you don’t have one, you might as well rely on the wind to get your job done. Before you go buy any old backpack blower on Amazon, make sure to know what you are getting yourself into. 

If you live in California, sorry – this blower will not be available to you starting in 2024.

Bottom Line: The Stihl BR 200 blower is the lightest duty of the Stihl backpack blowers, which makes it great for residential use.

Jump ahead:

The Stihl BR200 backpack blower: Feature review

When it comes to backpack blowers, there are only a few things you need to take into consideration. The first is power, then comfort and usability, durability and maintenance, then of course price and value. Let’s get started below.

Power

If you are checking out a backpack blower, then you probably need something pretty powerful. The Stihl BR200 backpack blower puts out air at around 150 mph. This is comparable to a lot of other blowers, and definitely on the lower side of backpack blowers. You can find some electric blowers that go this high, but most hover around 100-120 mph.

The air volume at the nozzle is 400 CFM (cubic feet per minute). What this means is that the blower has a slightly more narrow nozzle, making for a targeted, high speed air stream. For example, there are other blowers that have a higher CFM, but a lower air speed. These are ones with big, wide blower nozzles that send a broader air path, but not as quickly.

Copyright: Stihl.

For comparison’s sake, the BR600 boasts almost 700 CFM, but only blows air slightly faster than the BR350. This is due to the wider nozzle on the BR600. 

My preference is always having a slightly narrow opening to be able to have focused power. Broad openings are great for folks who are pushing a bunch of air across their backyard indiscriminately. 

This engine also boasts 1.1 bhp of power output, which is pretty good for a blower, but on the lower end of backpack blowers.

Usability

Usability is probably the most important feature of any lawn tool. Sure, the blower can have a ton of power, but if it is difficult to use, how on earth are you supposed to get your job done? 

I like things that make life easier. The BR200 makes blowing pretty easy. For starters, it only weighs 12 lbs, which is about the weight of a half of a watermelon or a large newborn. Not bad!

To compare it to the 350, it is about 10 lbs lighter. That makes a serious difference if you are carting it around for a longer period of time.

Another thing I love about the Stihl BR200 backpack blower is the backpack feel. Some other backpack blowers like the Husqvarna series have something that looks like a switchboard on the back with each component nailed in. The Stihl BR series has a super intuitive casing that makes the entire device more compact and easier to wear and store.

Another thing I love about this blower is the slightly offset handle. If you look closely, you can see this right-handed handle is slightly tilted outwards. This helps offset the kick from the blower, making it easy to walk around and get the job done without having to “fight” against it like a firehose or shotgun. 

The offset handle allows for easier maneuverability.

Of course, the Stihl BR200 backpack blower has an anti-vibration system and a multi-function control handle, which is relatively commonplace for backpack blowers. 

Maintenance and durability

Not much maintenance is required on these bad boys! You will want to make sure to use a 50:1 oil to gas mixture but otherwise will only have to do the occasional filter and spark plug change.

Stihl BR200 blower – nice and compact (and lightweight).

With proper maintenance, the BR200 should last you a few years or further.

Stihl BR200 price

The Stihl BR200 backpack blower comes in at anywhere between $300. It sounds like a lot, but the money you will keep in your pocket after a couple years makes all the difference. Compared to the BR350 and BR600, this is significantly cheaper (at least $100 cheaper than the 350).

Not to mention, this blower will make you feel like a total badass. It’s truly what is used most often by the pros for a reason. I’d say it’s the F150 of the blower world, but also not too powerful to where your neighbors will cut your head off.

If you’re interested, one of the only online places you can buy it is Ace Hardware. You can click this link to go straight to their online store page, buy it online, then go pick it up curbside.

The official review: Stihl BR200 backpack blower

Check out the below summary table to see our review of the Stihl BR200 blower.

FeatureStihl BR200Comparable blowers
Difficulty to useEasier to use due to offset handleAverage usability
DurabilityAvg. durabilityAvg. durability
MaintenanceAverage maintenanceAverage maintenance
ValueModerate valueModerate value
For lots <10,000 sq. ftHighly recommendedLess recommended
For lots <1 acreHighly recommendedHighly recommended
For lots >1 acreLess recommendedHighly recommended

Why we review lawn tools

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

How we spend our time.

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.

Leaf blowers: Electric vs. gas

Obviously you have two options when selecting a leaf blower: electric or gas.They are worlds apart in just about every aspect. Electric leaf blowers tend to be cheaper, weaker, and only last a few seasons. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I used to have a Ryobi leaf blower attachment that came on their 3-in-1 tool kit. I have now gone through two of the leaf blower heads in which they start making a high pitch scraping noise when I am using it. 

A popular battery blower.

There are exceptions in the electric leaf blower world. One of those is the Ryobi 40V Brushless whisper series blower. It is quiet, extremely powerful, and built to last. It is, however, one of the most expensive electric blowers you can buy.

Gas blowers are superior in almost every way. They are super strong, last many seasons, and quickly get the job done. The reason you see every professional lawn care person using a backpack blower is because they work extremely well. Let’s dig into that more below.

Stihl’s reputation

Stihl is an industry leader when it comes to yard products, but is probably most known for chainsaws and backpack blowers. The BR200 backpack blower is one of their best selling products because it is something they have completely mastered.

Stihl makes some great chainsaws!

The Stihl family moved to Virginia in the 1970s and opened up their first factory dedicated to a single chainsaw. They have continued to grow and pioneer the lawn care space, most notably with backpack blowers.

Stihl has a great reputation that many commercial landscapers rely on each day. Many residential owners will be more than pleased with their products.

The STIHL BR600 is Basically A Jetpack Leaf Blower

The Stihl BR600 backpack blower is one of the most popular backpack blowers used by both residential and commercial lawn care teams. It is easy to see why this is such a top seller – between the power, the reliability, and the price, this thing is sweet. 

Leaf blowers come in all shapes and sizes. I have had many electric leaf blowers and literally have burned through all of them. The gas powered blowers just mean business. They work harder, they last longer, and they save you serious time. 

We also did an awesome comparison of this blower against a popular version from ECHO.

Let’s get started:

Why we review lawn tools

The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site. 

How we test our tools.

As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.

Leaf blowers: Electric vs. gas

Obviously you have two options when selecting a leaf blower: electric or gas. They are worlds apart in just about every aspect. Electric leaf blowers tend to be cheaper, weaker, and only last a few seasons. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I used to have a leaf blower attachment that came on their 3-in-1 tool kit. I have now gone through two of the leaf blower heads in which they start making a high pitch scraping noise when I am using it. 

There are exceptions in the electric leaf blower world. One of those is the new Whisper series blower. It is quiet, extremely powerful, and built to last. It is, however, one of the most expensive electric blowers you can buy.

Gas blowers are superior in almost every way. They are super strong, last many seasons, and quickly get the job done. The reason you see every professional lawn care person using a backpack blower is because they work extremely well. Let’s dig into that more below. Gas and battery backpack blowers are still a tough call, though.

Stihl’s reputation

Stihl is an industry leader when it comes to yard products, but is probably most known for chainsaws and backpack blowers. The BR600 backpack blower is one of their best selling products because it is something they have completely mastered.

The Stihl family moved to Virginia in the 1970s and opened up their first factory dedicated to a single chainsaw. They have continued to grow and pioneer the lawn care space, most notably with backpack blowers.

Stihl has a great reputation that many commercial landscapers rely on each day. Many residential owners will be more than pleased with their products.

Stihl also makes some other backpack blowers like the Stihl BR200 and BR350.

Stihl BR600 Backpack blower review: Features

Let’s check out some of the features that you need to look for when picking a blower and how the Stihl BR600 backpack blower matches up.

The compact Stihl BR600 backpack blower.

Power

When it comes to a leaf blower, probably the most important feature is power. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, worse than trying to blow a wet leaf off of your driveway and it just will not budge. I have experienced this so many times with my electric backpack blower that I would get closer and closer to the leaf until I scraped it off the dang driveway with the tip of the blower. 

Well, you won’t have to do any scraping with the BR600. This thing blows air at 238 mph. That is insanely fast. For perspective, the fastest hurricane wind speed ever recorded was 215 mph. You are walking around with a mini hurricane with the Stihl BR600 backpack blower. 

An absolute unit.

Many blowers also boast a CFM, which is cubic feet per minute. Most electric blowers have a CFM in the 200-300 range. Some get as high as 700, but basically achieve this by attaching a tiny nozzle to the end to maximize the pressure. 

At its normal function, the Stihl BR600 backpack blower has a CFM of 677. This is some serious power from a large nozzle blower. Needless to say, this blower is going to get the job done.

The BR600’s little brother, the BR350, is a slightly less expensive and less powerful version.

The little brother!

Using this blower is a breeze

The Stihl BR600 backpack blower was designed by someone who uses a blower several hours per week. For starters, the backpack is light – only 25 pounds. It sits consolidated into an ergonomic backpack that doesn’t have straps or extra parts flapping around. The BR600 is compact and solid, which I appreciate.

It has a handle that extends down from the right side where the air blows from. It is a flexible handle that can be easily navigated and maneuvered. This is a stark contrast to many electric blowers that have a long, hard, plastic tube that will not move. The beauty of this handle is that it also has all of the controls on it as well, like speed and cruise control and all of that. 

The extended flexible hose of the Stihl BR600 backpack blower.

The anti-vibration system on the Stihl BR600 backpack blower also helps you be comfortable. It is so hard to carry around one of these when it is loud, shaky, and hot. The BR600 has anti vibration technology that reduces the “jetpack” feeling like you are about to take off.

Durability and maintenance

This is by far one of the most important things I look for in a blower, now that I have burned through two of the electric ones. The Stihl has a serious engine and is not going to burn up like the cheap plastic electric ones.

The purge pump primer helps keep the carburetor primed with fuel, making the starting process much simpler without flooding the engine. This blower also has lower cost, easier to maintain “in-tank” fuel filters. 


Reading through the manual, it is easy to tell the spark plug and filter change are simple maintenance activities that do not have to occur regularly. As this does require a 50:1 oil mixture, oil changes are not required. 

Starting the BR600 requires the blower to be placed on the ground, which is kind of an awkward starting position. There are choke positions for cold starts and warm starts as well to help make this a 1-2 pull blower starting process.

Cost and value

The Stihl BR600 costs about $500. While this may sound expensive, it is a good value. If you consider the price of a decent electric blower at about $150, you will quickly realize how valuable the BR600 is. Considering that I have blown through two $150 blowers in the past few years, I can save considerable amounts of money with the BR600 due to its longevity.

You can find the Stihl BR600 for sale from Ace Hardware, the only place we have been able to find it online.

If you use a blower for commercial purposes, this is a no-brainer. This blower will last you for years and has the comfort, ease of use, and power to get you through many, many seasons on the job. 

The official backpack blower review

FeatureStihl BR600 backpack blowerOther blowers
Difficulty to useEasier to use cruise control functionAverage usability
DurabilityVery durable and backed by warrantyAverage durability
MaintenanceEasiest to maintainEasiest to maintain
ValueHighest valueMedium value
For lots <10,000 sq. ftHighly recommendedHighly recommended
For lots <1 acreHighly recommendedRecommended
For lots >1 acreHighly recommendedNot recommended
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