This review will be a first impressions review only, because I haven’t owned this blower for very long. Having just replaced my second Ego cordless blower with this new Husqvarna it’s going to be difficult to not to directly compare them to each other, though this is not the purpose of this article, so I’ll try to only compare when necessary.
On outward appearances alone the Husqvarna 230iB is beautiful looking with an aesthetically pleasing design, it is a very striking machine. From the quality of the materials, the colours, the shape of each design element, no complaint can be had at all. Of course none of this has any importance on the actual functionality of the machine, which I’ll now move onto.
The control panel contains 3 buttons, one button for on and off, one button for turbo mode, and one button for cruise control. The trigger is variable speed so when the operator brings the machine to the wind speed required via the trigger, the cruise control button can be pressed to keep the blower producing that same wind speed, and the finger can be released from the trigger.
The variable speed trigger requires medium firm pressure to push in and hold when in use, personally I would prefer a softer button push, but I’m also aware that certain design parameters are ideal for optimal working conditions of machines, of which I am no expert in. This is a small thing for me and would in no way be a determining factor in whether or not I would purchase and use this machine in my business.
I find the control panel to be too far away from my thumb and therefore I cannot use it with the same thumb of the hand that is holding and using the blower at the time. This requires the use of a second hand to use the buttons on the control panel. This is annoying to me, but again it is not a deciding factor in whether or not to purchase this machine for my lawn mowing business use.
The nozzle has an optional flat piece which can be attached to the end of the nozzle, which allows the operator to use that flat part as a scraper to help remove anything that might be stuck on paving, concrete, footpaths, etc. So far I chose not to attach that piece, I may do so in the future if I ever see that I have a need for it, so far no need has arisen, and once it’s attached to the blower I would suspect it would be difficult to remove again.
Weight is an important factor with all machinery which is used by all lawn mowing contractors and other labour intensive work types too. While we can certainly handle extra weights in the tools we use when we are younger, we do notice the extra fatigue it produces on our bodies when we get older. Fatigue occurs with the younger too, though their bodies can cope with it better for a while, that fatigue and stress on the body will eventually take it’s toll on us all as we get older, So even for the younger workers, they too should in all ways possible be using the lightest possible tools they can for the laborious work that they do. This may be less important for self propelled lawn mowers, but it is very true for all push mowers and for any machinery that must be carried, such as blowers and line trimmers, which should all be of the lowest weight we can bring them to in order to reduce the fatigue and stress on our bodies.
This is why I always choose the lowest weight batteries for my cordless blower and line trimmer, and so with this in mind, let’s move onto the very important factor of weight. From my research the Husqvarna 230iB cordless blower weighs in at 2.5kg, and the BLi200 5amp battery weighs 1.3kg, bringing the total tool weight for me to 3.8kg.
In a rare comparison with my previous Ego blower which also ran the lightest available battery they had, the Husqvarna is 300 grams heavier, and yes I do notice the difference when I have to carry the blower around during labour intensive work days.
If Husqvarna could find a way to shave off that extra 300 grams I would buy a new blower from them tomorrow, reducing weight really is that important for us all, not just for each of our work days now, but also to the broken body we leave behind when we quit lawn mowing and retire and then have to live with the consequences of what we did to ourselves. And trust me, yes there is a heavy price to pay for the toll of toil we put onto our bodies when we were young and foolish.
Finally, we get to the part about how the machine functions for purpose, just how good a blower have Husqvarna made with their 230iB?
Power wise it is about the same power as my previous Ego blowers, which is perfect for my needs, though I suspect the turbo function is more powerful on the Husqvarna, but I never use it.
The full wind speed attained with the trigger fully pushed in seems to be perfectly precisely calibrated, I find the wind speed with a full trigger press to be just perfect for just about every bit of blowing I do, except those times when I might need a little less power when I only need to press the trigger a little bit to get the reduced wind speed that may be needed.
Hearing the motor work, using and feeling the machine do it’s job to perfection, holding the machine, leaves the operator knowing that they are using a very high quality, and very well made piece of machinery, the Husqvarna 230iB cordless blower is clearly high quality.
Overall my final opinion and review of the Husqvarna 230iB is this…
I love this blower, I love looking at it, using it, hearing it’s motor work, hearing the way it blows the wind, feeling the way that it works when I use it, the perfect wind speed when I just press the trigger, everything says quality.
The downsides in my opinion are these: it would be incredible if they could reduce the weight slightly, 300 grams really does matter and would make the blower much more nimble and much easier to wield and use every day, right now it’s not as nimble as what I was previously used to; the buttons on the control panel are out of reach and it is annoying that I can’t use them with the same hand which is using the blower, which means I need to stop looking at and doing the work and instead look at and use the buttons on the blower. That’s about it…
I bought the Husqvarna 230iB cordless blower after being so impressed with my Husqvarna cordless line trimmer which has given me perfect flawless performance for the past 5 years without a single issue, whereas in the same time frame I went through 2 Ego cordless blowers and chose not to consider a third in the same time period that I had owned 1 Husqvarna trimmer.
I chose the 230iB handheld blower model for a few reasons… the first was that the Husqvarna contractor grade blower seemed to me to be too big, too heavy, and too expensive for my requirements; I thought the 230iB model sat in the perfect position amongst the other Husqvarna options available that it would best suit my requirements; amongst the available options I thought the power, wind speed, and weight of this blower with battery was most suitable for me; it really did strike me as being the perfect blower for my needs from amongst every available Husqvarna blower option of blowers with a self contained battery; and last of all, it looks awesome !!
How the Husqvarna 230iB cordless blower will perform and last as the years roll on, only time will tell, I’m optimistic, and I’m very happy with my second Husqvarna cordless machine purchase.
(images from this article can only be republished alongside the republished article)
please read the terms to republish articles before republishing
you do not need to ask permission to republish - so long as you abide by the republishing terms
some website types are banned from republishing articles from this website
while all lawn care articles are freely shared - they remain original and copyright to lawnmowingcontractor.com
