My 2 cents worth: I just ran a Husky (132HBV) to it's demise after 10 years of use. Looked at Consumer Reports and decided on a Stihl BG85. Was surprised at how much more powerful it was (yeah, I know, not a fair comparison to a 10 y/o piece of equipment). I thought getting a backpack model might be overkill for what I use it for (blowing pine needles and leaves off the roof and decks), and didn't want to spend the extra bucks on a backpack. If I used the blower for a garage sweeper, my wife would have me remove the exhaust fumes manually (inhale in the garage, exhale outside the garage).