Stihl SHE71

Very very difficult to change 'heads' for 'suck / blow ' complicated & vulnerable locking mechanisms !!!

Really dislike this item - best I can say !! Don't look upon it as the best !!

It's the least worst !!

Until you try to quickly change function or empty the bag - then it's awful

I own a SHE71 leaf blower which works well . The fan unfortunately broke and I rang Stihl and they were very helpful They explained in detail how to remove the fan and provided a part number and a supplier . I had a new fan in a few days and all is well again Thank you.

I looked very carefully at various reviews for leaf blowers/suckers before settling on the Stihl SHE 71. I can honestly say I am very pleased with it so far. What you have to remember about this machine is that there are two separate tubes - a wide one for sucking and a narrower one for blowing. I was slightly concerned that other users had said it was fiddly to change the tubes over. Well, all I can say is that they have probably never had to use power tools before, as it took me a matter of seconds and not the 2-5 minutes claimed in some reviews. Yes, it does seem fiddly the first time you try it, but it soon gets easier. The motor is very powerful and picked up leaves (even wet ones) with ease, so I don't know why other people say it doesn't suck well. The whole machine appears to be solidly made. Any stronger suction and you'll be stuck to the ground, or sucking up the gravel on the driveway! OK, so it's plastic, but that makes it light to use. The leaf bag is a doddle. Take time to get the supporting straps just right, and you'll soon have a clear garden. Emptying the bag couldn't be simpler - just unzip the bottom and all the debris can be shaken out in a second or two. In summary, once you have familiarised yourself with how the machine comes together, you will find it very easy to use and also efficient in use. I particularly liked the way the machine is safety protected - you have to engage the tubes correctly before you can switch it on. This reduces the risk of accidents and of incorrect assembly. Let's hope I feel the same way about this product in a year or so's time. A two year warranty should offer some peace of mind.

this machine keeps stopping after only a few minutes.

I only use it to blow leaves in the autumn, guess what its stopped again!!!

Looking for a replacement cheaper than stihl. I though I'd paid for quality

obviously not...

It has been mended twice and is only 3 autumns old

Having previously owned 3 Stihl chain saws and a brushcutter I was expecting a well engineered product with the SHE 71. Changing the blower from suck to blow is a real faff with the various tubes difficult to get lined up. I’ve had the thing for just over 4 years now but it has only had light use and today the armature came apart (basically a burned out motor!) This is what I would have expected from a bargain shop machine not from Stihl.

I brought the Stihl SHE 71 for a discounted price from my local dealer which was a good start. I got it home to test on my decking (5x4m) to remove the bamboo leaves across the deck.

After assembly, straight forward , I used the ' blow' function. This is very good and I was more than happy with this function. Next, it was swap over to the 'suck' function. This was disappointing. Yes it picked up the leaves but not as good as I hoped. Perhaps my expections were too high?

In conclusion, as a blower, it's A1 and I would say buy it! The suck function is disappointing and a facility I don,t think I will use much. I did buy this mainly as a blower to help quickly clear hedge cutter etc and for this , I am happy.

What a great piece of kit! The Stihl SHE71 electric garden blower/vac. I purchased this to replace my Flymo garden vac that had given my 7+ years of decent service. The Stihl is a quality tool and make no mistake. On opening the box you get the blower unit itself, which is basically a wopping great 1100W motor with a handle attached. At the rear, beneath a removable cover is the actual shredder/blower part. It is a heavy duty plastic fan, which is probably around 6-8" in diameter. More than enough to shred anything you can come across in the garden.

There are three sets of pipes, straight blower, straight vacuum and a smaller, curved one to attach the vacuum bag with. The vacuum bag is huge and well made and there are also a pair of Stihl branded safety glasses thrown in.

Attach the straight pipe to the front and switch it on and it works as a blower, literally dislodging plants/stones/small children with the power of it's blast. Attach the wider vacuum pipe, the second, curved pipe to the rear and the vacuum bag (which is in itself a work of art) and it becomes a powerful vacuum shredder.

The bag has a strap to wear across your shoulder and a zip along the short edge to empty your shredded waste from. Its easy to use and reasonable quiet and, unlike my old Flymo, doesn't rely on a weedy piece of plastic strip to do the shredding. Ideal for small to medium sized gardens, but anything above that would really need the petrol powered version. All in all, I can't fault this shredder. High build quality, all the parts ready to go in the box and easy to use. And, I got it new, from an official Stihl dealer at less than the official catalogue price, so can't be bad!! Treat yourself to a Stihl catalogue, as it is proper power tool p*rn!