Backpack blowers are now common place and have become an essential bit of kit for the professional gardener. There are some really impressive bits of kit out there, from Stihl the br range, starting at just under £300 and from Echo the pb range starting at £385 spring to mind. But for those on a really tight budget there are quite a few backpack blowers for under £150, and here we test one such blower from Hyundai.

The Hyundai HYB5200 blower currently retails at £135 including VAT and is one of the cheapest backpack blowers currently available in the UK

The specs are impressive for the money. 52cc two stroke engine producing 1.45kw of power and an airspeed of 7000/min.

So what’s it like to use? First impressions when opening the box are that it looks well made. The machine comes almost complete with just the nozzle and trigger mechanism to construct. A simple 10 minute job. One problem becomes apparent straight away-the nozzle joins together with screws and will realistically have to be transported in a van intact. A shame that the long nozzle doesn’t have a quick release mechanism. Also it comes with a flat nozzle end only and that section is quite long so if you take it off to have a wide circular end then the nozzle is too short to use. The whole tube can be rotated at the trigger handle joint when in use so it can get in to awkward corners.

Top marks for the harness. easy to attach, quick to remove and it comes with a horizontal chest strap to stop the harness sliding off of your shoulders and to take some of the weight.

Now to the engine. Quite a precise starting procedure. Choke closed, ten pumps of the primer and four pulls and she should fire up from cold. I must admit I did have to get on my hands and knees to find the primer as it is hidden away behind the fuel tubes. ET length fingers required to pump up the fuel! Now to pull it over. A bit of a technique required here as you need to put your left foot on the narrow frame and your right foot behind the machine to stop the whole thing coming up when you tug on the pull chord. Having mastered this, she springs in to life and you’re ready to blow!

So in use the machine is really a delight to use. It will run for just short of one and a half hours in normal use for say a front drive clear up but for constant full power work it runs for a bit less. In terms of comfort this machine scores pretty high. Very little vibration and it feels lighter than it actually is. That rotating nozzle comes in really handy for getting leaves out of corners and there is ample power to lift the wettest of stuck down leaves. Starting from hot can be a bit hit and miss though, but that’s two strokes for you!

Verdict-a great little machine for the money, and don’t forget that it comes with a three year warranty!