Makita BHX2500V

Good blower, but the vacuum caused it to burn oil – I bought this machine for my gardening business 3 years ago. It works fine as a blower, but when i first used it as a vacuum, it started burning oil within an hour. Ever since, it has burnt oil when used as a vacuum (and occasionally when used as a blower, but not often). It doesn't take much oil, so it doesn't take long to burn through it. Show details

Great blower but the vac is alright – The tool is bonza it start straight away every time first time but the vac is a bit of a crap if you suck up to much the motor will stop Show details

A great machine – Bought my first Makita blower vac 8 years ago, started 1st time every-time. Put it in for service & they cracked the block. I raced out & bought number 2. Best decision ever! Reliable, great tool Show details

Poor quality and design – Needed a vacuum for the leaves around our pool. Tested the battery ones but they had no suck so thought I'd pay a bit extra for a makita expecting quality. The main issues I have with this device is it is poorly designed and uses poor quality materials. The vacuum fittings are really cheap plastic with difficult and poorly fitting connections. The… Read more

design is terrible in that it has really bad balance so is awkward to carry and manouvre. I have to lean it against myself to use and that means I end up filthy dirty. The bag goes all over the place and mine even got a hole burnt in it by the exhaust. The connection from the bag is annoying and the bag is cheap with a cheap zipper on it also. The impellor is also plastic unlike the metal ones on the cheaper vacuums in bunning. Also you have to open the side to fit the vacuum connections and the screw that you need to undo is not a captive one so is bound to get lost. I screwed mine back into the hole for safe keeping but the vibrations shook it out and now it's gone.

So after 2 weeks I've lost the screwm the bag has a hole in it, I've got a bad back and all my clothes are dirty. And I can't hear cause it's extremely loud. My recommendation: Avoid.

Best in class – I purchaced this machine after extensive research .Also after a friend had purchaced one . I find the vaccume function a little fiddly to set up , but very happy with blower function, Always starts first time , quiet compared to a 4 stroke , very efficient in cleaning up my yard . I have a very large area to clean with a dry river feature full of… Read more

stones and rocks , this machine has no problem blowing all the leaves and rubbish from this area. Just make sure to change the oil on time and never use E10 fuel , Definatly reccomend this product .

Reasonably happy – Easy starting and strong air stream. Disappointed with vacuum attachment, cumbersome to attach and weak suction. with hindsight should have purchased blower only.  Show details

Has not lasted – Ours has holes in the blade cover housing so leaves and debris shoot out over your fingers and all over your yard. Only a year old. Cost around $180 to fix, not worth it. Vac suction not as good as 2 Stroke models I've used. Changing from Vac to Blower is a nightmare, you need a screwdriver to do properly. Will go back to a quality 2 Stroke now. Was bad to spend so much on something that didn't last.  Show details

New model is underpowered. It simply isn't up to the task – Pros: Starts almost every time on the first pull. Nice and easy pull too. Not too loud 4 stroke petrol engine Cons: Seriously underpowered. I'm trying to pick up autumn leaves and they just get stuck at the nozzle entrance. It doesn't have the power to pull them up. Yes, some are dry and crispy, but it should have the power to fold them or… Read more

pick up a few at a time. I find myself swinging back and fourth on the ground trying to break them up, kick them off the nozzle and try again. It's a real technique, and even then it shouldn't be that hard.

Second con is that the petrol fumes seem particularly harsh. I have to wear a gas mask, otherwise my nose burns.

On a side note. The old model from 2015 seemed to be more powerful and get the job done better. Unfortunately it broke after 3 weeks and I took it back.

Don't tip it over the wrong way while it is running – I bought the BHX2500/V at Bunnings after getting rid of an electric one because of having to drag an extension cord behind me. Also felt at the time that being a four stroke motor would be good as far as not having to store 2 stroke fuel as well as four stroke for the Pope mower and Honda whipper snipper. The Makita went great for a time with… Read more

no problems until recently when I accidently tipped it over the wrong way causing it to blow white smoke out of the exhaust .I thought I had blown up the motor as I couldn't start it again.

Took it to my local mower repair shop who had to clean out it's internals.

So after a layout of $100 it's working again thankfully.

If you own one, take the time to read read the Owners Manual and don't make the same mistake I did.

I have given it 3 stars because despite it's good points ,it is quite heavy ,overpriced,and fitting the vacuum bag is time consuming because you have to dismantle the fan cover and fit a rather cumbersome bag and extra tube to it.

Checking the oil level is also difficult because of the strange dipstick on it.

Great just as a vacuum – I bought this product a couple of weeks ago based on the reviews I read on this website and wanted to post up my comments in the hope it helps others when making a decision. My purpose for purchasing the blower/vac was to vacuum up the multitude of leaves that pile up around the garden and driveway. Pros - 4 stroke petrol, uses same unleaded… Read more

petrol as lawnmower, so there's no mucking around mixing fuel as with a 2 stroke engine

- Vacuum bag is well made and looks like it should last a while

- Vacuum is very powerful, I rarely need to use the trigger at full power

- Cruise control is very handy

Cons

- More complicated than other machines which can switch between blower and vac by switching a lever. This machine requires removing and installing a different vacuum and blower pipe. I probably wouldn't recommend this machine if I was frequently switching between blower and vac

- More expensive than other blower/vacs

- Shoulder strap for vacuum bag gets uncomfortable on shoulder when bag is full

- The machine is heavier than other blower/vacs available

Makita BHX2500V- A great performing blower – The machine starts reliably, has plenty of air pressure/volume and really does the job better than any other leaf blower. It looks great and only needs everyday multigrade car engine oil (see owners manual) when servicing the engine. All in all fine. Just one drama, I am around the 14 months of ownership and an ignition fault is beginning to… Read more

plague the machine once it has been in use for around 10mins of blowing. Spark plug is fine and healthy but spark becomes VERY weak and wont fire the motor until it cools.

Probably on the lookout for a 2 stroke machine to replace it, when i have an item is HAS to be reliable.

Wife says I'm always looking for silver bullet - this isn't it! – Have had a couple of electric blower / vacs and they have been ineffective at vacuuming the back yard. Been too bulky and not enough suction power, so reverted to a broom. But last year built a new garage and patio and sweeping was taking too long. Started the research again thinking better products must now be available. Knew I needed a more… Read more

powerful and portable unit.

Generally have liked Makita products in the past, so after handling this model at Bunnings, I bought it.

Totally agree with the previous comments about the manual. For vacuuming it appears the bracket is missing and being reasonably savvy put it together without it. But then the motor wouldn't pull. So having been aware prior comments, took the unit got back to Bunnings. The guy there knew the problem and got it going. The fixing screw has to be screwed in hand tight and then turned back 1 and half turns, so the screw doesn't protrude into the pull mechanism to prevent it starting.

After that got the back yard vacuumed and was pretty pleased with the machine. It now starts easily and was pretty portable even with the vacuum bag. But Makita should make a smaller screw and update their manual to omit the vacuum fixing bracket.

The following weekend wanted to clean up the yard again. 15 minutes into the job a small twig got vacuumed up and cracked the plastic fan cover. It got taken back to Bunnings and a week later, the news came back that Makita wouldn't honour the guarantee as they said as it must have been used incorrectly and sucked up a stone!

Had a look at the plastic fan cover and it's too thin and not strong enough for the suction power of the motor. I wasn't knowingly vacuuming anything but leaves. I think it's a design weakness and Makita don't want to acknowledge the issue.

I will try and buy the casing cover part and fix myself to save the repair cost Makita want to charge and then use it only for blowing and hope the engine lasts longer than other units previously reviewed.

Maybe should have trusted my instincts and given up on vacuuming and bought a Honda blower - my Honda mower has been a trojan workhorse!

The vacuum sucks – Although the assembly booklet was really a bit useless for a person who has never used one before my common sense got it to blow garden litter to my satisfaction. But when it came to the vacuum.... Absolutley useless plus you require two people to put together ... One to hold the motor and one to connect and turn pipes. Would not recommend this product to anyone.

Don't understand the negative reviews – Admittedly my Makita is only one day old, but I love it. Motor starts immediately. Not as hard to convert from blower to vacuum as I read, a little vasilline helps. And the vacuum which is what I really wanted it for works great. quite light and picks up a lot including big pieces of bark and fair sized twigs. All that and the convenience of 4 stroke.

Great 4 stroke blower / vac – Not many 4 strokes on the market but otherwise this one is pretty good and easy to maintain. petrol tank smaller than my ideal but otherwise reliable start everytime. I mostly use for vac, pretty good for leaves, but you do need to ensure the tube is pretty much perpendicular to the ground to get good suction. Bag v. durable and great to use,… Read more

zips open for easy tipping in the bins. Not very ergonomic in its design for a vac but not much choice out there.

BE WARNED – I assembled my new machine and operated it in blower mode for two minutes. When I went to convert it to a vac there was a part missing (bracket 6 on assembley instructions page 8 diagram 2). Bunnings Artarmon agreed to get replacement from an unopened box as my BV was full of oil and petrol. We opened four sealed boxes and none had the bracket.… Read more

Bunnings contacted Makita to be told the bracket was no longer made. My machine and who knows how many others cannot be opreated as a Vac. BE WARNED CHECK YOUR PRODUCT BEFORE PAYING FOR IT. You are on your own, no support from manufacturer. Bunnings have been very co-operative....think of the potential collateral damage to them. My old Ryobi was hard to start (2 stroke) but that is where I am going. No idea because I cannot use it Missing part which Makita says it cannot supply making the brand new product unusable

Makita BHX2500V – Brought new 8 months ago. Firstly it starts easily every time but to switch between BLOW - VAC is slow process and very annoying. Then after 6 months of usage (Fortnightly only when done lawns for 40mins), it broke hole in casing took back to Makita under because it was still under 12 months warranty. 3 weeks later was contacted by Makita… Read more

and told that it wasn't covered under warranty and would cost $150 to fix.

Thought this was poor as my previous blow vac was a Ryobi and lasted me 5years and never had a problem so couldn't understand that it was due to mis use Easy Start Poor Quality for the $330 paid, Makita don't honour Warranty

Great blower/vac – There arnt to many 4 stroke blower/vacs on the market to choose from but compared to the 2 strokes this machine is great. plenty of power for blowing and sucking, very reliable and easy to start. some downfalls, doesn't like running cold but only takes 2 mins to warm up, small oil capacity means constant oil changes however after replacing the… Read more ·  1

oil twice within the first 2 months i went to the motorbike shop and got some high quality oil designed for motocross bikes. havn't had to change the oil in 6 months but ready to change now as a standard service. Lightweight, powerfull, easy to start Instruction manual needs to point out the need for some very high quality oil

OK – I don't think that there's an ideal blower/vac available yet. I tested 2-strokes 'cos they can be pigs to start and fuel,and have too much noise & vibration. Electric are out because of noise, the lead and flimsy construction (at least all that I've seen). An ideal unit would have a 4 stroke motor, quick and easy changeover and an effective head… Read more

unit. This is probably the best available, but it is far from ideal. Does what it should, easy to start and maintain, top brand, reasonably light, very quiet. Only 0.08 litre oil - make sure you change it regularly! Manual is very unclear and written in Chinglish. A lot of mucking around to change from blower to vac and then back again, and the vac isn't super effective (but none of them really are) Awkward setup when vacuuming - probably best just to use it as a blower.

$330 delivered very good price but we are still pay too much when comparing with US market – I just bought it today and not very happy with the product. Much better than my electric GMC. Paid $330 delivered online, in US is selling only $199 on Amazone website but no vaccum. And in our bunning store, it is $399. Easy to start but much be careful when pulling the cord to start as it is also easy to get engine flooded.Must pull the cord… Read more

fast.

The vaccum bag is not very good quality, dust get out everywhere.

Not recommend this blower to older person as it is quite hard to change from blower to vaccum. All the tubes are very tight and hard to put in and out from blower. Every time the vaccum bag is full,it is hard to get it out to empty the bag. easy to start, powerful blower. blower tube conection is very tight ,very hard to change from blower to vac,very hard too empty bag,cheap and nasty bag when compare with my friend Sthil.