Solo Backpack Sprayer

BAD CHINESE MADE – battery is stored in sprayer NOT plugged in....so no amount of charging is going to save this battery from dying whilst stored for sale.....and replacement is over $100 plus freight NOT REALLY GOOD ENOUGH BUT HEY ON EXAMINATION.....MADE IN PRC....NOT GERMANY

Very unhappy – Given the cost to purchase this backpack sprayer I would expect to use it more than 6-7 times before the spayer pump stopped working. Then to find out that it wasn’t covered under warranty it’s fair to say I’m extremely disappointed. Totally wouldn’t recommend this to anyone Show details

Frustration And Disappointed – 3 years ago, I bought my second Solo spay tank, thinking that it would be as good as my previous one. I was disappointed. Reasons: 1. The rubber seal ring of the cap- it keeps falling out when the cap is opened. I have to pick up the seal and put it back to its position. It is a health hazard. 2. Pressure- I constantly keep pumping to keep up … Read more

with the pressure of the sprays. I did not experience this with my old spray tank. 3. The release lever lock(red color latch)- It keeps locking the release lever. as the result, it keeps spraying the areas that are not suppose to spray. So, my advice is that, please look for other alternatives.

Utter Rubbish, leaked on the third use this is the second one I've had troubles with when new – Garbage product, leaked on the third use. Never buy a solo sprayer Show details

As useful as a leaky bucket – Bought from Mitre 10 Northland - leaked like a sieve - all down back. Took to be repaired to Solo they said unusual but said the "O" ring caused leak and now fixed - took home and leaked again as in the first use...Solo refused to refund - and I had to order parts and fix myself - doesn't leak anymore but was a real hassle - I have heard Solo is a good brand but not in my experience and expensive for dodgy equipment - won't buy again :( Show details

absolute rubbish batteries – out of 3 batteries in the last 9 months , 2 are dead already , sprayer has been used a dozen times, batteries are never left in machine or over charged, very poor quality Show details

A Good Sprayer - but – I purchased this Solo sprayer some years ago and it has served me well. I like the adjustable spray nozzle. However there are some issues which need to be fixed to make it the best on the market. Firstly, the poor quality made shoulder straps lets it down in the overall carrying department - and they aren't cheap to replace. They simply aren't… Read more

robust enough to last very long (had to replace mine after a couple of years when the stitching gave way and they fell apart) and I suspect one of the reasons for this is due to a second problem. There is no separate handle to carry the sprayer by hand from one job to another. This means you need to take hold of the shoulder straps and use these to lift it clear of the ground whilst moving it, if you have no need for it to be on your shoulders! This makes it somewhat difficult to carry by hand at any time, but extremely difficult when the sprayer is full of spray material, (i.e. lifting a full container into the back of a ute tray etc.) Lastly - the small clip which retains the shoulder strap into the top of the spray unit is puny and easily lost in the field - as happened to me when the strap parted company and the clip was lost amongst ground litter.

Overall a good performing sprayer, but overpriced due to lack of attention to the details which really matter!

I hate the thought of having to use it – I bought this sprayer after my wonderful Silvan died of old age, with a near full tank of spray,, shot into town and got talked into the Solo with the words,, "the Solo is better and it will outlast you"...Sadly possibly true.. Got home filled the sprayer,, which instantly fell over backwards releasing spray,, everywhere... I fixed the frame so… Read more

that may not happen again... refilled ,, the tank and tried to switch pump on,,, For some stupid reason,, you have to turn pump on before mounting on your back,,, (designer, clearly has never used this sprayer) The switch,,, is one of those 'push and hold' 3dimple buttons,, with 2 pressure settings, Low (indicated by a lovely blue light) and if you keep hold,, it might then jump to high (with 2 blue lights, wow) Anyway, low is ideal , so started spraying,, Oh,, wow,, it has a pressure gauge on the trigger handle at the end of the 1.6 meter hose (some one must have long arms) I don't need to know the pressure,, (I had selected low on the blue light panel) but I had to check,, it was blue also,, because the gauge had filled with roundup,,, not to worry.. managed to finish job. You have to take it off your back to turn it off,,, Now this is when the trouble started... I pressed (intuitively) the red On/Of button,, once or twenty times to no avail,, Back home reading the book,, I find you cant turn it of until you have sequenced through the "high" setting on the blue light disco,, wow... Now to its faults,, the floor of the tank is flat and does not have a 'sump' so it starts sucking air into the pump well before empty,, so air bubbles take ages to evacuate the over length hose ( i guess the spray colour gauge would be jumping) creating uneven spray.. The shoulder straps are too far apart (best suited to the Giant with the 1.6 meter arms) Strangely,,, Solo,, share the same tank lid as my dear Silvan,, except,, the "seal" falls out,, (sneaky) and if you don't notice,, you will get wet,,, I will probably die soon from chemical poisoning,,, So,, the Prophecy may be right... Beware....

Piston pump seal gone after just a few uses. Repair kit cost $60 plus – Bought SOLO 425D. After a couple of uses - the pump stopped working. The rubber diafragm on top of pump piston had come off. It is lost its shape and not holding in place. New diafragm cost $60 plus. Disappointed.

Cheap hose clamp coming adrift resulting in personal soaking of weed-killer – The Solo backpack sprayer seemed a good idea, but important parts are not up to the job. The hose clamp is a cheap plastic affair with an aggressively threaded screw that easily strips the plastic, the sprayer hose is too short by about 300-450mm and the cheap spray wand is very delicate. Could be good but being cheap in important areas lets it down. Show details

Good product gone to rubbish – OK, so I have owned and regularly used - weekly - a Solo 425D backpack sprayer for many years, all without trouble. About six months back I decided to purchase a second sprayer for the use of Herbicides and Insecticides only i.e. no Glyphosate. After only a few uses this sprayer stopped working. I couldn't get pump pressure and as such I thought… Read more

OK the diaphragm has gone (no idea really). Well, that's not good but I will buy a repair kit. Not so easy, it turns out there are several repair kits available all of them expensive and relative to a particular problem. So (some months later) I thought, I'll keep that for spare parts and buy another so I did. On the first use of the new unit, after filling, I noticed that the cap wouldn't screw on properly. I tried the cap from my other sprayer and same result. So, I used it emptying much of the contents down my back. I then contacted the hardware store where I made the purchase and ordered a replacement. A few days later I collected the replacement and returned the original, I checked the lid and all good. So, again I filled the sprayer with chemical, slung it over my back and went to spray - not working. The handle just flopped up and down and I could hear some rattling inside the pumping area. Not happy at all. I rang the hardware store - the one in the big green shed - they apologised, though not their fault, however could not replace the Solo immediately as it was a 'Special Order' item, which I already knew. I was less than thrilled as I had added approx. $80 worth of chemicals to the unit which had to be used within a few hours or it would deteriorate. They - the people in the big green shed - agreed to replace my Solo with another brand (Sylvan) which was actually $40 dearer for no additional cost, a wonderful gesture considering none of this was their fault. I accepted their offer. I am happy to say the new sprayer is excellent. As for Solo? Though my old original sprayer works fine - touch wood. Well they have lost me forever. Three duds in a row tells me all is not well with their manufacturing and quality control processes'.

Excellent - has changed my attitude to spraying – Comfortable backpack - well balance and easy to pump. The spray head is great and covers a big swathe. I can now weed spray our 250 metre long gravel driveway with ease. Very simple straightforward design - easy to fill - simple filter, stands up by itself when filling tank. Can't fault it for the price.  Show details

Cheap. Had no problems with it – I don't get it. I have read other reviews and I see people complaining about it being expensive. It cost me $50- from Roberts, who aren't exactly a discount retailer. It doesn't seem expensive to me? Anyhow I haven't had any serious issues with it and I certainly can't claim to have treated it well. Only rinsed out the system a couple of times,… Read more

when I was changing poisons.

The spray wand is a bit awkward, sometimes jamming on and lately the on lever is not springing back automatically. Bit annoying. But like I say, it was not expensive so what would you expect, for a plastic spray wand.

As other people have noted, the shoulder straps come detach too readily, but perhaps that could be a plus in an emergency, so its no big deal. At least they don't detach once they are on your shoulder with the weight of the backpack holding them in place.

Overall, not bad at all, for the money.

Base of tank join – Have a carpet cleaning business and have used these sprayers for a couple of years. just recently have had 3 split on the bottom along the join, the last one lasted two weeks before coming apart. now they won't replace under warranty. It's only a mild detergent for pre spraying.  Show details

Good unit works as intended. I am happy but – I have used my 475 on a farm with a range of chemicals. If Solo spends another $1-00 during manufacturing, I would have given it an excellent rating. As someone else mentioned, I have also had the plastic hose clamp work loose causing the hose to come off. If this was a metal clamp I doubt it would happen, but if a metal one was used and over… Read more

tightened it could cause the tank fitting to fail.

The second issue is the hose needs to be about 30cm longer.

I would buy another one tomorrow and modify it with my lessons learnt.

4 No BS Reviews! – No BS Review: Solo 425 model with the DOP purchase 27/04/2017. The pump is good. The air valve in the lid works well. The carry handle is an improvement. The negatives: Hose is awkward. Pump handle flops to inappropriate positions. On falling forward the pump handle at 110 angle may impact the chest to the user. Shoulder straps don't… Read more

remain on shoulders.

Should www.solo-germany.com wish to learn how to make the improvements contact me for details?

1 example:

Before assembly procedure to the hose, submerge into warm to hot water to touch for 3 minutes.Assemble as per instructions.Shoulder Solo sprayer with 2 L of clean cold tap water & begin normal simulated spraying action.Allowing hose to form its working memory.

Should you have a product for an authenticity review, get in contact:

www.allhomeapplianceservice.com.au

Regards

T S

4 No BS Reviews!

mixed feelings – I like the concept of having a backpack but I don't like the plastic type of spray nozzles... I will try to buy a brass one. I don't like the clip on the bottom of the strap that clips onto the bar. This often comes off. Why isn't it fixed and user can adjust the length. I like the 15 litre capacity.  Show details

I would not buy another one – 1. The wand is short and not adjustable so if you are tall it will make your back ache. 2. The handpiece failed after about 6 months. 3. After about 2 years of casual use the pump failed so I went to order the parts to repair it and thought I would also order a longer wand. Turns out he parts are very expensive and I was better off buying a different brand unit which is much more comfortable. So the Solo is in the landfill.....  Show details

A great tool - could only be replaced by another Solo! – My old Solo sprayer died this morning when the frame broke up underneath the tank. I am a viticulturist and I checked the purchase date: It was in 1981! Sounds fair: 34 years. This is one of two Solo knapsack sprayers I have been using, along with a Solo airblast sprayer, which is 15 years old and starts first pull - still!

Only had the thing 8 years! – I can't believe all the negativity. I work with mine day in and day out. My best purchase ever, never lets me down. Like all bits of kit, it needs parts replacing. That is a given! I love my knapsack sprayer, wish my mowers would last as long. I'm a professional gardener. Have been doing this for 15 years. I know what I'm talking about!

waste of money – Within the first 2 weeks the unit failed to pump and hold pressure. The metal (spring looking) o ring in the piston assembly failed and after going to the online instruction manual I have to purchase another one. In addition the Viton collar on the piston is warped. When I tried to disassemble according to instructions another o ring needs… Read more

replacing and I was unable to remove the pump assembly as advised. The manual also advises to grease the piston. The piston was bone dry after approx. 2 hours of operation from new so it obviously had none on it from the factory.

Better off buying cheap one till it wears out and keep doing that....

475 Excellent – I have worked in natural resource management for many years and have used various knapsacks including Birchmeier, Chapin, Kinchrome etc. In my opinion, Solo 475 is by far the most reliable and comfortable knapsack sprayer. We have multiple units at our workplace and they continue to perform well after 100's of hours use, with very little… Read more

maintenance other than cleaning the filter in tip. Have replaced a broken handle, that's about it. Cheap knapsacks aren't worthwhile, you'll end up covered in herbicide and the unit will be in the bin before too long. I haven't used the Solo domestic units (425D), so can't comment on their quality.

Unhappy – I haven't used it much as first of all I found it hard to fit in the car as the handle only sat horizontally, not vertically. I then got on-site storage, and the second time I used it, I felt it dripping down the back of my legs before I put any pressure in it. So I went back to my old $30 backpack spray which I had had for 4 or 5 years. Nothing much Expensive, leaked on second use, handle position.

good quality commercial backpack 475 – used the backpack a couple of times a week for the past 2 1/2 years, as an gardening contractor, and have had no trouble, previously had much cheaper hills backpack sprayer, that only lasted a year, mine was the diaphragm solo 475 model, which i was recommended by the dealer !! I was given an old battered piston model by a gardening contractor… Read more ·  3

friend, and found that to be reliable too, very reliable, quite comfortable, alters for left or right hand mine was quite expensive,

Very poorly made – I wanted a good back pack sprayer so I thought I would go with the best and get the German made Solo knapsack sprayer. They have two models which is the commercial one and the domestic one, so I have bought the commercial one, and it has been a big disappointment at best, for one I don't believe it is made in Germany, they have got German… Read more

engineered but no mention of where it is made, and going by the build quality I would suggest it is being made with cheap labor, which is OK but the price should represent that as well.

My first problem was the hose fell off with the second use due to the clamp failing, and all 15L Grazon leaked out all over my back, I took it back and we fixed it with a hose clamp, the next thing is the straps, they are padded in the wrong area, where it goes over your shoulder they don't have padding and it digs in, the next thing is the seal at the top, it also leaks, so you get a lot of chemical on your back, I have only owned this for a month, so the chances of it lasting a few years are very low.

My suggestion is save the extra dollars and buy one that are happy to write Made in China on them but don't charge the extra money for it.

Poorly made, leaks, straps are weak and padded wrong