Introduction
Now we’re talking. Big 2 stroke motor, bike bar handles, hefty debris shield, straight shaft…lemme at that fence line with this baby. But who is Blue Max? Are they reliable? This is our general criteria for all brush cutters.
Just on the features, this is a good option, but what did the users have to say?
Specs, Assembly, Starting
This is a monster brush cutter. It is a two-stroke engine with 42.6 cm³ of displacement putting out 1.6 HP. This is definitely not made for puttering around the petunias.
Since there is a two stroke engine you need to mix the gas and the oil. That means true gasoline no ethanol. Ethanol will degrade carburetor and also eat up the fuel lines.
Most found this unit was easy to assemble and easy to start.
Idle, Ergonomics, and Usage
True to form, with any 2-stroke engine, chances are good that you will have to adjust the carburetor for it to run and idle properly.
In terms of ergonomics incident with that handlebars but many found it was not very balanced. It does come with a harness just not a very good harness. And that’s a problem because the unit is considered heavy by most users. The design flaw is that it’s only a one strap harness, instead of two or multi-strap harness. With only one strap holding up the weight, the machine ends up digging in to your shoulder. That’s not anything that an aftermarket harness wouldn’t fix, but it’s those small user friendly details that a lot of manufacturers drop the ball on.
And many users found that the vibration from such a big motor was a little more than they bargained for. One user even commented that the vibe shook a bolt loose. With the bolts and screws, a little Loctite never hurt anyone. But the vibration also affects the user. That’s something to keep in mind when you’re thinking about using this for a full day.
It will run for a good long time. In terms of how long it can keep going, surprisingly for such a large unit many found it was very fuel efficient. I would not expect a 50 cc engine to be so parsimonious. Now if you have a lot of dense or heavy foliage, opening up the throttle to full will not be as fuel efficient.
If you’re going to do a big job or work for a long time most found it was a good idea to sharpen the blade comes with or swap out for better blade. The big motor and fuel tank plus a sharp blade will make short work of any thing that needs clearing.
And with all of that brush being cut, the debris guard is larger than most. Some users found that size notwithstanding, the guard was actually flimsy.
Long Term Concerns, Maintenance, and Serviced
With all power tools, especially those running on gasoline and bought via the internet, there are bound to be issues. Maybe there was some jostling of the parts during the shipping process. As always, before you make a purchase, investigate whether you there is an authorized service center near you. Blue Max products are manufactured and distributed by North American Tool Industries.
Conclusion
In general, we think this brush cutter is a buy because
- The Motor
- The Power
- The Shaft
- The fuel tank capacity and efficiency
Our main concerns are
- Lack of harness
- Vibration