456 CFM · 172 MPH · 15.8 N · 9.8 lbs versus 444 CFM · 190 MPH · 15 N · 9.9 lbs
25.4cc 2-stroke · 456 CFM · 172 MPH · 15.8 N · 20.3 oz tank · 9.8 lbs dry · standard recoil · 5-yr consumer warranty
27.2cc 2-MIX · 444 CFM round / 365 CFM flat · 190 MPH flat · 15 N · 14.9 oz tank · 9.9 lbs dry · Easy2Start
Manufacturer-published figures, measured under ANSI B175.2 in both cases, so the numbers are directly comparable. Where the STIHL publishes two values it is because the flat and round nozzles produce genuinely different results — a distinction that matters more than it first appears, and one we unpack below.
| Specification | ECHO PB-2620 | STIHL BG 86 C-E |
|---|---|---|
| Engine displacement | 25.4 cc 2-stroke | 27.2 cc 2-MIX 2-strokeLarger displacement |
| Engine power | Not published by ECHO | 1.07 bhp (0.8 kW) |
| Blowing force | 15.8 NWinner | 15 N |
| Air volume at nozzle | 456 CFMWinner | 444 CFM (round) / 365 CFM (flat) |
| Max air velocity | 172 MPH | 190 MPH (flat) / 154 MPH (round)Winner |
| Fuel capacity | 20.3 fl oz36% larger | 14.9 fl oz |
| Fuel mix | 50:1 | 50:1 |
| Dry weight | 9.8 lbsMarginal | 9.9 lbs |
| Sound pressure | 70 dB(A) | 70 dB(A) |
| Starting system | Standard recoil | Easy2Start spring-assistWinner |
| Carburetor | Rotary with purge pump | Diaphragm with purge pump primer |
| Air filtration | Pleated paper main + foam prefilterTwo-stage | HD2 washable filter |
| Nozzles included | Round and flared-end tubes | Round and flat, adjustable lengthMore versatile |
| Vacuum capability | Blower only | Vacuum adaptor kit available separatelyWinner |
| Cruise control | Variable-speed cruise controlWinner | Locking throttle lever |
| Consumer warranty | 5 yearsWinner | Shorter standard term; doubles with a qualifying STIHL oil or fuel purchase — confirm with your dealer |
| Commercial warranty | 2 years | Shorter; confirm current terms with your dealer |
| California availability | Check current dealer availability | Not sold or delivered in California |
| Typical price | Around $330 at list | From around $300 at dealersUsually lower |
Prices move with dealer promotions and region, so treat the figures above as a starting point rather than a quote. Warranty terms are periodically revised by both manufacturers; the ECHO terms are published on the spec sheet, while STIHL’s vary by product category and by whether you buy qualifying premix or oil at the same time.
Seven categories that actually change the buying decision, each called for one machine or the other.
Newton force is the single most honest measure of a blower’s clearing power because it combines volume and velocity into the actual push delivered at the nozzle. The PB-2620 measures 15.8 N against the BG 86 C-E’s 15 N, both tested to the same ANSI standard. The margin is roughly 5%, which is real but not dramatic — you will notice it on heavy wet leaf piles and barely at all on a dry driveway. What makes it notable is that ECHO gets there from a smaller 25.4cc engine.
CFM governs how much material you move per pass, which is what matters when you are clearing a large area of dry leaves. The ECHO’s 456 CFM narrowly beats the STIHL’s best figure of 444 CFM, and that STIHL number only applies with the round nozzle fitted. Swap to the flat nozzle and volume drops to 365 CFM. So the ECHO holds a modest advantage in the STIHL’s best configuration and a substantial one in its other.
MPH is what dislodges compacted material: wet leaves stuck to pavement, pine needles wedged in gravel, debris in expansion joints. Here the STIHL wins clearly, hitting 190 MPH with the flat nozzle against the ECHO’s 172 MPH. The catch is that the flat nozzle costs you volume, so the STIHL cannot deliver peak velocity and peak volume simultaneously. The ECHO gives you one figure that does not require a trade-off.
This is the STIHL’s most convincing advantage and the reason many landscape crews buy it. Easy2Start places a spring between the crankshaft and the starter rope, so a slow steady pull turns the engine over rather than a hard jerk. A semi-automatic choke and a stop switch that resets to the start position make flooding difficult. The ECHO uses a conventional recoil, which is perfectly reliable once broken in but noticeably stiffer cold. If you start the tool twice a day, this is irrelevant. If you start it thirty times a day, it is the whole argument.
The ECHO carries 20.3 fl oz of fuel against the STIHL’s 14.9 fl oz, a 36% advantage, and the see-through tank lets you check the level without opening the cap. The STIHL narrows this with its 2-MIX stratified-scavenging engine, which cuts fuel consumption meaningfully against a conventional two-stroke by separating fresh charge from exhaust. Better efficiency partly offsets a smaller tank, but on most properties the ECHO still runs longer between fills.
ECHO publishes a straightforward 5-year consumer and 2-year commercial term on the PB-2620 spec sheet, and it is among the longest coverage available on a gas handheld. STIHL’s standard term is shorter, though it can be extended through the Double Limited Warranty by buying a qualifying quantity of STIHL premixed fuel or oil at the time of purchase. That is a real option, but it requires an extra purchase and applies to household use only.
The STIHL takes this one on two counts. Its adjustable-length nozzle suits operators of different heights and helps on stairs, and the flat/round nozzle pair genuinely reconfigures the machine for different tasks. More significantly, a vacuum adaptor kit converts the BG 86 C-E into a vacuum shredder, which the ECHO cannot do at any price. The ECHO counters with variable-speed cruise control that locks the throttle at any setting, a comfort feature the STIHL’s locking lever approximates but does not match.
Most spec comparisons quote the STIHL BG 86 C-E at 444 CFM and 190 MPH and stop there. Those two figures come from different nozzles and cannot be achieved at the same time. The round nozzle produces 444 CFM at 154 MPH; the flat nozzle produces 365 CFM at 190 MPH. Fitting the flat nozzle constricts the outlet, which raises exit velocity and reduces volume — basic fluid behaviour, and the same reason a thumb over a hose end makes the stream faster and thinner.
This matters because it changes how the comparison reads. Against the round nozzle, the ECHO wins on volume by a slim margin and loses on velocity by a wide one. Against the flat nozzle, the ECHO wins on volume by 25% and loses on velocity by 10%. Neither configuration lets the STIHL beat the ECHO on both at once, which is why blowing force — a single number that already accounts for the trade-off — is the more useful spec.
The STIHL runs a 27.2cc engine, the ECHO 25.4cc, and yet the ECHO produces higher blowing force. That is counterintuitive if you assume displacement determines output, and it is worth understanding why it does not.
ECHO reaches its figure through a chrome-plated cylinder that reduces friction loss, a two-ring piston that holds compression more consistently, and a double-grid intake design that feeds the impeller more cleanly. STIHL spends part of its larger displacement on a different goal: the 2-MIX stratified-scavenging design routes a buffer layer of air between the fresh charge and the exhaust, cutting both emissions and fuel consumption at a modest cost in peak output. Neither approach is wrong. ECHO optimised for output, STIHL for efficiency and emissions, and the specification sheet reflects those choices honestly.
STIHL does not sell or deliver the BG 86 C-E in California, so for buyers in that state the comparison resolves itself before it starts. But do not read that as an automatic win for the ECHO. California’s small off-road engine rules have progressively restricted the sale of new gas-powered outdoor equipment across the board, and what a dealer can legally sell you changes as those rules phase in. If you are shopping in California, confirm current availability locally for any gas handheld before setting your heart on a model, and consider whether a cordless handheld better fits where the regulations are heading.
Outside California, both machines are widely available through dealer networks. STIHL sells exclusively through authorised dealers, which means in-person service but no online purchase; ECHO is available through dealers and big-box retailers, which usually makes it easier to find and compare prices.
Both are two-stroke machines requiring a 50:1 fuel-to-oil mix, so neither escapes the routine that comes with that: mixing fuel accurately, adding stabiliser for storage beyond a month, and periodic spark plug and filter service. If you are still deciding whether a two-stroke is the right engine for you at all, our breakdown of how two-stroke and four-stroke engines compare covers the maintenance implications in full.
Their filtration philosophies differ. ECHO uses a two-stage system, a pleated paper main filter behind a foam prefilter, which extends service intervals in dusty conditions by catching coarse material before it reaches the main element. STIHL uses a single HD2 filter made from polyethylene with pores substantially finer than conventional fleece or polyamide media, and it is washable rather than replaceable. The ECHO approach means fewer cleanings; the STIHL approach means no filter to buy. On bare-ground and gravel properties the two-stage system is the more forgiving of the two.
One quirk specific to the ECHO: the intake sits on the left side of the housing. Right-handed operators sometimes find it catches loose trouser fabric. The double-grid design is there specifically to mitigate this, and it is a nuisance rather than a hazard, but it is worth knowing before you buy.
You want maximum measurable output. Highest blowing force and highest air volume in the gas handheld class, with no nozzle trade-off to manage.
You clear large areas in single sessions. The 20.3 oz tank often finishes a half-acre property without a refill.
Warranty coverage matters to you. Five years of consumer coverage with no qualifying purchase attached.
You work in dusty conditions. Two-stage filtration and a chrome-plated cylinder are built for gravel drives and bare ground.
You already run ECHO equipment. Shared oil, shared service familiarity, one dealer relationship.
You want to buy without a dealer visit. Widely stocked through retailers as well as dealers.
You start the machine repeatedly all day. Easy2Start is a genuine daily quality-of-life difference for crews.
You deal with compacted or wet debris. The 190 MPH flat nozzle dislodges material the ECHO has to work at.
You want vacuum capability. The adaptor kit converts it into a vacuum shredder; the ECHO has no equivalent.
Fuel cost over years matters. The 2-MIX engine consumes meaningfully less than a conventional two-stroke.
You value dealer service depth. STIHL’s dealer-only model means parts and service are consistently close by.
Different operators share the tool. The adjustable-length nozzle accommodates varying heights.
The ECHO PB-2620 wins this comparison on points. It takes blowing force, air volume, fuel capacity, warranty, and filtration, and it does so from a smaller engine, which speaks well of the engineering. If you asked us to pick one machine without knowing anything about the buyer, we would pick the ECHO.
But the STIHL wins the categories that a specific kind of buyer cares about most. Easy2Start is not a marketing feature, it is a meaningfully better experience repeated dozens of times a day, and no amount of Newton force compensates for a cold engine you cannot get running. Add the vacuum conversion and the higher peak velocity and the BG 86 C-E becomes the better tool for professional crews and anyone fighting wet compacted debris.
More output, more fuel, more warranty, no nozzle compromise. The default recommendation for homeowners and property owners.
Effortless starting, highest peak velocity, vacuum conversion available. Worth the output trade-off if you run it hard every day.
By blowing force and air volume, yes. The PB-2620 measures 15.8 N and 456 CFM against the BG 86 C-E’s 15 N and 444 CFM. By peak air velocity, no: the STIHL reaches 190 MPH with the flat nozzle fitted against the ECHO’s 172 MPH. Which definition of power matters depends on whether you are moving loose material in volume or dislodging debris that has stuck fast.
STIHL spends part of the 27.2cc displacement on its 2-MIX stratified-scavenging design, which cuts fuel consumption and emissions at some cost to peak output. ECHO tunes the smaller 25.4cc engine purely for output using a chrome-plated cylinder, a two-ring piston, and a double-grid intake. Displacement sets a ceiling; it does not determine where a manufacturer lands beneath it.
The STIHL, clearly. Easy2Start puts a spring between the crankshaft and the starter rope so a slow steady pull turns the engine over instead of a hard jerk, and the semi-automatic choke makes flooding difficult. The ECHO’s conventional recoil is reliable but stiffer, particularly cold and particularly during the first few hours of break-in.
Only the STIHL, and only with a vacuum adaptor kit sold separately, which converts the BG 86 C-E into a vacuum shredder. The ECHO PB-2620 is a blower only with no vacuum conversion available. If vacuum capability is a firm requirement, the comparison ends there.
The STIHL typically carries a lower dealer price, so it wins on upfront cost. The ECHO returns more output per dollar and a longer warranty with no qualifying purchase attached. Over a long ownership period the STIHL’s lower fuel consumption narrows the gap. Neither is clearly the better value; they simply distribute the value differently.
Top cordless handhelds have closed much of the output gap and win outright on noise, startup, and maintenance, while gas still wins on sustained runtime and cost per hour of heavy use. Our cordless handheld rankings cover where the crossover point now sits, and the gas handheld hub places both of these machines against the rest of the category.