This has got to be the coolest looking leaf blower out there. Troy-Bilt went back to the drawing board with this one and came back with a design that puts a huge amount of air flow through the unit, plus has that wow factor.

We put together a video review so you can see it in action, but don’t forget to read the full review below for all the details.

Simple Assembly

With only three parts (the main unit and a two-part blower tube), the blower is easy to assemble right out of the box. Snap the two parts of the tube together and then twist it onto the “jet” to lock it in place. Done.

With only three parts (the main unit and a two-part blower tube), the blower is easy to assemble right out of the box.

It does take a fair bit of pressure to snap the pieces together and they’re not meant to come apart easily after assembly (you’ll need a screwdriver to carefully lift up the tabs that keep the tube in place). Be sure to properly align the upper blower with the blower unit before trying to twist it into place.

The JET blower has a gas-powered, 27cc 2-cycle engine so you’ll need to add oil to the gas before using it. A small package of oil is included so just follow the instructions when you fill up the gas tank. Troy-Bilt also throws in a sample packet of fuel stabilizer.

The instructions are easy to follow and written in plain English. There’s a complete manual with all the details, a one-page FastGuide to get you up and running quickly, and a sheet that explains what type of fuel and oil to use, and how to use it in your gas-powered blower.

Gas Tank

The see-through gas tank is located under the engine, which has both pros and cons.

On a positive note, it’s easy to fill. Simply turn the unit on its side (it’s designed to stand securely on its side with the gas tank opening facing up), unscrew the cap and fill with gas. The opening to the fuel tank faces straight down so it’s easy to fill. Make sure you fasten the cap tightly when you’re done.

The downside is that if you place the JET blower on the ground to start the engine, the entire weight of the blower sits directly on the fuel tank, making it more likely that you will damage it. Other gas blowers either have protective “feet” built around the gas tank so it sits on those instead of the tank, or they place the tank at the side of the unit where it’s out of the way. It would be good to see a protective plate or other protection under the fuel tank. If you can manage a drop start instead of placing the blower on the ground, we highly recommend that you do so.

The JET blower sits directly on top of the fuel tank when placed on the ground.

Easy To Start

Troy-Bilt made it easy to start the JET blower. Simply prime it by pushing the primer ball a couple of times, open the choke and pull the cord. It took 4 or 5 pulls the first time but doesn’t need a lot of strength to pull. Starting the engine when warm only takes one pull and you don’t have to use the choke or throttle. Note that the choke returns to the ‘off’ position when the throttle is engaged.

Starting the JET is easier than many gas blowers

We haven’t had any difficulty starting it from a cold start or when it’s hot after being just turned off, and it stays running even when idling. Let the engine warm up for a minute or so before you start using it.

For those of you who hate pull starts, you can use the available JumpStart system to start it by simply pushing a button (must be bought separately).

Good Blowing Power

At 650 cfm, the JET leaf blower puts out a huge amount of air, making quick work of moving anything in front of it, including debris and stones. It blows a wide swath through leaves, pine needles, grass clippings, twigs and even clumps of wet garden debris. It’s the most powerful blower we’ve worked with to date.

It blows a wide swath through leaves, pine needles, grass clippings, twigs and even clumps of wet garden debris.

What it doesn’t do is create a narrow stream of focused air (it has a wide nozzle and there’s no attachment to narrow it). So it’s best for moving a large amount of material from a wide area where control over what you’re blowing and where it’s going isn’t too important.

The throttle controls the amount of air the blower puts out – even at low speed the unit can move a lot of stuff. Troy-Bilt has added a “cruise control” feature that allows you to lock the throttle at the desired speed so you don’t have to continuously squeeze the throttle while in use. Definitely a nice add.

The cruise control can be easily adjusted so you don’t have to constantly squeeze the throttle

At 10.9lbs, the JET blower is comparable in weight to other gas leaf blowers. That’s heavier than an electric blower but not too heavy to handle.

It’s extremely well-balanced so can be held in proper position with only one hand without the nozzle nose-diving into the ground. The inline air intake means that there’s no torque or twisting so the nozzle stays pointed straight ahead with little effort (and, as a bonus, the inline air intake won’t grab loose clothing like the typical side-mounted intake can).

The inline air intake means that there’s no torque or twisting so the nozzle stays pointed straight ahead with little effort

However, there’s only one handle so you can really only use it with one hand. Given the weight and bulk of the JET blower, that makes it very difficult to use if you’re more petite or don’t have a lot of upper body strength. I found it almost impossible to use for more than a couple of minutes and had to twist into an uncomfortable position to use it with two hands. Even Jack had to constantly switch hands when using it and maxed out at 15 minutes of use.

It seems to have been designed so that a shoulder strap can be attached. However, no shoulder strap was included, nor is one mentioned in the instruction manual. We attached a strap from another product and found that it made it considerably easier to carry the JET blower. However, using a strap pulled the unit in closer to the body, placing the starter, choke etc. right up against your leg when they can catch against loose clothing.

When using the JET blower with one hand, it’s hard to keep it away from the body so parts get in the way and can get caught on loose clothing

The big drawback with the design of the JET blower is its bulk. It’s simply too wide to swing from side to side if it’s held beside you – and given the weight, it’s difficult to hold it away from your body. It’s great for blowing items directly in front of you but you’ll have to turn your body if you want to blow anything to the right or left. That’s part of what makes this blower tiring to use.

The JET (in the middle) is bulkier than other gas leaf blowers

As with any gas-powered item, the motor gets hot with use. Be careful touching the casing. The good thing about the JET blower is that the exhaust gets sucked into the air stream instead of venting out the side – this lessens the chances of getting burned.

As is typical with gas-powered gardening tools, it’s quite loud – you definitely need hearing protection when using the JET Blower (or any blower for that matter).

Troy-Bilt offers a 2-year limited warranty on the TB2MB blower.

Recommendation

The Troy-Bilt JET blower (TB2MB) offers the flexibility of a gas-powered blower, starts easily, keeps running and has a ton of blowing power. The bulkiness of the blower, combined with the weight, make it hard to handle for a longer period of time.

Where To Buy

The Troy-Bilt JET gas blower (TB2MB) is available at local hardware stores, as well as online directly from Troy-Bilt and through sites like Lowes.com. It’s currently unavailable on Amazon. At $149, it’s well-priced for a heavy-duty gas blower.

Now over to you – Have you tried an blower/vac/mulcher before? What did you like or dislike? Let us know in the comments below!

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Disclaimer – GPReview would like to thank Troy-Bilt for giving us a free leaf blower to review. There was no expectation that it would be a positive review and we received no compensation for writing it. All opinions expressed here are those of the author based on personal experience using the product.

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