Customer Reviews for Solo 451 Mist Blower

I have used Solo and Sthil mistblowers for years in the pest control industry. For many years I leaned towards Sthil and the SR-420, but when the Sthil SR-450 hit the market and showed many major flaws (regular leaks, exhaust clogging) I begon to explore other options. I tried many other brands, before revisiting Solo and trying out this newer model. I would say that my biggest setback is the high price, although this website offered a killer deal. Even this price is $100 more expensive than the Sthil SR-450. That said, the Solo has never broken down on me. It runs a little rich, its a little louder than many others, but overall its a great unit if you are looking for an alternative to Sthil.

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72 of 76 people found this review helpful

Awesome machine!! Well worth the money if you live in an area where mosquitos make enjoying the pool or hot tub in the evening impossible. Last year I paid a major Pest Control company $100.00 a month to fog my property to control the mosquitos, it worked great but we were at the mercy of a company who was not prompt, missed appointments or rain delays = Mosquito re-infestation forcing us inside the house. I am now in control of my pest control thanks to DoMyOwnPestControl.com, I purchaced a gallon of Talstar P concentrate to go with my new Blower/Mister and it appears to work wonderfully, I sprayed my yard 2 weeks ago and have not seen 1 mosquito since, that is saying something considering I live 1 block from a large lake in Southwest Michigan. I highly recommend the Solo 451 Blower and Talstar P insecticide, I received my order quickly, I highly recommend ordering from DoMyOwnPestControl.com, I will definitely be a repeat customer.

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62 of 64 people found this review helpful

This works. It isn't cheap, but it works. I was rather hesitant to spend this kind of money, but my desire to use my backyard in the summer won out. We live in the Memphis, TN area, in a wooded lot with a lot of bushes: i.e. mosquito heaven. I would get multiple bites just walking to the mailbox and back, let alone when our three kids would play in the backyard. If we wanted to spend any time outside, we had to drench ourselves with bug spray, otherwise they feasted. I finally got fed up staring longingly at my backyard through the windows and started looking into ways I could control the mosquitoes in our yard. I bought one of those handheld propane foggers, and it sort of worked for a short time. There wasn't a residual, and the mosquitoes found us soon after. Local companies wanted up to $150/month to fog my yard, and I was just about to break down and do that when I figured that this fogger would pay for itself pretty quickly if I used it for just a couple years. I'm glad I did: mosquitoes are hardly a problem anymore in my backyard. This isn't a 100% solution for me, but we can deal with a bite or two every once in a while in order to go outside whenever we want without bug spray. It's almost strange to go outside now without mosquitoes swarming us. If I go too long between treatments, the kids ask me to kill the bugs now. I'm still trying to find the right combination of concentrate to water, saturation of my bushes, frequency of fogging, and dosage setting on the fogger. It seems like the bug population starts to pick up after about 2-3 weeks, so I'm not sure if that's me, or just the reality of where I live. The “problem” is that I only had to fog a handful of times (once I got it this past summer) in order to control the bugs, so I didn't have many opportunities to tweak how I fogged. The machine runs really well, and starts pretty easily. It is heavy: 4 gallons of water and fuel, on top of a 25 lbs engine and that's 50+ lbs. Once you get it on your back it's comfortable, but it can be awkward trying to get it there. You also get an additional benefit of being able to use this to apply Talstar to the outside of your house too. I did that while I was treating the yard, instead of using a pump sprayer inside and out like I normally have and we haven't had any bugs inside. I can't speak to the longevity as I just got it this past summer. But, if you something to control the mosquitoes in your yard, this is it.

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39 of 40 people found this review helpful

Bought this primarily to spray all of the landscaped and other surrounding area around our house for mosquitoes. First the cons... Based on my experience with farm spraying and from reviews of others, I immediately bought the optional pump. I'm glad I bought it and in fact think it should be standard equipment. There is no way you will get an even spray volume distribution by the standard gravity feed unless you are spraying small plants that can be done with a low and constant nozzle height. And you can't spray the upper parts of tall plants or surfaces at all unless you have the pump. The pump also has a return line to the tank that serves to keep the spray solution mixed. This website doesn't have the optional pump listed, but informed me by email that it was available from them. I had already found it elsewhere in stock with easy automated ordering before I received the email reply from this site, and it arrived before the blower (but I was pleased with how quickly this site shipped the blower as well). Be aware that the optional pump is about $125 (delivered price). It also may be a bit of a challenge for some to install if you aren't at least somewhat of a handyman type. The other problem I encountered is the flex hose doesn't attach securely to the elbow. It slips over a barbed male nipple and is secured by a hose clamp. But the hose barbs are too small (hardly a barb at all) and it's hard to get the clamp tight enough (it's plastic and I was afraid of stripping the screw threads in the plastic or breaking the plastic band if I tightened the clamp any tighter). The first time of use the flex hose came off almost immediately. I put it back on and tightened the clamp tighter, and it still only lasted about half way through the first spray tank load before coming off again. So I put it back on, tightened the hose clamp, and then put two small screws through the flex hose and elbow nipple, adjacent to the hose clamp. That fixed the problem. Other than these issues, which I was satisfactorily able to overcome, I really like this blower. I've only had it about 2 weeks and have only sprayed everything twice (but multiple tank loads each time), so I can't speak first hand to longevity, but the engine seems to be well made, high compression, and starts on first or 2nd pull every time so far. I like that the spray tank and pump system is very easy to rinse/flush when done for the day.

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35 of 37 people found this review helpful

The mist blower works as expected. No problems, so far. I also use Solo's backpack sprayers and have had many years of good service with them.

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33 of 39 people found this review helpful

Worst piece of junk I have ever owned. I spray for mosquitoes commercially. Bought this product after having issues with the Stihl SR 450. Day 1 second pull and the handle broke off the pull cord. Got it cranked and it ran so rough I had to immediately go to my mechanic and have him adjust carb. Day 2 spray stream is inconsistant. It changes about every 10 seconds. Almost like air volume varies up and down. After fifth yard the pull start broke. Now there is no resistance when trying to crank motor. Cord will not turn motor to crank. Day 3 Solo sits in garage and I am back to using the first Stihl I bought 6 seasons ago, the SR 420. I will take the problems with the SR 450 over this piece of junk anyday. Rating zero stars or maybe -1.

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24 of 32 people found this review helpful

Awesome machine! It beats out the Stihl I own hands down, its far more comfortable and very simple to use. I find that I have slightly better spray performance with the Solo.

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19 of 19 people found this review helpful

Mine leaks. The little rubber boot under one side of the tank consistently lets chemical out and gets me wet. I wouldn't mind but I have to assume this stuff I am spraying isn't too healthy for humans. I wear goggles and respirators, and now a waterproof jacket...... which it still runs down and wets my legs. Going to sell mine and buy the Stihl

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18 of 23 people found this review helpful

I went with the Solo 451 after reading the reviews about other brands. The unit works good but both straps have broken within 2 weeks of use. Solo was very good about sending new parts out without a question. I hope this is a continual problem.

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17 of 18 people found this review helpful

Awesome product and even better customer service from DoMyOwnPestControl!! Thank you!

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16 of 16 people found this review helpful

Superb piece of equipment Covers my 1 acre property plus surrounding neighbors in about 10 minutes Really gets rid of the bugs

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15 of 15 people found this review helpful

It gives great coverage but the settings are nuts. There are four settings for flow and I can't imagine a situation where you would use the 3rd or 4th setting. The 4th setting blew through the 3 gallon tank in under 2 minutes. I don'think the complaints about the weight are warranted but maybe that's because I am a bigger man.

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11 of 13 people found this review helpful

So far I give it a one star rating because I have not been able to use it yet. I followed the instructions in the owners manual of doubling the oil content in the mix for the first five tanks. I start the engine and it starts running rough immediately after start up. I have pure water in the pesticide tank so I can test the machine. The engine does not climb to full rpm at any time. Choke was disengaged right after starting it up and it seems to operate as designed. I replaced the gas/oil mix in the tank with regular 50:1 ratio/ 2.6 fl oz per gallon and the rough-running continues. I pulled the spark plug and it is black like from running extra rich. I cleaned the SP, reinstall it and the rough-running continues. I don't want to start messing with adjusting the carb so I look up Solo dealer locations to take it in. My closest dealer is over an hour away! I ordered a new spark plug and I'm getting it soon - I will try that first and then I guess I will have to drive over an hour if that does not cure the problem. A GIGANTIC disappointment to say the least. I bought it because it is supposedly Made in Germany . . but . . the Bosch spark plug I took out is Chinese!

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10 of 13 people found this review helpful

I could not have believed it if I did not see it myself. I live in the woods and bees and Mosquitos are the worst. I do not have a problem anymore. Best money I ever spent!!

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9 of 10 people found this review helpful

I have used the mist blower to apply herbicide in 3 y o longleaf plantation to control wisteria. Considering that the surrounding vegetation is over head high, it does a pretty good job of getting the chemical out beyond what a backpack sprayer could do. I was concerned about the weight but it has been manageable. Had to play around with which setting to use to get enough chemical out, but it seems ok. Unit runs good and you can tell it was build by the German's with the consumer or user in mind.

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8 of 8 people found this review helpful

I assembled it in 9 minutes. I watched the video prior to using it the first time and began the mosquito termination. I used the Bifen IT. We had a down pour about 90 minutes after application. Still no mosquitoes!!! And that was 3 weeks ago. Very pleased. I do recommend using the respirator I bought from you also. This "Mosquito Buster" is worth every dollar. We can enjoy our yard and gardens once again.

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7 of 8 people found this review helpful

I bought this with the intention to treat up into trees. They say aprox 30ft and the tube and handle will not allow it to move into the upright position. Also 15-20 feet would be about as far as you can treat.

  Expert response:
Thank you for your comments! You will definitely lose distance when using the Solo 451 above horizontal. You can purchase the Liquid Booster Pump for added vertical reach: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/liquid-booster-pump-solo-451-4400235-p-11733.html

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6 of 7 people found this review helpful

I live in a heavily wooded area in Southeast Massachusetts, we have a built in pool and with the short summer season here we want to spend s much time out doors as possible. Because of the wooded area the mosquitos are brutal, I purchased the Solo 451, and I am very happy I did. It works great controlling the mosquitos. I followed directions, used it at dusk, avoided the plants the bees favor and couldn't be happier. This thing is heavy when full with insecticide but very manageable if using a table to load it on your back. Start with the low flow setting on insecticide dispersal. I use the lowest setting and it works just fine even with the high population of mosquitos and large number of trees and bushes. I Highly recommend it. Seems well built. Easy to use, takes no real time to prepare and treat my 3/4 acre, I have a lot of trees and bushes, but it is just a walk around the yard.

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6 of 6 people found this review helpful

I have a very large yard and this blower allows me to spray my entire yard and surrounding area with 4 gal of the mosquito barrier mix in just 45 min saving me a lot of time compared to using the 2 gal hand pump sprayers that will work good for this applacation however my yard is just too large to do it that way.

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

After reading reviews I considered this and the Stihl unit. I wanted to buy the Stihl since I have their backpack blower, weed wacker and two chain saws but after reading the tank would leak, I went with the Solo. This is a well built machine. The assembly instructions are a bit confusing but if you assemble it right, the air hose will not come apart as some have complained. Since you're carrying 3 gallons of water and the blower on your back it is heavy. I would like to see better back padding, thicker straps and a more comfortable throttle with a trigger lock. My Stihl blower has better padding, a nice throttle grip and a throttle lock and I can wear it all day. After spraying two tanks today I'm a bit sore. I like that you can unscrew the hose from the tank to rinse it out easily. It starts right up but follow the instructions. You don't yank on it like most power equipment. A slow steady pull is all it takes. Finally, I bought this as a mosquito control kit which came with four different chemicals. One was granules that are supposed to dissolve in water but didn't and clogged up the chemical feed line. I won't be using them anymore-just the liquids. Make sure you mix everything in a container and then add it to the tank. Don't mix in the tank.

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

This mist blower is pretty solid. 4 stars for a couple of things: to get high up into larger trees, an accessory pump kit is required. The other minor issue may have more to do with me; the clamps for the nozzle are plastic, and the hose did fall out of the elbow once during use. Aside from those minor things, it's great! The fuel tank is large; I've run 18 gallons so far and still have plenty left in the tank. 3 gallons plus the weight of the unit is right at my upper limit, having a leg disability, so you able-bodied folks should have no trouble at all. It starts super easy as well. Overall, a very good buy, and DMOPC has the best price I could find.

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4 of 4 people found this review helpful

My company purchased one of these for mosquito treatments. Used it on a couple of houses, so far this is what i've noticed. 1. Its awkward to handle. I weight 150 and have a bad back, it was a struggle to use it all day. If you fill on a tailgate of a truck its not that big of a deal, but if you have to fill and dead lift from the ground it'll wear you out. 2. Its loud. While using it I had to stop and have the "is that safe?" conversation twice with neighbors. So you turn off the engine, set the backpack down, explain yourself for 5-10 minutes, start the engine, put it back on, and get back to work. It can be time consuming. Would be nice to have something more discrete. 3. It puts out way too much product for some houses. Even on the lowest setting, you don't use the trigger much. Instead you take your left hand and adjust the flow and let the idle put out product. Would be nice to have a lower setting or have the flow adjustment in a place where you could do that with your right hand. But overall, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. It does exactly what its supposed to do, and if you have shrubs or a heavy wooded area and don't mind the weight/noise it is a perfect product.

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4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Blower arrived in great shape. It was purchased to spray a small home orchard. With the booster pump added it reached the tops of the trees as advertised. The motor started with a couple pulls. I antisipated a heavy machine and with the added chemicals it is indeed. I am fairily mechanical. The photo instructions to add the booster pump could use improvement. The photos are not very clear. One of the hoses was too short and required purchasing a new length of hose.

  Expert response:
Thank you for your comments! We apologize that the manufacturer instructions are unclear. There are different hose lengths included, so one will be too short if they are installed in the opposite placement. Please let us know if we can further assist you anytime. We appreciate your feedback and your business!

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3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Starting and lifting this thing into position is a little awkward. I'm really surprised that they didn't build in some type of foot platform to step on when pull-starting; holding the blower down while pulling the cord is very awkward. Also, my Echo backpack sprayer has a handle built into the fill cap, which I use to lift from the sprayer off the ground after filling. I realize that this sprayer is heavier when filled. However, a handle extending up from the frame would be welcome.

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3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I have a 20 year old Solo mist blower that served me well for all those years. I decided it was time to get a new blower and this is as good as the old blower and has several improvements over the old blower. I am very satisfied with the new blower and look forward to many years of service from the new blower.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I have 4 of the 450 solos must blowers. Up graded to 451. Great product for Vineyard applications. Great price too. Thanks

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I have been using a solo blower since I started my business in 2007. I had one solo 450 blower and it worked really well. I purchased 2 451's a couple years ago and I have had nothing but trouble with them. The engine leaks oil, the gas lines are cheap and break often. The strap clips are plastic and you can be sure they will break. The starter pully doesn't catch and I have had to replace them and still do not work properly. They are very hard to crank as well. The solution doesn't blow out like it's supposed to. You aim the wand up to spray under trees and it jumps around and doesn't spray out consistently. One of the biggest problems with SOLO is the ability to get items. It's so hard to get items through there main office in VA because these are made in Germany and if they are out of something, you have to wait for months. There is also only one guy in there office that works with troublshooting on them and he is very hard to get a hold of. There are also dealer issues. Norther Tool is supposed to be a dealer and also be able to do maintenance work on them. I took one in to a Northern tool about 5 years ago because of issues, the guy working there had never seen one before. I had to actually send the whole blower to the main office in VA, twice! No, I won't be doing that again. The good news: I bought a Stihl blower last year and have never looked back. it blows out perfect all the time. It's super easy to start. The strap clips are metal and won't break so that saves me like $100 bucks each year, you don't have to use "double the oil" as they say you need to with solo blowers. There is a white grill on the front of the stihl so you never have to worry about losing it while you are spraying. I haven't had any issues with the motor or gas lines thus far. AND....there is a local stihl dealer that actually knows the blower and can do maintenance issues.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

works great start is a little hard to get use to and the blower tube is hard to aim straight up in the air, When the choke is off it should be at a 11 to 5 angle, Vertical to apply the choke !

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1 of 2 people found this review helpful

I have owned a Solo 451 for a couple of years. It does a great job misting the surrounding plants/landscape. The problem I encountered is the recoil starter. The manual explains how to properly pull the chord for starter engagement. I followed accordingly, know the recoil won't engage properly to pull start. I pulled the recoil off and inspected. To my surprise the recoil it is assembled from very cheaply made plastic engagement pieces. Being an engineer, I was surprised to find Solo designed a system that will fail and continue to fail. The drive tab that engages is made of cheap plastic that will deform/wear and fail to engage for proper pull starting. Great blower with a serious recoil pull starter problem. Do your homework to ensure this flaw has been fixed or you will be disappointed with your blower purchase.

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I recently purchased the Solo 451 and due to the issues I'm experiencing the price could be a lot lower. I'm an engineer by trade and very mechanically proficient. I first saw that the entire blower assembly could be redesigned due to faulty parts. I had to purchase a longer clear plastic hose (the one supplied was too short). I purchased hose clamps to keep the solution from leaking out. The entire blower assembly comes apart during use. I had to purchase clamps and stainless steel screws to keep it together. The tank leaks from the top when filled up. I have a regular gasoline blower from Stihl which I use for my leaves. It's a way better product design wise. Silo Is also very heavy once filled. The engine requires a mixture of gas and oil but does work well. This machine is not for the faint of heart. You'll need some skills to keep it going. I decided to keep it only due to my abilities to fix the problems that should have been redesigned. I would not recommend this product at the asking price. Drop it a couple hundred then it worth it due to all the issues. Just a poorly designed product.

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful