Kress’ Commercial 60V 35 N Backpack Blower is quiet, beautifully balanced, and a stellar performer.
After announcing its launch to dealers in June, Kress has revealed its zero-emission cordless 60V 35 N Backpack Blower for professional use.
The Kress Commercial 60V 35 N Backpack Blower is battery operated, and while rivalling petrol power, it’s quieter operation minimises neighbourhood disruption and gives greater operator comfort and increased productivity.
The 35 N Backpack Blower is one of the many Kress tools that could diminish the use of the petrol-powered equipment in the commercial landscaping industry.
The no-emission mission
We went through an introduction to the Kress company and its philosophy in the July/August issue, and a big part of that philosophy is offering outdoor power equipment with no emissions. The Commercial 60V 35 N Backpack Blower is a great example of Kress vision made reality.
Thanks to the 8-minute Cybersystem™, charging the 11Ah battery from zero to 100 per cent charge takes just 8 minutes – we’re still a little stunned at that, but we know it to be true – Kress sent us a couple of the 11AH 660 with Cyberpack™ batteries and a 30A Dual Port charger, so we had plenty of power on tap to work the blower hard.
Despite an airspeed of 85 metres per second, the Kress runs quietly at 62dB. The four speed settings and modulating throttle allow the operator to be fairly choosy about how much power is unleashed, and that’s a good thing, because this blower packs a wallop. It’ll need to work at considerably less than full throttle around delicate garden beds and sensitive areas, and the quiet running makes it deceptive. A little too much trigger and it could be Dorothy’s house in the Kansas hurricane all over again.
A smooth and responsive throttle allows the commercial-grade brushless motor to work at its best in just about any situation. There’s four speed settings and even a ‘cruise control’, so if the situation demands a certain pace for an extended time, the throttle can be set in place and left there.
And of course, there are no emissions when using this equipment. That’s a big plus, not just for the operator and nearby members of the public, but for the many generations yet to come.
Comfort
Kress has obviously done its research when it comes to the ergonomics of using the blower.
The backpack rig is adjustable in all the right ways, and we found it easy to get everything sitting just right. Where the harness rests on the operator’s back is a sturdy – but fairly light – arrangement that kept a small space between the operator’s back and the unit itself, and it let plenty of air through. It also distrubuted the weight and kept the blanace of the whole rig feeling good. Settling in to a long session of moving a heap of Autumn leaves across driveways and lawn didn’t create any stress at all. The blower is quiet, very comfortable, and, best of all, has some serious grunt.
Hold on tight
We’ve actually seen it a few times now, but it still makes us smile: the unsuspecting operator slips into the harness, gets everything settled, then presses the handy trigger on the joystick control and instantly steps back as their eyes fly wide open. The thrust from the Kress backpack blower takes everyone by surprise on their first try.
Once over the initial surprise, it’s immediately obvious the 35 N is serious commercial equipment. From the LED display on the controller to the 1529m3/h air volume and IPX4 water-resistance index, it’s a powerful work unit. We moved large volumes of leaf litter and clippings during our Autumn test, and ‘impressed’ doesn’t come close to how we felt about the 35 N.
Tech advantages
There’s great advantages in the battery system for tracking use and maintenance.
Without the operator needing to adjust anything the Kress IQ software opitimises energy supply, battery protection and communication between the battery and charger. Battery cells are protected to prevent impact and vibration damage, and the Kress Connected app keeps track of battery charge, lifecycles and tool status, and offers maintenance and repair alerts.
Good gear
There’s not much more we can say about the Kress Commercial 60V 35 N Backpack Blower. It’s clearly ready for professional use, and, more than that, it’s a very easy piece of equipment to live with. Swapping batteries is so much faster and more convenient than mixing and pouring fuel, the backpack harness is well designed and comfortable, and the blower itself is clean, powerful and very effective.
All that with no emissions and running at an incredible 62dB.
Want to know more?
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