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The BG range of stihl are very good for around £200ish and if there is a lot blowing the stihl BR200 backpack can be had for around £280. Both good on wet leaves. Used both types and they perform well. If you have the Kombi system the blower is excellent if you have a KM130.
I bought the Ego i few weeks back its as powerful as my petrol blower, not sure of battery usage yet.
Bought one myself in summer and got ride of the hand held petrol blower, find I get 20-30 mins out of my battery on average, still got the backpack Stihl 700 for big jobs. I see ego do a battery backpack but not sure how practical that would be.
Since buying a backpack blower I do wonder how I managed without it!
It's a Stihl 430 over your budget so I am of no help here
I use a mountfield handheld occasionally, it was cheap and bits fell off but it got me started and I occasionally use a Stihl bg86, that's pretty good.
As Dave says, the BG86 is excellent and under £250.................. I could afford a backpack one but this does everything I want well, fits in the van easily, very reliable, easy to use. If you had huge areas to clear of leaves, I'm sure the backpack would be a better bet but you're looking at twice the price.
James what is your location as i have a lightley used huski back pack for sale i am near leeds
I've used a number of hand held blowers over the years and the Stihl BG86 has been the best. I'm currently using the Shindaiwa EB221S which I love because it is a lot lighter than the Stihl, but the Stihl is definitely a bit more powerful. I have a backpack blower so can afford to have a slightly less powerful hand held, but if only having a hand held then I think i'd have to recommend the Stihl. All the best.
ok thanks guys for the suggestions
I would recommend the bg86. I had the bg56 when starting out and could not fault it. But once I upgraded to the 86 I could feel the noticeable difference in vibes between the 2 models.