James Bonacci
I am writing this because I want to call attention to a wonderful place and person. I am absolutely blown away by the experience I just had at Six Span Ace Hardware. My old homeowner-grade leaf blower died way before it should have and I was looking for a "forever solution." After doing a ton of in-depth research, I decided on the Stihl BR 600. I was helped by Troy Campanello, and I need to add some context: I have only ever purchased my lawn care equipment and small engines from big box stores. My entire life, the experience has been you go to a shelf, you pick up a box, you pay, and you walk out the door. That was all there was to it.... I am writing this because I want to call attention to a wonderful place and person. I am absolutely blown away by the experience I just had at Six Span Ace Hardware. My old homeowner-grade leaf blower died way before it should have and I was looking for a "forever solution." After doing a ton of in-depth research, I decided on the Stihl BR 600. I was helped by Troy Campanello, and I need to add some context: I have only ever purchased my lawn care equipment and small engines from big box stores. My entire life, the experience has been you go to a shelf, you pick up a box, you pay, and you walk out the door. That was all there was to it. The experience I had with Troy was so completely different it was honestly shocking (in the best way). I can honestly say I have never felt so attended to and personally taken care of in a retail setting. This wasn't just buying a tool; it felt like a premium service, more like buying a new car. Troy was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and answered all my (very geeky) questions about the 4-MIX engine. He didn't just point me to a box. He assembled the blower, gassed it up with the proper 50:1 mix, and started it right there to make sure it was running perfectly. He walked me through the starting procedure and made sure I was 100% comfortable before I left. He even gave me his business card and told me if I ever had any questions or needed anything for this machine, to not hesitate to call him directly. You simply cannot get this level of personal, expert service from a big-box store. It was a 10/10 experience. And the blower itself? It's an absolute game-changer. I've already run it for 4-5 hours. It is a night-and-day difference in power from my old machine. But the real surprise is how enjoyable it is to use. The 4-MIX engine has a deep, pleasant rumble instead of that high-pitched 2-stroke scream, and you can feel the heavy-duty torque. It's incredible. If you are on the fence about a piece of outdoor power equipment, I strongly encourage you to consider making the investment to purchase a Stihl piece of equipment from a Stihl dealer, in particular Six Span Ace Hardware. For a person who appreciates quality customer service, attentiveness, and the human side of a sales interaction, it is a life-changing experience. You'll be reminded of what true customer service is supposed to feel like, and you will walk out with an amazing, "buy it for life" machine.