Chapin International 62000 Tree/Turf Pro Commercial Backpack Sprayer with Control Flow Valve Technology for Fertilizer, Herbicides and Pesticides, 4 gal, Translucent White

I had a solo brand that I was using for spraying compost tea on my fruit trees, vegetables, shrubs and flowers. It worked well for a couple of years before it developed a leak around the piston pump and would make it leak all over the backside of the user. So I decided to purchase a new one and was willing to pay a little more if it meant easier use.So I found this Chapin 62000 on Amazon. Wow, what a difference!Pros:- Upon pulling it out of the box I immediately noticed the good design elements and quality build.- The straps are thick and the lumbar back support really makes a difference when spraying 20 gallons weekly like I do. They are easy to adjust and provide great support. One annoyance on the Solo was that the bottom of the 2 shoulder straps had a plastic c-clip that attached to the metal frame on the bottom of the sprayer. They were to loose and came off the frame a lot. I was always reattaching them before putting the sprayer on. This Chapin features the same design but the C-clips are much larger and stronger and don't come off as easily.- Easy to use lid and strainer at fill opening. (I put a piece of cheesecloth in the strainer basket when filling with compost tea. I also use a small cup to scoop out compost tea from 5 gal brewing bucket being sure to not stir up settled solids on the bottom of the bucket)- The pressure gauge on the wand is nice to have. I try to pump the compost tea to a minimum pressure to preserve the biological activity of the brew as best as possible. I have found that 25 psi is sufficient to get a good spray.- Inside the reservoir is a setting that allows you to adjust the max pressure via pressure relief valve that you can pump up to. It has 4 settings at 15 thru 60 psi. It will relieve pressure if you over pump at the setting. So you cannot over pressure the application.- The nozzle is very well made and easy to adjust with a good range of spray patterns. My solo over time became very loose and would not stay tight. It was the brass nozzle and the rubber o-ring inside had worn down and didn't make a good pressure fit with the brass spray cap any more. This nozzle looks like it will last a long time. ** Update 3/2016 - it has lasted 2- 1/2 years with no nozzle creep.- It comes with a pressure balancing nozzle attachment that keeps constant pressure at the nozzle. This attachment is suppose to give you a constant uniform spray pressure and thus pattern. I don't need it with the compost tea, but I plan on trying it out in the future. ** Update 3/2016 - still haven't tried it.- It is easier to pump than my old Solo. It also takes less pumps to get pressure. The pump handle also features a spring and turn lock mechanism at its attachment point to the tank that allows you to pull out on the handle and turn it 180 degrees to make it more compact and fold up for storage. I really like this feature. My old solo feature a cotter pin attachment that I never would take the time to remove to take off the handle. This is a much better design. This is a wonderful feature if your like me and have limited storage space in your gardening area.Cons:- I haven't found any yet! I will add them here in the future if I do find some. ** Update. There is a roll pin that goes thru the handle and sticks out each side of it near the pivot. It tends to wiggle its way out when you are rotating the the handle from storage position to pumping position. I flared out the ends of the pin with a metal punch tool. Now it stays put.Overall I am much happier with this sprayer. What used to take me 2 hours to complete now only takes me 1.5 hours. It is a pleasure to use compared to all the leaking, spray pattern adjustments, hard pumping, and annoyances that I had with the Solo. This feels like a luxury sports car. Very Nice.UPDATE: 7/18/13 - After 5 weeks of use, twice a week. Sprayed over 100 gallons. Still love this sprayer. Cleaned the wand filter which had a few particulates in it. Still works like brand new.** Update 3/2016 - Posted 2 comments in review above. Also want to mention that there is a little bit of squeaking in the pumping action. I haven't found a way to lubricate or alleviate it yet. I will probably try to do a complete disassembly and cleaning soon.

A few month ago I paid a local company to spray for ticks and other insects around the house. They charged $150 to spray the entire yard and $100 (bundle - down from $150) to spray the house perimeter. This is when I got mad - $150 for gallons of solution and 1 entire hour of work (worth it in my opinion), and then $100 for probably one gallon only and 5 minutes of work (does it make any sense?). That's when I started looking for options. I had a small 1-galon sprayer, but needed a big one if I wanted to do it myself.As a new homeowner I am slowly buying tools to help with the maintenance. But, I am too poor to buy cheap (and replace every year or so). So I am looking for the semi-professional or professional stuff.Enter this sprayer. Now granted, this is my first sprayer, so I have no comparison to make or experience in this field. But, this is an excellent tool. Very solid, comfortable on the back even with 4 gallons of solution inside, easy to clean, good initial accessories. Nice that you can spray with my left or right hand. I have sprayed about 30 tankfuls so far with no problems whatsoever. The piston pump is great as well. And the price is very reasonable.Not all is perfect though. The pump handle could be better (it is a little short and it feels flimsy because of the pin design). The pump could have a bigger capacity (it gets fast to high pressure, but then you have to constantly pump it), and the wand could have been a little longer (I am 6'1" tall)Also, when I bought it, the picture on Amazon was showing a brass handle and pressure dial as well - So I return it for a replacement. When the second one came with the plastic handle I called Chapin (US customer service, very nice too) and they told me that the picture was wrong (they contacted Amazon and change the picture two days later). I was afraid the plastic cannot take any abuse, but this weekend I used it again and stepped on the handle by mistake (pretty hard too) and no problem...When the time comes for spraying the gravel driveway for weeds, or the yard and stonewall for ticks, or the lawn for crabgrass, it does not seem like a hassle at all. Mixing the chemicals takes more time and effort than the actual spraying. Recommended.