Which leaf blowers

It carved out a large rectangular area in our sawdust test. The tool has good balance, and we found it was easy to use it in a sweeping motion in our leaf test. It cleaned out the area quickly, if not perfectly. Its brief run time, however, suggests that the tool is best used on small patches of leaves or for jobs like construction-site cleanup or sweeping out the garage.

Its design for these purposes is clear, judging by the hefty skid plate below the blower housing and battery that should help this tool withstand rough-and-tumble use. Air Speed: 75 mph Weight: 6. It has absolutely no problem blowing debris off of concrete or asphalt. Two features that we particularly like are its large and comfortable variable speed trigger and the equally comfortable pivoting thumb latch immediately above it.

Air speed: mph Weight: 9. If your over-arching requirement is a quieter handheld blower, the Ryobi may be your product. The bright yellow-green blower has enough power for dry leaf cover, removing grass clippings and leaves from paved surface and for garage or dryer vent cleanout. Other features that contribute to its ease of use are a well-positioned latch to the left and above the adjustable-speed trigger, a booster button for more air output, and a detachable nose cone made out of rubber that concentrates the air speed up to mph.

You could slice the cone at any of the two intervals and shortening it to provide less air speed. Slide its nose cone forward over a range of five inches to select more volume and less air speed.

Slide the cone back toward the fan motor and handle to select more air speed and less volume. Press the turbo button to select a high-speed burst of air at the expense of battery run time. The wheel is numbered from zero to three, and rotating the wheel forward increases air speed. Now, you have to ask yourself just how much control over air speed and volume you need. We suppose that if your landscape is tricky, requiring everything from outright leaf blasting to more delicate sweeping, this blend of air volume and speed nose cone and thumb wheel may prove to be optimal.

Our test was not that demanding, frankly. We found the WG was a capable leaf mover on typical dry leaves and twigs and was likewise capable as a pavement sweeper, removing leaves, grass clippings, twigs, dried buds and the like from paved surfaces. Our other observation is that the tool does make a distinct high-pitch whine when adjusted to maximum leaf removal power.

Then again, we always advise hearing and eye protection. The Echo ES blew leaves completely out of the test rectangle, and it carved an oval-shaped area with a crisp edge out of the sawdust box, revealing a dense, productive, and well-shaped airstream. There are a couple improvements on this model that make starting a little easier.

The two-position stop switch is marked more clearly, making it more difficult to try to start the machine with it in the off position. Finally, there is an added bonus with the ES—it can also be used as a leaf vacuum and shredder with included attachments. We liked many things about the Makita; chief among them is the fact that the blower takes the same volt batteries as other Makita power tools.

It also has a comfortable trigger and balance that causes the machine to hang in your hand at the perfect angle. In the leaf test, we found that its focused and somewhat narrow airstream is highly accurate and perfect for cleaning up edges without disturbing adjacent materials. Air speed: mph Weight: Moving to our test area, it took just a few sweeps of the blower and a couple steps to dispatch the leaves.

We found that we actually had to throttle back a little for precision work as the turbulent zone in the air stream could send the leaves in every direction. This was verified when we performed our sawdust test, where it blew a rounder, broader bulb shape.

Air streams like this make for quick clearing in light to medium leaf coverage. In heavier leaf coverage, we had to get a little closer to keep the carpet of leaves from rolling back. When the leaf blowing is done, the Stihl SH86E does double duty, converting to a vacuum , with included parts. In the sawdust test, it swept out a gigantic bulb-shaped pattern that emptied almost half the particulate from the zone. It blew leaves out of the test rectangle and scattered them 20 feet away.

For laughs, we found that it can skim a 4. For all its raw power, the Magnum impressed us by how easily it starts.

Its spring-loaded starting mechanism is positioned horizontally, so you can yank it while the machine is mounted on your back. As for demerits, the Stihl is much louder at a distance than other blowers. A reason to pass? Only if you have legitimate concerns about disturbing the peace.

Air Speed: mph Weight: Backpack leaf blowers are not known for being quiet devices, yet the Husqvarna is quiet in comparison to a gas engine machine, while being an effective leaf mover. Powered by a pair of gigantic volt 7. The blast of air emitting from its nozzle sweeps aside more than leaves, but also sticks, pine cones, seed pods, littler, junk.

One unusual feature on this blower is that the control handle tilts and rotates to any angle to suit the user, especially as he or she may work across the landscape, ducking under low branches, hop across flower beds, maybe traverse a stone wall or two. The shoulder straps and chest strap are also quite comfortable. In all, the Husqvarna is a pleasure to use with decent power and comfort-enhancing features. Air Speed: Which type you need depends on the work required and your own preferences.

Backpack blowers and wheeled blowers get a larger area with more leaves because both are designed for larger yards and professional landscaping crews. We time how long each blower takes to clear the pile, and whether the tool moves every last leaf—some leaf blowers struggle to get rid of the leaves near the bottom of the pile, which can become embedded within the grass.

Some years we go through 2, pounds of leaves in the process. Speed, convenience, budget—all are important considerations when weighing gas vs. In the handheld category, gas and battery blowers can each make quick work of leaves and are still the fastest way to clear a yard full of leaves.

Most outdoor extension cords top out at that length. They also require fueling and maintenance. Cordless electric, also called battery-powered leaf blowers, now offer power on a par with gas models, but they have limited run time per battery charge—expect 8 to 30 minutes on a charge.

Some handheld blowers also collect yard debris via a vacuum, a feature that comes in handy for sucking up leaves as they fall or for taking care of stragglers. But their relatively small tubes limit how much you can vacuum at once, making them best for really small yards, where you can bag up the mulched leaves.

Backpack blowers typically cost more than handheld blowers, but they offer more power and transfer weight from your arms to your back and shoulders. Backpacks tip the scales at 22 pounds, but this type can still feel lighter than a pound handheld blower because the weight is better distributed. These are best for large lawns, and you can go with a traditional gas-powered backpack blower or a battery-powered model. Battery types are relative newcomers to the field, and in our tests, the best of these can hold their own against gas when it comes to sweeping power.

Got lots of leaves and a level property? Wheeled blowers pack the most power by far. They also take up the most storage space, can be tough to push and control, and bear the biggest price tags of all these categories. As anyone with an early rising, yard-obsessed neighbor can confirm, a running leaf blower can get really loud.

Product labels list decibels, so you can compare noise levels as you shop. Some communities prohibit leaf blower use during certain hours; others restrict gas blowers altogether because they tend to be louder than electric models. In California, some communities ban all leaf blowers, no matter how quiet their operation.

Then check the foot noise scores in our leaf blower ratings. Models that earn Excellent scores should meet the toughest limits, and those that receive Very Good or Good ratings are likely to meet most restrictions. But keep in mind, blowers that are relatively quiet at a distance can prove to be deafening up close. Selecting the right leaf blower comes down to your terrain, yard size, and budget.

Both gas and electric models take much of the work and blisters out of raking up fallen leaves and other yard and driveway debris. Corded models typically weigh 8 pounds or less and are designed for one-handed use.

But the power cord limits your mobility and can be a hassle around trees and other obstacles. Consider an electric blower if a power outlet will always be within feet of the work area. These tools, also called cordless electric leaf blowers, are light generally less than 10 pounds and maneuverable. Power can be on a par with the best gas blowers, too.

Gas models can go anywhere, and they never require a charge. You do need to yank a pull-cord to start the engine, and gas engines require periodic tuneups. Most models weigh about 10 pounds. The majority have two-stroke engines, which require mixing fuel and oil. Those with four-stroke engines let you skip that step, and they run cleaner. These blowers typically add power over handheld blowers. The run time is a bit disappointing, however, as it only gives you around 12 minutes with a 4Ah battery, though it lasted fine during our test whern we were having a crack at it for a good 10 minutes or so on the 2Ah batteries.

The bag is really close to your body and rests on your hip too, which feels a bit weird. Disassembly was one of the easiest on the list and it fit snugly back in the box with no problem. The VonHaus 3 in 1 is a corded blower-vac that is really lightweight.

It looks cool, the balance is good and the little wheels that you can attach at the end of the nozzle make sucking up the detritus on the drive feel like hoovering your house. The curved nozzle gives it a little futuristic je-ne-sais-quoi. Both functions work fine and the mulcher made light work of our hay. The VonHaus is a really good option for front lawns or driveways. The major selling point on this is the price and value for money. Assembly was literally two clicks: one for the battery and the other for the nozzle, which has a thumb pad that saves your fingernails.

However, in terms of performance, the size of the unit is relative to the blast. Ryobi has used the nozzle to its advantage by squishing it a bit to provide improved airspeeds.

One nifty thing we noticed was that the battery shows how much power is left as you go. Ryobi currently has the whole ensemble on sale, with a 4. The universal gardentidy 3,W is a three-in-one corded blow-vac-shredder model with variable speeds. Set up was quite easy, especially for the blow function where you just stick the nozzle on and screw it in with the finger dial screw.

We were expecting a little more power, but it does swallow everything. When blowing, the small nozzle makes it light and manoeuvrable and it angles easily without too much stress on the wrists.

The blower made light work of the damp hay at short range and hit the long target nicely. The cheaper option of the Greenworks axial battery-powered blowers is a blower only, but good lord does it deliver. It also has variable power modes that can be changed with a squeeze of the trigger or when using dial-controlled autopilot. At top power, it blasted our 6m hay line. We then used the lower power settings to re-align our hay line, which was a breeze not sorry.

The Handy also has a back strap and the 45l bag fits snugly at the hip. Hoovering with it is easy and it sucks up things like small twigs without much fuss, but the nozzle is a bit small for bigger piles of leaves and debris, or, in our case, half a haystack. For blowing power it holds its own, but it felt a little less powerful than other corded models at 2,W. It honestly just does exactly what it says on the tin. Makita is winning at the nozzle game with a series of lengths and options to get to hard to reach places.

You can lock the switch at any power setting, which makes things easy.