Guide to Buying a Leaf Blower
So you know a leaf blower is what you need, but do you know what to look for when buying one? This season, I decided to purchase a leaf blower for my own yard, and I’ll be sharing with you some information I discovered in my quest to buy the perfect leaf blower.
There are essentially two basic types of leaf blowers from which to choose, and then you can start adding options to those basic types after you decide which you want. Let’s look at the two basic types of leaf blowers first.
Leaf Blower – This leaf blower performs a single function – it blows air in a strong enough capacity to move leaves without blowing them up in the air.
Leaf Blower/Vacuum – This leaf blower performs a dual function – it both blows air the same as the basic leaf blower, but it has an additional function, usually with the flip of a switch, of sucking leaves and other small items up into an attached bag.
The basic leaf blower with the single function is good for small yards with fewer leaves when you just don’t feel like raking. You can blow all the leaves into one pile, and then scoop them up for disposal.
The leaf blower with a vacuum allows you to blow all the leaves into a pile for disposal, the same as the basic single function leaf blower, and then with the flip of a switch, those leaves can be sucked up into the bag for easier disposal. The leaf blower with a vacuum also makes removing leaves and debris from fencing, porches, sidewalks and bushes much easier.
As a general rule, the leaf blower with the vacuum is more expensive than the leaf blower by itself, because of the extra function. Both the standard single function leaf blower and the dual function blower/vacuum come in electric and gas models, to suit your needs.
Once you have decided whether you want a single function or dual function leaf blower, you can then look at the different styles of each. Let’s look at those choices now.
Handheld Leaf Blower – The handheld leaf blower or leaf blower with vacuum has a motor section with a handle and then depending on the style, includes attachments to a long nozzle, as well as a bag connected for the vacuum models. For smaller areas, these are ideal and usually the least expensive. However, some models were quite large, and for some people, holding them for long periods of time would be difficult. These units come in electric, rechargeable, and gas powered. The gas powered are the heaviest, with the rechargeable the second, to accommodate the rechargeable battery.
Backpack Leaf Blower – With this leaf blower, the motor part of the blower is attached to straps and a flat panel that is made to be worn like a backpack or strapped across one shoulder or the other. This is easier on the arms than the handheld model, and allows the user to buy a larger blower for larger areas. However, this backpack leaf blower is not the best choice for very large areas, and the vibration on the back when I tried this one can make you feel numb if used for extended periods of time. These units come in both electric and gas powered, with the gas powered again being the heaviest.
Push or Walk Behind Leaf Blowers – These blowers are similar in style to a small lawnmower, where the user pushes the blower, which is on wheels, and the leaves are blown in front of the unit. This is the most expensive of the leaf blowers and while we were informed that they did come in an electric model, the only ones we found in stores were gas powered. These units are idea for very large yards or areas. If you don’t already have a mulcher, but need one, some of the push leaf blowers come with mulchers.
Now, once you decide which advanced style of leaf blower you might need, usually based on size of the leaf blower and yard you have as well as whether you want vacuum or not, there’s a few other things to take into consideration.
Electric units are smaller and quieter, but they require batteries or an electric cord properly rated for the size of the leaf blower. Gas powered units are heavier and noisier, but they do not require a power cord. However, a gas powered leaf blower requires mixing oil and gas and properly maintaining it during the seasons when it’s not being used.
Noise is important to consider when purchasing a leaf blower, as some housing zones and municipalities or cities have noise laws, so you want to purchase a leaf blower that is properly noise zoned for your area’s laws. Most leaf blowers packaging has its noise rating printed on the box.
When we were searching for a leaf blower, we looked at both Home Depot and Lowe’s home improvement stores and found both to carry very similar items, and the pricing was comparable at both locations. We searched a couple of smaller lawn and garden stores, but they couldn’t compete on price.
We finally settled on the Toro Ultra Blower Vac 51599, which has an average cost of about $70.00, and had one of the highest consumer ratings for its size and class of leaf blower, giving us both vacuum and blowing power. This leaf blower also had blades for a light mulch before the leaves and debris hit the bag, weighed in at less than eight pounds, and had a relatively low noise rating.
A close second was the Black & Decker NS118 cordless blower. We liked the cordless option, but unfortunately the batteries maxed out at 30 minutes of use time, and we decided that may not be enough. Additionally, it sold for about the same retail price as the Toro Ultra Blower Vac, but it didn’t have the light mulch option. In its favor though, the Black & Decker weighed in at only a little bit over five pounds and was very quiet.
Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sears Lawn & Garden or ACE Hardware are good places to do a bit of research and actually hold and test leaf blowers before buying. If you’re opting to purchase one online, Amazon.com’s garden category offers a variety of leaf blowers, and you can also find them new and used on eBay.
