Leaf Blower Reviews

All You Need to Know About Leaf Blowers – From General Information to Buying Guide

Leaf blowers are common to every household, especially the ones which have a backyard or a front lawn. As is obvious from the name, leaf blowers are meant to blow the leaves to clear away the area. Leaf blowers were basically invented as agricultural chemical spraying machines. However shortly after their introduction, some consumers modified it by eliminating the chemical dispensing device from it.

When this modified version of the chemical sprayer became popular, the manufacturers saw the potential of this product and this brought about the production of what came to be known as the leaf blowers. Soon the leaf blowers became famous in homes across the nation. As compared to a normal rake, using a leaf blower was much less time consuming and easier to use. And in short time it became an indispensible gardening tool of every home.

Assembly of a Leaf Blower

The leaf blower is a simple tool which has an electric motor or an engine which propels air and a long nozzle in the front through which the air is released at high pressure. The engines used initially in some leaf blowers were two stroke engines, but due to some environmental issues, they were mostly replaced by four-stroke engines.

The more common ones are those which are hand held. If they are fitted with a vacuum then there is a small bag attached to it to collect the leaves and debris. Then there are those which are mounted as back pack units. These prove to be more ergonomic.

The Basics of Using a Leaf Blower

A leaf blower is pretty easy to use as it is a very simple piece of machinery. However there are certain things which need to be taken care of so that your yard is cleaned up efficiently without it being a hazardous operation. Below are some tips that you should follow as safety precautions when handling a leaf blower.

1. 1. If the leaf blower starts to vibrate a lot in the beginning then shut it down and try again after a short break. There are those that usually vibrate throughout the blowing but then they become very cumbersome in the operation and might prove to be very fatiguing to the arms and hands.

1. 2. It is better if you keep the task of cleaning up your yard or lawn on a dry day because trying to blow wet leaves and debris could be a messy job, not to mention difficult. Similarly avoid using the leaf blower when it is already very windy outside. This is only going to add more work to your list.

1. 3. Wear a safety apparel or something protective over your clothing because it is indeed a messy business. Also cover your ears with protective ear muffs as a leaf blower is quite noisy and continuous loud noise can damage ears. Similarly you also need to protect your eyes. The strong air which blows from the nozzle blows leaves, broken twigs, splinters and any small debris material. There is a lot of chance that something can get caught in the eye. To avoid the chance of damaging your eye, wear protective glasses.

1. 4. Select an area in your garden or backyard where you are going to collect all the leaves and debris. Start from one side, working your way to the other side. It is better to lay something over there on which all the leaves can be collected. It is easier to pick them up later on.

The Different Types of Leaf Blowers

There are many different kinds of leaf blowers in the market. Out of these the electric leaf blowers are often preferred over the gas engine leaf blowers. Both however are used to clear away leaves and debris from the yard. It all depends on personal preferences in the end. Let’s have a brief look over some of these types.

1. 1. Electric Leaf Blower

Electric leaf blower rate quite high as far as the convenience and light weight is concerned. However these are mostly corded therefore they might obstruct mobility. Because their weight is either 7lb. or less, they can easily be held in one hand. There is usually a single button in an electric leaf blower to start the machinery to avoid any hassle. It also has zero exhaust emissions.

For such a light weight machine it has great power and strength to meet your clean up demands. For more information on electric leaf blowers you can visit here.

Our choice for electric leaf blower is Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller. Read review here or go to Amazon to buy it now.

1. 2. Gas Leaf Blower

The gas leaf blower is also meant for one hand use. Its cordless mobility gives it an edge over the electric counterparts. However it doesn’t operate on a single push button and you will have to yank a cord to start its engines.

As compared to the electric leaf blower, gas leaf blower is a bit noisy so you will have to buy ear protection gear. They are also a bit heavier than the other ones. Gas leaf blower comes in two stroke engines and four stroke engines as well. The four stroke engines are more environment-friendly but they also make the machinery heavy.

Our choice for gas leaf blower is Husqvarna 125BVx 28cc 2-Cycle Gas Powered 170 MPH Blower/Vac With Smart Start – go to Amazon to buy it now

1. 3. Backpack Leaf Blower

Backpack leaf blower is another version of this useful machinery and is perfect for cleaning up large places. Though it is best for commercial purpose it can be used at home as well especially when the lawns or gardens in the estate are big.

Backpack leaf blower is built to allow comfortable performance. It is usually fitted with a back padding and comfortably sized harness so that the whole operation becomes very easy for the gardener. Its machinery is light but powerful enough to complete any job. For more information on backpack leaf blower go here.

1. 4. Cordless Leaf Blower

The cordless leaf blower is like any other leaf blower but with the added advantage of being cordless. The cordless leaf blower has increased mobility making any yard clean up job very easy.

1. 5. Blower Vacuum

Blower vacuum is somewhat different than the above-mentioned leaf blowers as this one has a vacuum fitted in it. Though it also cleans up the garage and yard, but it is designed to suck in the leaves and debris and not blow it away.

It comes with a bag attached to it, where the leaves can be collected. Some of its models are also fitted with a shredder so that it can shred the debris while collecting it.

How to Buy The Best Leaf Blower – Consumer’s Guide

Since there are many types of leaf blowers available in the market, you need to be pretty sure of your requirement before heading on to buying it. Besides the cost, there are many other things that need to be considered before making this decision.

1. 1. How Big is Your Requirement

If you have a big house that has large gardens or even small lawns but which has dense foliage then you can go for the bigger back pack leaf blower. This will prove to be useful to clear away thick debris or to clear away large areas without getting tired. But if you have a smaller house or a smaller area to clean then you can make use of the hand held ones which are much lighter and easier to use.

1. 2. Choosing Between Cordless and Corded

Of course cordless leaf blower, as compared to corded one, has greater mobility. You can move around easily without having to worry about getting tangled in the cord. But if you have small back yard and you can easily reach every corner without having to change the cord from one plug to another then you might want to consider the corded one.

1. 3. Comparing The Costs

The cost of the leaf blower does not end with buying it. A leaf blower requires maintenance regularly and out of the different types, gas leaf blower requires it even more. So you might want to consider all the costs before buying one.

Advantages of Using a Leaf Blower

It is still very natural for people to think that a leaf rake is better because it costs much less of course. However there are many advantages of a leaf blower which makes it a better investment.

1. 1. The greatest advantage of having a leaf blower is that it saves a lot of time and energy while cleaning up the backyard or front lawn as compared to doing the same thing with a leaf rake.

1. 2. It is much easier to handle; all you need to do is start it with a push button and point the nozzle towards the debris and it is going to do the rest.

1. 3. You will be able to easily remove leaves from tight corners where it is impossible to put the rake.

1. 4. Those people with disabilities can also use leaf blowers with ease.

1. 5. Some leaf blowers can also be used as lawn vacuums so that you can readily shred them up and create mulch.