GTech have just launched this leaf blower new for 2017. Soon it'll be Autumn and time to clear the leaves away! This review exposes the details you need.
Vinaya vidheya rama full movie in hindi. Browse Close Search Wirecutter For: Search.Search Wirecutter For: SearchReviews for the real world. In our five years of leaf blower testing, the has been the most powerful electric blower we’ve used. In fact, it’s more powerful than a lot of the gas blowers we’ve used. The strong air stream easily gets under dense, damp, or matted leaves to lift them and move them forward.
At under 6½ pounds, the Worx is almost 2 pounds lighter than the next-lightest corded model we tested and several pounds lighter than similar handheld gas models. It’s also simpler to operate than most other blowers, due in part to a variable-speed dial that you can control with one hand. At around $50, it’s one of the best-priced blowers you can get—it’s cheaper than other electric models, and most cordless or gas models can easily cost $100 more. If the Worx isn’t available or if you’re willing to invest in a more premium electric blower, we like the.Its leaf-moving power is about the same as the Worx’s, but its contoured handle and intuitive controls offer a much nicer leaf-blasting experience. It’s designed and built better, with a sturdy plastic body and a kit that includes three nozzles. But the more rugged construction means additional heft—the DeWalt is over 3 pounds heavier than the Worx, and it typically costs about twice as much as our top pick.
Overall, it’s a nicer blower to use, but we think most seasonal users will be happy enough with the lighter, less expensive, and just-as-powerful Worx. One drawback of the Worx and DeWalt (and any other standard electric blower) is that they’re tethered to an outlet. So if you have to go farther than a 50- or 100-foot extension cord allows, the cordless battery-powered is an option.
It offers a little less power than our corded picks and comes with the compromise of limited battery life—but with about 20 minutes of life on high power, the Ego’s included 2.5 Ah battery gives it a run time as good as that of cordless models that typically cost $100 more. It also has a turbo button that can produce an extra burst of power to loosen a clump of matted leaves. If you have the money and motivation to purchase additional tools from Ego’s lineup of outdoor power equipment, you could acquire multiple batteries and greatly extend this tool’s run time—but that’s a much larger investment, and a capable corded leaf blower is still the first option we’d suggest to anyone seeking a machine to do some simple fall lawn cleanup.
If the Ego is not available or if you are already invested in other DeWalt 20-volt cordless tools, we also like the. In power, it’s similar to the Ego, but the controls and ergonomics are better, and it’s lighter by about a pound. The downside is that its run time isn’t as good as the Ego’s, with a full battery lasting only 16½ minutes, roughly three minutes less than the Ego. But if you have other DeWalt batteries, you can likely sidestep this issue by always having one charging while you’re running the blower. If your property is more than an acre, with densely wooded areas, and you often need to blast a heap of leaves 100 feet across a field, we suggest going with the.
You can certainly find more powerful blowers, but after a test against four competitors and four years of long-term field testing by pro landscapers, our experts agreed that the midrange BR 350 has all the power anyone would really need. The BR 350 is chock-full of smart design features, such as an upward-oriented gas fill and a well-protected gas cap. It also has a convenient spot for placing your hand while you’re pull-starting. The Stihl is gas powered, so you’ll have to a two-stroke gas engine (and any issues that arise).
It’s powerful and totally portable, but you really need to have a lot of ground to cover to justify purchasing this blower. Before we handed our leaf blowers over to a landscaping crew for testing, we spent hours reading everything we could on the topic. We spent a lot of time with Roy Berendsohn’s impressive collection of articles at Popular Mechanics, most specifically his of. Berendsohn has tested lawn equipment for decades and is one of the most respected voices on the topic. A review by also proved to be helpful, as did a that looked at four different blowers.In addition to our reading, we consulted with two landscapers: Kevin Walker of in Carlisle, Massachusetts, for in-field testing, and Chad Crosby of for interviews.
We also had a long conversation with Dan Pherson, a product manager at Stihl USA. And I’ve personally spent many hours using leaf blowers—long before I began researching machines for this guide or going through the four years of testing that followed. Currently I own a 15½-acre property in rural New England that has plenty of leaves to manage. Who this is for. If you live on less than a quarter acre, clean up after only one or two trees, and don’t mind a workout,. If raking takes more than an hour and it’s more labor than you’re willing to deal with, a leaf blower is a better choice.Leaf blowers not only work faster than rakes and take less effort but can also perform many tasks that rakes and mowers can’t. Blowers can clean pine needles from a gutter, blow dust out of your garage, clear grass clippings from a driveway, or get leaves out of thick ground-cover plants like vinca or pachysandra.Another way to deal with leaves is to use a.
These mowers can slice and dice leaves into small pieces, leaving them behind to compost and provide nutrients to your lawn. This is a good option for lawn areas, but you’ll still need something for clearing walkways, flower beds, and stonework. How we picked and tested. You can find several prominent styles of leaf blower: corded, cordless (handheld and backpack), and gas powered (handheld and backpack).
Each one comes with a unique set of trade-offs that make it ideal for different circumstances.Corded (electric) blowers are the least expensive option. They offer power comparable to that of many gas blowers, but with less weight, less irritating noise, no emissions, and no maintenance. I’ve owned a corded blower since 2007, and when I’m not using it I just shut it off and toss it in a corner of the garage. Some corded blowers have a shredder/vacuum feature that can suck up leaves and chop them up into tiny pieces, kind of like a quieter, engine-free version of a. According to Stihl’s Dan Pherson, corded blowers are good for “general use, smaller properties, condos, a small backyard, and cleaning up the deck.” They’re usually not much quieter than gas handheld models on a decibel level, but we think the tone of the noise on corded models is far less irritating to the ears. The blowers we tested in 2016. Photo: Doug MahoneyThe best battery-powered cordless blowers offer power similar to that of the corded models but with a much higher degree of maneuverability, so they’re perfect for clearing large lawns with few trees, handling small properties with multiple trees, cleaning gutters, and blowing a light snow off the deck.
They’re also the quietest blowers. As Pherson told us, “When it comes to low noise, it’s tough to beat lithium-ion cordless.” The downside with these models is the battery run time: The best models can get about 20 to 25 minutes on high. Because of the large batteries, recharge time can be long as well, especially on backpack models, which have larger batteries than handhelds. Generally, however, batteries for outdoor equipment have advanced considerably in recent years, and with power and run time increasing as prices and recharge times drop, these tools are far better options than they used to be.Gas handheld blowers have solid power and no tether, but they’re pretty hard to use—in fact, our general recommendation is to skip them and step up to a backpack model if you can afford to. Here’s why: On average, gas handhelds weigh around 10 pounds, making them 2 to 3 pounds heavier than similar corded models.
Blowing leaves can take a while, and swinging and pivoting a gas engine at arm’s length for 30 or 40 minutes is difficult to do. With a backpack model, you get at least the same power (and usually more), keep the limitless portability of a gas engine, and gain much better ergonomics.There is no standardized way to measure blowers’ airflow stats—some companies record them from the end of the blower tube, while others measure air coming directly off the motor.Backpack blowers offer the best in power and ergonomics for medium to large yards. By relocating the weight to the user’s back, backpack blowers can have a bigger, stronger engine and a larger gas tank for longer run time without putting a lot of strain on the user. The drawbacks of a backpack blower are cost and maintenance. For the most part, backpack models start in the $250 range and rise to more than $500; the small to midsize models generally cost less than $350. As with all gas blowers, backpack models can be loud and stinky, and they require proper off-season storage; you also have to mix gas and oil precisely to fuel them up. Concerns over emissions (and noise) have led many cities and neighborhoods to restrict or ban gas-powered leaf blowers entirely.We need to stress that, in looking at blowers, you shouldn’t put much stock in the airspeed (mph) and air volume (cfm, cubic feet per minute) numbers that manufacturers use to try to sell you their blowers, regardless of the style.
According to Pherson, “Velocity helps lift the leaves, the volume helps blow them away.” The problem is that there is no standardized way to measure blowers’ airflow stats—some companies record them from the end of the blower tube, while others measure air coming directly off the motor, inflating the numbers. That said, for comparison purposes, they’re really only a starting point.In looking at models to test, we chose those from quality manufacturers that had solid reviews from other editorial sources or stellar feedback on retailer sites.
This step eliminated many blowers from Homelite, Remington, SunJoe, Troy-Bilt, and Weed Eater, all of which ranked considerably lower than our tested models at the time.“When it comes to low noise, it’s tough to beat lithium-ion cordless.” —Dan Pherson, product manager, StihlFor the original version of this guide in 2014, we looked exclusively at gas-powered models, with help from Kevin Walker, a landscaper with 31 years of experience, and two of his crew (Anthony, with nine years of experience, and Justin, with 12 years of experience). These models included the, and.To test them, each landscaper fueled up, started, and used each blower for an extended period of time, and all three inspected each unit from tip to tail. We also looked at the decibel readings of each blower using a. We discovered that the blowers all measured similarly in terms of decibels, but that different tones were either more or less annoying.We updated this guide in 2016 after looking at two new corded blowers and three cordless blowers: the, the, the, the, and the.
In 2017 we looked at two additional cordless models, the and the. And in 2018 we tested two new DeWalt blowers, the corded and the cordless.We tested these blowers on a property in rural New Hampshire under the canopies of large maples and oaks.
We also brought them into the woods to see how they would do against the thick, matted leaf-and-pine-needle bed of the forest floor. In addition, we used them around flower beds, cobblestone steps, and stone walls, as well as in dense ground cover like pachysandra and vinca.
Our pick: Worx WG520 Turbine Leaf Blower. Corded blowers meet most people’s needs because they’re powerful, lightweight, free of emissions, and low-maintenance. After five years of testing, our pick is the.Compared with the others we tested, it had the most powerful airstream, and it showed no problems getting under the bed of thick, damp, matted leaves and pine needles on the forest floor. With the blower tubes in the same position, the Worx pushed leaves 2 feet farther than most other blowers we tested. You can use the Worx’s variable-speed control one-handed, so it’s easy to tone down the airflow when you need to, such as when you’re going around flower beds or dusting out a garage.
At under 6½ pounds, it’s also lighter than the other blowers we looked at, which will reduce arm strain over the long term. And the Worx is reasonably priced for a blower of this caliber.A leaf blower starts with its ability to move air, and that’s where the Worx WG520 is so successful. Tested against our previous picks, the Black+Decker BV6600 and the highly regarded line of corded Toro blowers, the Worx clearly had the most impressive air-moving power, lifting and launching wet, matted leaves a full 2 feet farther than the competition.The open end of the blowing tube is a round 3¼ inches in diameter, so the airstream of the Worx casts a wide net and is ideal for open-lawn leaf moving. All of this means faster work and less overall time spent moving leaves. Most other blowers have smaller-diameter nozzles, which are nice for precision work but take more effort to clear a lawn. The blower tube of the Worx WG520 (left) is significantly larger than most, such as that of the Black+Decker BV6600 (right). Photo: Doug MahoneyThe Worx WG520 is also very easy to operate.
The entire interface is one-handed and consists of a single thumb dial that turns the blower on and off and adjusts the speed. It’s intuitive, and it offers the ability to quickly reduce the airflow if you’re cleaning out a flower bed or around a recently mulched tree. Even if you’re using the blower just to sweep dust out of the garage, using less air will prevent a giant dust cloud. Some blowers, such as the highly regarded Toro models, require two hands to operate.The noise of an electric motor is very different from the irritating high-pitched whine of a two-stroke engine.At less than 6½ pounds, the Worx is also lighter than the rest (more than 1½ pounds less than the next lightest, the Black+Decker BV6600), so it doesn’t wear out the arm as quickly. A little weight here and there might not sound like much, but if you’re swinging a blower back and forth for 30 minutes to an hour, any amount of weight is going to add up. The Worx has a simple one-handed control: You handle on/off and airspeed with a single thumb dial. Photo: Doug MahoneyLike any leaf blower, the Worx WG520 is loud.
But because it doesn’t have a gas engine, it sounds more like a really, really loud hair dryer, which, minus the heating coil, is basically what it is. We found during testing that the noise of an electric motor is very different from the irritating high-pitched whine of a two-stroke engine, even if the decibel readings are in the same ballpark.The Worx clearly had the most impressive air-moving power.The Worx WG520 typically sells for around $50, which is a great price, especially in comparison with other high-end electric blowers, most of which come with a leaf-mulching function and are usually closer to $80. We like that the Worx is powerful but also that it’s stripped down, which not only lightens it but also reduces the overall cost as well. If you have no plans to use a mulcher, why pay for it?But when calculating overall price, keep in mind that if you’re starting from scratch and in need of the full 100 feet of maneuverability, you’ll need to drop an additional $40 to $50 on an extension cord. Worx recommends at least an 18-gauge cord for 25 feet, a 16-gauge cord for 50 feet, and the heavier 14-gauge cord for 100 feet. I can say from experience that a 100-foot 14-gauge cord is extremely unwieldy and difficult to wrap up—and sadly, capable of taking out an entire flower bed.
A great companion to this leaf blower. The biggest downside to the Worx WG520 is that the air intake is at the rear, so for all the air that’s blasting out the nozzle end, an equal amount is being sucked in through the back. Because of this back-end positioning, clothing can easily get pulled against the intake cover. During normal use with the blower at our side, this wasn’t a problem, but when we passed it from hand to hand, or did any other operations that put the blower directly in front of us, someone’s shirt got sucked against the intake cover—easy enough to deal with, but annoying once it happens a few times (don’t worry, the cover is substantial enough that clothes won’t get pulled into the fan). Get used to keeping the blower farther away as you move it around your body.Think of it as a firehose, but with air instead of water.Part of why we like this Worx model is that it’s extremely powerful, but we also found that it can be a little unruly in certain situations. Because it comes with only the single wide-end nozzle, you have no way to pinpoint the airflow—if you need that, our runner-up pick comes with a nozzle reducer. Also, due to its massive blowing power, the Worx is not ideal for quick, precise movements of the blowing tube.
Think of it as a firehose, but with air instead of water. We found that it works best with wide, swinging arcs, and for blasting leaves across the yard. But for smaller shifts back and forth, such as under a rose bush, you’re fighting the blower’s power, and it can get a little tiring. This isn’t to say that you can’t do it, but if the majority of your leaf blowing is around fragile plants, flower beds, or stonework, the DeWalt DWBL700 is a better option. Runner-up: DeWalt DWBL700 12 Amp Handheld Blower. May be out of stock.At the time of publishing, the price was $100.If the Worx WG520 isn’t available or you’re willing to invest in a blower with premium features, we also like the.
It has about the same leaf-blowing power as the Worx, but it typically costs twice as much. Compared with our main pick, it feels more durable, has a better handle, and offers easier-to-use controls; it also comes with three different-shaped nozzles, making precision work that much easier. The downside is that this DeWalt model is heavy, weighing over 3 pounds more than the Worx, which definitely adds wear and tear on the arms. If you’re just doing some seasonal clearing of a lawn, deck, or patio, the lighter—and much less expensive—Worx is a better option.The handle of the DeWalt is exceptional. Molded to a comfortable shape and tapering toward the pinky finger, it’s easy to grip; we had no hand-fatigue issues while using the blower even for extended periods of time. It has a simple variable-speed trigger activation, and a thumb lever lets you lock in a speed so you don’t have to constantly hold down the trigger. What’s nice is that with the blower locked in a middle speed, you can still use the trigger to goose up the power for a stubborn patch of wet leaves.
When you release the trigger, it returns to the preset power level. The handle of the DeWalt DWBL700 fits the hand and puts all of the controls in the right place.
Best Cordless Electric Blowers
Photo: Doug MahoneyThe overall build quality is substantial, which is not surprising given that DeWalt caters to professionals. Made of heavy-duty plastic and with a roll-cage-style foot, the DWBL700 looks like it can handle quite a bit of daily abuse.This DeWalt model is designed in the style of a traditional gas handheld blower, so the air intake is on the right side of the tool (looking at it from behind). For right-handed users, this design keeps the sucking fan well away from clothing.
There were times when it grabbed clothing as we switched hands, but it’s not too difficult to keep the machine far enough away so clothes don’t get sucked in constantly.We like that the DWBL700 comes with three nozzles: the regular round nozzle, a flat one for lifting really wet and stuck leaves, and a very small 1-inch round nozzle for crevices like those in stone walls. They’re easy to put on and take off the tube end, and we found them all to be effective.
The corded DeWalt comes with three nozzles. Photo: Doug MahoneyThe major downside of the DeWalt, when compared with the Worx, is that it’s heavy—it comes in at just under 10 pounds, whereas the Worx is not even 6½ pounds. While the ergonomics and design lessen the feel of the load, that’s still a lot of weight to carry around, and for longer leaf-blowing sessions, it got tiring for us.The DeWalt DWBL700 typically costs around $100, twice what the Worx WG520 usually sells for. Looking at the other available blowers, we believe this is a reasonable price to pay for what you’re getting given the DeWalt’s excellent feature set.
For a seasonal tool, however, most people would be perfectly happy with the much less expensive Worx. Also great: Ego LB5302 56-Volt Cordless Electric Blower.
For cordless convenience, we recommend the, which we found to be on a par with the corded Black+Decker BV6600 in leaf-moving power. The Ego weighs just under 8 pounds and has a turbo button that provides a little boost in power to loosen a matted bed of leaves. This tool is part of Ego’s cordless outdoor power tool lineup, all of which have performed very well in our testing: We currently recommend the company’s,. The batteries on these tools are all interchangeable, so once you have a battery, you can purchase the other tools without batteries at a reduced price.The most important factor with a cordless blower is run time.
In our tests, the Ego LB5302 provided just under 20 minutes while set on high with the included 2.5 Ah battery. Only the DeWalt 40-volt and Milwaukee cordless models (22 minutes) and the Ego LB6002 Backpack Blower (26 minutes) ran longer, but all three are either significantly heavier or typically cost $100 to $150 more.
Most of the other cordless blowers hovered around eight to 12 minutes, putting the Ego LB5302 significantly above similarly priced options.Its power is also impressive. Though not as aggressive as the corded Worx WG520, the Ego LB5302 had no problems lifting and pushing piles of damp, matted leaves. A turbo button is available for adding a blast of power, but at the cost of battery life: We took only 8½ minutes to drain the battery in turbo mode, so it’s a feature you should use sparingly.Along with the other cordless blowers we tested, the Ego LB5302 is quieter than the electric models we looked at.
Although our decibel readings were similar across the two types of blowers, the Ego lacked the high-pitched whine of the electric models. We don’t think someone standing 20 feet away will be able to tell much of a difference, but if noise is a crucial factor for you, the Ego is your best option.The cordless Ego is heavier than the corded Worx, by more than a pound. It’s an easy blower to swing around, and we thought the arm fatigue was minimal, especially given that the battery life dictates a stopping time. If the LB5302 does get too heavy, it has a little clip that you can use to attach a shoulder strap (not included).
The Ego LB5302’s air intake is in front of the battery housing, so it’s less likely to pull in clothing or debris. Photo: Doug MahoneyLike the Worx WG520 corded blower, the cordless Ego LB5302 has a rear intake, but due to the smart design, it doesn’t suck in clothing. Ego placed the battery area behind the intake, leaving a wide space between the two.
This works to balance the tool and protects the intake from clothing and debris.If you’re thinking of getting this model, it makes sense to look at the purchase as if you’re buying into Ego’s lineup of battery-powered outdoor power tools, which includes string trimmers, mowers, and chainsaws. All of these operate on the same battery, making this leaf blower an easy choice if you already have (or plan to buy) these other tools. The 2.5 Ah battery included in this tool is one of several that Ego produces; in our tests with a larger, 5 Ah battery (which boosts the tool’s weight to 10 pounds), we saw nearly double the run time.If you have multiple Ego batteries of any size, you can greatly extend the overall run time available to you by charging one battery while the other is running. We averaged recharge times of just under an hour, matching Ego’s claims, when putting a depleted 2.5 Ah battery on the standard charger included with the blower. The Ego blower is also available as a (meaning, it comes with no battery or charger) for a reduced price.The downside of the LB5302 is that it does not have a variable-speed trigger.
You change the airspeed with a dial at the front of the tool, and the process requires a second hand, which is inconvenient when you’re closing in on flower beds. We much prefer true variable-speed triggers, like the one found on the 20-volt DeWalt models. The Ego’s controls could be better. Because the speed control is in front of the handle, you need a second hand to adjust it. Also note the shoulder-strap clip at the lower right.
Photo: Doug Mahoney Also great: DeWalt DCBL720P1 20V Max Brushless Handheld Blower.At the time of publishing, the price was $0.If the Ego LB5302 is not available, or if you already have tools on the DeWalt 20-volt platform, we like the. In most ways, we liked it more than the Ego, but the all-important run time just wasn’t as high. This DeWalt cordless model weighs about a pound less and sports better ergonomics, much better balance, and easy one-handed controls.Like the corded DeWalt DWBL700, the usability of the cordless Dewalt DCBL720P1 stands out. It has the same variable-speed trigger with the same thumb lock to set a speed, which is far easier to use than the Ego’s two-handed speed control. The DCBL720P1 also has better balance: Whereas the Ego tends to tip forward, the DeWalt naturally sits in a more comfortable position, taking a little strain off the forearm while clearing leaves.The DCBL720P1 weighs under 7 pounds and is about a pound lighter than the LB5302. Much of this weight difference comes from DeWalt’s smaller battery. Because it’s so light, the DeWalt cordless model is easy to maneuver around and swing from side to side.
If weight is a major concern for you, this model is one to consider.The one area where the Ego ranks higher is in run time—and that’s the primary reason we recommend it over the DeWalt for most people who want a cordless blower. The Ego lasts for just under 20 minutes on a single charge, while the DeWalt goes for around 16½ minutes. That may not sound like much, but when you have to wait an hour or more to recharge a battery, every minute counts—and it could be the difference between finishing up for the day and having to do the rest with a rake. In this regard, the DCBL720P1 is still better than the other cordless options in its price range, which tend to top out around the 12-minute mark.But if you already have tools that use the DeWalt 20-volt battery, the run-time issue might become a moot point. If you have one or two batteries charging while you’re blowing leaves with the other, you could have nonstop run time—along with the lighter weight, better balance, and other factors that make the DCBL720P1 a generally excellent cordless blower option. Also great: Stihl BR 350 gas-powered backpack blower. If you’re working on more than an acre with lots of wooded areas, or if you’re blowing leaves a good distance to the treeline, we recommend the.
Of all the gas blowers our landscapers looked at, this was the one model they universally loved. It’s loaded with smart features, and as landscaper Kevin Walker said, “this one out-blows everything.”You can find more powerful blowers, but this midsize model offers all the blowing power you’d ever need.The fact that the BR 350 moved leaves better than the other backpack blowers set it ahead of the pack, but all of the small touches in the overall design are what especially appealed to Walker and his crew. The gas fill is oriented upward, as opposed to at an angle, making for an easy, spill-free pour; the gas cap has a hard plastic ridge around it, protecting it from bumps; and the top of the tool is the perfect shape for placing a hand while you’re pulling the starter.
None of the other blowers we looked at combined such power with such smart features.You can find more powerful blowers than the Stihl BR 350, but as far as Walker is concerned, this midsize model offers all the blowing power anyone would ever need. The blowers we tested in 2014. Top (left to right): Ryobi RY08420, Toro Ultra, Ego 56-Volt, Ryobi 40-Volt. Bottom (left to right): Husqvarna 130BT, Stihl BR 200, Husqvarna 350BT, Stihl BR 350. Photo: Doug MahoneyThe BR 350 weighs 22½ pounds, which is a good amount of weight to carry around.
If that’s too much, you can step down in size and power to the. Comparing that blower with models of a similar size, Walker and his crew liked the 130BT for its ample power, manageable weight, and relatively quiet operation. But it takes longer to move leaves than the Stihl BR 350.Walker and his crew have used the Stihl BR 350 for more than four years, and it has continued to be well-received.
Walker told us that it “has been a great workhorse and definitely a crew favorite for larger work areas where a lot of distance needs to be covered.” When he first looked over the unit, he mentioned its higher-pitched noise, but he told us that none of his crew have mentioned that issue since. Noise and emissions. When you’re getting into gas-powered blower models, noise and emissions are big concerns.Regarding emissions, all of the gas-powered blowers we tested are CARB-compliant, meaning that they comply with the strict emissions regulations of the state of California as set by the California Air Resources Board. We found in our research that most blowers from reputable companies are CARB-compliant.
This doesn’t mean that they emit rose petals instead of pollution, of course, but it does mean that the manufacturer has made an effort to tighten the ship.As for noise, the onus is on you to understand local regulations regarding the operation of leaf blowers. Some cities and towns have full-on leaf-blower bans, and others allow leaf blowing only during selected times. For example, allows just one blower per 6,000 square feet, to be operated only 30 minutes at a time, with 15-minute breaks in between. Other communities adhere to maximum decibel levels.Regardless of your local regulations, using your blower in a respectful manner is always a good idea. Most of it is common sense: Don’t blow leaves at 9:45 p.m.
Don’t blow your leaves into your neighbor’s yard. Don’t leave your blower running while you go inside to watch the big game. Stihl has a guide to that’s worth a look. Service, care, and maintenance.
If you choose a corded or cordless blower, you don’t have to do much as far as taking care of it. Don’t let it get rained on, don’t drop it off the roof, and don’t drive over it with your car. A gas blower, on the other hand, needs some effort, as do all small engines.The most important thing to do is to read the manual and follow what it says. You can end up voiding many warranty claims through improper storage or winterizing of the tool or the incorrect mixture of gas and oil.provides a thorough listing of daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance tasks.
It’s geared toward the professional who uses a blower on a constant basis, but it’s still a good set of guidelines. If you find that listing too dense, Roy Berendsohn of Popular Mechanics offers a good summary of tips for keeping any two-stroke engine in working order at the bottom of.One particular piece of advice to keep in mind is to avoid filling any two-stroke engine with a fuel that is high in ethanol. As Berendsohn explains, “The alcohol in the fuel dissolves plastic and rubber parts in the fuel system. It also attracts moisture, which leads to corrosion of metal parts.” Many gas stations pump E10 these days, which is a 10 percent ethanol mixture. You can use that if necessary, but you should absolutely avoid E15 (15 percent ethanol).
Companies such as Stihl offer of premixed ethanol-free fuel specifically for two-stroke engines. Compared with what you get at the pump, the price is very high, but the fuel is clean and there’s no need to fuss with mixing gas and oil.It also helps to know how to use the device properly. We tested a number of additional blowers and dismissed others before the testing phase.
Corded blowersThe is our previous runner-up. It’s a nice blower, and we like that it has the mulching function. But its leaf-blasting ability is just not on a par with that of the Worx WG520 or DeWalt DWBL700.The is a popular model, but we found it to be a little heavy and out of balance, putting added strain on the wrist.
It also has a tedious system for switching out the reducing nozzles that requires the removal of the entire blowing tube and the guard that protects the underside of the blower. Last, the variable-speed knob is so far from the handle that you need to operate it with a second hand.Toro also sells the, which we tested as well. It appears to be the same as the 51619 except that it has an additional piece to aid leaf shredding, as well as an oscillating nozzle. It doesn’t compare to the Worx WG520 in overall power.The is similar to our main pick, except that it is not as powerful and it’s equipped with a shredder/vac function. Unfortunately, it’s only a two-speed blower with no nozzle reducer, so you have less flexibility around flower beds.The costs more than the Worx WG520 and doesn’t have the nozzle versatility of the DeWalt DWBL700.
Cordless blowersAlthough the has great power, the run time just wasn’t there in our tests. A fully charged battery lasted only 9 minutes, compared with our pick, the Ego LB5302, which typically lasted about 20 minutes.The matched the Ego LB5302 in leaf-moving power, and the battery lasted a couple of minutes longer. The 2728-21HD is now discontinued, but Milwaukee offers a similar model, the 2724-21HD, which we have not tested.The used to be our cordless pick, and we still like it a lot. Its run time is a little longer than the Ego’s, but by only a few minutes. It also costs as much as $150 more, which we think is a tough sell, although it does have a durable feel.We also tested the and thought it was very nice. It was the most powerful of the cordless models we looked at and had the longest run time, getting about 26 minutes on full power. It also has a turbo button for added oomph.
It currently costs about $300. There’s no question that the backpack offers convenience and allows the tool to come with Ego’s large and heavy 5.0 Ah battery, but we’re not convinced that the weight shift of the backpack is necessary for less than a half hour of run time—and just six minutes more than the run time of our handheld Ego pick. If you’re fully investing in Ego’s lineup of cordless lawn tools, however, the backpack blower starts to make more sense: With multiple batteries, you can potentially get infinite battery power (using one on the tool while the other is charging), and since the backpack blower comes with the company’s most powerful battery, you can use that on the other Ego tools as well.Ego also has a newer version of our cordless pick, the, with higher air-moving numbers and a slightly redesigned interface (it looks to have a one-handed operation instead of two-handed).
It comes with a more powerful 5.0 Ah battery and currently costs quite a bit more than our pick, about $350 versus $180. It may be a stronger blower, but the added cost is hard to justify.The typically costs about the same as the Ego LB5302, but it doesn’t offer the run time. Our testing had it at just over 13 minutes on high, whereas the Ego lasted for nearly 20. Otherwise, it’s a nice, strong blower.We tested the, and we found it to be powerful but hamstrung by an 8-minute run time. For the same price, the Ego LB5302 is a better option. The is the exact same tool.Ego’s first foray into cordless blowers, the, has a short, 10-minute run time and isn’t as powerful as the second-generation version, which we recommend.
This version offered about a $50 savings at the time of our research, but we think the added cost for the newer model is worth the extra cash.The was the least powerful of the cordless blowers we tested. We liked its longer, 15-minute run time and its smooth variable-speed trigger, but this model offered less power than the others and had problems moving any significant amount of leaves.Stihl also has a cordless blower, the, but we did not test it due to its exorbitant price. Just the tool alone, with no battery or charger, currently costs about $300. To get the rest of the package, you need to drop another $200, making it a $500 purchase.
Gas backpack blowersWe tested the small backpack blower, and although our landscapers liked the power, they didn’t like the noise. The BR 200 let out a high-pitched, ear-withering squeal that was impossible to ignore, even with our hearing protection on. The BR 200 is also typically sold for $50 more than the similar-size Husqvarna 130BT.
Given the noise, Kevin Walker’s crew found the added cost hard to justify.At first, Walker and his crew liked the looks of the, praising it for its ergonomics and general ease of use. That, combined with positive reviews from Popular Mechanics and other sites, led us to choose this model as a budget pick in our 2014 guide. Unfortunately, it has not held up well during long-term testing. After only a few months of use, Walker reported that his crew began to avoid it due to problems starting a hot engine.The BR 200 let out a high-pitched, ear-withering squeal that was impossible to ignore.We also tested the midsize but found it lacking next to our recommended Stihl BR 350. Beyond the fact that the 350BT wasn’t as strong as the BR 350, it also had a few design issues that the landscapers pointed out. They immediately identified the knob that tightens the joystick control in place as a weak point.
“Those things are just bad,” Justin said. “I have to retighten mine every day.” Kevin Walker also showed me the two unprotected wires in the engine: “Those will get caught on a branch and pulled right out,” he said. “I have no idea why they’re not in a sleeve like the other wires.” Kevin Walker’s old Husqvarna 350BT.
Note that the joystick is taped into place (the tightening knob no longer works), the tube extensions are taped together, and a wire tie at the upper end of the blowing tube is attempting to secure the control wire. “These are the things that go wrong with leaf blowers,” the landscaper told us. Photo: Doug MahoneyWe also had problems securing the blower tubes on the 350BT. Husqvarna models come with four lengths of tube rather than three, giving them an additional 5 inches of length. That’s good for tall people, but when the connections aren’t great, the blower tube picks up a massive wobble.
We had this issue only with the larger Husqvarna and not with the smaller 130BT.We did not test the now-discontinued (comparable with the midsize backpack blowers) because Popular Mechanics’s Roy Berendsohn ranked it below the Husqvarna 350BT. Of all the models we considered, the PB-500 had the lowest ratings on the Home Depot site.Larger blowers are available, such as the, but Walker told us that the added power of such models is unnecessary if you’re properly moving leaves with a tarp. Gas handheld blowersAlthough we strongly advise avoiding a handheld gas blower, if we were to recommend one, it would be a toss-up between the Stihl 55C and the. Roy Berendsohn of Popular Mechanics gave the Stihl 55C five stars and chose it as his “Best Overall,” writing, “The STIHL’s air-movement numbers were low compared with other blowers, but we found it moved debris better than those with higher numbers—the airstream is optimized, focused and less turbulent.” He gave the Husqvarna 125B 4.5 stars, though, and didn’t have anything negative to say about that model at all.The has a design similar to that of the Worx WG520, our corded pick, and has a lot of positive owner feedback. Due to the inexpensive cost of this blower (currently around $120), we’re skeptical of its long-term durability, especially considering the unexpectedly short lifespan we found on the other gas Ryobi blower we tested (the ).