Best Leaf Blowers - Leaf Blower Buying Guide

CHOOSING A LEAF BLOWER
There is no one overarching best leaf blower, but there is a best leaf blower for your needs! It's important to consider property size and location, access to power sources, the number and types of trees, your physical strength and endurance, and your budget when determining the best leaf blower for you. Let's look at your options.

ELECTRIC LEAF BLOWERS

Handheld Leaf Blowers

Electric handheld leaf blowers are perfect for smaller properties (less than ¼ acre) because their relative light weight makes them especially useful.

The lightest of these leaf blowers are the electric corded models. These leaf blowers can provide blowing speeds approaching 150 mph all while tethered to a 100-foot long heavy gauge extension cord. This type of leaf blower typically makes less noise than a gasoline powered unit, which is an important consideration for owners living in population dense areas.

• Pros: Lightweight, relatively quiet, requires little to no maintenance, inexpensive
• Cons: Mobility limited by cord length and easily obstructed

Rechargeable Electric Leaf Blowers

Rechargeable electric handheld leaf blowers are usually powered by an 18V battery. They are best suited for clearing driveways, walkways and patios of light debris, where operating time will be 15 minutes or less.

GAS LEAF BLOWERS

Handheld Leaf Blowers
For properties like those described above, but which are complicated by obstructions that preclude use of a corded electric blower, a gasoline powered handheld leaf blower would be a good alternative.

Very similar in design to their electric counterparts, they can be carried around or beyond any obstructions. These leaf blowers usually weigh 8-10 pounds more than other leaf blowers and produce increased vibration and noise levels. The combination of the additional weight and increased vibration can make the user arm weary in a relatively short time. Still, these handheld leaf blowers are generally more powerful than similar electric leaf blowers.

Keep in mind that annual maintenance is required for gas leaf blowers. Also, most of these leaf blowers have 2-stroke engines that require gasoline and motor oil to be pre-mixed. More expensive units can be found that utilize 4-stroke engines where gasoline and oil are added separately.

• Pros: Added portability, more powerful
• Cons: Added weight, cost and noise, a challenge for arthritic hands, frequent refueling, periodic maintenance required

Backpack Leaf Blowers
The backpack leaf blower is an alternative to the handheld gas leaf blower. Just as it sounds, this gas leaf blower is worn on the back and supported by padded shoulder straps. This allows a larger, more powerful engine to be used generating wind speeds that can exceed 200 mph. A wind tube extends from the lead blower and a throttle mechanism is hand operated. Typically, these are variable speed leaf blowers that allow you to be gentle when dealing with flower beds but savage lawns covered in fallen leaves.

Spreading the weight out across your back and having a larger fuel tank offers you the ability to use the backpack leaf blower comfortably for longer periods of time versus a handheld blower. These leaf blowers generally range in weight from about 15 to 24 lbs.

Larger engines usually mean louder engines. Plus, the engines are that much closer to your ears and nose. The smell of gasoline is quite noticeable with backpack units, particularly when used on damp days.

The added power and easier transport of these blowers make them suitable for larger properties.

• Pros: More powerful, more comfortable to use, added mobility, longer operating time between refueling.
• Cons: Noisier, greater exposure to gasoline fumes, requires refueling, requires periodic maintenance.

WALK BEHIND LEAF BLOWERS

Gas walk behind leaf blowers
Gas walk behind leaf blowers are the classic blowers that somewhat resemble a lawn mower. A larger gasoline engine is mounted on a wheeled chassis and operates a larger blowing mechanism. These blowers are generally meant for larger, more heavily treed properties. Power output on these big Kahunas generally start at 3 HP and can be found with engines as large as 15 HP. Although their weight can easily be in excess of 80 pounds they are generally easy to push and steer.

These machines are meant to clear a maximum amount of leaves and debris in a minimum amount of time. Although they have variable speed throttles, there is nothing subtle about them. They are ideal for large rural properties where leaves will be blown into the woods or into big mounds atop drop cloths that may be then taken deep into the woods. With larger gas tanks these blowers can often be run for an hour or so at a time.

These are generally the loudest of the leaf blowers and many towns have strict ordinances regarding their use. Before you purchase one of these, check with the local authorities.
They are also the most expensive leaf blowers, with prices for quality machines easily topping $1,000. As with all gasoline-powered blowers, periodic maintenance and tuning is required.

• Pros: Most powerful, moves massive amounts of leaves and debris, easy to push and steer
• Cons: Noisy, takes up garage space, considerably more expensive, needs periodic maintenance and tuning.

FINAL THOUGHTS
It's all about time management when shopping for the best leaf blower. Consider not only the time you'll be blowing leaves, but also the time you'll spend preparing and maintaining your equipment. Find the right balance.