After a year of use I can say this is a great blower for an electric one. Sure the CFM is not as high as a large backpack blower but model 51609 is great. It has a metal impeller which really shreds leaves. The inserts to change the nozzle size, which increases MPH) is great for moving wet leaves. The variable speed works well to not move too much mulch from around flowers. Weight After extended use especially in the vacuum mode it does wear out your arms. I am 5' 8" so the vacuum tube has to be either a bit out in front of me or I have to hold the main unit higher than is comfortable. Performance Works well in flower beds and my gravel driveway and really anything that is close to the house so I can reach it with an extension cord. Yes this will move gravel and rocks up to the size of a golf ball. I highly recommend this blower/vac for anyone with a yar that an extension cord would reach or for a yard that you wan tto use it for just moving leaves away from the house.

jkevinm

Evington, VA

The Toro Ultra Blower Vac is a great machine that lets you blow away stray leaves as well as vacuuming up small messes in your lawn. It is the only blower I use because it lasts a very long time. I got this blower at a good price and I can't express how amazing the machine is. It has tremendous power so that it leaves your lawn spotless of any extras, and it is able to handle anything. I've dropped the Toro a few times on accident due to the weight and power, but it still works as great as new. Weight The leaf blower is somewhat heavy, so it's not the easiest thing to balance when trying to vacuum and blow away leaves. Performance Despite the weight, the Toro works extremely well. It has an amazing amount of power. Handling Not too difficult to handle Ease of Use Very easy to use. It does have strong power, so I would grip the Toro tight in case the sudden power surprises you along with the weight of it. Durability Very durable; I have dropped it multiple times but it still works like a charm

MerpDerMerp

Undisclosed

One of the biggest problems with leaf-blowing is the fact that the leaves are still there. They just moved a bit. Frustrating? Of course. And sometimes this is necessary but whenever possible I prefer to use the leaf-mulching function which takes care of the the tediousness of simply pushing the leaves in a different spot. Especially ones which are well back in the backyard. Getting them somewhere to be picked or raked up is terribly annoying. The mulching mode obliterates the leaves and has a very nice filter which prevents the accidental pick up of things like twigs or plastic bags, etc. Weight The blower/mulcher is very light and easily converted from one mode to the other. Even after picking up a lot of leaves, the bag is not too heavy. It was obviously designed to be just big enough to not be cumbersome when full. Performance Does not lose power and requires very little maintenance. Handling The handling is very good but a bit awkward at times especially when just learning how to use it. Ease of Use It is very easy to use once you get the hang of it, which wakes about 3-4 minutes. Durability For being light, it's actually very durable and seems like it will hold up for years to come.

CaptBob21

USA

I have owned quite a few leaf blowers, and this Toro is my favorite. It is the most powerful I have used, but it is comfortable to handle and does not leave my hands numb from vibration. It has a lot of nice features, and is pretty light weight. I really can't think of a bad thing to say about this.

teacherguy

USA

Blows and mulches well. Very durable so long as you have a heavy duty extension cord. Make sure you use a 12 gauge extension cord or you risk burning up the motor. Converts from a blower to a mulcher very easily. The mulcher blade is heavy duty metal so it can chew through a lot of leaves very easily.

JeffJohnson234

USA

First off, I am a huge Toro fan.  My parents have had a Toro lawnmower since the 80s, and when I bought my own home, one of my first purchases was a Toro lawnmower.  When fall hit, I decided I needed a leaf blower; naturally I went for a Toro product. At first glance all I wanted was a blower to get the job done, but then I started seeing all these dual model blower/vacuums and figured maybe this would be handy.  Let me tell you, the vacuum on this thing is worthless.  Shifting from blower to vacuum is easy enough, however there is hardly enough suction to get anything worthwhile done.  By the time you could clear a 3x3 area by vacuuming, you would have blown a 15x15 area clean.  It is a nifty idea, but I don't think I will ever be using the vacuuming function again. Now as a pure leaf blower, this is an excellent product.  It is well balanced and proportional, and can really put out some CFMs to get the job done.  Do not fall for the vacuum marketing gimmick.

TTo

Westlake, OH

The Toro Ultra Blower works great, especially when you get a good momentum going. It is so much faster than the rake and a lot less work too. And it really saves on the back. I highly recommend it for any one with trees. We have 8 big Oak trees but with the Toro Ultra Blower makes short work of it. It is light weight and can get to some places that my rake can't get to. It can blow out the leaves when the rake can't get into pull it out.

chckmait

Kosciusko, MS

This blower works great but it is the vacuum I like best.  It does get uncomfortable standing forever to vacuum up lots of piles of leaves but I just sit down and feed the leaves into the vac and it chops them up really good and reduces the amout of leaf bags used dramatically.  It is simple and fast to detach the bag and go dump it in the refuse bag.

kserafin

Midlothian, IL

I bought this leaf blower/vac based on the fabulous reviews around the web and the fact that I had to replace my major retail store brand (gas powered) blower/vac. I like how easy it converts from vac to blower and back. It takes good care of the leaves, even wet ones and I have a lot of them. Using the electric blower takes away the gas/oil smell and muck from my clothing. Plus, it is light enough my 9 year old son can use it (and I'll convince him to use it).  It has variable speeds in the form of a dial on the unit itself.  The impeller is metal, where a lot of imitators are plastic which hit stick and will break.This is a great value for anyone looking for an electric blower/vac, now I just need to get a longer cord..

inetguy

Okemos, MI

  Toro Ultra 12 amp Variable speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller is the best blower/vac is the best lawn tool I have ever purchased. To think I used to rake my leaves! Dragging a cord around is not that much of a hassle for me, and it is well worth the power to weight and noise ratio this blower has (not to mention its lack of required maintenence). In fact, it is more powerful and quieter than most gas-powered blowers, most of which do not vac.The metal impeller in this model was the selling point for me and I was not disappointed. It sucks up twigs and bits of mulch without worry. In fact, the continuously adjustable suction allows you to suck up leaves over mulched areas. Pine-cones and hidden rocks also will not terribly damage the metal impeller. Great Item and I would Recommend!

ytyler1959

Conway, SC