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Backpack leaf blower – best electric/gas back-pack leaf blowers

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:00:46 +0000

Leaf blowers are machines everyone should have as help to maintain their gardens in a proper shape. There are many types of such tools on the market, some bigger, some smaller, some more powerful and some less. But, if you have a big garden, with many trees and a big lawn, you’re going to need one of the powerful machines to easily keep it in a good shape. And since power comes with size most of the time, you’ll have to go for a backpack leaf blower.

And that’s actually a good thing, as these machines are way more comfortable to use than the hand-held ones. The best backpack leaf blowers available now come with gas engines and even so, are not that noisy or dirty. Modern petrol powered leaf blowers really have to respect a pile of regulations on noise and pollution levels, so don’t worry about this aspect. Also, since they are gas powered, you can expect them to provide quite some muscles, being able to handle nearly everything: big piles of leafs both dry or wet, racks, small rocks and all kind of other debriefs.

There are some electric backpack blowers available on the market too, and although they run cleaner and are more eco-friendly, i wouldn’t recommend them, because you’ll get stuck with the pesky power cord limiting your maneuverability and you’ll also get way lees power than on a petrol machine.

Once again, i have to tell you that backpack leaf blowers are in fact very comfortable, although weighing around 18-20 pounds. They come with special harnesses and also a special designed system to reduce the amount of vibration transmitted from the engine to the saddle. Plus, for most of them, you get throttle control mounted conveniently on the pipe, only to make your work more pleasant.

Below you’re going to find some of the most popular black-pack leaf blowers available on the market right now. There are a couple of different models with different price tags, so you can easily find something within your budget. Also, all the tools present here were chosen based on marks and reviews posted by people owning them, on various websites and forums. So be sure these devices are top picks for sure.

- update with the recommended versions will follow soon -

Of course, you can also see the designated backpack leaf blower category here on this site for more deals and reviews.

And I’m aware that there might be some other good devices out there right now I might have missed, so if you know any worth joining this lit, don’t hesitate to post a comment.

But for now, that’s about it. I do hope i could give you a hand understanding the things you should know about backpack leaf blowers and hopefully you were able to find a device that can fit you needs and budget withing the ones listed in this article.

Lawn sweepers – best push and tow behind lawn sweepers

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:57:47 +0000

Although lawn sweepers are not exactly blowers, which is the main area of expertise for this site, you could see them as their greener alternative, as they do not require electricity or gas/petrol to be used (most are man powered, although there are some versions with an engine).

And, unlike leaf blowers that only move leafs around, they also collect them in a special container so it’s easier to dispose them after-awards. So, you can think of these lawn leaf sweepers as ecological vacuum cleaners for your garden.

There are basically two types of lawn sweepers available on the market: pushed or towed. Both work on the same principle: they have an axis with two wheels and a hamper for gathering debriefs. The axis between the wheels has a cylinder with some special brushes which spin when moving the machine and push the leafs and other things into the storage hopper.

Two main types of leaf sweepers: towed or pushed

A push lawn sweeper is most of the time operated manually (there are some versions with petrol engines though), by a human, and it’s decently cheap (around 100 bucks or less). It is also smaller and easier to store when not used, but that’s mainly because it uses a smaller capacity hopper.

Tow behind lawn sweepers on the other hand can be towed by a lawn tractor or an ATV and make gathering leafs more comfortable this way. Plus, most models can dump the debriefs with the press of a single button. Also, they offer a bigger storage area in the hamper, but cost more (around a couple of hundreds of bucks) and are quite bulkier, so will take a lot of room in your garage when stored.

No matter which one you choose, such a device is great to have around the house, especially if you have a big lawn (helps if it’s properly maintained and freshly cut) and you care about the environment. Not to mention those hand operated ones are good for your physical condition too. But, bare in mind, the main criteria to have in mind when picking one of these would be hopper capacity, warranty and of course, budget.

One thing's for sure: it's easier to use one of these sweepers than the classic rake

Lawn sweepers can’t totally replace blowers, as they only work on vast flat areas and are pretty much useless on corners and tight spaces. But, they do make gathering debriefs easier, that’s why people really appreciate them.

Now that we all know what a leaf lawn sweeper is, let’s see what are some of the best available such devices on the market right now, in the following list. Machines you’ll find bellow were all picked based on popularity and ratings received from owners in the entire US and posted on various online webstores and forums. So, be sure they are some of the best options you can get.

- update with recommended options to follow -

And of course, you can always check for more good options in the dedicated leaf lawn sweeper category on our site.

Now that’s about it. Hopefully we’ve helped you learn more about leaf sweepers and also pick one that could meet your budget and suit the requirements. So, happy gardening guys and don’t forget to leave a reply if you have any questions or just want to say hi.

Cordless leaf blower – best battery powered leaf blowers

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:46:47 +0000

In these modern days, leaf blowers are tools every house owner should have around the house. Between them the cordless ones are the most comfortable and easy to use. However, they lack the power of gas or even electric blowers, so are only suited for ligther jobs.

Cordless leaf blowers - light and easy to use by anyone

They do come with some unbeatable advantages other types of leaf blowers cannot offer. We’re going to talk about those, but also about the problems you should expect when using such battery powered devices, in the next rows. And after that, we’ll show you what are at the moment the best options for cordless leaf blowers and where you can get them for the best discounted prices.

First, let’s see why we like these house tools:

they are very light and easy to use with only one held
they are pretty quiet and vibrations produced by the electric power are not an inconvenience
they are battery powered, thus cordless, so you don’t get stuck with a pesky cord bothering you
they are clean to use, as they runs with electricity, unlike gas powered machines
they are pretty affordable (although more expensive than electric ones, at least for some versions)

And of course, there are some problems too. First, these machines really lack power. Although there are some exceptions, you can consider these more like leaf sweepers, devices you can use to clear leafs and dust from decks, garage floor and stairs; just don’t take them in the grass, they’ll be powerless there. Gas powered blowers would be the ones to pick for that job.

Also, since they are powered by batteries, they depend on autonomy, which in most cases is between 10 to 30 minutes. So, if you have jobs that should take longer, you’re going to wait for them to recharge. Which, depending on the type of batteries used (NiCad or LiPo), can take hours or tens of minutes.

Now, let’s see what you should pick if you’re looking for such a device. The models listed in here were chosen based on my experience with them (or what I’ve head from friends) or based on reviews and marks published by users on various online sources. So be sure they are some of the best and the most popular in their class.

- update with recommended products will follow. See the Cordless leaf blowers category till then -

So that’s about it. As you can see, there are quite a couple of battery powered leaf blowers you can choose from, some cheaper, some more expensive, some better, some with poorer performances. According to your budget and requirements though, you should find a suitable one.

Electric leaf blower – tip and best deals on electric leaf blowers

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:15:12 +0000

These days, electric leaf blowers are perhaps the most popular such tools for around the house usage. They are not as powerful as the gas powered leaf blowers, but provide a better balance between performance, comfort and acquisition price. Not to mention that most such devices are lighter than the gas ones (thus the majority are handheld) and also offer mulcher/vacuum operating mode so you’ll not only use them to blow leafs away, but also cleanly vacuuming the debriefs.

Electric leaf blowers - great for tasks around the house

In this post I’m going to tell you a couple of things about the electric blowers, with accent on their pros and cons, and also I’ll show you what are the most popular such house tools in the US at the moment, based on marks and reviews regular buyers gave them on various online websites.

So, here’s what’s to like about an electric leaf blower:

these devices are generally pretty quiet and clean, as they work on electricity
also, they won’t generate as many vibrations as a gas blowers
they provide decent power, but can’t face heavy stuff like moving vast amounts of leafs or big wet debriefs (wet leafs are a problem too)
most versions offer mulcher/vacuum functions as well
they come with pretty affordable prices, but remember, you do get what you pay for in the end.

And of course, there are some bad parts:

while some electric blowers can offer a decent amount of power, they are not match for the petrol ones.
they require to be always connected to a power cord, and you’ll have to drag a cable around you. This limits mobility a lot and brings extra costs (as you might need a longer cable to be able to perform all the needed tasks, and this might be pricey)
most such devices only come with 1 year warranty (there are some with 2 years though)

You do get stuck with a pesky power cord in your way though

So, electric blowers are great for basic tasks around the house. If you plan to use them for driveways, decks, garage floor or in the yard, but don’t have too many trees or a big lot, if you live in California (where most gas blowers are banned) or if you leave somewhere in the south (where you’ll seldom have to face wet leaves), these machinery are great for you. Plus you do get a clean and quiet device and you won’t have to spend a fortune on it. However, if mobility and power are the things you need, you’d better turn towards one of these gas leaf blowers.

Now, that you know what to expect from these electric tools, here are the devices most popular right now in the US, based on price/performance ratio and reviews from those already owning them. Click each name for more details or the option to buy each model. And one more thing, prices are with discount and most fo the time Shipping included.

Toro 51599 Ultra – price around $60 – handheld, 12 amp engine, variable speed, 235 mph air blow, most popular in the US right now in this class, 3-in-1 blower/vacuum/mulcher, metallic impeller

Troy-Bilt TB125QS Mulchinator – price around $90 – handheld, 12 amp 2-speed engine, 257 mph air speed, 425 CFM, 3-in-1 blower/vacuum/mulcher with leaf bag included, 2 years warranty

WORX TriVac WG500 – price around $95 – handheld, 12 amp engine, 210 mph air speed, 3-in-1 blower/vacuum/mulcher, ergonomic and light body

Black & Decker LH4500 – price around $65 – handheld, 12 amp 2 speed engine, 240 mph air speed, 385 CFM, 3-in-1 blower/vacuum/mulcher, comes with leaf bag

Weed Eater WEB160 – price around $39 – handheld, 7.5 amp single speed engine, 160 mph air speed, light, very cheap and reliable

Toro 51585 – price around $39 – handheld, 7 amp 2-speed engine, 160 mph air speed, very light, good reviews from owners

As you can see, you have a couple of different options for good electric blowers, all with discounted prices. You can see some more in here , plus accessories for them in the dedicated category on this site. Remember that if you want to get them in the grass, you should pick something with an air speed above 200 mph. In fact, the more powerful the better, although power on such machines comes with increased size and noise levels (to around 70 db).

Of course, there are surely other good electric leaf blowers on the market I might have missed. If you happen to know some, please leave a comment and I’ll have a look. For now, that’s about it and I do hope I’ve helped you pick a proper leaf blower tool, according to your needs and budget.

Gas leaf blower – best options on petrol leaf blowers, plus deals

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:56:23 +0000

There are many types of leaf blowers on the market, each with their own characteristics. Among them, the gas powered leaf blowers are the ones you’ll choose when power is the thing you need. In the next rows, I’m going to tell you a couple of things about these petrol leaf blowers, what are their pros and cons and what are the best devices you can find in this class, based on budget/performance ratio and reviews from previous buyers (gathered from various online sources).

First, here’s why a gas leaf blower is great:

are the most powerful types of blowers money can buy, thus productivity when working with them is high
provide top mobility, as you have no power cords to carry around
due to their power, are suited for all kind of jobs and can face all types of debriefs, from leafs to rocks and more

Handheld leaf blowers

As for the bad parts:

because of the gas engine, most say they are filthier and noisier than electric blowers. Still, they do have to meet all kind of regulations in order to be accepted on the market, so if you go for a modern petrol leaf blower, you’ll be nicely impressed by them
they are usually quite heavy, somewhere from 6 to 25 pounds for the big industrial one, but if you pick one of those backpack models, you won’t have any problems with carrying them around the yard
requires a special mixture of gas and oil to work, a fuel you can get from specialized stores and could be quite pricey in time

Backpack gas leaf blowers

All in all, it’s obvious a gas leaf blower is a machine built for power. If you have a big yard and need to clean it fast and easy, this tool can be of great help, with the expense of some noise and minor pollution. However, if these inconveniences bother you, there are other options too, like electric or battery powered blowers, but each with their own down-parts.

Now that we’ve seen what you should expect from a gas powered leaf blower, here are some of the best petrol leaf blowers available on the market right now. Clicking the links for each of these tools will take you on pages with more details about each of them (prices include discounts and most of the time Free Shipment).

Homelite Gas MightyLite Blower – price around 60 bucks – handheld, decent power, pretty light, reliable, factory reconditioned

Ryobi ZR08510 – price around 80 bucks – portable, very powerful for a handled device, light and solid built, reliable, factory reconditioned

Poulan Pro PPBP300 – price around 180 bucks – backpack, powerful, compact

Makita BHX2500 – price around 200 bucks – handheld, top power for a portable gas blower, 5 out of 5 marks from previous buyers

LEHR BV025HH – price around 200 bucks – backpack, blower/vacuum/mulcher, ecological – propane powered, clean

Troy-Bilt TB4BP – price around 250 bucks – backpack, very powerful and very reliable, light for its class, benefits from excellent reviews

Tanaka TBL-7800R – price around 530 bucks – backpack, ultra powerful, meant for industrial use, 5 out of 5 marks from buyers

And you can also check out the gas/petrol leaf blowers in our dedicated category or look for suitable accessories for them in here.

Also, you might notice that there are no Mcculloch, Echo or Stihl devices included in this list. And I’ll tell you why: they are greatly overrated and if you’ll do your research online you’ll see that quite a lot of people have problems with them. Stihl does offer however 5 years warranty for their products, so their machines can be a nice pick, but unfortunately buying their products online can be a little bit complicated.

Gas powered blowers are built for power

So that’s about it for now. As I’ve told you, this list is made based on my or my friends experience with these products and also on what previous owners posted about them in online reviews on various sources. So, these products are popular because they are good. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any high quality gas powered leaf blowers on the market, so if you’ve spotted a model I’ve missed, please leave a comment and I’ll look into it.

Garden leaf blowers – things you should know when picking one!

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:50:33 +0000

So, you’re planning to buy a leaf blower for your garden. In this case, you should first answer this question: How big is your garden and how “tough to maintain in shape” (how many trees, bushes, etc you have there)?

If the answer is big and many, then you’ll have to go for a petrol powered leaf blower. I’ll explain later why. If the answers is not big but no that small either, you would still have to go for the petrol powered blower. Only if your garden is pretty small and you have just a lawn with a couple of trees, you could settle for an electric blower, if you want to save some bucks and get a cleaner machine.

As you might know (if you didn’t, you do now), petrol powered leaf blowers are the most powerful of all. They have a gas engine and are pretty big and heavy, so most of the times they are backpack devices. However, even though they are little bit dirty (because of the petrol) and noisy, are the best in cleaning large areas and provide great mobility.

Electric blowers on the other side are less powerful and require a permanent connection to a power line. But they are less polluting and also less noisy.

In terms of prices, the gas powered blowers are a little bit more expensive, around $100-$250 , while electric blowers run between $40 to $100. There are of course exceptions in both cases, but you would find a good pick in those price margins.

If you’d ask me, i would definitely go for a gas powered blower, no matter what. You should be careful though, in some US states only some certain petrol blowers are allowed; you’ll have to ask details in the shops and read the legislation. Still, they are the best at their job and i simply cannot stand having a cable around me all the time.

So, if you’re looking for a garden leaf blower, you have two choices: petrol or electric devices. Just pick the one you think would suit your needs best.

Why buy an electric leaf blower?

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:38:22 +0000

Leaf blowers are a must have tool for every modern household that has a lawn and wants to keep it in proper shape during fall, when leafs are falling everyday. Some might not agree, but trust me, Doing the work the old way, with a rake, ain’t pleasant at all, i know i had my share of that.

There however different types of leaf blowers available on the market, some more powerful than others, some bigger, heavier and with more features. In here we’re going to talk about electric leaf blowers though and see why are they a good pick and why would anybody buy them.

First, i have to say electric blowers are medium powered. They can face standard debriefs, but i wouldn’t force them too much.

Then, they have an electric engine and need to be connected to a power line all the time. This damamges mobility a lot, but if your lawn is not that big and you have a long power cable, you should be just fine.

Since they are electric, these devices are non polluting and as quite as such a device can be (you’ll still hear them, but they won’t be as loud as the petrol powered tools). Also, they come with lots of nice features, including adjustable air cones, adjustable air speed and vacuum/mulcher functions. All these for a price that start from $30 for the low end versions and can get up to $80 for the better ones. Here you can find some of the best such electric leaf blowers on the market right now, according to reviews and features.

There would be many more to say about these devices, but i don’t want to bore you. As a conclusion, if you’re looking for a good priced leaf blower, pretty quiet and non polluting and you don’t need too much mobility or too much power, an electric blower is a good choice for you. In fact, most medium household owners pick such devices. They are mostly hand-held and light/compact enough to easily use them and then store them in you closet.

I want a good quiet leaf blower

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:15:59 +0000

Since i know a couple of things about leaf blowers, i got a phone call from a friend who told me “I want a quiet leaf blower, what would you suggest”. This seems like a very simple question but in reality, is not. Let’s see why.

First of all, leaf blowers have mechanical engines, so you can’t say their quiet. You can at most ask for some quieter than others. In this case i would have to say that petrol powered leaf blowers are the noisiest ones (especially older versions), with regular electric powered blowers coming second and battery powered ones being the more quiet. However, the one quieter are the worst in terms of performances and power. Thus, if the gas blowers can be easily used for any kind of job, cordless ones are more like electric sweepers and can’t even battle with leafs on the lawn.

So, if you’d look for a good quiet leaf blower, you will have to go for a standard electric one, that comes with an attached cord . But you’ll lack mobility. or, as an alternative, there are the new quieter petrol powered devices for Stihl, but they are not as quiet as they claim they are and are really really expensive: if a standard electric blower costs around $70, a good Stihl would be around $200. And i for one don’t think that’s just worth it.

That’s why I’d recommend sticking with the electrical blowers. Here you can find our best picks of such devices.

Backpack leaf blower or a handheld? What to choose?

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:15:26 +0000

Well, that’s a very good question, but one not so easy to answer. Like in most cases, the answer really depends on your needs and your plans to use the leaf blower you’ll buy.

First, you should know that hand-held devices are usually more difficult to carry around unless you’re a pretty solid guy. They weigh somewhere between 4 to 8 pounds, and although this might not seem that much, try using one for more than half an hour and you’ll see my point. Also, hand-held devices are usually less powerful and less mobile, because they are electric or battery powered, as they can’t really put the gas powered engine on such a device because of the weight.

A backpack leaf blower is however easier to carry around, although heavier. That’s because the weight isn’t supported by your arm but by the entire body, and 10-12 pounds is not that much for anyone to carry in his back. Most backpack blowers are gas powered, so they come with the power advantage.

So, choosing a backpack or a hand-held blower is just up to you. If you need something more powerful but bigger, go for the backpack. If you want just a tool to swap decks and driveways from time to time, a hand-held blower might be enough for you.

Here you can find our best pics on hand-held leaf blowers and also on bigger backpack ones .

Cordless leaf blowers – why you should get one of those

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:55:41 +0000

When they entered the market just a couple of years ago, cordless battery powered leaf blowers did come with a couple of advantages that made them a little interesting to potential clients. However, they are still an young and immature technology that needs to advance some more before becoming a reliable alternative over the standard petrol powered blowers.

But let’s see why a cordless leaf blower is a good pick:

They are very very light, weiging somewhere around 3-4 pounds. Also, are compact and easy to store in the closet when not needed.
They are nearly noiseless. Thanks to their small low-powered electric engine they are even quieter than the standard electric leaf blowers on the market.
They are mobile, as they don’t require to be connected to a power line in order to work

And unfortunately that’s about it. Because these devices are low powered and come with a very poor battery life (around half an hour). They are meant to replace the noisy and polluting patrol powered blowers somewhere in the future, as they offer the same mobility as those do, but this won’t really happen in the next 5 to 8 years.

Anyway, a cordless leaf blower is still good enough if you need an electric battery powered sweeper around the house, mostly for indoor use, but not more.

Here are our picks of cordless leaf blowers , the best at the moment on the market.