How to Choose a Leaf Blower:
When you’re choosing a leaf blower there are a few elements that will help narrow down your choice. What kind of power source is right for you? Do you want a model with a vac? What other features do you need to know about? In the next few paragraphs, we’ll cover all of these questions to make sure you can shop for your leaf blower with confidence.
When to Choose a Gas Blower
If your yard is over half-an-acre and some areas are hard to reach by extension cord, a gas blower may be a good choice.
When to Choose a Corded Electric Blower
Corded electric blowers might be the answer when the area you’re looking to clear is close enough to an outlet to use an extension cord. Corded units are often lighter and offer more power, making these units a great choice for blowing leaves from grassy areas or landscaping.
Toro’s highest performing electric blower vac easily clears leaves and debris from your lawn and gardens. The Toro UltraPlus blower vac is 3 machines in 1; a powerful blower, high speed vacuum and leaf shredder.
When to Choose a Battery-Powered Leaf Blower
Battery-powered leaf blowers are a great choice if you’re using it to clear sidewalks or decks. Rechargeable and light-weight, battery-powered blowers are great for daily use.
Toro’s powerful 60V Max* Flex-Force battery-powered leaf blower is perfect for small to medium yards where a cord just won’t reach. Its lithium ion battery provides a longer run time and up to twice the power per weight versus traditional nickel-cadmium batteries.
Benefits of All Three Leaf Blower Styles:
Whether you are purchasing a gas, corded electric or battery-powered blower, all three leaf blower styles can provide outstanding power and performance with a multitude of benefits.
Electric leaf blowers cut down on noise, exhaust emissions, messes or smells, and maintenance. Other conveniences include easy starting, lightweight, and are able to be stored inside.
Is a Leaf Blower With a Vacuum Attachment Right For You?
You’ve considered the power source. The next step is to explore whether or not you want a leaf blower with a vacuum attached. If you’re planning on using a leaf blower on your whole yard, a vacuum model is a great option. If you only are clearing off small areas such as a patio or your sidewalk, then the simpler blower model will do. Here are some details about both options.
- Blower-only models:
- Perfect for clearing off sidewalks, decks, garage floors, and driveways.
- Budget-friendly.
- Blower/vac models:
- Great for the same chores noted above, in addition to clearing leaves from your yard.
- Vacuum organic debris from landscaped areas.
- Vacuum options shred leaves, allowing you to mulch leaves and debris into a finer mulch for compost. This reduces the amount of bags used for clean-up.
- All models allow switching between the blowing and vacuuming mode with a quick release hatch, no tools required.
What is a Good MPH for a Leaf Blower?
When shopping for a new blower, many look at the “miles per hour” rating to assess the power of a blower. However, it is possible for a 230 MPH blower to have more power than a 240 MPH blower.
Why MPH alone is not a good measure of power:
Because a blower nozzle opening the size of a straw could blow air at 300 mph — it is good for clearing out cracks in the driveway, but not good for blowing leaves in your yard. Many of the tasks you expect to accomplish with your blower require both airspeed (MPH) and air volume (CFM or cubic feet per minute).
Why CFM alone is not a good measure of power:
Because a blower nozzle opening the size of a basketball could put out 600 CFM of air — it is great for sweeping dust and sand off a driveway, but without sufficient pressure, it would have a difficult time moving anything else.
What is CFM on a leaf blower? The acronym stands for cubic feet per minute and the measurement of power represents the air volume. For a leaf blower to work, it needs both air speed and air volume.
A good CFM on a leaf blower needs to be matched with MPH. The most powerful blower will be one that maximizes both airspeed (MPH) and air volume (CFM). Rather than reduce the size of the blower nozzle to achieve higher MPH ratings like some manufacturers, Toro engineers strive to provide an optimum balance to maximize the performance of our blowers and blower vacs.
What Features to Look for in a Leaf Blower
Should you choose a 2-speed motor or a variable speed motor for your leaf blower? We break down the benefits of each.
Benefits of a 2-Speed Motor:
A 2-speed motor is fairly simple to use because you have two choices: low or high. The 2-speed motor allows you to choose and control the air stream with the right amount of blower or vacuum power for the task at hand.
- Blower mode:
- Low setting can be used for better control on hard surfaces or in tight corners
- High setting can be used for clearing large areas and tougher lawn chores
- Vacuum mode:
- Low setting can be used for landscaped areas to avoid vacuuming up garden mulch or landscape rock
- High setting can be used for mulch and larger amounts of leaves and debris.
Benefits of a Variable Speed Motor:
A variable speed motor allows you to alter the speed to multiple levels of airflow for the desired amount of control. This is a convenient feature for numerous yard clean-up projects.
Other Leaf Blower Features to Look For:
Homeowners and landscapers that are looking for the perfect model of blower/vac combo will want to look at two more factors before making their decision. If you’re looking to mulch your fall foliage, consider the mulch ratio. This is a measurement of how well the blower/vac reduces the volume of leaves. For instance, a mulch ratio of 10-to-1 will indicate that the blower/vac will mulch 10 bags of dry leaves down to one bag after vacuuming.
Those that plan on frequent, aggressive vacuuming may also want to consider a model with a metal impeller. This feature provides better mulching and adds durability.
Now that you know what to look for in a leaf blower, you’re ready to get serious about shopping. Don’t wait until the leaves are piling up, head to your local Toro dealer today to get the model that’s right for you!
