Leaf Blower Buying Guide

This is a pretty basic guide to the different types of leaf blowers out there and I touch on how they are powered, what features you can expect to see, ball park price ranges and more.

Hope you enjoy the buying guide and if I need to add something to this post or have left something out, please feel free to let me know in the comments below.

WHICH TYPE OF BLOWER SHOULD I GET?

There are several popular types of blowers for you to choose from, and each of them is designed with a certain space in mind. They range from units suitable for daily use in smaller decks, porches, and lawns with one or two trees to heavy-duty machines employed by professional crews to cover huge lawns and entire streets.

There are three common types of blowers on the market today – handheld, backpack and walk behind models are the most common choices you can pick from, aside from the more specialized heavy duty units usually reserved for golf courses and the like.

Each of them has their range of uses, and their own pros and cons.

HANDHELD LEAF BLOWERS

These models are designed to be operated with one hand and offer versatility and moderate power in a very portable package. These are powerful enough to blow away leaves, dust, light snow, and sawdust.

Corded models which plug into an outlet have unlimited operating time at the expense of limited range. On the other hand, you can take the cordless and gas-powered handheld blowers pretty much anywhere, and they will usually last long enough to clear porches, decks, and smaller lawns.

Features to look out for:

• Some handheld models feature an additional handgrip, usually at the top of the body, to help you grip the blower with both hands for better aim.
  
  
• Handheld blowers sometimes feature a bottom-mounted air intake, which puts it out of the way of your clothing. Side-mounted intakes are often mounted on the right, which can be annoying when you want to use your blower with your left hand.
  
  
• Corded electric blowers will usually weigh less than 8 pounds, and might be perfect if your entire porch or deck is within reach of a power outlet.
  
  
• Vibration reduction features, especially for the gas-powered varieties, keep your hands from going numb.
  
  
• Vacuuming and mulching: some blowers can vacuum instead of blow air, and they can also come with a mulcher attachment to collect and convert the leaves into mulch.

Handheld blowers come in electric or gas powered varieties, as well as in corded or cordless options. Electric blowers are generally quieter and have zero emissions, so definitely consider them if you will be using your blower a lot in or near your home.

They are also the most inexpensive type of leaf blowers to own, starting from $30 for the basic corded electric blowers up to the pricier cordless electric models which can run you $200 or more. Gas powered handhelds generally tend to occupy the middle, price-wise.

BACKPACK LEAF BLOWER

As the name readily suggests, backpack blowers are made to be worn, not held. That’s for a good reason, too, since most of the blowers of these types weigh a good 16 pounds or more, especially when filled up with gas.

Your shoulders and your back bear the weight of this machine, and you can generally expect a respectable running time from them before refills.

Most backpack blowers are gas powered, so they are noisier compared to electric handhelds. Some electric backpack blowers have also made their way into the market as well, and they tend to be on the heavy side – expect the current models to weigh 30 pounds or more.

They are also much pricier than gas-powered backpacks at the moment. They don’t need gas or regular maintenance like gas-powered machines, though, so that offsets the initial cost for a bit somewhat.

Features to look out for:

• Convenient shutoff switches let you quickly shut off the gas or electric motor of your blower, especially handy since you can’t easily reach behind your back while wearing your backpack unit.

• Speed control or variable throttle lets you adjust the considerable power of a gas blower, in case you come across delicate flowers or new plantings while clearing your lawn.

Backpack blowers start out at around $150 for a basic gas-powered model, while some of the new electric models could go for upwards of $1,200. They are very suitable for larger yards or jobs which can take more than an hour to complete.

Their power also makes them able to do more than just collect leaves – backpacks have enough oomph to blow snow off vehicles and clear trash off small paths and streets as well.

WALK BEHIND LEAF BLOWER

Do you blow tons of leaves every year? Is your yard as big as a football field? A wheeled blower may be the best fit for you.

Walk behind blowers are heavy duty machines made portable with the help of wheels, and their mobility is certainly a bit lacking compared to the two types above. What they lack in portability, however, they make up in power and running time.

Walk behind blowers have enough power not only to blow leaves. They can also help collect everything from cardboard, trash, and even metal trimmings. Some models of walk behind blowers are surprisingly quiet as well, thanks to larger four-stroke engines and enough space for a bit of soundproofing.

Features to look out for:

• See-through fuel tanks with large openings mean you can easily tell when fuel is running low, and you can easily top off without spilling a drop.

• Adjustable air deflectors will let you change the direction of the air flow, so you can blow debris away from one side of the wall, for example.

Gas powered wheeled blowers are generally big, noisy and weigh more than a hundred pounds – they are not the equipment you want to push uphill or maneuver over unpaved paths. They are usually reserved for large jobs, and these models are often in use in parks, farms or stadiums more often than in your typical home.

Walk behind blowers also tend to be expensive, with models starting from $250 to more than $800. Most models are best operated in an area clear of people, animals, and fragile objects since wheeled blowers have enough power to send even pebbles and small rocks flying.

LEAF BLOWER POWER TYPES

While leaf blowers come in three form factors: handheld, backpack, and walk behind – they also come in three power types as well...

CORDED BLOWERS

Corded leaf blowers are as basic as it gets when it comes to the type of power source. Just plug them in, and you’re set. They have unlimited running time, and their power is somewhere close to those of the gas-powered versions, too.

The advantages of corded leaf blowers is that they are usually the most affordable types of blowers out there and can range in price from $30 - $150. The other advantage to corded blowers is the fact that they don't require maintenance like a gas powered blower does (fuel, oil, etc.).

The main drawback to corded leaf blowers, of course, is that you can only take them so far away from the power outlet. There’s also the risk of snagging your power line, too. 

Corded blowers are usually rated in amps (A) when comparing similar makes.

BATTERY-POWERED BLOWERS

Battery powered leaf blowers offer unrivaled portability, especially the smaller handheld ones. They generally run quieter than their gas-powered counterparts, too and are really quick and efficient for smaller blowing tasks. Expect to pay around $50 - $200 for cordless models.

The main drawback of battery powered blowers is the running time – most brands have operating times for only 40 minutes or so and that is if you are using a high capacity battery on a lower setting. They also tend to be a bit heavier than corded blowers and can be more expensive to own as well.

Battery-powered blowers are compared in terms of volts (V) and cfm, like all of the other blowers but the Ah rating of the battery will also impact performance and run time.

GAS-POWERED BLOWERS

Gas-powered blowers can be the most complicated type to own, and they can be intimidating at first for the first-time owner. Some models need to be started with a starting cord, a primer bulb and the right choke settings.

They also need to be filled up before starting, and you need the right mix of oil and gas for your blower model, as well. They also need periodic maintenance on top of all that and need to be properly prepared when longer storage times are required. Plus they can be loud for some people who aren't use to a gas powered device.

Despite the complications of owning a gas-powered blower, they are still some of the most powerful models on the market today. The bigger blowers are mostly gas-powered,  so you might not have much of a choice if you are looking into these types of models. Still, they are among the best options right now for taking care of medium to large sized jobs.

Gas-powered models can have a 2-cycle or a 4-cycle engine. While 2-cycle engines are generally lighter and less expensive, they need the right mix of fuel and oil for optimum operation which will require a little more preparation on your end. 4-cycle engines, on the other hand, are also called gas-only engines because they need only pure gas in their tanks.

4-cycle engines do need regular oil changes, though, and are usually heavier and more expensive than their 2-cycle counterparts.

Gas-powered engines are rated by their engine capacity which is referred to as cubic centimeters (cc), or sometimes by their horsepower (hp) rating too.

HOW CAN I COMPARE LEAF BLOWERS?

Now that you’ve hopefully settled on a form factor that you like, how do you compare similar leaf blowers from different manufacturers? Aside from the price, blower makers differentiate their products with different features – the better models will generally have more of the features you would want and in general, more cfm (airflow) and more overall power.

There are a few benchmarks you can use to consistently compare one blower to another, looking at them side by side.

NOISE LEVEL

Leaf blowers, especially those of the gas-powered variety, can get really loud. How loud they are is measured in decibels. 60 decibels is right at the level of a normal conversation, while your typical food processor might put out around 95 decibels of noise while in operation.

If you’re living in a community that takes its noise pollution control seriously, you might want to check first before investing in a blower.

There are certain communities that ban all leaf blowers, period. Some might have regulations restricting gas-powered blowers, but not electric ones. Others may have a standing ban on backpack blowers or anything larger. It’s always a good idea to check with the local regulations in your area if you’re in doubt.

If you’re looking up leaf blower ratings online, chances are you will see loudness figures, cited in decibels, as measured from 25 or 50 feet away. Do keep in mind that for the operator, that loudness is intensified – for a blower operating at 64 decibels at 50 feet away, the man holding it is experiencing 95 decibels.

That’s enough noise to exceed the maximum recommended noise dose for one hour as determined by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

To sum it up, protect yourself by wearing hearing protection, especially if you’re working with a gas-powered blower.

POWER RATING

Corded blowers are rated for amps (A), while battery-powered models are rated for volts (V). Gas-powered models are compared in terms of displacement via cubic centimeters (cc), or by power output using horsepower units (hp).

When comparing blowers of similar power type, the higher the rating, the more powerful they are.

MILES-PER-HOUR (MPH)

All leaf blowers, regardless of power type or form factor, can be given an MPH rating. The miles-per-hour rating, simply put, measures the speed that air exits the machine. This metric is less critical than cfm but measures the maximum velocity that the air comes out of the nozzle.

MPH ratings are often given in terms of maximum speed.

CUBIC-FEET-PER-MINUTE (CFM)

While MPH measures speed, CFM measures the volume of air that the blower can move at any given moment. CFM ratings are generally more reliable in comparing how many leaves and debris two blower models can move and is a much better determining factor when comparing "performance" specs.

REDUCTION RATIOS

For leaf blowers with mulching features, this rating indicates how effective a blower can reduce a volume of leaves into mulch. A blower with a 12:1 reduction ratio can process twelve bags of leaves into one bag of mulch, for example.