Before choosing and buying the best electric leaf blowers that you can find on the market, you should ask yourself the following question: do I really need a leaf blower for my gardening tasks?
Craftsman B215 25cc
Weight: 11 lbs.
Air speed: 200 MPH
Vacuum: NO
Gas Powered
Price: $99
Hitachi RB24EAP
Weight: 8.6 lbs
Air speed: 170 MPH
Vacuum: NO
Gas Powered
Price: $131
Toro 51619
Weight:8.5 lbs
Air speed: 250 MPH
Vacuum: YES
Electric
Price: $74
Leaf blowers vs vacuums
Once autumn settles, you know it’s time for hard work and lots of sweat. Conventional tools like rakes and other hand tools are cheaper, but you will regret not buying a more powerful machine like a leaf blower or a leaf vacuum once you work for a few hours with these obsolete tools. But what is the difference between these two gardening machines? As you can imagine, a leaf vacuum captures and mulches the dead leaves (the result usually ending in bags) while a leaf blower allows you to gather everything into one place and collect the resulted pile manually. Picking one or the other is not an easy task and you should take your time to find answers to the following questions before making the final decision:
- Do I need a leaf blower or a leaf vacuum?
- What kind of blower/vacuum do I need? Electrical or gas powered?
- What features am I looking for in a leaf blower?
- What features am I looking for in a leaf vacuum?
- Where can I buy a leaf vacuum or a leaf blower?
The best leaf blowers on the market
Next, I am going to share a collection of some of the best leaf blowers that you can buy right now on the market. I am focusing on blowers that are not too expensive (under $200), but they have great user reviews and just enough features to help you finish the work in no time!
Craftsman B215 25cc 2-Cycle Handheld Gas-Powered Leaf Blower
With this device, Craftsman has managed to create a reliable and powerful unit that weights 11 lbs. The fan speed is variable and the blowing tube length is adjustable in order to get the best performance. At maximum power, it will produce an air velocity of 200 MPH. Being powered by gas, it offers mobility and according to user reviews, it will last for many hours per session. If its weight becomes too much for you, you can always get a shoulder strap as an accessory. Price: ~$100
Hitachi RB24EAP 23.9cc 2-Cycle Gas Powered 170 MPH Handheld Leaf Blower (CARB Compliant)
Over 1000 customers gave a 5-star rating to this handheld leaf blower. Besides its excellent price (around $120), you will learn that it has just enough features to become the perfect tool for your autumn gardening cleaning sessions. Its tapper nozzle, the 23.9 cc engine and well balanced weight (8.6 lbs) convinced most of the customers that the investment in this gardening machine was well worth it. In addition, Hitachi offers a 7 year warranty if you are using it for non-commercial purposes. For this price, it is definitely a win.
Toro 51619 Ultra Electric Blower / Vacuum, Red (Corded)
Before presenting to you all the features that you will be taking advantage of if you buy this gardening tool, I just want to let you know that it costs $76 on Amazon. For that price, you will get a leaf blower that doubles as a versatile leaf vacuum. According to the manufacturer, Toro 51619 has a larger metal impeller that makes the device blow air up to 250 mph. You can control the speed of the tool both in vacuum or blower mode. The vacuum can handle dead leaves and debris. In the box you will find accessories such as the vacuum tube, the bottom-zip bag, power insert, concentrator nozzle and cord storage hook. You will have to buy the extension cord, since it is not included in the package. It weights 8.5 pounds.
PS. Getting back to the leaf vacuum vs leaf blower questions, I forgot to mention one small detail. There are leaf blowers out there that have a vacuum function, allowing you to get the best of both worlds at the same price. Pretty neat, right? If you have not decided yet on a leaf blower, you should check my article on the best leaf vacuum mulchers on the market.
