OT product review leaf blower/vac

Oh I do like the idea that it chomps up leaves for composting.

And I'm guessing that electric is quieter than a gas powered model? (I HATE the noise that those make).

Allison

I actually have TWO of them, and they are spectacular! One is set as a regular blower, and the other is set for sucking up the leaves. I also live in a very old house, with mature trees all over the neighborhood, and if you don't keep up with the leaves it gets to be a nearly impossible job, the snow catches us, and in the spring there is a godawful mess to clean up before reseeding all the grass that died. What always amazes me, though, are the people who buy leaf disposal bags, rake, bag the leaves, drag all those bags out to the curb, and pay for someone to haul them away. And then they go to the garden center and BUY MULCH! I consider all those leaves I grind into wee little bits to be free mulch, and spread it on the flower beds, on the herb bed, under bushes, etc. I never buy bags, don't rake leaves, don't pay to have them hauled off, and never buy mulch. And every year the flowers and herbs and bushes at my house get better and better.

My blower and vacuum are both electric, and I have a wonderful LONG extension cord that does just fine and is really no trouble to handle. It plugs into an outlet in my garage, and I don't have to buy gas for blower/vac, don't worry about having a fire hazard, and never have to tug on a pull cord to get the silly thing started. One thing I would advise anybody going out to buy one of these treasures is to be sure that you get one with a fairly large opening for the vacuum end (works faster and doesn't get clogged with too-big leaves), and be absolutely sure it is quick and easy to get the plastic "sucking tube" off, since once in a while some largish green leaves will clog the blades, and then you need to take off the tube and get those clogged leaves out. But -- the vacuum won't work with the sucking tube off, so your fingers aren't at risk! If you're the least bit unsure, you just pull out the plug, clear the clog, put the tube back on, plug it in, and keep on keeping on. As to using the vacuum, if you need to suck up leaves from anything with gravel, be absolutely certain to keep the sucking tube a few inches above the rocks! A sucked-up rock will break the blades, and they cannot be repaired, which means you have a spare bag and spare sucking tube for the replacement you have to go buy! (Trust me on this -- my sister was enthusiastically "helping" me a few years ago, went to the one small area with rocks, and accidentally destroyed a blower/vac. Not a pretty sight!)

Allison, I won't say it's quiet, but it's not the annoying noise the gas powered ones make (while it was running I heard every car go past and heard my phone ringing). And it's a steady noise rather than that vroom-vroom stuff. You have a sound like a regular vacuum cleaner plus the sound of the chewing/grinding teeth. It's not bad... and I'd put up with a LOT more noise to not have to rake and bag and reach and stoop and squat and..... ;-) And it does fine with little twigs, too. You don't need to sort thru the leaves other than for branches and rocks- it doesn't want to pick up the rocks, so it's not a real big consideration there. And it gets those little twirly-bird seed pods that go between the rake's tines, so they aren't laying around waiting to germinate, either.

I'm even more in love after three hours of using it. And tomorrow I'm going to vacuum out my rain gutters with my new baby!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

PS: I'd suggest tak>> First, some background so you'll know what I'm happy dancing!

I wonder if- because mine's a cheapie- it isn't quite strong enough to suck up rocks? I was careful, but sometimes they are deep in the grass or some other hiding place. The few clogs I got were right at the end of the sucking tube. Turn it off, the leaves drop off and you're good to go again. I didn't have to remove any clogs or take it apart.

I'm so pleased with it!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Don't you just love big girl toys!