Buying Guide for Leaf Blowers and Garden Vacuum

Leaf Blowers and Garden Vacuums are positioned at opposite ends of a broad property clearing spectrum. If a house-proud gardener wants some light yard debris to fly away, a suitably powered leaf blower gets the job done with time to spare. On the other hand, if an across-the-board debris purge is the main goal, then the tool of choice is a garden vacuum. With all of that said, which garden tool do you need?

Buyer Beware: Factors to Consider

How big is the garden? Are there neighbours to either side of the property? These questions require answers before a shopper can make an informed decision. If the property is small, a lightweight leaf blower is a logical option. Moving up to a larger garden, a back-mounted unit straps a heavy blower to someone’s back. Be warned, this type of heavy gear isn’t meant to be carried by older folk or people who have chronic back injuries. What about the neighbours? Quite frankly, not everyone wants to see leaves blown onto his or her property. That can be a cause of neighbour-to-neighbour friction. If that’s a point of contention, think about purchasing a garden vacuum.

Selecting Shred-Capable Garden Vacuums

Noise is another factor, one that’ll make dogs yelp and locals grind their teeth. Ideally, horsepower should be balanced against a preference for a low noise output. Moving straight over to more powerful garden vacuums, these outdoor appliances can also generate noise pollution, especially when they’re equipped with debris shredding innards. True, that function may not be at the top of someone’s features shopping list, but if there are larger trees planted in a larger garden, a branch and leaf shredding mechanism is probably warranted.

Reviewing Fuel and Debris Containment Options

Back with a smaller leaf blower, a bright orange cable connects a powered electric motor to a power outlet. To cut the cord, petrol or lithium-ion units are selected. It’s worth checking out that latter category, for it’s sure to run cleaner than a fluid-fueled model. As for garden debris sucking vacuums, they need large-capacity storage bags. Their waste shredding innards do pulverize garden debris, of course, but a larger, ruggedized collection bag is recommended if the gear is to be used on a big property.

For garden vacuums, pay attention to features like shredding ratio and suction power, plus the collection bag. With leaf blowers, raw blowing horsepower is a primary selling feature. Although, at some point anyway, that pure blowing oomph will become hard to manoeuvre. At this point, back-strapped models are preferable. These models provide plenty of jet-like power, but the blowing assembly is heavy to carry. Finally, remember that some neighbours won’t like to see leaves being blown over their property line, nor will they fall in love with the roar issued by either a high-horsepower blower or a vacuum.