Leaf blower recommendation?

[Susan Thomas]

I am looking to buy a leaf blower....any recommendations on brands I should look for? Brands I should stay away from? Thank you for your reply.

[C. Massey]

FWIW, I have had a Craftsman for 3 years and never had any problem out of it...

[barry]

It'd help if you were a bit more specific, about the type of blower you're looking for- gas/electric, handheld/backpack/wheeled. As a generality, the ones you're likely to want to keep will cost more than the disposables.

J

[Ian]

For a brand recommendation I'd say Echo, most landscapers in my area seem to use them and I have one that I haven't had a problem with in 4 years. Slightly OT but I got a commercial grade Echo trimmer for $5 at a local auction and this thing is unbeatable. I'd say they're a quality brand.

Ian

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Stihl

Brands I should stay away from?

Homelite, Ryobi, most anything sold cheap at HD, Lowes, etc.

[ds549]

gas blowers, on the cheep end id choose homelight, simply because the carb and fuel lines are easy to get to, the others you have to damn near dismantle the whole thing to get to them, on the high end , i think echo is the best value.truely a high performance machine. lucas

[this_is_so_over_done]

Does this vacuum them too? If so, get a HUGE bag. The unit I had mulched the leaves but I had to empty every few mins. Finally put a bedsheet on it. :-)

[Squanklin]

I second the recommendation for Homelite. I bought one about a year and a half ago, and it's been great. It gets regular, moderate use (heavier in the fall). In my opinion, a great buy for the regular homeowner. If you have the money, Echo and other industrial brands are good, too - just overkill for me and my uses.

Whatever you look for, go to several stores and hold the products. See what you think about holding one for 10-20 minutes at a time (depending on the size of your yard/driveway). Think about things like weight, comfort, etc. Different models will feel different, and it's best to pick the right one for you.

Good luck!

[e-mail] wrote:

[mm]

I think you should get two leaf blowers. That way you could blow them in one direction and your husband or boyfriend could blow them in the other. The first one to get all the leaves over the line wins.

Oh, yeah, and the wind could blow them whereever it chose.

It's also important to get blowers that makes a medium to large amount of noise. That way you can bother the neighbors. Although any of them make enough noise to do that.

It's good that you're doing this because it is important to remove any natural fertilization from the grass, and replace that with chemicals.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Roger Taylor]

I've had eight years of flawless service from a Homelite 2 cycle gas engine powered leaf blower, bought at Home Depot. Works great on all surfaces, including dirt and grass. For light duty sweeping, where you have litter or leaves on cement or deck surfaces, a cordless electric works fine, too, with much less noise, pollution, and bother. I like the Black and Decker cordless electric broom. Comes with two 8-minute batteries, and is a very reasonable price. I may ditch my gas blower, since I have mostly pine needles on smooth surfaces, and no grass cuttings.

[robmurr]

I have been lucky for about 7 years with a Homelite backpacker from Home depot. It is good for a homeowner but if you have acres] of yard get a Stihl..

[Phisherman]

I have a Husqvarna 165. Very powerful, don't point it at the ground unless you are grossly overweight. It gets the job done--fast! Always wear hearing protection.

[frank1492]

I have had good luck with the Homelite, sold at HD. Didn't much care for the Sears as I found it hard to start and poorly designed. (Gas port is on SIDE when blower is set down in normal upright position.)