10 Best

Cordless Leaf Blowers

of November 2023

You might think that a leaf blower isn’t a very effective garden tool. It just seems to move the fallen leaves that litter your yard or patio from one place to another. But actually, not removing fallen leaves can have a negative impact on your lawn later on. When used properly, a leaf blower proves to be an effective replacement for the old-fashioned rake. It will help you gather fallen leaves in one place, without all of that exertion of using a rake. And many of them can be operated as a vacuum as well, to suck up and collect all of those leaves in a bag.

But there are different specs, such as the amount of air that the blower distributes and the type of motor that it uses. Also, with battery-powered models, you should compare charging time and runtime. It’s worthwhile getting familiar with these concepts before making a purchase.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you look through the options when selecting a cordless leaf blower. We’ll help you:

• Choose the right type of cordless leaf blower for your preferences,

• See useful tips about that particular type of cordless leaf blower,

• Read reviews of different cordless leaf blowers, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of cordless leaf blower, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

We can distinguish between cordless blowers by how they are powered:

• Battery-powered: Most cordless leaf blowers work on rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries give you the convenience of not needing a power cord. You also aren’t required to care for the engine as in a gas-powered device, such as worrying about the gasoline/oil ratio, or choking the engine. An example is the Ryobi RY40440 40V Backpack Leaf Blower.

Ryobi RY40440 40V Backpack Leaf Blower

• Gas-powered: There are gasoline-powered cordless leaf blowers, such as the Craftsman BV245 27cc 2-cycle Leaf Blower. The advantage of a gasoline-powered engine is that it typically delivers more power than the battery-powered models. And they’ll have a longer runtime, as long as you’ve supplied them with enough gasoline. But some newer battery-powered models are actually quite comparable in performance. Take note of the engine’s cubic capacity, given as “cc”. The larger the engine capacity, the more fuel it will hold, and the more power it will be able to deliver.

Craftsman BV245 2-cycle Leaf Blower

We can also distinguish between handheld and backpack leafblowers:

• Handheld: There are handheld leaf blowers, such as the EGO Power+ LB6504 Leaf Blower. The manufacturers try to ensure that the model is lightweight so that it doesn’t strain your arms during use. For example, the EGO Power+ is 12.9 pounds, including the battery.

EGO Power+ LB6504 Leaf Blower

• Backpack: There are also cordless leaf blowers that you wear on your back, like a backpack. An example is the Greenworks Pro 80V Cordless Backpack Leaf Blower.

Greenworks Pro 80V Cordless Backpack Leaf Blower

• Battery life differs at different speeds: Blowers will allow you to vary the speed of the motor, according to the job that you have to do. Dry leaves will be easier to push around than wet leaves, and rocks and other debris will take even more power. A fully charged battery will run down rather quickly when you run the device in Turbo mode. For example, the Ego Power+ LB6504 will run for as much as 200 minutes at low speeds but will last only 15 minutes at Turbo. But Turbo will provide 650 CFM of power, with an airspeed of 180 mph. That’s enough to blow small rocks out of your way!

• Noise levels: Leaf blowers can be noisy. But, manufacturers are always trying to improve on that. For example, the Ryobi RY 40440 is rated at 59 dB of noise. That’s about the same noise level as a normal conversation, or an office.

• Brushless motor: You’ll notice that many leaf blowers advertise that they use a brushless motor. They tend to be more expensive than a brushed motor, but they have greater longevity and output power. Brushless motors also tend to be quieter.

• Maintenance with a gasoline-powered device: Using a gas engine requires priming the motor by adding motor oil at first, and repeating this periodically. Not adding oil can damage the engine beyond repair! The usual proportion is that you’ll have to add 2.5 ounces of oil for every gallon of gasoline if it uses a 2-cycle engine, although this can vary, depending on the leaf blower’s specs.

• Measuring the strength of a leaf-blower: You’ll see leaf blowers rated by the speed of airflow that they can generate, measured in units of Cubic Feet per Minute, or CFM. Manufacturers will also list the airspeed in miles per hour. But that speed can depend on the opening of the leaf blower. If you use a narrow nozzle, it will concentrate the leaf blower’s power and result in a much faster wind speed. So CFM is a better means of comparison.

• Some function as a vacuum as well: Some leaf blowers function as a vacuum as well, to suck up all of the leaves that you collected in one place. The Craftsman BV225 blower can also mulch the leaves that it sucks in and collect them in a bag that has a 1.5-bushel capacity.