# Gas vs. Electric Leaf Blowers



## Dazy5 (Jan 25, 2008)

I'm in the market for a leaf blower. I've never owned one before, so I'm looking for some opinions. I'm leaning towards a gas powered one, but sites online suggest electric (mostly for less noise, cost and light-weight).

What do you guys have? Has anyone tried both the electric and gas? Any opinions are appreciated, since I hate wasting money and want to get my money's worth.

Thanks!


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2010)

Only way to go:

Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

You can "rent" mine if you'd like.


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## Guest (Oct 17, 2010)

I hear that leaves are a touchy subject on MC, but blowing is g.t.g. hahaha 

Sent from my nonsensikal froyo using Tapatalk


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## Dazy5 (Jan 25, 2008)

I had a vacuum one. Didn't care for it. You've OBVIOUSLY never been to my house. Haha! I basically live in the woods, so it's leaves and pine needles galore right now.... and the season just begun. I found it annoying to empty the bag every few minutes. :happy:

For the area, I'm pretty certain I could reach everything with a big enough extension cord, so that wouldn't be any issue.

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5-0 said:


> I hear that leaves are a touchy subject on MC, but blowing is g.t.g. hahaha


No worries! My town picks them up at the curb! :shades_smile:


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## Eagle13 (Jun 12, 2008)

Go with a backpack gas powered blower. Spend a few hundred bucks and it will make your life so much easier. You could probably even rent one. If you go with a regular store bought electric blower, you will be out there for hours. They don't blow enough.


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## DEI8 (Jan 20, 2006)

I just wait till the wind blows them to the nieghbors then he rakes them all up......


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## Big.G (Nov 28, 2006)

Gas powered all the way.... Electric ones suck.

I usually just use the lawn mower to suck up the leaves and use a rake to get them out of the areas where I can't go with the mower. Yea, it sucks having to constantly empty the bag, but the leaves break down quicker being all chopped up. They're used the following spring in the garden as compost.

My parents decided to get into leaf blowers. They first got an old Craftsman handheld gas-powered one given to them. It was decent, but then it shit the bed. So they bought a cheap electric one. It was alright if the leaves were dry. If the leaves were damp from a dew or it had rained the day before and everything hadn't completely dried out yet, it was next to useless. 

I was over there one day blowing leaves for them with the POS electric blower and my buddy that lives around the corner from them drives by and sees me doing this. He ran home and got his RedMax gas-powered backpack blower and showed up the electric blower big time. My parents eventually went and got their own RedMax gas-powered blower and are glad they did.

Supposedly, RedMax is about as good as you can get. The city DPW and commercial landscapers use RedMax.

Snipe, for the same money, a walk-behind lawnmower does the same thing AND you can use it mow the lawn. haha.


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## cc3915 (Mar 26, 2004)

I've had both and I actually like the electric. My property doesn't have too many trees, so that's why it probably works for me. I also use the Snapper to chop and vacuum some of the leaves.


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## Mozzarella (Apr 8, 2006)

I own a STHL, Blows dog shit about 20 feet and by then, well its too small to pick up. Back pack is the way to go, gives a nice blow job on the Harley too. :smug:


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## Lost (Dec 19, 2006)

"Raking" used to take a day at my place. Electric blowers won't so much as move anything with any moisture to it (read- anything that's been on your lawn for more than 1 day.) I had a cheap gas backpack and it was not much better. You want THIS blower- only this one. Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

I kid you not- cheap backpack still took me about 2-3 hours and came out crappy, but this thing could help me do the yard in 30-45 minutes, and it was immaculate.


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## Johnny Law (Aug 8, 2008)

Mozzarella said:


> I own a STHL, Blows dog shit about 20 feet and by then, well its too small to pick up. Back pack is the way to go, gives a nice blow job on the Harley too. :smug:


Huh, I own a Husqvarna gas backpack blower and mine blows *wet* dogshit 40 feet! If I had two of them I could aim the ducts straight down and take off.

Comes in handy for those dustings of snow when it's too light and fluffy to bother with a shovel. Also comes in handy to blow debris from my driveway out into the public way (hey, I'm always giving back to the public).

Seriously, gas and backpack is the only way to go to get the job done right.


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## DEI8 (Jan 20, 2006)

This is what I have, It blows hard enough to blow crome off of a trailer ball.  If you really need one this is what you want, altho with that said I find no noise more annoying than a dam leaf blower screamming wide open at 2 o'clock in the after noon while I am trying to go to sleep........:stomp:

Like I said I would rather let them rot than use mine....

On the plus side the leaves left on the grass eventually kills the grass and that's just less grass you have gotta mow.... Which is just as annoying.....:stomp:


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## Killjoy (Jun 23, 2003)

Here's what you need to move those pesky leaves!


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## BLUE BLOOD (Aug 31, 2008)

I think SG has the right idea, you can suck and blow at the same time with the Craftsmen 190... ...
Its better then the Jack Chop


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## Mozzarella (Apr 8, 2006)

Or you could just date a landscaper for a short while and be done with the whole leaf job with out stepping a foot outside. Hell, they wouldn't have to speak our language. If I were a women, the things I could aquire...


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## Dazy5 (Jan 25, 2008)

Haha, Mozz! I actually enjoy yard work. With tough classes this semester on top of work, I need something quicker.

I'm liking the one DEI posted, and I'm guessing that may be the one Johnny Law has too. The reviews for it are good, as well. Plus, it's sold at Lowe's where I can get a discount. :happy:


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## GeepNutt (Aug 10, 2005)

DEI8 said:


> I just wait till the wind blows them to the nieghbors then he rakes them all up......


Are you sure you aren't MY neighbor???


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## OfficerObie59 (Sep 14, 2007)

Big.G said:


> I usually just use the lawn mower to suck up the leaves and use a rake to get them out of the areas where I can't go with the mower. Yea, it sucks having to constantly empty the bag, but the leaves break down quicker being all chopped up. They're used the following spring in the garden as compost.


Same here. And if I use the interchangable chute, I just walk in a spriral until all the clippings/leaves are in the center. The combo of cut grass and chopped up leaves makes great compost.


mtc said:


> I live at the bottom of a hill, on a slight curve... I don't have any trees, but every year I get them from everyone uphill.
> 
> So I rake 'em out to the edge of the street and hope for a north wind! :shades_smile:


The street I live on is at the top of a hill, and there's a cross street directly out front that goes about a quater mile down the hill to sea level. In the winter the ocean wind always sends trash up into my yard--Dunkies cups, plastic bags, etc.

I usually just put them back into the street where they came from. Wouldn't want the rightful owner to not be able to find his belongings.


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## Tuna (Jun 1, 2006)

I run over all the leaves with the lawn tractor once to chop them up. That takes about 2 beers. Then I put on the collection buckets and pick em up and dump em in the woods. That takes about 3 beers depending on my driving skills at that point.:beer_yum:


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## justanotherparatrooper (Aug 27, 2006)

So .......the lessons learned from this thread ladies is that sucking and blowing are both acceptable and its ok to blow in your neighbors yard or on a public way, also that bigger /more powerful is better.:smug:


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