How to Choose the Best Cordless Leaf Blower
Your electric leaf blower will either be powered by a cord or by a rechargeable battery pack and there are pros and cons for each.
A cable means you have to trail that behind you as you go down your garden and this may be inconvenient at times. A battery pack makes it easier to go where you want easily with no bother of long leads. And the downside – having to recharge it regular.
Cordless leaf blowers are battery operated, rechargeable leaf blowers and are a great option for little areas. These do a good job on strong surfaces like concrete driveways and garage floors.
The biggest drawback is that their run time is restricted by the capacity of their batteries. The batteries on these machines usually don’t last for a good amount of time, but you can easily overcome this drawback by having another spare battery pack.
Even though they are actually powered by electricity (to charge the batteries), there is no carrying around of wires or looking for an electrical outlet. We highly recommend the Black & Decker NS118. This is the best selling Cordless leaf blower on Amazon.com.
How to Choose the Best Cordless Leaf Blower
1. How Many Leaves Does Your Leaf Blower Have to Clean Up?
I’m not expecting you to go out and count the leaves you need to clear up but you do need to think of how much yard work you have to do when making your choice.
If you have a big garden and lots of leaf litter then you are going to need to use a corded electric leaf blower like the Toro 51621 or the Worx Trivac WG500.
Most of the rechargeable leaf blowers will only last about 15 minutes or less on full power before needing a recharge.
The motors work fast and furious to push an air jet so fast and that uses battery power quickly.
If you mostly want to clear up some paths and patios then a cordless unit would be fine, but if you have serious amounts of leaf litter to deal with you need a corded model.
2. How Much Will the Cordless Leaf Blower Cost?
The good news is that prices are low compared with what you get in performance. A cautionary word here is that prices can vary a lot with the season and with special deals but here are some prices at Amazon.
Best Cordless Leaf Blowers for the Money
Black and Decker LSW36 40-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Sweeper
This one is for you if you use a leaf blower often enough that the thought of dragging out an extension cord makes you cringe. Or, you have enough area that needs sweeping that an extension cord isn’t practical. This battery powered blower is the one for you.
The Black and Decker 40-volt blower is a great combination of the features we look for in a portable unit. It’s light weight at just over 4 1/2 lbs., has great battery life to last for most jobs, and has enough power to move those stubborn leaves.
Alternatives
If the price tag on this cordless leaf blower has you balking, and you don’t quite need the power and battery life of a 40-volt unit, the Black & Decker NSW18 18-Volt unit is a reasonable compromise.
Accessories
If you’re expecting to have fairly heavy usage, you might consider picking up an extra 40-volt battery pack.
1. Black & Decker NS118 Cordless Electric Broom Hard Surface Sweeper
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Cordless, ergonomically designed blower
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Rechargeable batteries with long life
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Wall mounted battery charger for easy storage
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This Black & Decker blower is very light. That makes cleaning up less burdensome.
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Not powerful enough. I noticed that this blower struggles a bit with wet grass trimmings, so it could stand to be a bit more powerful.
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Battery only lasts so long. If you have a clean up job that is going to take hours, you will run out of battery power.
There are some brands that I always associate with quality products. Black & Decker just happens to be one of those brands.
I’ve especially come to respect them since I started using the Black & Decker NS118 18-Volt Cordless Electric Broom Hard Surface Sweeper.
This is one powerful outdoor cordless leaf blower that’s really helps to make messy, outdoor clean ups simple.
I don’t like spending any more time cleaning up after yard work than I have to, and this Black & Decker blower has quickly become my secret weapon for fast clean ups.
It’s Simple to Use
The first time I used the Black & Decker NS118 I noticed that there was something different about this blower.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but after using it for a few hours it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn’t sore or exhausted.
That’s all because the Black & Decker NS118 Blower is built with a unique, ergonomic design that simply makes using it much easier than some other blowers that I’ve used in the past.
Black & Decker really went all out in designing a blower that’s extremely easy to use.
Quiet Operation
Okay, maybe quiet is too strong of a word. The Black & Decker NS118 18-Volt Cordless Electric Broom Hard Surface Sweeper isn’t whisper quiet, but it is a heck of a lot quieter than the gas powered blowers that so many people use.
It’s still a good idea to wear ear protection when using this blower, but the noise level really is noticeably lower than many other outdoor power tools.
Most of my clean up jobs are simple and quick, so I’m not too bothered by the battery running out. On the rare occasion that I have a big yard clean up job, I just make do. And I wish this mower was a little more powerful, but it handles my standard clean ups without any problems.
If I was always cleaning up wet grass or doing long clean up jobs, I would have a hard time recommending the Black & Decker NS118 Cordless Electric Broom.
But most of my jobs are typical fare for homeowners, so I do not hesitate to recommend it to people who have simple, everyday outdoor messes to clean up.
2. Makita BUB182Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower
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Variable motor with 3 speeds to choose from
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Top air speed of 179 miles per hour
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Lightweight, compact design
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3 year warranty
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Battery is sold separately. When I mentioned the interchangeable battery, I forgot to mention that it and the charger have to be purchased separately.
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Not for big jobs. Cordless tools run out of juice. If you’re in the middle of a big job, you don’t want to run out of battery power, unless you have a spare, charged battery.
There are always companies that you associate with great power tools, and Makita is definitely one of them. One of their most impressive outdoor tools is the Makita BUB182Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower. I bought this blower two years ago and have been singing its praises ever since.
Like anyone else, I value my time and don’t like to spend hours sweeping up after I do yard work. With the Makita BUB182Z blower, my outdoor clean ups have been reduced to a fraction of the time that they used to take. Makita knows how to make top quality tools, and that know-how really show with this powerful blower.
Hard Work Made Easy
The Makita BUB182Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower is built for easy use. I’ve used some blowers in the past that were downright heavy. This Makita blower is feather-light. Weighing in at just under 4 pounds, this blower doesn’t take a toll on my shoulders and back when I use it.
To add to the comfort factor, Makita has included a small, compact design and soft grips on the handles. I still don’t like cleaning up when I’m done with gardening work, but having a comfortable blower definitely makes it easier to do.
I work outside on the weekends only, so it’s not like I am using my Makita blower every day. For average sized, around-the-house clean up jobs, the Makita BUB182Z Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower is great. Anyone who has to deal with cleaning up after mowing the lawn or doing any kind of gardening work needs a reliable, easy to use blower. This model from Makita fits that bill perfectly. Professional landscapers would obviously need a more robust blower, but for weekend warriors like me it’s a perfect fit.
Husqvarna 952711925 125B Handheld Blower
- Special stream of air will decrease risk of injury to wrist or arm.
- Easy start as the stop button resets itself
- Passes California Air Resources Board Emissions Standards
- Can blow up to 170 miles per hour
Right from opening the box, the Husqvarna 125B Blower screams quality. You can feel the quality from the tubing to the motor right out of the box. You also notice how different it feels in your hands compared to other blowers, which usually feel awkward.
This leaf blower was easy to start and it runs great. It has an “easy lock” mechanism on it to keep the speed steady. This has been a feature that has been favored by many. It was also a nice bonus to see that the Husqvarna 125B is CARB Compliant.
This leaf blower is easy to hold so it doesn’t matter what size or shape you are, you will be able to handle blowing with ease. In fact this blower is much lighter than any leaf blower that I have ever used. The 125B weighs less than ten pounds but it is still able to pack enough power to get the job done. The fact that it is so lightweight it helped me get my yard work done extremely quickly. It’s safe to say that this gas-blower is easy for anyone in the family to handle. Surely, with the specifications this has been built with, it will last awhile. I am entirely sure that it will work as effectively next fall as it did this fall or whenever I need it.
The Husqvarna 125B Blower has been a pleasant surprise. It makes my life easier to be able to get the chores around the yard done right the first time. It really does make a difference as my neighbor has remarked how much better my sidewalk looks after blowing as compared to his with his electric blower.
After reading some reviews of other consumers, it looks like there has been complaints about the hoses used in the system. It does come with a manufacturer’s warranty of two years and I can’t speak to that issue since we have only been using this one for a short time. My suggestion is to keep up on the warranty and make sure you use it if something goes wrong.