Choose the best leaf blower for your garden.

If raking takes more than an hour and is more labor than desired, a leaf blower is a good choice. Not only does leaf blowing work faster than raking, but it can perform many tasks that rakes and lawnmowers can't. Leaf blowers can blow pine needles out of a gutter, blow dust out of your garage, remove grass clippings from a driveway, or remove leaves from your ground covers.

Another way to deal with leaves is to use a lawn mower with a mulching function. These mowers can chop leaves into small pieces to compost and provide nutrients to your lawn. This tool is a good solution for lawns, but you will still need something for defoliating the driveway and flower beds.

Leaf blowers come in all shapes, sizes, and prices, so knowing which one to buy can be tricky. We help you on your way to choosing the best leaf blower for your garden.

⇨ RELATED: Best Leaf Vacuum Mulcher - Leaf Mulcher HQ

Buying a leaf blower, which one should you choose?

There is much to enjoy about the fall season: the golden colors and the misty mornings. However, it is also the season when our gardens disappear under a blanket of dead leaves, and our wells become clogged with a mulch-like mess.

If you want to keep your garden from turning into a glorified compost pile, you need to be on top of it. A good leaf blower will save you a lot of time and back pain and is often worth the investment, no matter how big or small your garden is.

First, you have to decide whether you want to blow leaves wirelessly (with a battery or gas model) or electrically, where you are connected to an extension cord. While corded electric leaf blowers are usually the cheapest option, they offer little freedom and are limited to your cord length.

Types of Leaf Blowers

Leaf blowers are for larger gardens or if you are dealing with many leaves that cannot be raked easily. They can only blow, but they are ideal for moving a lot of waste into a large pile for easy disposal.

Leaf vacuum mulchers are useful for small jobs, as they are good for vacuuming general debris and leaves. However, they are not suitable for large jobs as it usually takes longer to walk around and suck everything up than blowing everything into one big pile.

Combination blowers with suction functions are best for most people because of their versatility. The main drawback is that they are cumbersome to store and often contain extra parts that you need to store and that you could lose.

Leaf blowers by type

Selecting the right leaf blower depends on the terrain, yard size, and budget. Both gas and electric models take much of the work (and blisters) out of cleaning up fallen leaves and other nuisances.

Electric Leaf Blower

The corded electric leaf blower typically weighs about 3-4 pounds and is designed for one-handed use. No-fuss push buttons and no exhaust fumes are pluses, as is power close to what you get from gas leaf blowers. But the power cord limits mobility and can be a hassle around trees and other obstacles. Consider an electric leaf blower if an outlet is always within 20 feet of the work area.

Cost: Cheapest type of leaf blowers.

Battery leaf blower

Lightweight (usually under 4 pounds) and maneuverable, these leaf blowers are becoming increasingly popular for people who want to bypass the maintenance requirements of a gasoline-powered model and don't want to be limited by a power cord. Know that in this freedom, you will sacrifice some strength. The rechargeable battery lasts about half an hour, so if the job takes longer, hang up the hammock and relax while your battery charges.

Cost: On average, the battery makes this leaf blower more expensive.

Gasoline Leaf Blower

The gas leaf blower can go anywhere and never needs to be charged. You need to pull a pull cord to start the engine, and gasoline engines require regular maintenance. Most models weigh about 5 kilos. And while they are quieter than before, gas leaf blowers are still quite loud – the user should always wear hearing protection. The majority have two-stroke engines, which must mix fuel and oil. Those with four strokes let you skip that step.

Cost: Average, but ultimately more expensive due to maintenance and gasoline.

The gas backpack leaf blower

These leaf blowers are generally powerful. Most weigh 9 pounds or more, more than twice as much as electric leaf blowers. But because of the model, you wear the leaf blower like a backpack, making it feel lighter. Like portable gas models, they are a bit noisier than electric models. They can't suck, only blow.

Costs: High, ultimately more expensive due to maintenance and gasoline.

What to Consider When Buying a Leaf Blower

We have already covered the different types of leaf blowers and leaf vacuum mulchers, but what else should you consider when choosing a leaf blower? Below is a helpful checklist of questions for choosing the best leaf blower.

How many leaves will you be clearing?

This sounds obvious, but it is important. A smaller blower or vacuum mulcher with a lower power should suffice if you have a small yard. Most people will be better off with a blower or combi blower with a suction function, but if you have a lot of leaves, you'll need a more powerful, durable machine to get the job done. If you have to clear a large area, don't skimp on the machine because you'll regret it later.

Do you also want to vacuum up litter?

If so, a straight leaf vacuum mulcher without a shredding function is what you need. They aren't great at sucking wet leaves, but they are a hugely versatile time-saver.

Electric, battery or gas – which is best?

Most battery models only last around 30 minutes. The powerful models will clear up quite quickly, but if your yard is big and you're working for hours, then a model with a cord or gas engine is needed. Gasoline will give you a range, but they tend to be more expensive and are generally something we would only recommend if necessary. A mains-powered combi leaf blower will be the best choice for most households.

You should also look at the power and direction of the blower. You don't just want to blow dirt into your yard - you need to target it and ensure it performs just as well in wet and dry conditions.

The power of a leaf blower is determined by airspeed (km/h). The higher the number will determine how easily your blower will blow away the debris.

Leaf blower and leaf vacuum mulcher at Leafmulcherhq.com

Many leaf blowers can also be switched to a suction mode, which could be useful if you don't want to spend all your time bending over to clear the piles of leaves in your yard. You'll need one that's easy to build, so you don't have a wrestling match every time you use it.

Leaf blowers are rarely compact. So if you're short on storage space, you'll need one with the blower tube that can be easily removed.

Finally, protect yourself and be kind to others

• Wear hearing protection, especially on models that produce above 80 decibels.

• Wear safety glasses.

• Keep people and pets away from the area you are blowing.