ConsumerReports.org - Power blowers 9/03: Gas leaf blower, lawn blower, electric leaf blower.
ConsumerReports.org - Power blowers 9/03: Gas leaf blower, lawn blower, electric leaf blower.: "Power blowers: Plug-ins prevail
Gasoline reigns supreme when it comes to mowers and other large yard equipment. But among the handheld blowers most people buy, electrics rule. Besides outperforming the best gas-powered models, electrics cost and weigh less while freeing you from fueling, pull-starting, and periodic tune-ups.
Our 37-model Ratings bear that out. Three handheld electrics--the Toro Super Blower Vac 51591 and Ultra Blower Vac 51598, and the Weed Eater 2595 Barracuda--swept knee-high leaf piles as well as the best gas handheld blowers while beating them at loosening embedded leaf fragments and twigs.
Fast-spinning, sharply angled fan vanes with less wasted space around them help provide that added oomph, according to the manufacturers. Electric blowers also tend to do well overall at vacuuming debris into a bag, a task only some handheld gas blowers and no backpack or wheeled models can handle.
Gasoline-powered blowers remain your only choice for large cleanup jobs far from a power outlet, however. What�s more, even the best of the electrics we tested are still relatively noisy. Here�s how some of the latest models have improved, along with some areas where there�s room for improvement:
Less pollution. All of the gas-powered blowers we tested now meet the stricter federal exhaust emission standards that began phasing in last year. Some meet even tougher California standards, as noted in the Ratings.
Just as much noise. The latest blowers are no quieter overall than those we tested two years ago, despite dozens of blower-noise ordinances in and around Los Angeles, New York, and other cities nationwide. While many of those rules apply only to gas-powered"
Gasoline reigns supreme when it comes to mowers and other large yard equipment. But among the handheld blowers most people buy, electrics rule. Besides outperforming the best gas-powered models, electrics cost and weigh less while freeing you from fueling, pull-starting, and periodic tune-ups.
Our 37-model Ratings bear that out. Three handheld electrics--the Toro Super Blower Vac 51591 and Ultra Blower Vac 51598, and the Weed Eater 2595 Barracuda--swept knee-high leaf piles as well as the best gas handheld blowers while beating them at loosening embedded leaf fragments and twigs.
Fast-spinning, sharply angled fan vanes with less wasted space around them help provide that added oomph, according to the manufacturers. Electric blowers also tend to do well overall at vacuuming debris into a bag, a task only some handheld gas blowers and no backpack or wheeled models can handle.
Gasoline-powered blowers remain your only choice for large cleanup jobs far from a power outlet, however. What�s more, even the best of the electrics we tested are still relatively noisy. Here�s how some of the latest models have improved, along with some areas where there�s room for improvement:
Less pollution. All of the gas-powered blowers we tested now meet the stricter federal exhaust emission standards that began phasing in last year. Some meet even tougher California standards, as noted in the Ratings.
Just as much noise. The latest blowers are no quieter overall than those we tested two years ago, despite dozens of blower-noise ordinances in and around Los Angeles, New York, and other cities nationwide. While many of those rules apply only to gas-powered"
posted by Björgvin Árnason at 8:22 PM
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