Should I buy a Leafblower

[RabidGranny]

Hi All

Im in two mind. The garden we have has one big tree which will shed in the coming weeks so the work will be there. However for the remainder of the year it would do nothing. HOWEVER it is dirt cheap in Lidl.

what do the masses think? based your experience should I buy one or not be a lazy bugger and go a rake?

[Bezerk]

They are only any good when totally dry.

However, you can also use it to dry off your car after washing, so get one,

[OutInTheShed]

Leaf blower is good for removing dry leaves from gravel.

Mostly I just use a rake or a broom and pick them up from where the wind accumulates them.
If you've got areas where it's awkward to use simple tools, a blower can be useful.

But very often they are in the list of toys that certain people use to make the job longer and noisier.

[595Heaven]

I ve got a Bosch electric one and it is a really useful thing.

Leaf blowing
Car drying (particularly areas like the grille where water sits for ages)
Barbecue lighting
Blowing grass off the patio when I ve strimmed
Etc.

Edited by 595Heaven on Friday 12th September 13:48

[scz4]

Whatever you buy, get one that sucks and mulches.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mac-allister-mbv2800-28...

[robinh73]

Slightly biased here, as I have a tree surgery and grounds maintenance business. We use hand held and back pack lead blowers and they are brilliant. However, I would also highly recommend a plastic rake such as a Wolf Garten or Chellwood. They are massively better than a traditional metal rake.

[SoliD]

sucker and mulcher. got a battery blower and it does a job, but the sucker and mulcher actually gets rid of them in the first instance. Although this time of year I predominantly use my lanwmower to collect all on the grass and the pathway adjacent.

[zb]

Yes.

[alscar]

For one tree I wouldn’t bother especially if really cheap as it probably won’t last /have sufficient blow.
We have lots of trees and have 2 blowers - stihl petrol and ryobi battery.
The ryobi is pretty decent.
If wet then a rake and 2 small planks of wood to pick up.
If dry we blow into piles then still employ the 2 planks method.

[Harpoon]

I can't remember if my cheap Aldi garden vac blows as well as sucks. However, if the leaves are wet, I reckon I would spend more time unclogging and emptying it as a vacuum than I did collecting the leaves.

I ended up getting one of the big Wolfgarten rakes to fit onto the existing WG pole I had, then use a pair of leaf grabbers to get them into a big bag for barrowing to the leaf mould pile in the composting area of our garden.

https://wolfonline.co.uk/products/uimc

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whitefurze-G25LG1-Leaf-Gr...

[Electronicpants]

I use mine every week, spiders webs off the windows, dust out the garage, grass off the paths after strimming, general debris off the balcony, clear the mess around the firepit, blow the petals off the bench seat cover after a windy day, clear the drive of stuff, chase the kids...

I have battery one though which is a game changer, "the lady of the night", wandering around looking for things to blow.

[Peterpetrole]

scz4 said:

Whatever you buy, get one that sucks and mulches.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mac-allister-mbv2800-28...

this

[M1AGM]

alscar said:

For one tree I wouldn t bother especially if really cheap as it probably won t last /have sufficient blow.
We have lots of trees and have 2 blowers - stihl petrol and ryobi battery.
The ryobi is pretty decent.
If wet then a rake and 2 small planks of wood to pick up.
If dry we blow into piles then still employ the 2 planks method.

Curious what the 2 planks method is?

[hidetheelephants]

M1AGM said:

alscar said:

For one tree I wouldn t bother especially if really cheap as it probably won t last /have sufficient blow.
We have lots of trees and have 2 blowers - stihl petrol and ryobi battery.
The ryobi is pretty decent.
If wet then a rake and 2 small planks of wood to pick up.
If dry we blow into piles then still employ the 2 planks method.

Curious what the 2 planks method is?

A DIY version of these maybe?

[Simpo Two]

hidetheelephants said:

A DIY version of these maybe?

Yep.

Spring tine rake and two boards.

[trickywoo]

I have a lot of leaves to clear, so much so that I got a billy goat vacuum at the end of the season last year. Bit of a bargain if it does this season and hopefully more.

Anyway I previously used a petrol blower. It’s definitely easier than a rake but I wouldn’t say any quicker. You also end up with a rough pile that needs raking and barrowing anyway.

For one tree I’d just rake.

[Sharp Bend]

hidetheelephants said:

M1AGM said:

alscar said:

For one tree I wouldn t bother especially if really cheap as it probably won t last /have sufficient blow.
We have lots of trees and have 2 blowers - stihl petrol and ryobi battery.
The ryobi is pretty decent.
If wet then a rake and 2 small planks of wood to pick up.
If dry we blow into piles then still employ the 2 planks method.

Curious what the 2 planks method is?

A DIY version of these maybe?

They are brilliant. Giant hands that I would not be without - I'm on my second pair. I have a LOT of leaves to clear so use a giant sized rake to make piles of leaves then use the giant hands to transfer them to the garden wheelie bin or one of those incinerator dustbin thingy's.

[robinh73]

trickywoo said:

I have a lot of leaves to clear, so much so that I got a billy goat vacuum at the end of the season last year. Bit of a bargain if it does this season and hopefully more.

Anyway I previously used a petrol blower. It s definitely easier than a rake but I wouldn t say any quicker. You also end up with a rough pile that needs raking and barrowing anyway.

For one tree I d just rake.

I had a billy goat leaf vacuum that a customer let me try as he was selling it. Sadly I found it one of the most frustrating things ever. It would pick up dry leaves all day long but if the leaves were remotely damp it would clog up and become a nightmare. It also had the smallest fuel tank known to man, it would literally run for 10-12 minutes. Needless to say, I didn't purchase it.

[lizardbrain]

Put me in the anti-social bucket, if there is a bucket.

I can put up with chainsaws and stuff as they tend to be required for the job, but the reward to nuisance ratio just doesn't add up in my view.

[RacingStripes]

Ive got one to get rid of the leaves before I mow. My willow seems to drop nearly a wheely bin full every 2 weeks.

Wish I had one that sucked aswell but the battery system i have dont do one.