Things You Should Consider When Buying Your First Garden Leaf Blower

By Leonard Mutch

Want to save yourself some time?

Collecting leaves with the aid of a garden leaf blower is considerably less time-consuming and less back breaking work when compared to using a garden rake or other such tools. The general idea of a leaf blower is pretty straightforward. A high-speed fan is surrounded by a cover. Tubes are then connected to the side of the fan to focus the air current (up to around 200 miles per hour in some units) in the direction you want to move the leaves.

What do I need to consider?

First of all consider the size of your garden and your exposure to fallen leaves. Do you have a large yard? If you have only a small garden and no trees or bushes then you will not need a garden leaf blower, but if you have a large garden and wish to have it looking clean at all times then a garden leaf blower would be a wise investment and a great time saver for you.You will want to bear these factors in mind when you consider the features of the different models.

Garden leaf blowers come in all shapes and sizes depending on their use.

Leaf blowers include both small one-hand models and powerful, professional types which can be carried in a harness on your back.Consider one with a harness particularly if you suffer from back or neck problems, as the harness will take a good deal of the load off your shoulders and arms.

Consider too, the blowing speed and air volume the different models put out, as a high blowing speed would cut down the time needed for the blowing operation. Most garden leaf blowers will have a rating of 350 to 600 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM).

A low vibration level would also be preferable with ergonomic handles and harnesses to help you to work more efficiently with less strain on the hands, arms and shoulders.

Handheld garden leaf blowers can be generally divided into two groups: those that can collect leaves and those that can't. With a garden leaf blower you can do much more than just move leaves. It can also be used to collect rubbish, grass clippings, hedge clippings, and empty tin cans.

Your choice of garden leaf blower should have an efficient system to minimise vibrations in the parts of the machine that you or the user comes in contact with.

Make a note of the weight of each type of garden leaf blower too, as some blowers can weigh as much as 25lb or 12kg. You'd have to be doing an awful lot of blowing to be needing the 25lb model!

Consider too, a model with the ability to vacuum all you leaves into a bag rather than blowing them all away. Another great time saver when it comes to disposing of the leaves. An extra mulching feature is available on some leaf blower/vacuums. Mulched lawn debris can be used in compost piles or bagged for disposal. Most of these convert easily from blowing to vacuuming mode.

Making your choice between an electric or gas-powered unit isn't always easy! Gas blowers are more powerful, but electric ones are quieter.The engine should be powerful and easy to start if you choose a gasoline model. Do you live in a busy neighborhood where a quieter operation would be appreciated? Or is your yard massive with lots of trees, making a powerful unit the only real option?

Choose a model within your price range with the best selection of features. You can expect to pay anywhere between $100 and $500 for a decent garden leaf blower, depending upon the specifications you choose.

About the Author: Leonard Mutch is a keen gardener and author. You can read more of his tips and articles at http://www.gardenleafblower.com and subscribe to his gardening tips newsletter at http://www.gardenandplantcenter.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=28816&ca=Gardening

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Leaf Blower Reviews - The Smartest Way To Shop For A Leaf Blower

Author: MattG

When purchasing an expensive item such as a vehicle, boat, home, etc, chances are that you as the buyer will have done some research before you finalize the purchase.  The same principal should be applied to leaf blowers, and the research comes in the form of Leaf Blower Reviews which can be found in a couple different places online.

These reviews are generally written by consumers who have already purchased a particular blower and put it to use.  Reading through these buyers experiences with that product can make you aware of any potential problems the product may have, and give you a good idea if that leaf blower is right for you.

Finding good Leaf Blower Reviews is not that difficult if you know where to look.  The first place one might consider looking is at large online stores which actually sell a variety of leaf blowers.  One such store is Amazon, and when you find a particular blower that interests you, chances are good that there are also reviews on that products page left by past consumers who purchased that same product.  A popular product will typically have hundreds of reviews.

The next place to look, and likely the best source is for review sites.  A review site will go through the trouble of reading through most or all of the Amazon reviews, then will summarize these reviews into their own report on that leaf blower.  This will save you a tremendous amount of time in that you will no longer have to read through hundreds of reviews to find the common complaints a product has.  Instead, you read the review site and it will already list common complaints, problems, or comments on that leaf blower.  These types of Leaf Blower Reviews are the most efficient and best way to gather a large amount of information in a short amount of time. 

Taking the extra time to read Leaf Blower Reviews will save you many headaches and expenses in the future.  By doing a little research you will be pleasantly surprised with the end result of your purchase, and it will surely last you for many years to come.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/landscaping-articles/leaf-blower-reviews-the-smartest-way-to-shop-for-a-leaf-blower-5261077.html

About the Author

Matt owns and operates a widely regarded Leaf Blower Reviews site which is designed to help consumers do exactly what has been outlined in this article. 

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Backpack blowers are more commonly used by professionals and are mostly powered by 2-stroke gasoline engines. The harness, which has a blower fit into it, is worn on the operator's back. The engine and fan are also placed on the backpack frame with a hand-held hose and spout to direct the airflow. Backpack blowers are powerful, convenient and have larger, more efficient fuel tanks and air filters and therefore, longer duty cycles.

Backpack blowers with more than 40cc engines are the best with a typical blowing power of 400 cfm  (cubic feet per minute) of volume at 190 mph (meter per hour). If you live in a quiet neighborhood, these units are the best choice, because they are specially assembled to control unwanted noise. Also, keep in mind that harness quality and comfort differ from one model to the other.

Performance backpack blowers generally have blowing power of more than 450 cfm of volume at 195 mph, and are named because of their high performance. Though they may be noisier than other blowers, they are fast, fuel efficient, and have a quick throttle response. Most professionals and commercial users prefer this type of units, which also has optional accessories like breathable nylon back pads and padded, adjustable harnesses.

The largest and heaviest backpack blower units available are Big-bore Backpacks, with engine powers starting at 50cc. They are also fast and may decrease cleaning time in half. Since these blowers are very powerful, they are typically used for larger areas, and tough jobs like wet matted leaves. They are most suitable for commercial uses.

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The Toro products have a good name and perhaps you own a few. Do you have the Toro 51599 electric blower/vacuum equipment? If you are seriously searching for a blower, try this one. You need this item to perform any clean up task in your home compound. It is electric powered, making it quick and reliable than most gasoline powered equipment. The product dimensions are forty-eight by twenty point-five by ten inches, and it measures eleven point five pounds.

Let us analyze the product details below:

• This is twelve-Ampere electric blower/vacuum equipment.

• Its leaf shredder minimizes sixteen bags of leaves to a single bag

• Features a rugged metal impeller and a variable speed motor

• To hold the cord in place, the manufacturers provides a special cord lock

• This strong handgrip blower generates up to two hundred and thirty five stream of air.

A few reasons why this electric blower is irresistible

Many gadgets that use electricity are clean. The Toro 51599 is no different. It does not pollute the environment, as the blower is cleaner and quieter. Compared to gas powered blowers, the Toro blower is the best choice. You will certainly enjoy using this blower because it is light in weight, making it portable than most models. The most outstanding feature on this equipment is the ergonomic friendly handle.

Apart from the health benefits, the handle is stronger and you will not stop between tasks. In most homes, the clean up jobs are different. If you need to use this cleaner to finish a heavy-duty task, simply vary the speed of the twelve-ampere motor. You could keep it as low as a hundred and twelve mph and could increase it up to two thirty five mph. The high-speed functionality is for difficult tasks. The maximum air volume for this blower vac is two hundred and fifty five cfm.

This enables you to sweep a large volume of leaves and trash easily and fast. How do you convert the blower into a vacuum in seconds? All you have to do is to use the swift release latch. You do not need any tools. For easier and quicker debris mulching, the equipment has a rugged metal impeller. The metal edges are made of magnesium and they are jagged. This is why the system shreds debris and leaves conveniently into smooth mulch. You could discard it or use it for gardening purposes. Of course, this will save you money for buying artificial mulch.

This type of organic mulch is much healthier for the plants. This impeller is much more reliable than many others for different blowers. It can reduce the sixteen bags of leaves and debris into one bag. Thus, one could say that the toro 51599 is very efficient equipment. Many people are supporting cleaner and safe environments to live in. You do not have to do much to participate. Simply buy an eco-friendly blower vacuum such as this model. It will allow you to contribute in the fight against environmental pollution. At the same time, you will benefit a lot from the usage of this product. In particular, you will adore using it on a daily basis to clean your compound and lawn.

Technorati Tags: 51599, Blower, Blower/Vacuum, ecofriendly, Electric, Review, Toro, toro 51599 ultra 12 amp variablespeed electric blowervacuum review top ecofriendly blower, Ultra, VariableSpeed

Leaf Mulching is one of the more organic methods of leaf removal. And, it is very lawn friendly. 

If you have a push mower, it is more than likely that it is already mulch-capable. Most of the time, there is a plastic shoot where grass exits the push mowers deck. You should be able to remove the plastic shoot, and block the hole in the mowers deck. Most newer lawn mowers come with a mulching blade as well. If not, one can easily be picked up for around the price of .00. 

If you have a riding lawn mower, attachments can be purchased (for most) to block the hole in the mowers deck. Mulching blades can also be purchased for a price in the area of .00. The prices and attachments vary by mower type, but most of the time the attachment is a small plastic cover with gumby straps that hold it to the deck. It simply fits of the exit hole on the mowers deck, blocking anything from escaping and in return mulching it

So why should you mulch?

Well there is a few good reasons. The first, it is a lot easier than manually raking your leafs with a leaf rake. Depending on your yard size, leaf raking can be a long, pretty intense task. And with the technology available in this day and age, it is not a "must do" task. 

The second, mulching leafs and returning them back to the soil is an excellent organic lawn care method. It return rich nutrients and iron to your lawn that grass strives on. By returning these nutrients back to the soil, you will notice a thicker, greener, all around healthier outcome within your grass. 

The third is the cost factor. Tools like leaf blowers and vacuums can get very expensive. With some leaf blowers costing 0-0 and up, and some vacuums costing 0-00 dollars you can easily see why mulching is extremely less expensive. You should replace blades every season depending on the use involved. So at the worst conditions, and the cheapest leaf removal tool it would take almost 8 years of purchasing mulching blades before you would reach the cost of a low-end leaf vacuum!
Leaf Blowing
Leaf blowers are a very effective, but also very expensive method of leaf removal depending on the size of your yard. Small leaf blowers can run 0 to 0 dollars. While they are good for small leaf removal projects, sidewalks, and driveways, people with larger, tree filled yards will quickly become disappointed with the limitations on the smaller blowers. 

For larger, leafier yards, I personally recommend the BR600 from Stihl. While there are more powerful models available, the BR600 packs a punch and is able to move large piles of leafs, wet or dry. It also moves snow with little problem. 

Depending on if you live in a city, and what city that is, normally there are scheduled leaf pickup services. By blowing your leaves to the curb side or street side, large city trucks with vacuum hoses will come and remove you leaf piles as long as they are in an acceptable area. The city than compost or mulches the leafs for recycled use at a later time. And normally this is done free of charge!
Leaf Vacuuming.. Compressing
Leaf vacuuming also provides a method of mulching or compressing your leaves. 

My favorite leaf vacuum is the stihl hand held model. It is light weight and compresses leafs at a 14:1 bag ratio. The bag straps onto your back and has an easy unzip and dump feature. They run around 0 but are worth the money if you need to go this route. I normally use the BR600 to blow the leafs into a pile and then use the leaf vacuum to mulch and compress the pile. The mulched leaves can then be used for a compost or a cheap-organic fertalizer where needed. 

Another type of leaf vacuum is the walk behind model. Troy-Bilt and Craftsman make notable versions of these. They basically look like a push mower, except they have a vacuum attached to the front and a fairly large bag attached to the back. They do what they are supposed to, however I am not a giant fan of these models. I would rather purchase the mulching attachment for a push or riding lawn mower and mulch the leafs. These pieces of equipment can run in the area of 0 depending on versions. 

The other type of leaf vacuum is the riding mower attachment. It is the same principle as the push mower version, except for use with a riding lawn mower. I am not a giant fan of these models either and they are more for professional use. They are also very pricey, 0+.

Related Leaf Vacuum Articles

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Typically, there are two kinds of leaf blowers. There are the ones that you walk behind and those that you can strap on your back. Each type has good points and not so good points and you need to know a bit about both before making a choice between the two.

Obviously, you want to choose the leaf blower that will get your job done most quickly and effectively. To do that, you need to familiarize yourself with each of them.

A main disadvantage of walk behind leaf blowers is that sometimes they become quite heavy. In the case of having a lot of leaves to blow away, you'll want to keep this in mind because these types can get pretty heavy to hold after a while.
However, you also need to understand that they're very efficient. So even though you may get a bit tired of all the walking and pushing of this type of leaf blower, it may be a better deal for you. A variety of companies manufacture this type of leaf blower so you want to be sure that you're getting one from a trustworthy company.

The other type of leaf blower can be strapped to your back. People that don't like holding a leaf blower the whole time they're working tend to like this type better. They're convenient and effective but they're also a bit more expensive. If you have the extra money to spend, and don't mind doing so, the strap on leaf blower is pretty handy to have when you want to get yard work done quickly and easily.

The difference between the leaf blower that you can strap to your back and the one that you must walk behind is based on the user's preference. They both get the job done quickly and effectively. However, one is easier to manage than the other while the other one is less convenient but also less expensive.

Therefore, it's really up to you and your budget as to what sort of leaf blower you end up buying for yourself. Just remember to do your homework so that you buy a quality leaf blower and don't overspend on it. It's an investment so make it a good one.

Related Leaf Blower Articles

Technorati Tags: Behind, Blowers, cordless leaf blowers, Leaf, leaf blower, Leaf Blowers, Strap, strap on leaf blowers vs walk behind leaf blowers, Walk, walk behind leaf blowers

Leaf Mulching is one of the more organic methods of leaf removal. And, it is very lawn friendly. 

If you have a push mower, it is more than likely that it is already mulch-capable. Most of the time, there is a plastic shoot where grass exits the push mowers deck. You should be able to remove the plastic shoot, and block the hole in the mowers deck. Most newer lawn mowers come with a mulching blade as well. If not, one can easily be picked up for around the price of .00. 

If you have a riding lawn mower, attachments can be purchased (for most) to block the hole in the mowers deck. Mulching blades can also be purchased for a price in the area of .00. The prices and attachments vary by mower type, but most of the time the attachment is a small plastic cover with gumby straps that hold it to the deck. It simply fits of the exit hole on the mowers deck, blocking anything from escaping and in return mulching it

So why should you mulch?

Well there is a few good reasons. The first, it is a lot easier than manually raking your leafs with a leaf rake. Depending on your yard size, leaf raking can be a long, pretty intense task. And with the technology available in this day and age, it is not a "must do" task. 

The second, mulching leafs and returning them back to the soil is an excellent organic lawn care method. It return rich nutrients and iron to your lawn that grass strives on. By returning these nutrients back to the soil, you will notice a thicker, greener, all around healthier outcome within your grass. 

The third is the cost factor. Tools like leaf blowers and vacuums can get very expensive. With some leaf blowers costing 0-0 and up, and some vacuums costing 0-00 dollars you can easily see why mulching is extremely less expensive. You should replace blades every season depending on the use involved. So at the worst conditions, and the cheapest leaf removal tool it would take almost 8 years of purchasing mulching blades before you would reach the cost of a low-end leaf vacuum!
Leaf Blowing
Leaf blowers are a very effective, but also very expensive method of leaf removal depending on the size of your yard. Small leaf blowers can run 0 to 0 dollars. While they are good for small leaf removal projects, sidewalks, and driveways, people with larger, tree filled yards will quickly become disappointed with the limitations on the smaller blowers. 

For larger, leafier yards, I personally recommend the BR600 from Stihl. While there are more powerful models available, the BR600 packs a punch and is able to move large piles of leafs, wet or dry. It also moves snow with little problem. 

Depending on if you live in a city, and what city that is, normally there are scheduled leaf pickup services. By blowing your leaves to the curb side or street side, large city trucks with vacuum hoses will come and remove you leaf piles as long as they are in an acceptable area. The city than compost or mulches the leafs for recycled use at a later time. And normally this is done free of charge!
Leaf Vacuuming.. Compressing
Leaf vacuuming also provides a method of mulching or compressing your leaves. 

My favorite leaf vacuum is the stihl hand held model. It is light weight and compresses leafs at a 14:1 bag ratio. The bag straps onto your back and has an easy unzip and dump feature. They run around 0 but are worth the money if you need to go this route. I normally use the BR600 to blow the leafs into a pile and then use the leaf vacuum to mulch and compress the pile. The mulched leaves can then be used for a compost or a cheap-organic fertalizer where needed. 

Another type of leaf vacuum is the walk behind model. Troy-Bilt and Craftsman make notable versions of these. They basically look like a push mower, except they have a vacuum attached to the front and a fairly large bag attached to the back. They do what they are supposed to, however I am not a giant fan of these models. I would rather purchase the mulching attachment for a push or riding lawn mower and mulch the leafs. These pieces of equipment can run in the area of 0 depending on versions. 

The other type of leaf vacuum is the riding mower attachment. It is the same principle as the push mower version, except for use with a riding lawn mower. I am not a giant fan of these models either and they are more for professional use. They are also very pricey, 0+.

Technorati Tags: Cleanup, Fall, fall leaf cleanup, favorite leaf vacuum, Leaf, Leaf Blowers, leaf removal, Leaf Vacuum, low-end leaf vacuum, small leaf blowers

The Old Hard Way...

For many years you have raked your yard.  It is simple enough.

But did you know that the yard rake was invented in the early 1800's?

What other technology invented in the early 1800's are we still using?  

The Better Way...

Today's landscaper can save time and money -- not to mention wear and tear on his or her back -- with a powerful, lightweight lawn vacuum.

These high quality products can not only save time, money and your spine, they will improve the appearance of your yard.

Lawn vacuums do just exactly what they sound like they do -- they suck up the things you don't want on your lawn.  Dead leaves, grass clippings, twigs and branches -- a good sweeper will make short work of all of them.

And these unique products are environmentally friendly as well.  Some push lawn vacuums and lawn mower vacuums have virtually no additional environmental impact at all.  They can be used in coordination with a push mower or riding mower.  They are simply dragged behind the mower as you mow, alleviating the need to rake your yard.  When you're done, you simply throw your clippings in your mulch or compost bin.

The Professional Way...

The commercial applications for lawn sweepers such as turf vacuums and lawn leaf vacuums are many.  These tools can not only save you time per job but can also make your business more money.  Now you can mow and clean the clippings at once instead of adding the extra step and manpower of using a loud and non-environmentally friendly gas powered blower.

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Once you have your garden designed and set up, you need to maintain it regularly. The most important part of garden maintenance project is garden clearance. The main issue in a garden is the falling leaves, which are nothing less than a nuisance. You can clear up the leaf litter easily using a few tips. With these collected fallen leaves and recycling of the hedge trimmings, you can make a valuable compost.

In the garden clearance project, there are three steps. Gather together, move pile and recycle or dispose of.

You need some specific gardening tools to make your clearance job easier and effective. These tools include leaf and lawn rakes, wheel easy and Barrows, leaf shredders, blow-vacs and shredders and chippers.

Gather all the fallen leaves and debris together. If your garden is quite large and you need help, call a professional gardener to do the job. He can use a lawn sweeper to collect the dry fallen leaves, debris, nuts, stones, small twigs, stones and other things. You need to adjust its handles at a comfortable height. This machine is very light, you just need to push it slightly, and it collects all the fallen leaves. Dump all the collected dry leaves in a pile in one corner of the garden and collect it later.

Leaf and lawn rakes are quite easy to use. If you have a small garden, then you can use adjustable span spring tined rake. Due to folding, the storage becomes easier. For manual de-thatched of the lawn, you can use the spring tines.

For gathering leaves from the larger areas, you can use the wide leaf rakes. Other options are plastic tined reversible pivot rake and the metal long span rake head, suitable for the soil bed.

To clear the larger areas, you should have wide lawn rakes and more workers to work with you. Use a leaf master to pick up and shred the leaves. Use blow-vac to make the leaf pile easily. Blow the fallen leaves from one side only towards a tree trunk or the fence. To clear the sticky leaves and larger debris, use a vacuum cleaner.

You need to use a leaf shredder to leaves pile. You can easily put this compact leaves pile into a tip bag.

Besides lending a disheveled look to the garden, fallen leaves and debris are injurious to the health of the garden and its grass. By collecting fallen leaves, not only you clean the garden but you can also make good compost for it.

But leaves are not the only problem you can face. Think about all the overgrown bushes, trees or weeds. In order to give your garden a proper look and space, you should do something about it. You should get rid of all the overgrown parts and it will let the plants grow bigger and healthier. But if you do not know exactly how to trim or cut, you'd better avoid it as you may cause more damage than benefit.

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Are you searching for a blower? If yes, do not settle for any product you come across in the market. The Makita leaf blower is just perfect for everybody. You have many options to select and all you have to do is to read the reviews. This will enable you to discover what other users are saying about the products. One of the best types you have is the Makita BHX2500. This gas-powered blower is just the right product for commercial and simpler uses. The following are brief features to expect:

• This device is lightweight, making it easy to maneuver. It is nine point eight 1bs.

• It has a low compression engine for quick starting.

• The Makita leaf contain a seventeen point seven oz fuel tank to ensure that it runs for a longer time

• It is a powerful commercial blower using a 24.4cc powerful engine

This gas-powered blower is one of the devices using the lightest 4-stroke engine. It has many advantages to it, which you can experience if you buy this blower. The Makita leaf blower is better than any other machine in the market. The following is an outline of possible benefits:

• It works effectively and efficiently – Although you can get many other blowers in the market, the Makita is simply the best. Do not be deceived by cheap items. This is simply the best because it works fast and effectively.

• The device saves gas – Many items that consume fuel cost the user a lot of money. This is why shoppers concern themselves with the type of engines used by autos and small machines such as a blower. This leaf blower uses a 4-stroke engine with a special design to reduce fuel consumption. Those who have used the Makita before can tell you that its fuel consumption rate is considerably low. This is unlike the blowers that use a two-stroke engine. The four-stroke engine does not even give you a hard time when starting it.

• Less pollution – Most engines cause environmental pollution because they emit poisonous fumes and substances. A good example of such engines is the two-stroke variety used to make a few blowers. The four-stroke engine used for the Makita blower reduces environmental air pollution. The gas used in the combustion chamber reduces the emissions and the engine does not make unnecessary noises as well.

• User-friendly – When you have not used a complicated device like this before, you expect its usage to be complex as well. This is not the case with this leaf blower. It is completely easy to use and any person can learn how to use it. Of course, it will come with a manual book to offer guidance. All you have to do is to read the manual book. Then, you will realize how easy it is to start using the Makita leaf blower. One good thing about it is that it does not require you to mix any gas or oil. All you have to do is to fuel it and start it. Do not be surprised how fast you can start this machine.

More Leaf Blower Articles

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