Different types of leaf blowers
If you are new to gardening and looking to buy a leaf blower, you might get overwhelmed with all the different kinds available. Here are the brief descriptions of different types of leaf blowers.
Gas leaf blower and electric leaf blower
Leaf blowers can be roughly divided into two categories, electric and gas. As the name suggests, gas leaf blower runs on gas while the other one runs on electricity. Electric leaf blowers are either with cord or cordless. Cordless electric blowers need a battery to run them. They have lesser power but are lightweight. We have further explained the different types below.
Corded-electric blowers
These are small and are meant to be used single-handedly.
Cordless-electric blowers
If you are looking for a low-maintenance leaf blower but do not want to deal with cords, these type of leaf blowers might be the right option for you. They typically run with the battery and are lighter than gas leaf blowers are. The only downside is that battery can drain in about an hour and you would have to charge it again before any further use.
Gas-powered handheld blowers
These are powerful blowers and are more capable than electric blowers in sweeping and blowing the leaves. They are louder than electric ones although recently, many brands provided blowers that adhere to noise limitations. Periodic maintenance is required because they have a powerful engine. Available in two-stroke and four-stroke engines, they weigh around 10 pounds usually and a little bit more in the case of four stroke engines.
Gas-powered backpack blowers
These blowers are typically carried as a backpack and they provide more power than handheld blowers do. Added power need more weight and they weigh close to 17 pounds. They are also costlier than the handheld ones. One downside is that they are not able to vacuum or shred.
Gas-powered wheeled blowers
If you are looking to clean a big area quickly, these leaf blowers can be a good option. Provided with wheels and a four-stroke engine, they weigh up to 100 pounds. They are costlier and mostly noisy although some brands have recently provided models with a very low noise level.