Leaf Blowers – Gas or Electric – Which Is Best?

Can Leaf Blowers Ever Be Green and EcoFriendly?

Leaf blowers are very popular in American suburbs, and they’re more common in Europe now too.  They are very loud and often very heavy.

(Have you ever watched people trying to blow that last little leaf, keeping at it long after they should simply have bent down and picked it up?) 🙂

But in fairness, leaf blowers do make the job easy, and if you have a bad back or a very large garden and a lot of leaves to collect, you may need one.

Let’s look at the different types of leaf blowers and leaf vacuums that are available. Of course, they’re definitely NOT green and ecofriendly compared to raking leaves, but some leaf blowers are better than others.

Gas-Powered (Petrol) Leaf Blowers

The original leaf blowers were pretty horrible.  According to Wikipedia, leaf blowers were first introduced as chemical spraying machines for the agricultural industry, and later adapted to simply blowing leaves.  Most of them had two-stroke gas-powered (petrol-powered) engines which were noisy and smoky.

There are still many of this type being sold today.

Their advantage is their portability.

But, you’ve got to store petroleum and oil, and maintain spark plugs and filters.

Due to their noise and pollution, they have been banned in some cities, and fall under noise regulations in some other cities.

The generally accepted outdoor daytime noise level is 55 – 60 dB.  But traditional leaf blowers emit 70 -75 dB from 50 feet away – yikes!

If at all possible, avoid this type of leaf blower!

Electric Leaf Blowers

Newer designs feature electric motors which are much quieter and don’t pollute the air around them.

So, they’re better, right?

Yes, they are.

And they’re generally cheaper than gas-powered ones too!

However, don’t forget where your electricity comes from.  Most (not all) electricity is generated from fossil fuels (mostly coal).   So you’re probably still burning fossil fuel with an electric leaf blower.  Of course, if your electricity is generated from solar power, then that’s perfect!

Electric leaf blowers come in two flavors:

• Corded
• Cordless.

Cordless models are battery operated.  That means they’re generally bigger and heavier, and because of the high power usage, they don’t last very long before needing a recharge.  But they are portable.  You’ll want to recycle the unit’s battery once it reaches the end of its life.

Find cordless models on special offer (battery included) here

The corded types are of course restricted by their cord, you need access to a power point.  But they’re lighter, and you can run them for longer. Choose from a selection here

What about the leaf vacuum?

If you’ve bought a leaf blower that can also vacuum, you might be wondering if there’s any point to it.  After all, the bags are normally so small that you have to stop constantly to empty the bags. Also, they just don’t vacuum up a large quantity of leaves quickly.

But they’re really good for removing small quantities of leaves, dirt or dried grass clippings where it’s difficult to use your rake.

Bonus tip:  use the leaf vacuum at the base of a fence where leaves often get trapped, in nooks and crannies around the house and outbuildings, and on decks.

(Of course, you could blow the debris away in those areas, but then you’d have to collect it later).

Bonus Tip: It’s best to use your leaf blower when the leaves are dry. Wet leaves clog it up, and are heavier too.

What Do I Do?

If you’re asking “what does the EcoExpert do with her leaves?” well, here on my little tropical island we don’t really have a fall or autumn, it’s 9 months of summer and 3 months of “winter”.  The leaves dropping from palm trees and banana bushes are (a) intermittent throughout the year, not all at once, and (b) rather large.  So it’s simply a quick weekly pickup.  But in various other places I’ve lived, yes, we had a lot of leaves in autumn, and I generally paid someone to rake them for me.

Next:  What to do with all the leaves

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