For many people Autumn is a favourite time, the changing colours and dropping leaves indicate a slowing down in the year and a time to enjoy the changing seasons.
For others, in particular gardeners and owners of large properties with many trees, the autumn leaf fall can be something close to a nightmare with constant drain blockages and gutters packed full of sodden mulch.
Patios and garages seem to ‘grow’ leaves and pathways become slippery and treacherous after heavy rainfall. Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of one of the most useful outdoor cleaning tools, the garden leaf blower. For many years the humble leaf blower has come to the rescue of gardeners and property owners, saving many hours of backbreaking work stuck behind a lawn rake and wheelbarrow. There is a huge choice on the market nowadays with the prices varying greatly. However, you do get what you pay for; some of the cheap petrol leaf blowers available can vibrate so much during a short period of use that they leave you feeling quite numb! If you are toying with the idea of purchasing a garden leaf blower to lighten your workload, you may want to consider a few options before going ahead.
Firstly it will be wise to look at the size of your garden and consider how much leaf clearance you are likely to undertake. If your garden is only small and you have relatively few leafy plants in your garden, you’d be wise to purchase an electric leaf blower. Assuming that you have a mains power supply nearby, an electric blower will be extremely easy to operate without the need to worry about petrol fuel mixtures. Some of the best electric devices are not necessarily the most expensive on the market with brands such as Flymo making several perfectly acceptable models.
Another option to consider when purchasing a garden blower is the vacuum function that many manufacturers now offer, often as a standard feature. Turning your leaf blower into a vacuum will not only provide you with two machines in one, it will also halve your workload, allowing you to suck up piles of garden leaves in no time at all!
Assuming that you’ve decided on an electric blower, you will probably find that it already has a garden vacuum function built in. Most of these devices are referred to as electric leaf blower vacuums or a term very similar to this and will have a very simple mode of switching from blower to vacuum, usually by means of a conveniently placed lever.
Should you have a large property, a garden with many trees and shrubs or not have a mains power supply close to hand, a cordless leaf blower will be your best option. Only consider a petrol leaf blower if you are have a large area to cover as the battery powered machines are not capable of producing sufficient power for serious leaf clearance.
Petrol hand held leaf blowers are capable of producing extremely forceful streams of air, with the most powerful tools producing air speeds of up to 200mph! With this much force at your fingertips large areas of leaves can be cleared in good time, leaving you free to get on with other more important tasks. There are several top rated petrol leaf blowers available, particularly from manufacturers Echo, Efco and Husqvarna. Petrol blowers often have a vacuum kit either supplied as standard or available as an optional extra. As with electric blower vacuums, sucking up large amounts of leaves can be accomplished in a short space of time.
Nowadays another advantage found in the vast majority of blower vacs is the mulching capability offered by means of small metal blades housed inside the impellor unit. The mulching or shredding function reduces the volume of collected leaves, sometimes by a ratio of as much as 16: 1, thereby lessening the number of times you will need to empty the collection bag. Once these leaves have been collected, mulched and deposited into a dark corner of your garden, excellent compost is sure to result the following year!
Another important consideration when purchasing a hand held device is the range of leaf blower attachments that are available, particularly gutter clearance kits that can prove invaluable at times. Whether you choose to purchase a petrol or electric leaf blower, try to compare several machines of a similar type to ensure that you get the features that are important for your needs.
Should you need any advice or feel a little confused whilst considering your purchase, please feel free to call us at Lawnmowers Direct on tel. 01245 383565 where our sales team will be happy to assist.