Battery-powered backpack blowers are new on the block. They are not the most popular lawn tools, but it feels like every major brand is trying to sell them right now. But are they any good?
Today, we will use our years of experience using battery-powered lawn tools to break down what makes a good blower, list out our favorite backpack leaf blowers and give our final word on whether or not we recommend battery-powered backpack blowers.
Let’s get started. Here’s our ranking of best battery backpack blowers:
- Ryobi 40V HP Brushless Whisper Backpack Blower
- Greenworks Pro 80V Backpack Blower
- EGO Power+ LB6000 Backpack Blower
- Makita ConnectX Backpack Blower
- EGO Power+ Commercial LBPX8004
Want to see how battery compares to gas powered backpack blowers? Read more here.
My experience using blowers
I’ve always been a gas leaf blower fan – and I still own two. I own the jetpack AKA Stihl BR 600 backpack blower and the an old Stihl handheld gas blower. Despite being really powerful and always getting the job done, I got sick of the maintenance schedule and the smell. After I had my first baby, the noise became unbearable as well – trying to use the blower around nap schedules.
All of that stopped when I got a battery-powered blower. My first battery-powered blower was the Ryobi 40V blower, which quickly changed my perspective. The truth is, a lot of these electric blowers are super powerful – even more so compared to handheld gas blowers. I’ll walk you through my favorites below.
Battery-powered backpack leaf blowers: Ranked
Each of these made the list – so they are good blowers. But I’m trying to take everything into account here: power, price, comfort, and usability. We should jump right into our number one blower.
Ryobi 40V HP Brushless Whisper Battery Powered Backpack Blower
The Ryobi backpack blower has a lot of great qualities – ones you don’t even find on gas powered backpack blowers. For starters, this blower comes with two 6.0 Ah batteries, which means these puppies last. Especially if you swap them out and use them on any of your other Ryobi 40V tools.
Next up, the power on this is pretty impressive. At 730 CFMs and 165 MPH of speed, this blower has almost the exact same specifications of their handheld Ryobi 40V Whisper blower. This is really powerful and is better on your back, arms, and shoulders than lugging around the handheld blower.
As part of the Whisper series of tools from Ryobi, this backpack blower comes in at 59 dB – which is actually pretty quiet considering how big of a machine it is. For comparison’ sake, this is about ½ the noise levels of a gas-powered blower. Lastly – this has really cool features like a turbo button that jacks up the power to big time levels, adjustable speed on the handle, and different nozzle tips for wet leaves, big piles, or really anything else.
To put the cherry on top – this thing is dang comfortable. You can grab this battery powered backpack blower for a surprisingly good price from Home Depot.
Greenworks Pro 80V Electric Backpack Blower
Greenworks puts out some pretty sweet products, so it was no surprise to me when they put out this 80V backpack blower. It isn’t quite as powerful as the Ryobi above, but boy does it have some speed. At 180 MPH, it is better suited for stubborn grass clippings and wet leaves than the Ryobi – but can still handle big piles of leaves decently well.
What I love about Greenworks’ backpack blower is that they are super committed to quality. They make great brushless motors in almost all of their equipment and truly nerd out on the engineering side of the house. I’ve used their 80V handheld blower and it was also pretty powerful.
One recommendation I have for this blower is to buy a higher Ah battery for it. It comes with a 2.5 Ah battery, but I would buy it tool-only, then buy a separate Greenworks 80V battery that’s at least 4 Ah. You’ll get much more run time out of it.
Otherwise, you can grab this one on Amazon for a great deal right now (looks like it is on sale).
EGO Power+ LB6000 Battery Powered Backpack Blower
EGO’s LB6000 backpack blower is a little bit of a mystery to me. Despite being one of my favorite lawn tool brands, they missed a real opportunity here. This blower was truly designed for a normal homeowner who wants a good blower but more importantly wants a backpack blower.
Why do I say this?
Well, it isn’t quite as powerful as some of their handheld blowers, like the 650 and 765 CFM versions we’ve tested. So, what’s the point? Basically as far as I can tell, it is a comfort thing. The tool itself is really high quality and centered around convenience. Here are a few of my favorite things:
- Variable speed control trigger
- Adjustable tube length
- Not super loud
- 5 year tool warranty
This battery backpack blower from EGO was truly designed for comfort and usability. I don’t blame anyone for buying it, but just know that there are more options out there that can provide more power if you’re looking for a true beast of a blower.
All-in-all, this is a great option for many and EGO keeps putting out hits. You can grab the LB6000 from Amazon for a really good price (and it is also on sale right now).
Makita ConnectX Battery Powered Backpack Blower
Makita came out of nowhere with their new battery powered backpack leaf blower – the ConnectX. It has a really good combination of power and speed, with 160 MPH and 670 CFMs. Makita is known for making super high quality tools – like their sweet Makita weed eaters and their awesome mowers.
They’ve been masters in the battery game for a long time and this backpack blower of theirs is nothing short of a beast. Here’s how you know: the motor produces as much power as a 64 cc gas backpack blower. BIG TIME.
I also love the other cool features this has, like:
- Four hours of runtime with the portable power supply (that’s insane)
- 60 dB of sound, about half of a gas blower
- A telescoping nozzle that can be used for big piles of leaves or wet grass
- Power button on control handle (meaning you can turn it on while wearing it, not cranking it while it is on the ground)
This thing is flat out sweet – but it comes with a cost. You can check the price at Home Depot here.
EGO Power+ Commercial LBPX8004 Backpack Blower
The EGO LBPX8004 is illegal in nine countries. Just kidding. But its power is unmatched. Seriously.
At 800 CFMs, it is basically the most powerful electric blower I think I have ever seen. For a backpack blower, it is going to be right on par with a gas-powered blower – or better. One other thing this blower has is really cool digital controls that let you turn on turbo, a battery life indicator, and speed control. Just about everything on this blower is adjustable as well. It is the top of the line battery powered backpack blower.
At only $700, it isn’t all that bad if you grab it at Ace Hardware (or wherever else you can find it).
But here is the last secret. You can get their 765 CFM handheld blower for less than $300.
What to look for in a battery powered blower
Cordless blowers come in a bunch of shapes and sizes but there are three basic things you need to understand:
CFM
Cubic feet per minute. This is a measure of air output on the blower. Higher CFM = more power, but not necessarily more miles per hour. High CFM with a wide nozzle = lower MPH. High CFM with a narrow nozzle = high miles per hour. Ideally, you want both a high CFM with a narrow to medium nozzle for most residential jobs.
Usability
What is the point of having a blower if it is hard to use? Have to get one that is lightweight, easy to start, and has some functions that make your life easier.
Motor type
Brushless motors reign supreme. Cooler running motors with more torque, a longer run-time, and last many more years. Brushless is a no brainer when picking a blower.
These are three things you need to pay attention to when looking through the specifications.
Why we review lawn tools
The reason we started this website in the first place was because we had so much trouble trying to find reasonable, understandable, honest reviews for lawn equipment. And it’s not cheap! After hours and hours of research, trying products and returning them, and messing up our yards – we started this site.
As people who had to learn the hard way, we want you to know exactly what you are signing up for before you purchase a piece of equipment. That’s why we are committed to providing honest, easy-to-understand reviews that mean something.
