Leaf Blower Nozzle Types Explained: 2024 Update

Leaf blower nozzles are game changing add-ons to the tip of your blower that will boost the performance of any blower. Cleaning up the debris and leaves in your yard and garden can be a back breaking task if you do it by hand. 

A leaf blower can make this tough task substantially easier. If you use the right nozzle at the right time, you’ll get the job done in record time – which means you get back inside faster and have a better looking yard. But, leaf blowers aren’t just good for the yard. You can also employ your leaf blower to help with other tasks you need to get done, like drying a car. This guide will help you decide which blower nozzle to use for each type of situation you encounter.

Types of Leaf Blower Nozzles and Their Uses

Leaf blowers are among the most useful and versatile tools a homeowner can have. They’re incredibly useful for yard work, but that’s hardly all. By simply changing the nozzle, you can accomplish a wide variety of tasks such as cleaning out your gutters and even drying your car.

Flat Blower Nozzles 

During late fall the leaves from your trees pile up. Winter snow and spring rain saturate them, making them extremely difficult to move, especially with a rake or other hand tool. But, you can’t leave them or the grass under it will die. Simply attach the flat nozzle to your leaf blower and you’ll have no trouble getting them cleared up so your lawn can grow.

The flat blower nozzle attachment is basically like a little spatula for your blower. All the stuff that gets stuck and left behind from mowing, or the old wet leaves that seem to have become one with your driveway are easily flipped with a flat blower nozzle.

You can grab a nice flat blower nozzle attachment that fits most EGO blowers from Amazon for a great price. This is the one I use.

Wide Blower Nozzles 

Big, beautiful shade trees add comfort and curb appeal to your home and yard. But, those huge piles of leaves aren’t always the easiest to deal with. Raking and moving them is physically demanding and time-consuming. Cleanup can be quick and easy with your leaf blower. Just switch to a wide nozzle and you’ll be able to relocate that massive pile of leaves in no time.

Most backpack leaf blowers have really wide nozzles that deliver a huge volume of air that just absolutely pushes piles. While you will notice a decrease in speed using a wide nozzle, you will have much more of a “shotgun” approach to cleaning up the lawn.

Narrow Blower Nozzles

Regular mowing is essential for your lawn’s health. Clearing grass clippings, leaves and other debris from the edges of your sidewalk and driveway adds that finishing touch after mowing and trimming. You’ll also want to clear away the debris from around your house, garage, or other buildings.  For these tasks, grab your narrow leaf blower nozzle.

Narrow nozzles are awesome for being really precise with blowing. I use narrow nozzles on my driveway to make sure I get grass clippings and leaves off – each and every one. Narrow blower nozzles produce higher speed streams that blast away debris, but takes much longer with big piles. If the wide-mouthed nozzle is a shotgun, then this is a rifle.

Some blowers, like the Greenworks 60V blower, comes with a nice concentrator nozzle tip you can take on and off.

Pro tip:

Your narrow leaf blower nozzle can also be used to clear debris and leaves from your home’s gutters.This will ensure the water flows properly and doesn’t damage your roof or foundation. If you do use this method of cleaning your gutters take precautions to ensure you’re safe as you climb the ladder and work the blower.

Check out this great gutter attachment for EGO blowers on Amazon.

Stubby Blower Nozzles 

Another essential task that your leaf blower can help with is drying your vehicle after it’s been washed. By attaching the stubby nozzle you can get rid of water spots that dull your car’s finish. Plus, it’s much faster and easier on you to blow the water off rather than wiping it away.

A lot of folks ask me which stubby blower nozzle works the best. The consensus is that the EGO 650 or 765 CFM blower is the best choice for car drying, with a nice stubby nozzle attachment like this one from Amazon. 

Put Your Leaf Blower to Work This Spring

As you can see, your leaf blower can help you accomplish more than just moving a few leaves around. It’s actually one of the most useful tools you can own. So, next time you’re heading out to do some yard work, home maintenance, or to wash your car, grab that leaf blower and put it to work.

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. 

CFMs and MPHs explained

CFM, or cubic feet per minute, is a measurement of the volume of air. This answers the question: how much air is moving through the leaf blower? While that seems like a weird question, it is super important for understanding the power of a blower. More on that in a second.

MPH, or miles per hour, is a measurement of speed. This answers the question: how fast does the air move through the blower?

CFM and MPH are related – generally the higher the CFM, the higher the MPH.

My experience with leaf blower nozzles

I’ve been using leaf blowers for decades. I used to toss the extra nozzles out every time I got a new blower, but have since grown wiser. Now I use my flat nozzle after cutting the grass, stubby nozzle after a nice car wash with my pressure washer, and my wide–mouthed nozzle whenever my trees decide to dump leaves.

Using these nozzles has seriously upped my leaf blowing game. You know what they say: “If you only have a hammer, everything is a nail”. Having a leaf blower nozzle turned my blower into a swiss army knife lawn tool that leaves my lawn looking way better and keeps my mood at all time highs (just ask my wife).