Electric blower Archives - The Lawn Review

April 29, 2023April 9, 2024

3 Powerful Corded Leaf Blowers For a Low Price

Corded electric leaf blowers aren’t all the rage. Everyone wants to talk about the cool cordless battery powered leaf blowers.

But some of us don’t mind corded leaf blowers. In fact, they have many benefits, which I’ll get to later. Yes, corded leaf blowers still have a place in the American garage. Today, I’ll break down my favorite corded blowers and where to grab them.

Let’s get started. Here’s my list of favorite corded electric blowers:

Toro PowerJet F700 Handheld corded electric blower (most powerful)
Ryobi 135 MPH 440 CFM corded electric blower
Toro Power Sweep corded electric blower

How I tested these corded leaf blowers

Corded leaf blowers are one of those things I used to use all the time when I was a kid. My dad would have me plug in our old Toro blower into the wall and force me to blow out the garage. Needless to say, I’ve been using corded blowers in some capacity ever since.

It took about 20 years of pulling cords out of the wall before I realized there were better options out there. Oh – and one big benefit of corded leaf blowers as compared to cordless – they are WAY cheaper and still extremely powerful.

When I am testing out a corded blower I am evaluating ease of use, power, and price.

Powerful and Cheap Corded Electric Leaf Blowers (Ranked)

Let’s jump straight into our ranking of the best corded electric leaf blowers on the market. My go-to place for lawn tools is Home Depot, but I know a lot of folks are loyal to Lowe’s or even Amazon.

Toro PowerJet F700 Handheld Corded Electric Blower

The Toro PowerJet corded blower was NOT creatively named. It is what it says it is – a dang PowerJet. At 725 CFMs, this blower is one of the most powerful electric blowers – period. I’ve spoken highly of the EGO 765 battery blower, but this one is honestly close despite being ⅓ of the price.

The massive CFMs on this one combined with the wide mouthed nozzle make for a blower that has lower airspeed but pushes big piles of leaves. If this had a more narrow nozzle, the MPH would be super high.

This blower is a really good deal for a few reasons:

The price is absurdly low
It’s great for big piles of leaves
It has a cool adjustable speed knob
The cord can be “locked-in” so it doesn’t pull out

You can grab this one for less than $100 at Home Depot.

Ryobi 135 MPH 440 CFM Corded Electric Blower

Ryobi is a super well known brand in the lawn tool space. We’ve used a bunch of their lawn tools, especially their 40V battery lineup of blowers. The difference between their average cordless blower and their corded blowers are not very stark – until it comes to price.

But this Jet Fan blower has equal specifications to a lot of their battery blowers. For example, it has 440 CFMs and about 135 MPH, which is almost exactly like their middle-of-the-line battery blower that’s super popular.

With 440 CFMs and 135 MPH, you’ll get less power than the blower above but still a pretty acceptable range of both elements of power. Most of these handheld corded electric blowers are super simple and don’t have a ton of bells and whistles. This one is no exception, but does have a two-speed switch and a nice soft-grip handle. It still has the ability to keep the cord plugged in and wrapped around to prevent it from pulling out whenever you want to take the extension cord to the max.

This one is an even lower price than the one above and is available at Home Depot.

Toro PowerSweep 7A Handheld Electric Blower

The Toro PowerSweep was my first handheld electric blower, so I have some serious nostalgia talking about this one. In fact, I still own it and will pull it out in my garage every now and then. You know why? Because when the batteries die on my dang battery-powered blower, then I can still rely on this one to get me through the job.

Yes, it doesn’t have many bells and whistles or really much power for that matter. But it has been with me for years. YEARS. It weighs in at under 5 lbs and doesn’t have a single bell or whistle on it.

This is a bare bones blower, but it is cheaper than dirt (literally. This blower costs under $60 and has lasted me for the past 7 years. That’s a pretty good investment if you asked me.

This Toro corded blower can also be bought at Home Depot for a great price.

Corded vs Cordless Electric Blowers

Corded and cordless electric blowers are great options. Heck, I own both types. I use my favorite battery blower as my main blower, taking it deep out into the yard. But the batteries eventually die. When I am in my garage or close the house, I’ll sometimes still whip out my corded electric blower for some light work.

They can be used together or alone. As we’ve seen throughout this article, corded blowers can still be way more powerful than a lot of cordless blowers – and are significantly cheaper. When it comes to overall performance, I still prefer cordless blowers due to their convenience and portability, but I do think there is a big space for corded blowers to still be relevant. In fact, I would recommend a corded blower for new homeowners and those that own townhomes.

What to look for in an electric d blower

Corded leaf 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 I review electric 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.

November 16, 2022April 3, 2024

EGO 650 vs 765 CFM Leaf Blower Difference Explained

The EGO 650 CFM and 765 CFM are two of the most popular battery powered leaf blowers. The two blowers are virtually identical, with the 765 CFM having noticeably more power and a higher price tag.

Not convinced? Go read some of the comments on our YouTube review of the EGO 765 blower.

They are some of the sleekest and most powerful lawn tools on the planet. And there’s a good reason why.

We’ve written extensively and made a TON of video content about these blowers purely out of requests. We are even giving one away this month to one of our lucky newsletter subscribers.

These bad boys can be found on Amazon or at Lowe’s, where EGO has some exclusivity, but not at Home Depot.

Let’s check out why these two blowers are quickly becoming famous, then compare them to see which one makes the most sense for you.

Jump ahead:

What to look for in an electric blower
EGO brand overview
What are CFMs?
EGO 765 Rundown
EGO 650 Overview
EGO 765 vs 650 – which is better?

The EGO 765 CFM blower: Overview

The EGO LB7654 blower is an absolute unit. One of the most powerful handheld electric blowers (I think it actually may be THE most powerful) on the planet, it was designed for absolute lawn enthusiasts.

Here are a few things we love about this blower:

It’s really versatile. It has a nice variable speed control trigger on the side with a cruise control function. This is awesome for taking the stress off of your fingers when trying to keep the blower at a consistent speed.
The EGO 765 comes with a few different nozzle heads. As I’ve come to learn (shoutout to our YouTube subscribers), a lot of folks use these blowers to dry off their cars. There’s some versatility with this as though EGO kept that in mind when making it.
It has a really nice molded rubber grip that makes it easier to hold onto. It is a bit heavier than other electric blowers, so it’s a thoughtful touch.
The 5.0 Ah battery has a run time of 25 minutes while on full-speed. With the turbo button, you can get 17 minutes of run time. Yes, we actually tested this with zip ties. We are weird but are dedicated to you.

EGO 765 Specifications Breakdown

Pop quiz – if this thing has 765 CFMs coming out of the end, do you think it is a wide-mouthed blower with a lower speed?

Well, it’s not. It actually has BOTH super high CFMs AND high MPHs. It’s sort of a freak of nature like that. This means that the blower can do big piles of leaves AND use an extreme jet stream to destroy wet, stuck leaves.

That’s what makes this blower really stick out. The turbo button takes this blower to a level no other electric handheld blower has been before.

Comparing the 765 CFM to a Stihl gas blower.

We compared the EGO 765 CFM blower to our Stihl BG86C handheld gas blower and it was pretty wild. On turbo, the EGO was actually more powerful.

At just over 12 lbs, it is noticeably heavier than a lot of other electric blowers. You can separately purchase a sling that helps offload some of the weight. Some of our YouTube commenters that purchased the tool talked about the strain on their wrists turning it side to side. But it was also noted that the exchange in power made it worth it. Up to you!

The EGO 650 CFM Blower: Overview

The EGO LB6504 blower is also a freak of nature. If it weren’t for it’s bigger brother, the 765 CFM blower, this would still be one of the most powerful handheld blowers on the planet.

The EGO 650 CFM blower has many of the same features as the EGO 765 CFM blower, including:

A cruise control button. It isn’t as easy to use as the 765 blower because it doesn’t have the thumb-controlled portion, but it does have a little knob that you can twist to set the speed.
The turbo button cranks this up to 650 CFMs, which is still extremely high!
Multiple nozzles, including a flat nozzle that is really great for blowing leaves around your patio or near the end of your driveway. Talk about a jet stream.
A brushless motor that can also be found on the 765. Brushless motors use magnets to power the motor instead of brushes. This allows for a cooler running motor, more torque, and significant durability. It’s a must have for an electric lawn tool.

EGO 650 CFM Blower Specifications

Just like its 765 CFM big brother, the 650 CFM blower marries both high CFMs and high MPH to produce an absolute wind cannon.

In contrast to the 765 CFM blower, the 650 CFM EGO blower weighs about 2.5 lbs lighter, putting it back into the normal range of handheld blowers. This is a lifesaver for anyone with wrist or shoulder issues, giving you more mobility when moving the blower side to side.

EGO 765 CFM vs 650 CFM Blower: Similarities and Differences

Since these blowers look almost identical, I wanted to summarize the notable differences between the two blowers. Let’s start with similarities:

Similarities between EGO 765 and 650

Aesthetics – unless you’re up close you can’t tell them apart
Both have cruise control
Both have a turbo button that amps up the CFMs
Both take the 56V battery
Both are extremely well-made

Differences between EGO 765 and 650

CFM and speed differences, obviously
765 weighs 2.5 lbs more than the 650
765 costs about $50 more than the 650
765 comes with a nice thumb adjuster on the cruise control

So which is better? EGO 765 CFM vs 650 CFM blower?

Tough to give a concrete answer here. So I’ll do my best: the 650 CFM blower is a better value for the normal homeowner. It packs more than enough power, is $50 cheaper, and still comes with all the perks of the 765 CFM blower, just a little bit weaker. Either way, these are for sale for a cheaper price on Amazon than they are at Lowe’s.

The EGO 765 CFM blower is on Amazon for a little a great price with the charger. Without the charger it comes in at just about $50 less (but changes all the time).

The EGO 650 CFM blower is on Amazon for a great deal with the charger. Without the charger, it is on sale for UNBELIEVABLY Low (this is a steal).

The 765 CFM blower, however, has unrivaled power and speed. There are definitely times where the additional speed boost would come in handy, so it is also a great option. Also, if you just LOVE EGO products and want the newest and best tools, you have got to go with this one.

The Bottom Line: 765 vs 650 CFM EGO blowers

At the end of the day, they both have incredible specifications, amazing warranties, and extreme power. You can’t go wrong. Do you want to shell out a bit more money for some crazy power? That’s what you need to ask yourself.

Oh and by the way, we own the 765 CFM blower 🙂.

Check this out if you want to see us compare the EGO 765 CFM blower to the Ryobi 730 CFM blower

Why we review lawn tools

What to look for in an electric 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.

About EGO

EGO is still relatively new to the lawn tool space. They started back in 2014 and have absolutely exploded in recent years. They are owned by the parent company Chervon, which also make SKIL and FLEX brand tools.

EGO has quickly become synonymous with power. All of their tools (including the blowers we are reviewing today) are top-of-the-line when it comes to power. When we’ve gotten our hands on the products, the first thing we always think is “solid”. Their products are generally heavier than other brands and feel really tight and well-constructed.

Their mowers are heavier, stronger, and faster. Their EGO string trimmers are freaks of nature. Everything is built for performance.

So let’s look at the 650 and 765 CFM blowers.

What are CFMs in leaf blowers?

I know I briefly touched on this a few paragraphs above, but the distinction is important – especially for comparing these two.

CFM stands for cubic feet per minute. Basically it is a measurement of airflow out of the end of the blower. The typical relationship you see is the higher the CFMs, the wider the mouth of the blower. It can also result in lower miles per hour of air speed, because so much more air is moving out of a wider opening.

It’s like taking a deep breath, relaxing your mouth and blowing out compared to taking the same breath and whistling. Same amount of air is coming out, but just much faster when you whistle.

High CFM blowers, wide mouthed blowers are great for moving large piles of leaves. Lower CFM blowers that are narrow are good for providing a jet-stream of air that is great for wet grass clippings and small amounts of leaves.

Keep that in mind as we move forward.

December 14, 2021March 15, 2024

7 Best Blowers for California’s Zero Emission Policy

If you have not heard the news, California is banning all gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers starting in 2024.

Whether or not you agree with this ban is not important, but making sure you have the “approved” tools is.

These will be phased out slowly over time, but our inclination is that this will never get overturned for as long as California votes blue.

About the Gas-powered blower ban in California

Now that Governor Newson has solved global warming, you are going to have to retire or sell your gas-powered blower. Sadly, gas powered blowers are generally the most powerful and efficient tools for blowing leaves, grass clippings, and more.

Let’s start with a reality check: gas blowers can simply not be replaced. From a power perspective, many electric blowers can come close. Unfortunately, they will not have nearly the durability or run-time that is afforded by gas powered blowers.

With gas-powered blowers, anyone can simply refuel the gasoline and continue on with their job for hours. Battery replacements are going to continually slow down people with larger yards. The hardest hit will be commercial landscapers who are going to have to protect their equipment and set up some sort of mass-battery charging station. They will likely burn through batteries pretty quickly, especially when managing places like golf courses.

Electric and battery powered alternatives

For many residential homeowners, the gas ban will likely not be of impact. For neighborhoods with small lots, it may actually be quite the benefit. Gas blowers are loud and do emit some level of air pollution.

Most residential homeowners in California today have smaller leaf blowers that are either corded or cordless (with a battery). These are great for small jobs around the house, but for realllllly moving leaves and grass clippings over larger areas, you are going to need the power afforded by a gas powered blower.

Have hope – there are some electric and battery powered blowers that can give you hope. And to be frank – they are going to continue to improve and innovate in this space to hopefully replace the gas powered blowers we have come to know and love.

Let’s review some of the best blowers for Californians!

The 7 best blowers for Californians

Before we dive into the definitive list of the 7 best blowers for Californians, let’s review some quick definitions:

Brushless – a type of engine that does not rely on friction for generating power. This engine type uses magnets for a longer lasting, more efficient power generation.
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.

Okay – I think we can get started now.

7. Toro 120MPH 605CFM 60V max brushless blower

The Toro 120MPH 605CFM 60V Max brushless blower is a great blower for most residential properties. As I mentioned earlier, this blower has a high CFM but relatively low MPH. So let’s dissect why this is happening.

The Toro 120MPH 605CFM blower has high air output, but lower MPH. This is due to a wide nozzle that pushes a wide area of air at a lower speed. These types of blowers are great for people moving lighter objects (dry leaves, dry grass clippings) across a large area. For those with large backyards, this is a great tool for getting all of the leaves from one side of the yard to another without too much difficulty.

While I can’t find this specific blower in stores in California, you can check out a super similar one on Amazon.

6. Dewalt 125 mph 600CFM Flexvolt blower

The Dewalt 125 MPH 600 CFM Flexvolt blower is very similar to the Toro 120MPH 605CFM blower. While they are almost identical in power and function, we chose the Dewalt product over the Toro product because the Flexvolt battery pack is more versatile.

Dewalt’s Flexvolt battery system can fit a number of other battery-powered lawn tools to help declutter your garage and consolidate batteries. Similar in function to the Toro blower, this one has a wide nozzle that will blow large streams of air at a moderate-to-low speed, best suited for larger yards.

The FlexVolt blower is for sale on Amazon and while pricy, is pretty slick. You can check out our favorite Dewalt blowers here.

To read more about our review of this blower, check out our full review of Dewalt Blowers.

5. Dewalt 125MPH 450 CFM 20V MAX brushless blower

Okay – getting a little repetitive here, but the 125mph 450CFM blower is sort of like the other Dewalt and Toro blowers, this one has the same air speed, but lower air power output.

I like the Dewalt 125mph CFM 20V MAX brushless blower for a few reasons. The first reason is that this engine is brushless. This means that it will have a longer life, won’t get super hot, and will hold a better battery life.

The next reason I love this blower is that it has a 20V battery. Similar to the Flexvolt battery that has cross-functionality with several different tools, the 20V battery is almost ubiquitous among Dewalt products. They have over 200 products that you can use with this battery, making it a clear winner for saving time and money.

The last reason I like this blower is that it has a more narrow nozzle. For me, I prefer more narrow nozzles because they provide a focused stream of air. This takes care of wet grass, wet leaves, and all the other things that are super annoying and stick to your deck or driveway.

You can get this bad boy for a steal on Amazon (it actually just had a price drop).

4. Ryobi 40V 155MPH 300CFM Jet fan blower

Love this blower! I bought it recently and have absolutely loved it. It is super light, super duper easy to assemble, and relatively inexpensive. Because I have other Ryobi 40V tools, it is simple for me to just swap out the battery and keep going from tool to tool.

This blower has pretty high speeds despite a lower CFM, meaning it has a nice, more narrow nozzle that can get all of the wet pine needles and leaves stuck to my deck.

Me assembling the 155mph Ryobi 40V blower.

I have used a few other Ryobi blowers before and frankly, they kind of sucked. Ryobi has really stepped up their game with these new 40V blowers and dominated this space.

I got this one off of Amazon because the price was insane for the amount of power and I already had the battery.

To read our full review of this blower, check out our Ryobi 40V blower comparison post.

3. Greenworks PRO 170mph 700CFM 80V handheld leaf blower

The Greenworks PRO 170mph 700CFM 80V blower is a beast. I mean look at those numbers. If you wanted to replace the power of a gas blower, heck even a BACKPACK blower, this thing can do it. And the most impressive part is that its handheld.

I picture using this blower like a child using a firehose. I will turn it on and it will launch me to Pluto. Greenworks has a great reputation and this is honestly one of the most powerful handheld blowers in the universe.

One DOWNSIDE to this bad boy is that Greenworks is simply not established enough to make the battery-change worth it. Unless you are a Greenworks loyalist, you will have to create an additional space in your garage for this plug and charger.

Kind of a trippy picture, but this blower is slick!

Its pretty expensive, but you can get the tool-only version below on Amazon if you already have a Greenworks battery.

2. Ryobi 40V brushless 190mph 730CFM Whisper series

Okay, I am going to just put my cards on the table. I love this blower. Nay, I am obsessed with it. And I will tell you why.

Close your eyes and what do you hear? Maybe a humming of your computer or some children playing outside. Maybe you are in the car and there is a slight vibration.

All of those noises are about as loud as this blower. It is so quiet, so powerful, and an incredible innovation. On top of all of this, it has a Ryobi 40V battery which is highly interoperable with other Ryobi tools AND….is brushless. This thing is the greatest GOAT of all time.

To read more, check out our full review of the Ryobi 40V blower series and comparison post.

1. Ryobi 40V Whisper Series Cordless Backpack blower

I couldn’t not make this the number one battery-powered blower for Californians. This is a battery-powered backpack blower. Basically a jet-pack.

From a specs perspective, this only packs 145MPH 625CFM, but has all of the functionality you will remember from your backpack blower.

Basically this will make your backpack blower jealous. This thing also runs off of a Ryobi 40V battery, and is very inexpensive relative to other backpack blowers.

You will recognize the offset handle, trigger, and cruise control that comes with most other backpack blowers like Husqvarna and Stihl. While it won’t deliver the same power, it will be the most familiar.

This one (tool-only) is on Amazon for a pretty low price (most backpack blowers are $500 – $600).

Why we review lawn tools

What the future holds for lawn equipment in California

I don’t know. But what I do know is that battery powered lawn equipment has grown by leaps and bounds over the past ten years. Now that the government has given a strict deadline for the retirement of these gas powered tools, innovation will yet again arise.

Don’t see a blower on this list? Feel free to recommend one for us to review.