Gas blowers Archives - The Lawn Review

May 6, 2023April 9, 2024

Gas vs Battery Powered Leaf Blowers: Which Do I Use?

Gas and battery powered leaf blowers used to not even be remotely comparable. Now…I’m not so sure. I’ve used both types for decades and have come to change my mind on which is better.

You see advancements in modern technology (Teslas, etc.) have made battery powered lawn tools really competitive. But there’s still something just flat out reliable about the power and experience you get with a gas-powered leaf blower.

Today – I am here to not necessarily settle the debate, but tell you about my experience using and testing dozens of different leaf blowers. You can check out many of these on my Youtube channel.

My experience testing gas and battery powered leaf blowers

I’ve been a lifelong gas powered leaf blower user. I’ve been loyal to my trusty old Stihl BG 86 C handheld blower for a really long time. For more power, I’ve used my earth shattering (and ear shattering) Stihl BR 600 backpack leaf blower.

Needless to say, they’ve been hard to give up. But one year for Christmas my mom got me this tiny handheld Kimo blower – which was battery-powered. I didn’t understand when or how I would use it, but then became addicted. It was great for quickly blowing off my walkway and porch before guests came over – without smelling like gas.

My next purchases were huge steps up – the EGO 56V 765 CFM blower and the Ryobi 40V Whisper series blower. These completely blew me away. Electric blowers with just as much (if not more) power than my gas blowers.

Needless to say, I’ve made the switch. And the nicest part? Never smelling like gas, never having to do maintenance, and never having to pull another cord.

Gas is notoriously more powerful

Okay – so I just mentioned that I had two battery powered leaf blowers that had equal power to most gas blowers. But here’s the simple truth: they are about the only ones with that much power.

Most battery powered leaf blowers fall in the 150 MPH range of air speed without about 300-400 CFMs. When it comes to gas blowers, especially backpack gas blowers, CFMs are the true metric to look at. CFMs are a better indicator of air volume and dictate the size of the air funnel. So while some backpack blowers have similar air speeds, they have CFMs well above 700 that push leaves like crazy.

Below is a cool chart that highlights the power differences among gas powered blowers. As you can see, backpack blowers have higher CFMs and MPH but are heavier, louder and more expensive.

https://www.lowes.com/n/buying-guide/leaf-blower-buying-guide

Battery powered blowers actually have similar specifications. Although I’d say the median battery-powered blower is weaker than the median gas-powered blower. Battery blowers have a humongous range in CFM and MPH because they can either be really cheaply made or extremely nice.

Battery backpack blowers are much less common and in my opinion, not very advanced. In fact, I don’t really get the point of a lot of them – they look just like regular battery powered blowers and perform about the same.

Lastly, I want to get a word in for my often forgotten homies – corded electric blowers – that often don’t get the attention that others do. While they are often weaker, they are also sometimes really powerful and ALWAYS extremely cheap.

Comfort and usability on battery and gas blowers

When it comes to comfort and usability for battery and gas powered leaf blowers, I am a huge fan of battery-powered. There are a few things I really like about them that differentiate them from gas.

For starters, both gas and electric have variable speed triggers, cruise control, and just about every bell and whistle that is the same. But battery-powered blowers are so much easier to start and require no maintenance. For me, walking out to the shed and simply sliding in the battery to get started is way better than ensuring proper fuel mixture and cranking the cord.

On the other hand, some of these new battery leaf blowers are HEAVY. My EGO blower is about 3 lbs heavier than my Stihl blower and both have similar power profiles and are handheld. That isn’t the case with all battery powered blowers, but the new super powerful ones all have a big motor and heavy batteries.

As far as user experience goes, the last piece I will harp on is how nice it is to have a blower that doesn’t put out any fumes. I don’t mind gasoline and I’m one of those people that likes how gas smells

Battery and gas leaf blowers cost about the same

Comparing costs across different blower types is a little tough. Battery powered blowers have a lot of variation in cost because some are cheap and weak and others are super strong.

For a comparable cost evaluation, you want to find two blowers that have somewhat equal power. In the handheld blower world, I suggest the EGO 765 CFM battery powered blower. From the gas powered world, I think the Stihl BG 86 C is a great comparison. I happen to own both.

The EGO 765 CFM blower comes in at a great price with batteries. The Stihl BG 86 C is ironically the exact same price.

Hidden costs of gas powered blowers

Gas powered blowers require something that battery powered blowers don’t: gas (duh). While they don’t take a ton of gas, they do require occasional refills and mixing with oil. You also have to replace filters and spark plugs.

These costs aren’t significant, but compared with battery powered blowers, can add up over time.

Leaf blower noise level comparison: Gas vs Electric

Lastly – let’s compare the noise level on both gas and electric blowers.

Gas blowers are known for being super loud and obnoxious. I always knew this but learned it the hard way when my neighbor took out her backpack blower at 6am and woke one of my toddlers up.

Handheld gas blowers put out about 70 dB of noise and backpack blowers are closer to 100 dB of noise. At 100 dB of noise, a comparable sound is a subway train. That’s loud.

Battery powered blowers are certainly quieter, measuring in at about 50-60 dB. Now I know that isn’t as loud, but it isn’t pleasant either. Some battery powered blowers have a much higher pitch noise that is equally aggravating.

I think neighbors definitely appreciate battery powered blowers more than gas, but I would still wear ear protection with both.

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.

What to look for in a 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 I 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.

Common questions I get

Is gas or electric better for leaf blowers?

Gas leaf blowers tend to be better for commercial work whereas electric and battery leaf blowers are better for home use.

What are the cons of a gas powered leaf blower?

Cons of gas powered leaf blowers include high noise levels, fumes, and maintenance schedules that make them much more complicated.

How long do batteries last on an electric leaf blower?

Batteries on electric leaf blowers generally last from 30 minutes to an hour depending on what speed you are running your blower. It also depends on the Amp-hours of the batteries.

Are electric leaf blowers less powerful?

Generally, electric leaf blowers are less powerful than gas. There are exceptions where a few electric blowers can go toe-to-toe with gas.

Is an electric leaf blower worth it?

Electric leaf blowers are worth their lower price if you are a homeowner and don’t want fumes or costly maintenance for your leaf blower.

What MPH is best for a leaf blower?

The ideal MPH for a leaf blower is generally above 140 MPH for home use and above 180 MPH for commercial use.

May 1, 2023March 15, 2024

Leaf Blower CFM vs MPH Explained: 2024 Update

CFM and MPH are often used acronyms to describe power on a leaf blower. These often get confused and I’ve seen too many get bamboozled, so I thought I would break it down.

CFMs and MPH tend to vary wildly between types of blowers and even in each category. Today I’ll also break down some of the best blowers in the corded electric blower, battery-powered blower, and gas-powered blower categories.

Let’s jump right in! What is better in a leaf blower: CFM or MPH?

Leaf blower CFMs vs MPH: Explained

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.

Leaf blower nozzle impact on CFM and MPH

I just said CFMs and MPH are related – but their relationship is impacted heavily by how wide the blower nozzle tip is.

The wider the nozzle, the lower the air speed. That’s why you will see some blowers with high CFMs but low MPH (relatively). These blowers have high CFMs but a very wide opening. Blowers with high CFMs and wide openings move a lot of air, but not all that fast. This is a great blower for moving big piles of dry leaves across the yard.

The more narrow the nozzle, the higher the air speed. You will also see blowers with low CFMs but super high MPH. These are really good for smaller projects like cleaning up a woodworking station, cleaning out your garage, or getting wet leaves or grass clippings off of surfaces.

Other times you will see blowers with high CFMs and high MPH – this is common and means it has both volume AND speed. This combination is the sweet spot for power.

What is better in a leaf blower: CFM or MPH?

When it comes to picking out a blower – you’ll see both CFMs and MPH listed at the top. So, which is better?

The short answer is: it depends. If you are moving big piles of leaves, having high CFMs is better. If you are moving wet leaves or grass clippings, high MPH is better.

Leaf blowers with both high CFMs and MPH.

If you want to move big piles of wet leaves and are looking for raw power, having high CFMs and high MPH is better – but it will cost you.

The best leaf blowers in each category

Remember how I said it would cost you to have high CFM and high MPH? Well it can, but you can also get really good combinations of CFM and MPH in backpack leaf blowers, battery-powered leaf blowers, and corded electric leaf blowers. And boy – are you about to be surprised.

Best backpack leaf blowers

Backpack leaf blowers are essentially jet packs of air that are extremely loud, but extremely powerful. They are often used by commercial landscapers – which means they’re built to get the job done quickly and effectively.

Backpack blowers are really good options for those with large yards. I have used quite a few in my time and always come back to my favorite: the Sthil BR 600 backpack blower. I’ve owned the Stihl BR 600 for a few years and it was actually a gift from my mom.

This blower is great because it is the ultimate combination of extreme power and comfort. I see this blower strapped to all of the landscaping trailers that drive around my part of town – meaning it is the preferred option for professional landscapers

It also puts out nearly 700 CFMs and over 230 MPH of air. WOW. We did a full review of the BR600 on our Youtube channel where you can see us do some serious testing.

Best battery-powered leaf blowers

We have written extensively about our favorite battery-powered leaf blowers, so we aren’t ashamed to echo our favorite one here. Battery-powered leaf blowers may actually become the gold standard in the next few years as many places are moving to ban gas-powered leaf blowers (weird, right?).

Anyways, battery leaf blowers have a lot of benefits – including great run times, super high power, and the ability to use the batteries across a bunch of other different tools. They tend to be pretty pricey, but the price can come down a TON if you buy the tool-only version. You can get the tool-only version of any battery-compatible tool from that brand once you already own the battery, which generates HUGE savings.

But our favorite battery-powered leaf blower continues to be EGO’s 765 CFM leaf blower. This is a mega powerful handheld leaf blower that is absolutely absurd. We filmed an awesome video that highlights how this one compares to the Ryobi 40V blower, another great battery powered blower (our #2).

The EGO 765 CFM blower has 765 CFM (obviously), which is higher than the gas-powered backpack blower above. With this kind of air output, you can see speeds well over 200 MPH. For an electric tool, that is some serious leaf blowing.

All-in-all, this leaf blower is a bit on the expensive side, but you get to use the EGO 56V battery with a TON of other tools in the EGO 56V battery line-up, like their EGO mowers.

You can grab this one from your local Lowe’s or grab it from Amazon for a great price.

Best corded electric leaf blower

Don’t sleep on corded electric leaf blowers! I sure did. They seem cheap, old school, and out of touch. But so am I.

Anyways, my mind was blown when I saw the Toro PowerJet corded leaf blower. This bad boy has 725 CFMs and a decently high MPH. For reference, the EGO blower I referenced above, which is one of the strongest on the planet, has 765 CFMs. Needless to say, this blower kicks some serious butt.

But what sticks out about the Toro corded electric blower is that it is freakishly inexpensive. All the power of the EGO, but just has a cord attached. The thing is absolutely unreal and can be found at Home Depot for a super low price.

What I look for in a leaf blower

Leaf lowers come in a bunch of shapes and sizes but there are three basic things you need to understand:

CFM

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 if you are going with electric. 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 lawn tools

The reason we started The Lawn Review 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.

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.