There’s plenty to think about when you’re looking to purchase your first (or next) gas leaf blower or vacuum. Are you getting the best product for your money? Which leaf blower or vacuum has the best durability? Perhaps you’re even wondering if you really even need one. Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about buying the best gas leaf blower or vacuum for your yard.
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Buying Guide for the Best Gas Leaf Blower/Vacuum
Taking care of your yard or garden can be a big task to take on, especially if you’ve got plenty of foliage and trees that shed or lose their leaves throughout the year. With this in mind, it’s always important to ensure that you’ve got the best tools for the job at your disposal.
Having a leaf blower or vacuum on your team is a great way to ensure most of the excess leaves that clog up your lawn, make your pathways slippery, or turn your garden into a mulch mess by the end of the season. But how do you know which one is the best for the job? That’s why we’re here.
Many experts or professional gardeners and landscapers would suggest that giving your yard a good going over every once in a while with a leaf blower or vacuum will help keep your space looking neat and tidy. They seem to be well worth the investment.
Let’s take a look at the top tips for ensuring you grab the best deal and best machine for the job.
Did you know: you can choose from electric corded, gas, or battery powered leaf blowers and vacuums, but the gas powered ones are usually the most effective and the least costly!
Finding the Right Gas Leaf Blower/Vacuum
The first thing to think about is whether you’d prefer a gas leaf blower or vacuum.
With a gas leaf blower, you’ll find it easy to round up the leaves in your yard, and blow them to a designated spot to be cleaned up later. With a gas leaf vacuum, however, you’ll be able to suck up the leaves in your path and store them in the vacuum itself. After the job is completed, you’d simply need to deposit the leaves straight into the trash, rather than pick them up and transfer them by hand.
Whilst that’s the most straightforward answer, there are of course pros and cons to each design, which we’ll look at in greater length in a moment.
A gas powered leaf blower of vacuum can be an invaluable piece of kit for your garden, especially if you have piles of leaves or debris tucked away in corners where it’s almost impossible to reach them with a rake. They can certainly help cut back on how much time you have to spend clearing up your garden too.
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How Does a Gas Leaf Blower/Vacuum Work?
Gas Leaf Blower
Inside all leaf blowers, you’ll find a compeller. This is a fan with spinning blades. The compeller ensures that air is sucked into the back of the leaf blower, and this air is then forced down a narrow chute and out of the other end to blow and push leaves around your yard.
Some leaf blowers can expel air with speeds of up to 250mph, but this does depend on the make and model, so always check how powerful the leaf blower you’ve chosen actually is for the best handiwork. This depends largely of course on how large your garden is.
Vacuum
Much like with an indoor vacuum cleaner, you’ll find a high speed fan operating in the center of the vacuum. When the fan is powered up, it pushes air into the exhaust fan, creating what’s known as a partial vacuum. Suction is then created as air is pushed into the intake hose, dragging in everything in its path.
As you maneuver the vacuum through your yard, it’s important to treat it as you would an indoor vacuum cleaner, to ensure it picks everything up. You should also try to avoid larger items from being sucked into the vacuum, including any rocks or branches, otherwise you run the risk of jamming the machine or breaking it.
All garden vacuums also come as standard with a large debris bag where you’ll capture everything you pick up that can then be emptied into your garbage can. You should know that the size from model to model will vary, so depending on your garden size, do ensure that you have the best size bag to pick up as much debris as possible at once.
FOR YOUR SAFETY: Always wear ear and eye protection when using your leaf blower or vacuum. These machines are not only loud, but can also launch heavier items into the air.
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What Type of Gas Leaf Blower/Vacuum Should I Choose?
Firstly, you should decide on which type of unit you’d prefer. Would you feel better with a leaf blower or a vacuum?
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Secondly, you should choose the leaf blower or vacuum that isn’t too hard for you to pick up and carry around.
Size varies model to model, and depends on what sort of additional extras you may want too. Additionally, many of standard leaf blowers and vacuums only have one handle, and are used one-handed. Therefore, when choosing a standard model, always check the weight. Don’t go ahead and buy the largest, heaviest model if you have trouble picking up heavy items or have back problems. This will cause you extra hassle down the line.
If you do have trouble lifting heavier items, and want something a little sturdier, you’ll be able to find wearable backpack models that work just as well as their standalone cousins. These are great for spreading out the weight for anyone who needs a helping hand with lifting machinery like this and can even give you more flexibility.
Caution: always let the machine cool down for at least 15 minutes after use before you put new gas into the tank. If the engine is too hot, gas vapors could be ignited as you add fresh fuel!
Gas Leaf Blower/Vacuum Durability
A gas powered leaf blower or vacuum is often seen as one of the best choices, especially for larger gardens. Why? Because there are no cords to keep you tied to specific areas of your garden, for one. As long as you keep the gas topped up, a gas powered unit can be used for hours at a time.
It’s well known that gas powered leaf blowers and vacuums can last about 10 years in the average household, provided that you keep it clean and well-maintained. Maintenance can be pretty simple too. Ensure that you’re always using fresh fuel, and always follow any recommendations from the manufacturer.
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Gas Leaf Blower/Vacuum FAQs
With a gas powered leaf blower/vacuum, you won’t be tied down to run time or how long your power cord is. As long as you keep the gas tank topped up, you can just keep going. That’s not all though, because gas powered leaf blowers and vacuums can be the most powerful, and they’re often cheaper than their alternatives.
Firstly, when you buy a leaf blower or vacuum, always check the warranty just in case it breaks down within the first few months!
Secondly, check that the model you’ve got your eye on can easily be stored away when it’s not in use. These units can be on the larger side, especially if you’re picking on for a larger garden. Always make sure they can be taken apart, or stored safely without taking up too much room.
Another two features you should look out for are vibration reduction, and rotational control, which will both help you to keep a steady hand and help decrease the probability for tingling or numbness in your hands or heavy arms as you carry and use it throughout your garden.
On a gas leaf blower/vacuum, its power is measured in CCs. CCs measures cylinder displacement, and the higher the number, the more powerful your leaf blower or vacuum will be. You should be aware though, that the higher the power, the higher the fuel consumption will be, so always be prepared to add extra gas when you need it, or to have less run time overall.
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Last Update: 2024-04-17 | Affiliate links/Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
