Most Powerful Electric Cordless Handheld Blower?

[BQuicksilver]

I'm at that point where I think some of the new handheld electric blowers may be strong enough to replace my Stihl BG56C (418cfm, 134mph). I have a Redmax 8500 that handles most leaf work, and the Stihl has been relegated to mostly driveway cleanoff and gutter cleaning duty. I also have a little B&D 18V blower that handles small jobs.

I'm thinking if i had a strong electric cordless handheld I could get rid of the B&D and Stihl. A huge plus would be if the unit has a gutter cleaning kit.

On the Radar:
- Echo CBL-58 58V (450cfm, 120mph) $520 (has mower, hedger, trimmer, chainsaw in lineup)
- Greenworks/Kobalt 80V (500cfm, 125mph) $250 (has snowthrower, mower, hedger, trimmer, chainsaw in lineup)
- Ego 56V (up to 480cfm) $225 (has mower, hedger, trimmer, chainsaw in lineup)
- DEWALT DCBL790H1 40V (400cfm, 120mph) $370 (has hedger, trimmer in lineup)
- Worx 56V (460cfm, 125mph) $200 (mower, hedger, trimmer in lineup)

 

[Finky198]

I just can't see the value in cordless outdoor equipment I'm in the business of tree care so I tend to lean towards longevity and power and operating cost and well profitability. I see you have a redmax so you have most of that covered. But your small stihl blower as my experience shows if you run it and don't abuse it and you do the maintenance it will continue to run for the next 10+ years I can not say that much about a battery powered leaf blower stihl or not I think gas power equipment still hold the edge in the most important factors

 

[BQuicksilver]

I think we probably have different uses as homeowner vs professional. I find myself only using the Stihl for driveway cleaning and gutters, and as such the lower runtimes probably aren't a factor, but the lower noise, immediate on/off and (apparently) power are realistic positives. My cheap little B&D has been a rock for 9yrs now, and the Redmax takes care of all major jobs.

 

[four.cycle]

just my lousy two cents:
you could purchase two or three (or four) of the Toro 120v electric blowers for that kind of money.
maybe even less: my mother bought hers at a garage sale for ten bucks.
I own one, my sister owns one, the next-door neighbors own one, my buddy owns one. I have yet to hear any complaints, other than the "vac-n-bag" claim of 16:1 reduction in mass is a joke.
as a blower it works great: driveways, flower beds, rain gutters.
and there's usually a mess of them on Craigslist: right now on Seattle-Tacoma CL there are 9 of them, anywhere from $20 bucks up to $80 (which is more than I paid for mine new.)

... and they won't drive your neighbors crazy.

HERE: http://www.midlandhardware.com/692903.html?gclid=CN_KyJjskckCFQdafgodgYMHZA#.VkgsJcqFOM8
(I believe I paid about $65-$70 for mine on a sale.)

edit: if you're considering this one, get the red one, not the black one.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Bquick, I can give no sage advice on the ones you mentioned. But I have a very large driveway and large patio/pergola hardscaped area out back.

I sold my Toro 120V and my gas Echo and use my puny M18 blower. Yes, it takes around 3-5 minutes longer, but no cords, no Sta-Bil and carb / air filter cleansings, etc.

Quiet, fast, and easy.

I got my parent the 40v mower and trimmer, and next I'll get them the blower. (I just wanted to stick with one battery platform for now)

So, I agree with your thought process. I would think a homeowner could get 5-10 years out of a good battery tool now-a-days. That's a lot of small headaches over time that you won't need to deal with. Totally worth it IMO. Let us know what you go with.

 

[6-Speed]

I have the Greenworks 80v blower and find it to be an excellent tool. It is much stronger than my 40v Greenworks blower. The three speed settings plus trigger pressure provide good flow control and the battery has good life especially if you use the lower speed settings. What's really nice is he battery recharges in 30 minutes. I only have one smaller battery right now but I'm considering buying a second battery.

 

[LXCam]

Bquick, I can give no sage advice on the ones you mentioned. But I have a very large driveway and large patio/pergola hardscaped area out back.

I sold my Toro 120V and my gas Echo and use my puny M18 blower. Yes, it takes around 3-5 minutes longer, but no cords, no Sta-Bil and carb / air filter cleansings, etc.

.

I've almost pulled the trigger on that 18v unit since that's the cordless stuff I use a few times. But every time I've seen reviews here I'd shy away. But if it works you that works for me. Thanks for an honest opinion Dave.

 

[6-Speed]

I use my M18 blower all the time when washing my vehicles. It works great for blowing water from all the crevices.

 

[MrBreeze]

Not on your list, but you might consider the Ryobi 40V cordless
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-15...Ion-Cordless-Jet-Fan-Blower-RY40411/204589655

I used to have a Stihl BR400 backpack blower when I had a large wooded property and couldn't recommend it more for that type of application. However, I've since changed habitats and no longer need a big gas blower, and after a short stint with the Worx 20V (cordless blowers were just coming into play) The worx was weak, and when Ryobi came out with a 40V a few years ago, I picked one up. Mostly use for blowing out the garage, driveway, patio, etc. In a pinch it would work for yard work if the leaves are dry and they aren't too built up. Still can't compare to a gas backpack blower. I don't know if there is a gutter attachment (you may need to make one out of PVC pipe) but it would be powerful enough to handle that type of work.

 

[oldldh]

My M18 Compact Blower does everything I need...

And since I got some 4AHr batteries, it does it without a recharge...

If we had a bigger place, I'd probably need another dedicated battery, or take a longer "recharge lunch", but I can't see any need for a bigger blower...

Yet....

 

[BQuicksilver]

I have the Greenworks 80v blower and find it to be an excellent tool. It is much stronger than my 40v Greenworks blower. The three speed settings plus trigger pressure provide good flow control and the battery has good life especially if you use the lower speed settings. What's really nice is he battery recharges in 30 minutes. I only have one smaller battery right now but I'm considering buying a second battery.

I'm leaning toward the Greenworks/Kobalt system. Do you feel like it's overly heavy? Any significant vibration? My hand got a little numb after using the Stihl for a period of time which is a concern when you're trying to do good dental work.

Did you purchase any other pieces of the system?

 

[6-Speed]

I'm leaning toward the Greenworks/Kobalt system. Do you feel like it's overly heavy? Any significant vibration? My hand got a little numb after using the Stihl for a period of time which is a concern when you're trying to do good dental work.

Did you purchase any other pieces of the system?

There is no noticeable vibration and it's not very heavy with the smaller battery. Without the battery it's even lighter than my 40V Greenworks blower. I often hold the back of the battery with my other hand.

The blower is my only 80V tool, but I have several other 40V Greenworks lawn tools including a mower and string trimmer. I've been using them since 2012 and never had any issues.

 

[6-Speed]

I just weighed the 80V Greenworks blower. It weighs 6 lbs without the battery and 9 lbs with the battery.

 

[Iggi]

I think stihl makes electric equipment now.

 

[Off-Street Parking]

I think we probably have different uses as homeowner vs professional. I find myself only using the Stihl for driveway cleaning and gutters, and as such the lower runtimes probably aren't a factor, but the lower noise, immediate on/off and (apparently) power are realistic positives. My cheap little B&D has been a rock for 9yrs now, and the Redmax takes care of all major jobs.

I'll second this. We've been using our 20V Black & Decker (LSW20, 120CFM @ 120MPH) a ton this year, and aside from taking longer on the big jobs, it has been great.

The small blowers have their place. It's much quieter than any of the gas or plug-in electric blowers our neighbors have, and very lightweight. I find that I use it quite a bit inside the garage, where I would otherwise use a broom. It only has a single speed, but you can throttle it by putting your hand over the fan inlet. It's also great for going over leaves on new/lightweight mulch, where a larger blower would scatter the mulch everywhere.

For next year, I'm looking to supplement it with a larger blower. The 80V Greenworks (GBL80300) is at the top of my list so far, I'm just waiting for them to go on sale again. (Currently $249, but Amazon had them for $186 in October.)

 

[Off-Street Parking]

Not sure if you saw it, but Amazon had the 80V Greenworks blower (with battery and charger) on sale yesterday for $211.65 for just a short while. I saw it pretty late and the deal ended before I could mention it here... So FYI, but sorry.

 

[Off-Street Parking]

I saw it pretty late and the deal ended before I could mention it here... So FYI, but sorry.

Second chance: It's on sale today at Walmart for $215.65, free shipping / free pickup, and sold by Walmart (not a marketplace seller).

Walmart also has the 2.0Ah battery on sale for $128.36. ($164.99 at Amazon for reference.)

 

[blackedout12v]

I've almost pulled the trigger on that 18v unit since that's the cordless stuff I use a few times. But every time I've seen reviews here I'd shy away. But if it works you that works for me. Thanks for an honest opinion Dave.

the m18 blower has surprised at just how handy and convienient it is, use it frequently. use it every time i mow to clean off the mower, deck especially. washing cars, use it to blow water out of crevices, clean gutters,blow debris off porch. clean grill on tractor after brush hogging, heck i even tease the dog with it. i was skeptical at first but completely sold on it now..

 

[ryolse]

FWIW here's my $0.02. I have the Ego Mower and trimmer, they've both worked great over the past 15 months we've had them and I like the potential for the other tools their batteries will accommodate.

I too have a Milwaukee M18 blower that I just happened to see for really cheap last year during Black Friday and have tried to use it for a couple of things like gutters but it didn't have the power to blow them free. I was going to use it this year for the leaves but they've been covered in snow for the past 3 weeks.

 

[pinkerton]

i have the kobalt 80v blower. It was expensive, but I sold the extra battery to reduce TCO. Its as powerful has my prev gas blowers for sure. I really like it

 

[kctyphoon]

I think the Ridgid has high specs..

280 C fm for the gen5x. Not bad for an 18v

 

[buba]

You want to evaluate blowers on the CFM not MPH. MPH dissipates quickly within an inch or two of the outlet. You need CFM to move material, especially if it is wet.