Looking for something light weight and easy to operate battery powered that my little wife can operate. I have an old corded BD that does fine, but the cord is a little bit painful. I also have a 2storke backpack for larger jobs. Just for blowing off the patio and driveway.
Recommendations for a leaf blower?
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engineer2
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Do you have battery operated power tools? If so, I'm sure they make one.
Not dedicated to any platform. Im leaning towards something from HF. Have some Dewalt 20v stuff. But not interested in paying Dewalt prices fore a simple leaf blower.
Junkman
Well-known member
My DeWalt blower lasted one season before the trigger failed. Seems like DeWalt has a lot of trigger problems, because I have two DeWalt tools that also have failed triggers. The problem is that new triggers can cost almost as much as buying a new tool. I am slowly moving to Milwaukee because it appears to be more reliable than DeWalt, or at least the quality of DeWalt tools aimed at homeowners.
whateg01
Well-known member
I like my ego blower. I have a trimmer and mower too so several batteries. If it's a quick thing the little battery gets the job done. If I really want to blow some leaves, I can stick the big battery from the mower in it. Of course, that's pretty heavy.
cvairwerks
Well-known member
Love my Ego.... They have a half dozen models with different power limits. Mline's near the top.
LS1-IROC
Well-known member
Ego gets my vote as well, I bought the LB7654 hand held unit last year and it's really good.
Notgrownup
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Ego seems to be at the top of every search I do as I’m looking as well. I have a good Echo gas powered one but my wife has a hard time cranking it.
txvwnut
Well-known member
EGO user here and my wife has no issues using it. She wouldn't even attempt the gas engine blower as she thought it was too heavy, I think it weighs the same as the EGO. The EGO blower has been trouble free so it gets my vote as well. The 21" self propelled mower is a different story.
JerseyBoatBuilder
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My wife won't use my backpack blower either so I got her an Ego blower with a sling. I find my self using the Ego more than the backpack blower.
oldmachinenut
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Nofries
Well-known member
I bought my Father a 20V Ego so he could blow the leaves off the hard surfaces. He is over 80. it seemed the most ergonomic and "lightest"
I also bough my Wife a Rigid jobsite blower about 8 years ago. this one is lighter but more $$ and she loves it. SHe is alos a bit strange that she LOVES to cut the grass. We have a Self Propelled JD mower. Again she wanted it to blow the grass and laves off the driveway and sidewalk.
Sold all my Rigid battery tools to my son (I switched to Milwaukee) My wife was upset that she was losing HER blower. I bought a Milwaukee and she likes it too! Crisis avoided.
Side note: I used my Backpack blower to blow the 8" of snow off my driveway Sunday. Only because it was more of a powder snow and not a heavy wet snow.
About any battery operated blower will do what you are looking for just look for weight durability and ergonomics.
I also bough my Wife a Rigid jobsite blower about 8 years ago. this one is lighter but more $$ and she loves it. SHe is alos a bit strange that she LOVES to cut the grass. We have a Self Propelled JD mower. Again she wanted it to blow the grass and laves off the driveway and sidewalk.
Sold all my Rigid battery tools to my son (I switched to Milwaukee) My wife was upset that she was losing HER blower. I bought a Milwaukee and she likes it too! Crisis avoided.
Side note: I used my Backpack blower to blow the 8" of snow off my driveway Sunday. Only because it was more of a powder snow and not a heavy wet snow.
About any battery operated blower will do what you are looking for just look for weight durability and ergonomics.
whateg01
Well-known member
Are you sure it was ego? I thought ego only had 56v.
I'll add the mower is fine except I got one of the speed iq models. The speed iq *****. They don't make it anymore
Tchicken
Well-known member
I presently have 3 blowers around - an old Stihl BG50 gasser, a Dewalt 20V, and a corded B&D. For blowing grass trimmings (and the light fluffy type snow) I have been using the DeWalt. The gasser gets used only when I have heavy leaves that the B&D cord won't reach (those both have more power than the DeWalt). I tried an Ego but it was too bulky and heavy compared to the DeWalt, which has been in year round use for the past 5 years or so without a hitch.
For patios & drives I'd get the lightest one you can find with a battery system that doesn't weigh almost 3 pounds like the Evo or cost upwards of 200 bucks for a backup battery.
For patios & drives I'd get the lightest one you can find with a battery system that doesn't weigh almost 3 pounds like the Evo or cost upwards of 200 bucks for a backup battery.
Nessism
Well-known member
Pick a battery ecosystem, and stay within. Personally, I'm on the Milwaukee train. Mind you, I also have Dewalt and Makita, but battery replacement issues sent me to Milwaukee. All the various tools are fine, keeping them that way is the difficulty.
SlotlessMan
Well-known member
I have the same setup. Older 2 cycle, B&D corded and a Dewalt 20V. Use depends on need and the Dewalt gets used the most.
I paid $199 for a Dewalt combo deal with a trimmer, charger and a 4A battery. Sold the trimmer with the charger for $100.
$100 for the blower with a 4A battery? What's not to like? I haven't had the trigger issue.
Nofries
Well-known member
It may have been, It's been several years, and I ordered it online to be shipped to his house. He is 10hrs away. I checked a couple local big box stores to actually hold them, after looking at weight and cost. Plus ergonomics (he has Rheumatoid arthritis) were all my main concerns not Voltage.
RTM
Well-known member
I have a Makita 2x18V blower, might be a bit too heavy. But it really moves things.
Jakeweldsalittle
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I have a ryobi leaf blower that uses their battery platform since I have a bunch of their other tools. I know some look down their noses at ryobi, but I've never had an issue with any of their stuff, and it's affordable. I'm also not using their stuff for everyday work though, just weekend garage stuff.
BillK
Well-known member
DeWalt has a small blower that works great for small jobs. I have one for blowing out dust from the garage etc. It works fine with the small battery for my 20 volt drill.
20V MAX* Cordless Compact Jobsite Blower (Tool Only)
This 20V MAX* Cordless Blower is ideal for clearing debris from the ground and overhead. A 3-speed design offers versatility for a range of jobs, while its compact profile makes it perfect for use in tight spots. This blower is part of the 20V MAX* System of products. Battery & Charger Sold...
www.dewalt.com
Another vote for the Ego handheld; I've had the 7654 for almost 3 years and love it. I use it more than I ever imagined since it's so convenient, and it has more power than my Echo handheld 2 cycle. I would get something with the higher battery voltage architecture, 40-56V, as a blower goes thru batteries. If the Ego is more than you want to spend, look at Ryobi 40V.
Edit- you are going to want a 4-5AH battery unless you're just going to be using it for a few minutes at a time. Project Farm has a cordless blower test, but that was a few years ago so there may be newer models now.
Edit- you are going to want a 4-5AH battery unless you're just going to be using it for a few minutes at a time. Project Farm has a cordless blower test, but that was a few years ago so there may be newer models now.
Jeepster04
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I have an ego and its too heavy for my mom to use. Bought her a Milwaukee that takes the single battery and its easy for her to use.
Tchicken
Well-known member
The OP was looking for small & light, and already has 20V DeWalt stuff. Another alternative would be to try one of the DeWalt knock-off products which are floating in the big river if it's OK then just buy another for a spare at less than the price of a single OEM machine. If you don't mind saving money off a counterfeit of course ..
See for example this one which strongly resembles the Harbor Fright 20V knockoff, and is priced similarly
See for example this one which strongly resembles the Harbor Fright 20V knockoff, and is priced similarly
BTL-A4
Well-known member
You might want to look at "compact workshop blowers". Ryobi has one that might suit your needs. It's about $65. It's yet another battery platform, but you said you weren't dedicated to any one battery platform. For another $15 you can get a proper leaf blower.
I think I've seen them from other brands, too.
BTL-A4
Well-known member
There's this one, too. I think you mentioned it.
I'm not a fan of HF cordless since I don't know how long they will support a particular battery platform. Ryobi seems in it for the long-haul, as do the other mainstream brands.
I'm not a fan of HF cordless since I don't know how long they will support a particular battery platform. Ryobi seems in it for the long-haul, as do the other mainstream brands.
RTM
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My neighbor has one, and his wife uses it often for gardening work. Sounds kinda wimpy to me, but she uses it, so that's a win
Jakeweldsalittle
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I figured the same thing when I got it (it was a gift), but it surprisingly puts out some serious air. I use it far more than I thought I would. It's real handy for blowing out dust and cobwebs out of the shop when a full sweep isn't warranted. Prolonged use does hit the battery life pretty good, but that's to be expected. I'm sure there are different models, so the smaller ones may be weaker output. I don't know how many cfm's mine is without looking, I'm guessing it's on the larger size.
I have the DeWalt 20v blower and have been reasonably happy with it - coming up on 7 months. I had some 4ah batteries but have since bought 5ah. Battery life is pretty disappointing to me. I can get 2 sessions of yard work out of a battery. In hindsight, I'd still stick with DeWalt but go with the 60v platform if I had to do it all over again.
I can say that I've used this blower more in 7 months than I did my corded Black & Decker in 10 years.
I can say that I've used this blower more in 7 months than I did my corded Black & Decker in 10 years.
Given how they're structuring their warranty and expanding the line, HF has finally convinced me they're more on a Milwaukee/DeWalt model (stable) vs. a Kobalt/Black& Decker (house-brand stability - i.e. little).There's this one, too. I think you mentioned it.
I'm not a fan of HF cordless since I don't know how long they will support a particular battery platform. Ryobi seems in it for the long-haul, as do the other mainstream brands.
I use Hercules these days for tools where I want something decent or better but can't justify Milwaukee money, and I haven't been disappointed.
That said, I went EGO for all my OPE and I'm extremely happy with all of it, especially the blower. I got the monster, which is turning out to be a blessing, but I'd bet any of their blowers are going to be good.
Tchicken
Well-known member
Yeah, batteries are expensive and won't last like a tank of gas if you use the machine a lot, but OP was looking for small, light to cover drive and patio.
It all depends on the task as usual, that's why I have 3 blowers. My 20V DeWalt will do the patio and 60 foot driveway to clear grass clippings no sweat, but when the leaves are abundant, wet & heavy then it uses up the battery fast. I take two batteries when I go on the roof to blow the gutters .. most times one will do but taking the extra up is preferable to going down & up the ladder twice. Depending on snow, naturally, but to clear say 3" of light dry snow takes my 20V DeWalt 2x 5 amp batteries on the same smallish drive and patio.
It all depends on the task as usual, that's why I have 3 blowers. My 20V DeWalt will do the patio and 60 foot driveway to clear grass clippings no sweat, but when the leaves are abundant, wet & heavy then it uses up the battery fast. I take two batteries when I go on the roof to blow the gutters .. most times one will do but taking the extra up is preferable to going down & up the ladder twice. Depending on snow, naturally, but to clear say 3" of light dry snow takes my 20V DeWalt 2x 5 amp batteries on the same smallish drive and patio.
paulsomlo
Well-known member
Makita XBU03
engineer2
Well-known member
Same here. Makita XBU02. It has never let me down. Make sure to get the 19788906 flat nozzle.
Been using it all winter to clear snow off of cars and sidewalks.
With all the 1-4" powdery snowfalls this winter it's a lot faster than shoveling.
tncatadjuster
Well-known member
Ergonomics rule for me, take her and let her hold it for a while.
NORTON'S SHOP
Well-known member
I have this Makita. Does what it needs to do. Chose Makita because I have a lot of other Makita ****. Good for blowing stuff out of my river rock flower beds. When I want to blow the river rock out of my flower beds, I can use my Stihl SH86C.
tez929rr
Well-known member
Same. I have two of them, no issues.