As the season turns to fall and the leaves start to fall, you start to reach for your trusty leaf blower. This is an essential tool in any yard that helps you deal with the huge amount of leaves that are suddenly on the ground. Depending on the number of trees in your yard, you may want to invest in a leaf blower that will help reduce the amount of time you spend working in your yard.
Available in different models and features, a handheld leaf blower is perfect for small to medium-sized yards and is strong enough to handle a large amount of debris. This size leaf blower is easy to carry around your yard without making you tired while still giving you the power you need to clean up your yard. Here are a few tips and reviews to help you find the best handheld leaf blower.
Considerations When Choosing the Best Handheld Leaf Blower
Gas Powered versus Electric Powered
Gas-powered leaf blowers obviously run on gas and tend to be more powerful than a corded leaf blower. You are not limited by the length of the cord or how long the battery is charged. This makes these leaf blowers more versatile. However, you should keep I mind that they are heavier than an electric leaf blower as well as louder and more expensive.
More affordable and lighter weight, electric-powered leaf blowers are either powered by electricity or a battery. Not as powerful as a gas-powered leaf blower, these machines are quieter to use and easier to carry around the yard. Keep in mind that you will be limited to the length of the cord it has or the life of the battery.
Types of Electric Leaf Blowers
Light-Duty Electric Blowers
A light-duty electric blower is perfect for blowing dirt and leaves from your driveway and deck. This type of blower won’t a large fan or motor, so this also makes them pretty quiet.
Heavy-Duty Electric Leaf Blowers
Great for lawns, a heavy-duty electric leaf blower gives you more power and better reach, thanks to a long cord. This is a good combination of convenience, power, and quiet operation. Some of these blowers can also mulch leaves and be used as a vacuum making them super versatile.
Power
Power is a super important consideration when choosing a leaf blower. If it doesn’t have a lot of power, you will be out with your leaf blower for hours. You want to make sure it has enough power to move wet leaves and debris as well as the number of leaves that your yard typically sees in a season.
When looking at the power of a leaf blower, consider the cubic feet per minute, or CFM, and the miles per hour, or MPH. With a higher speed, you don’t necessarily have more power, it just tells you that air will come out faster. With the CFM, this number will tell you how far the fan will push the leaves in a certain area.
Both of these factors need to be considered to get your leaf blowing task done as efficiently and quickly as possible. If you have not enough or too much speed, it will mean that you will spend more time pushing around the leaves.
Noise Level
Depending on where you live and when you can use your leaf blower, you should definitely pay attention to the amount of noise it makes. If you are a homeowner, you will want something quieter that won’t bother the neighbors. Electric leaf blowers tend to be quieter than their gas-powered counterparts, plus the bigger the motor is, the louder the machine will be.
Best Handheld Leaf Blower Reviews
KIMO Cordless Leaf Blower
This vacuum and sweeper combo can blow leaves, clear dust, and small trash as well as reach hard to clean corners. The KIMO Cordless Leaf Blower uses a 2.0 AH Battery giving you more than enough power to blow wet leaves, windshield snow, and dust the garage. Providing 20,000 RPM, the all-copper motor, and turbofans give you a lot of power to take on those tough tasks around the yard.
Featuring a very lightweight design and increased output, this cordless leaf blower provides you with 30 minutes of run time without the cord. This allows you to take the blower anywhere in your yard without having to worry about a plug. Roughly about the size of a handbag, this compact blower can be used to substitute several tools to save you room in your garage or trunk.
Only weighing about five pounds, the KIMO Cordless Leaf Blower is easy to use for long periods of time. It can become a vacuum cleaner instantly providing really strong suction that lets you absorb crumbs, pet hair, and dust. The unit is also easy to clean and comes with a reusable collection bag.
Pros
- It is super lightweight, so you won’t get tired using it
- You can use it as a vacuum too, which is super handy when you need to clean out the car
- For its size, it has a lot of power
Cons
- It’s hard to get the nozzle into the unit
- The battery doesn’t have a long lifespan
Hitachi RB24EAP Leaf Blower
Lightweight and efficient, the Hitachi RB24EAP Leaf Blower is a handheld unit that comes with a 23.9cc 2 cycle engine and a seven-year warranty. Only weighing 8.6 pounds, this is one of the most powerful and lightest blowers in its class. Fast and easy to start, this is a great leaf blower for both professionals and homeowners.
Equipped with a low emission Pure Fire II engine, this leaf blower uses a large throttle lever to make operation easy. Its lightweight design and great balance also make it perfect for cleaning up small areas while still having the power for those large tasks. Giving you 441 cubic feet of air per minute, this little unit can deliver air speeds up to 170 miles per hour to give you effective debris removal.
Easy to maneuver, this blower reduces user fatigue and features a two-finger throttle lever that makes it easy to operate. The Hitachi RB24EAP Leaf Blower also comes with a stop switch that will automatically reset to the “on” position to make startups easier.
Pros
- It has easy and quick starts as well as a lot of power
- This is a super lightweight blower that is easy to carry around the yard
- It’s a great tool for either a professional or a homeowner
Cons
- It can be hard to start
- The blower has a flimsy air filter and housing
Black & Decker LB700 Leaf Blower
The Black & Decker LB700 Leaf Blower is a basic leaf blower that is simple to use. A corded electric leaf blower comes with enough power for light work that is perfect for blowing leaves off decks, sidewalks, driveways, and lawns. This is an easy to assemble leaf blower that features an on and off button and a plug receptacle that fits a three-prong plug that will fit any extension cord.
Equipped with a great cord retention feature, if you walk too far away with this leaf blower, you will feel a tug so that you can back up without the cord actually pulling out. The Black & Decker LB700 Leaf Blower gives you 180 mph, which is a high enough performance to move the leaves around without any issues.
Since you don’t have any speed settings, you won’t be able to control the strength of the blower, but it is powerful enough so that you can blow leaves a good distance. It only weighs 4.7 pounds, so it’s light enough to carry around without tiring you out. And, the Black & Decker LB700 is also easy enough to operate with just one hand.
Pros
- You can use it with only one hand
- It’s super lightweight and easy to carry around the yard
- It has enough power to do basic leaf blowing around the house
Cons
- The cord doesn’t come with the unit
- It struggles with wet leaves
Greenworks Cordless Leaf Blower
Featuring a variable speed motor, the Greenworks Cordless Leaf Blower features 40 volts and has speeds of up to 150 mph. Using a 2.0Ah battery and charger, this leaf blower is great for small and medium-sized projects and is a great replacement for an electric or gas-powered blower. This is a perfect tool for cleaning up debris and leaves efficiently and quickly.
With the variable speed dial, you can choose all the power you need for different projects. This is an easy to use blower that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. The rechargeable battery provides up to 14 minutes of run time allowing you to complete projects in just one charge.
The Greenworks Cordless Leaf Blower is compatible with the GreenWorks G-MAX 4 AH battery if you need more run time. With an efficient design, this blower includes a two-piece blower tube that gives you more control when you are gathering and sweeping. And, almost no vibrations mean a more comfortable leaf blowing experience.
Pros
- It is perfect for light-duty work and leaf blowing around the house
Cons
- It doesn’t work well with clumped or heavy amount of leaves
- It won’t work to clean out gutters
DEWALT DCBL720P1 Brushless Blower
Durable and efficient, the DEWALT DCBL720P1 Brushless Blower has a super easy setup. After you charge the battery, connect the motor house and the blower tube, and you are ready to get to work. This blower has great battery placement under the handle, which helps to balance the blower and makes handling easy while reducing arm fatigue.
Equipped with a brushless motor, the DEWALT DCBL720P1 has additional performance and improved durability. The built-in cruise control allows you to choose your speed preferences, and its 400CFM power rating makes this blower perfect for medium and small-sized yards.
Using an innovative axial fan design, you get maximum air output that also lengthens the blower’s run time. The DEWALT DCBL720P1 Brushless Blower operates at 61 dB keeping it quiet even when you are using it at full throttle. Providing up to 90 mph of airspeed, this blower has an ergonomic and lightweight design that any homeowner will appreciate.
Pros
- It has enough power to effectively clean driveways, patios, and medium-sized yards
- This is a super easy to start blower
- You can control the speed, which is great when you need more power
Cons
- The battery drains pretty quickly
- You can’t limit the full-throttle speed
And The Winner is…
The winner of the best handheld leaf blower roundup is the KIMO Cordless Leaf Blower. This is a vacuum and sweeper combo that can blow leaves, clear dust and small trash as well as reach hard to clean corners. Providing 20,000 RPM, the all-copper motor, and turbofans give you a lot of power to take on those tough tasks around the yard.
Featuring a very lightweight design and increased output, this cordless leaf blower provides you with 30 minutes of run time without the cord. This allows you to take the blower anywhere in your yard without having to worry about a plug. Only weighing about five pounds, the KIMO Cordless Leaf Blower is easy to use for long periods of time.
It can become a vacuum cleaner instantly providing really strong suction that lets you absorb crumbs, pet hair, and dust. The unit is also easy to clean and comes with a reusable collection bag. The definite winner of the best handheld leaf blower roundup is the KIMO Cordless Leaf Blower hands down.