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electric leaf blow/vacuum/shredder

popawheelie | Posted in Tools for Home Building on November 20, 2007 12:55pm

I know this might not be home building tool. But I’d like to get some feedback on which ones work. I need it to blow and suck. I like electric because it always starts. Some of them shred the leaves as they are put in a bag. Any feedback?

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  1. kate | Nov 20, 2007 01:29am | #1

    I have a Toro - whatever basic model it is that cost ~$60.  at the orange box a couple of years ago - works great.

    It shreds as it sucks - certainly makes leaves compost faster, as well as taking up less space in the bin.  Blower works fine, too.  You have to furnish the extension cord.

  2. cynwyd | Nov 20, 2007 01:50am | #2

    I've had the $60 Toro electric, it's good value,  for sometime but last year I got a good ebay deal on a non-backpack Stihl.

     The Stihl has more power and greater maneuverability but it's greatest plus is finesse. With a gas you can feather the throttle as conditions demand.

    Say leaves are trapped in an inside corner, with a little air movement you can nudge them out and then blast them down to where you want. With the electric you have two speeds but it's either on or off. To change speeds you need to use your free hand.

    If I were shopping for an electric today I'd look for a variable speed control.

    To mulch the Stihl adds a steel blade, the Toro uses the impeller.

    The Stihl is an easy starter.

    1. User avater
      popawheelie | Nov 20, 2007 03:37am | #5

      I had a Stihl string trimmer and the thing was a pain to start. I told myself, never again will i buy a gas machine when an electric one will do. I took the string trimmer, bent it in half, and threw it away. I have a Stihl chainsaw that is great. I know the gas blowers are the best by far but i just don't want problems starting it. Maybe a higher quality electric is the best for me.

      1. TomT226 | Nov 20, 2007 02:58pm | #8

        Got a 8 HP Sears (Briggs) leaf/limb shredder, and it has worked fine for the last 12 years.  Just change the plug, clean the AC/fuel filter every year, and keep good gas it in it and it starts fine.  Got to do the basic maintainance.  I shred about 20 yards of leaves every year for compost, and you can't beat it.  Electrics don't have the guts for real shredding, IMHO.  

        1. User avater
          popawheelie | Nov 20, 2007 05:43pm | #9

          I think you misunderstood my question. My title says " leaf blow/vacuum/shredder". By that title I meant the kind of machine you carry around to clean up leaves. I noticed that the ones that vacuum also shred the leaves as they are put in a bag under your shoulder. My yard has extensive flower beds to maintain and i need a tool that can get them up and out of the beds. I go through the beds and detail them. I figure it's part of having good flower beds. The tool you mentioned is a different tool. For large amounts of leaves I use the mower (4 cycle gasoline) with the bag on to pick them up and without the bag to mulch them. I just can't use the mower in the flower beds.

          The one that you carry around that are gas are 2 cycle engines and can be fussy and noisy. I can trade off some power for ease of use. I've thought about using my big old Craftsman wed/dry vac but it is big and it is always tipping over. Besides it won't shred the leaves as they go in. I really dislike using the thing because of it tipping over and not rolling well.

          1. TomT226 | Nov 20, 2007 08:17pm | #10

            I have a lot of beds and decks too.  I just use my Toro blower, blow'em outta the areas I need to, rake'em up into the fold down hopper in the shredder (which pulls it in with some vacuum), put'em in the roll around and take'em over to the compost bins.  I can make about 6-8 yards of leaves into one yard of shredded material.

            Like I said before, the electrics don't have the HP to do a good job.  Always buy a little more HP than you really need, because all manufactrers over-rate their output. 

  3. Jgriff | Nov 20, 2007 02:03am | #3

    Bought a Sears push leaf vacuum. Biggest mistake I ever made - but, on the bright side, I've sworn off ever buying any more cra^ from that retailer again. In the long run, that's benefited me.

    Every thing you could think of was wrong with it. Handles were too short for anyone resembling 6' in height - my back still hasn't forgiven me.

    Narrow, hard plastic wheels sunk into the ground and made pushing it a real effort.

    It clogged in the blink of an eye after being started necessitating having to shut it down and clearing the tubes and impeller.

    The incredibly thin bag into which the leaves were blown dragged on the ground and wore out during the one and only season I used it.

    Center of balance was all wrong. The bag hung from the handle which required you to lift the handles up as you tried to push the device forward.

    Total disaster. Save you money and buy a good rake.

    Griff
    1. User avater
      popawheelie | Nov 20, 2007 03:32am | #4

      I stay away from sears if I can. They have changed so many tools and every one of them is made by somebody else. I'm pretty sure that is what got gm and ford into trouble. They thought it would work to have parts made all over the place and they would all fit. What a nightmare. And they rely on brand loyalty. Meanwhile Toyota makes just about everything in house.

      1. Jgriff | Nov 20, 2007 04:12am | #6

        I stay away from sears if I can.

        Words to live by.

        BTW, I forgot to mention that my leaf vacuum was gasoline powered, not electric as this post began.Griff

  4. User avater
    boiler7904 | Nov 20, 2007 06:55am | #7

    My brothers and I gave our dad a $60 Toro about 10 years ago for his birthday just in time for fall. After ten years of heavy use (every weekend from end of Sept to middle of Nov), he only has two complaints:

    1 - he has used it to suck up a lot leaves from bare ground and the dirt / dust is starting to take its toll on the bearings. He said it's getting that annoying high pitched bearing death whine now.

    2 - he wished that the blower outlet was slightly curved so that it was more parallel to the ground. It would be more effective at blowing the leaves. The newer ones might have this feature.

     
  5. TJK | Nov 20, 2007 08:59pm | #11

    We bought a 2-cycle yard vacuum/shredder sold under the Homelight brand a couple of years ago. It was hard to start, easy to clog, and last Spring the recoil starter jammed and the string broke. Other than that, it's a great machine!

    Take it from someone who knows, there are no good chippers, shredders, or leaf vacuums for less than $1500. Anything sold at the big box stores is a waste of your time and money.

  6. freestate1 | Nov 20, 2007 09:55pm | #12

    If you use mulch, vacuuming leaves out of your flower beds may not work so well, IMO.  The mulch gets sucked up right along with the leaves, and predictably clogs or batters the impeller.  Better to blow the leaves clear of the beds and rake or mow as ususal.

  7. junkhound | Nov 20, 2007 10:21pm | #13

    Toro  model 51576, works great. 

    DW never liked leaf blowers (she liked to sweep/rake) till I found this for $2 at a garage sale - just needed a wire reattached to the internal switch.

    Now it's her favorite. 

  8. rwjiudice | Nov 21, 2007 12:54am | #14

    I just came in from using mine!!!

    3 years ago I bought a TroyBilt from Lowes. Gas powered, blows like a hurricane, sucks like Notre Dame!!!!!

    Works GREAT! Easy to start year after year and shreds the little $%&s into 1/8 in pieces. Would trade it for anything. Puts out something like 200 mph wind.

     

  9. JMadson | Nov 21, 2007 01:30am | #15

    Just read thru the post and it doesn't look you're getting the answer you're looking for. My response probably isn't going to help either.

    I've used two different leaf blowers in my life, craftsman and a no-name knock-off. Both could be used as a blower and a vacuum. I think all machines in this category shred too. It's the way the vacuum works by sucking the leaves thru the "propeller". Just shreds the heck out them in the process.

    IMO, they're all going to be pretty much the same. The biggest problem I've found is the the vacuum doesn't have much capacity. It also get's very heavy and the strap is usually thin and starts to hurt your shoulder. They also clog easy if you try to grab too much at once.

    It's nice to have for smaller jobs but I've learned that it's easier to blow things around and then pick them up with a rake. Just my 2 cents.

     
    1. User avater
      popawheelie | Nov 21, 2007 03:56am | #16

      It's ok if I don't get the answers I want. I do consider the source also. I'm from the school of bigger (more horse power) is better MOST of the time. My neighbor has a nice blower that goes on his back. You can tell he likes this tool. Most people that take care of their yard want to get it done quickly and that is guys most of the time. But their yard looks like it also. There are as few obstacles as possible so it more efficient. Not to many trees and probably no extensive flower beds.

      We bought a house that is known for it's flower beds. Their is a lot of them and they are packed with flowers. So going through them quickly with a blower just isn't going to work. It might end up being a combination of blowing and vacuuming. I don't know yet. I don't go through them quickly to get it over with. I takes time. But our yard looks beautiful.

      There is a place near here that sells and repairs just yard tools. I'm going to go and see if they have a nice electric one. If not I'll try a cheap big box one and see.

      1. User avater
        gdcarpenter | Nov 21, 2007 04:13am | #17

        I'll get boohoed for this from some, but, hey, I've got broad shoulders.I have a Ryobi 4 cycle yard machine, not all that expensive. The one motor can accept many attachments. One of those attachments is a blower/ vac combination.You can either use it as a straight blower, or attach a bag and literally suck the leaves up through the impeller into the bag. The act of passing by the impeller breaks things up quite a bit. It's not perfect because used this way it's hard on the impeller, but it works.Let's not confuse the issue with facts!

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