As autumn dawns on us, we can’t help but love the gorgeous fall foliage (yes, we went there).
But, as leaves start to fall, your fresh-cut grass can begin to look a bit out of order.
To help you manicure your lawn to perfection (aside from the best lawn mowers we rounded up), we deem it essential to own a top-rated leaf blower.
Leaf Blower Sales:
- 10% off EGO Power Leaf Blower >
- 36% off Black + Decker Electric Leaf Blower >
- 17% off LazyBoi Electric Leaf Blower >
Much to our surprise, many are on the market, from backpack leaf blowers for easy use to cordless leaf blowers so you won’t trip (a bonus we didn’t know we needed).
Not to mention, there are even electric, battery-powered and gas, so we listed the top models from each category to have you on your way to a clean outdoor yard.
Don’t forget to read our other related shopping stories:
- Best tool boxes and kits of 2023, per an expert
- Small backyard ideas for creating your oasis on a budget
- Best lawn mowers
Best Leaf Blowers of 2023
Best Backpack Leaf Blower
Schröder Backpack Leaf Blower, $329
- Dimensions: 22 x 19 x 18 inches
If you’re looking for a backpack leaf blower, Schröder is the way to go. Namely, its German-designed appliance is equipped with a two-stroke gasoline engine. Plus, it fits comfortably, clad with padded shoulder straps and back support.
Best Cordless Leaf Blower
EGO Power+ 3-Speed Turbo Cordless Leaf Blower, $179, original price: $199
- Dimensions: 35.9 x 6.7 x 10.9 inches
The EGO Power+ 3-Speed Turbo Cordless Leaf Blower is an Amazon’s Choice product with more than 4,000 rave reviews. Specifically, its compact and lightweight design makes it a standout product, along with its weather-resistant construction and turbine-fan engineering for a powerful leaf blow.
Best Electric Leaf Blower
Black+Decker Electric Leaf Blower, $33, original price: $51
- Dimensions: 16.5 x 11 x 7 inches
The Black+Decker Electric Leaf Blower has to be one of the buzziest models on this list, coming in hot with 21,000 rave reviews — and counting. People love it for its 7 Amp motor, built-in cord retention to prevent interruptions during cleanup and its less-than-five-pound hold.
Best Battery Leaf Blower
Stihl Battery Handheld Leaf Blower, $180, original price: $200
- Dimensions: 17 x 12 x 8 inches
For a sought-after leaf blower, pick up the Stihl Battery Handheld Leaf Blower. It’s comfortable to hold, can run up to 18 minutes on a single charge and is perfect for blowing leaves off sidewalks, driveways, outdoor patio furniture and more.
Best Gas Leaf Blower
Craftsman Cycle Engine Gas-Powered Leaf Blower, $221
- Dimensions: 37 x 9.5 x 14 inches
With a name like Craftsman, you know it has to be good. The brand’s Cycle Engine Gas-Powered Leaf Blower is less than $150 and has more than 3,000 positive reviews on Amazon. What’s more, it has a powerful engine, easy-start technology and an extended nozzle (with an integrated scraper).
Best Lightweight Leaf Blower
Harbor Freight 12 Amp 3-in-1 Electric Blower Vacuum Mulcher, $45
- Dimensions: 32 x 9 x 3 inches
Out of the 5,028 Harbor Freight customers who reviewed this best leaf blower, 91% would recommend. The multifunctional machine operates as a vacuum, blower and mulcher, so tackling the three jobs in one day will be a breeze — get it, a breeze? At 10 pounds it’s lightweight, too, which your arms may appreciate after an hour or so. It’s also reasonably quiet, which is a plus.
Best Handheld Leaf Blower
Toro Ultra 260 Electric 12 Amp Blower/Vacuum/ Mulcher, $117
- Dimensions: 14 x 9 x 41 inches
Suck leaves and yard debris with ease with this Toro 3-in-1 style leaf blower. It has a cord lock, adjustable speed and offers up to 350 CFM. Turn it on with the quick press of a button and watch it remove dead foliage, sticks and other things that’s too labor intensive to get rid of by hand. Multiple happy customers who purchased it on Home Depot praised its power.
Best Mulcher Leaf Blower
BLACK+DECKER Electric Leaf Blower, $83, original price: $94
- Dimensions: 16 x 11.6 x 21.3 inches
For bigger jobs, a backpack blower may be the best. More than 3,000 folks on Amazon like this one from Black + Decker. It converts from a handheld into a vacuum style, both great for a myriad of clean up jobs. Its tube is flexible, a bonus as you move around, plus it goes up to 250 miles per hour! The blower also serves as a mulcher, making it a multitasker’s dream. Best of all, it’s under $100.
Best Gas-Powered Leaf Blower
Husqvarna Leaf Blower, $189
- Dimensions: 14.9 x 8.1 x 14.9 inches
With a 4.4 star rating on Amazon and more than 3,000 five star reviews, this gas-powered leaf blower blows away the competition. It has multiple speeds (including cruise), 470 CFM, and an adjustable tube length for those hard to reach places. The handheld is slightly heavier than other models on our list ( it’s right under 10 pounds). However, it’s still a “little guy” that “packs a punch,” according to one happy customer.
Is higher CFM or MPH better for leaf blower?
In the land of leaf blowers, CFM stands for cubic feet per minute, while MPH stands for miles per hour. In terms of which is better, it all depends on what type of work you’re looking to perform, as well as what kind of debris you need to clear and from where.
CFM:
CFM measures the volume of air moved by the leaf blower in one minute. The higher the CFM, the more adapt a blower is at moving air. If you have a large amount of debris or dry leaves that needs to removed a wide distance, this metric is what you want to look at.
MPH:
This measures the speed that air leaves the blower’s nozzle. Leaf blowers with a high MPH are good for removing heavy and wet debris, especially in tighter spaces, like gutters.
What is the difference between 450 and 600 CFM leaf blower?
The difference between a 450 CFM and a 600 CFM leaf blower lies in the volume of air moved in one minute. A leaf blower with a CFM can move 450 cubic feet of air, while another with a CFM of 600 can move 600 cubic feet of air.
Another thing this metric tells you is about blowing power. The higher the CFM, the higher the blowing power, which means a leaf blower with 600 CFM has a greater capacity for moving debris in a large/wide area.
This isn’t to say that leaf blowers with a lower CFM aren’t as good. For example, the Dewalt Leaf Blower (Amazon, $199) has a 450 CFM and does a great job at cleaning up a yard. It’s lightweight, too, has an ergonomic design and can go up to 125 miles per hour. It also have more than 6,000 reviews on Amazon, and 5,000 of them are five stars.
Another high performing 450 CFM leaf blower? The Miwaukee Fuel Leaf Blower (Amazon, $141). Along with having adjustable speeds, it can go full throttle in one second, is under 5 pounds and has a 4.8 out of five star rating on Amazon.
It should be noted that leaf blowers with a higher CFM tend to be noisier than those with a lower CFM. That may not seem like a big deal now, but if you’re someone who likes to get up at dawn to do yard work, your family (and neighbors) will probably appreciate anything that keeps noise levels down.
How do you determine a good leaf blower?
There are many leaf blowers on the market, each with their own set of benefits. Here are some things to consider when determining which one is best for you.
Types of leaf blowers and power source:
- Leaf blowers can be powered by gas, electricity or battery operated. Consider your preference, as well as the availability of power sources. If you have a large yard, a cordless leaf blower may be best, because you won’t have to think about the length of the cord. In contrast, if your yard isn’t large or you’re simply looking to remove debris from the driveway, a lightweight, cordless model may do the trick.
CFM and MPH:
- Pay attention to the blower’s CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) and MPH (Miles per Hour) ratings. Leaf blowers with a higher MPH are good for wet and heavy debris, while leaf blowers with a high CFM work well for clearing large areas.
Noise
- Leaf blowing isn’t the most whisper quiet activity. However, some models are noisier than others. This is something to consider, especially if there are noise restrictions where you live or you simply don’t want to wake the house when cleaning up the yard. Electric and cordless models tend to be on the quieter side in comparison to gas-powered leaf blowers. Similarly, leaf blowers with lower CFMs tend to be quieter than those with a higher cubic feet per minute.
Accessories and Attachments:
- Sometimes it’s helpful to think of a leaf blower like an outdoor vacuum. Like a regular vacuum, many come with additional nozzles and attachments meant to make specific jobs easier. If you’re only looking to clean up fallen leaves, this may not be a big deal to you. However, if you want to clear gutters or remove leaves from small crevices, a machine with different size tubes may be beneficial.
The SnapFresh Leaf Blower, for example, which retails at Amazon for $55.99, comes with two different sized tubes, one for the ground and the other for hard to reach spots. Another great leaf blower with attachments is the Black + Decker Electric Leaf Blower ($82.79). It has a 400 CFM, goes up to 250 miles per hour, comes with a backpack and several different tubes for your various leaf removal needs.
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