Best Leaf Blowers for 2023 - CNET
Which is the best leaf blower?
If you’re in the market for a new leaf blower, you’ll find plenty of options online and at your local retailer. Among them, we like the Greenworks Pro 80-volt cordless leaf blower the best, mainly thanks to its energy-efficient design and best-in-class air power. But there are other factors worth considering, like noise level, relative value and weight. We’ve spent weeks testing and evaluating the things in our lab in order to make some informed recommendations.
If you’ve spent any of your life in the suburban or more rural areas of the US, it’s tough to remember a time when leaf blowers weren’t a thing. Even if your family didn’t own one, your friend, neighbor or the guy down the street probably did. Although larger walk-behind versions were available as early as the 1950s, the more traditional backpack and handheld types didn’t appear until the 1970s, according to the October 1977 issue of Popular Science.
But the landscape is changing. All those leaf blowers we remember from years past were gas-powered. Today some cities and states have outlawed gas-powered leaf blowers outright, and even more areas restrict the days and times you can use any type of leaf blower. Check out the laws and regulations for leaf blowers in the US.
Still, the fact remains that leaf blowers are one of the quickest and most effective ways of moving leaves and other bits of debris around on your property, especially compared to other traditional methods such as raking and sweeping. We’ve tested several of the standard electric models available on the market today, taking into consideration things like how much power their airflow actually offers, along with other common concerns like battery life and how loud each unit gets. First, let’s take a look at the best of the best.
Best leaf blowers for 2023
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Greenworks 80V cordless leaf blower
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Greenworks 80V cordless leaf blower
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Greenworks 80V cordless leaf blower
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Greenworks 80V cordless leaf blower
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This 80-volt Greenworks model proved to be not only our best overall leaf blower, but also our most powerful leaf blower. During our propulsion tests, where we use each leaf blower to power a custom-built air cannon and see how far they’ll shoot a weight, Greenworks was the clear winner in the “turbo mode” category, with an average distance of 34 feet and 11 inches. Even in standard mode, its average distance of 26 feet and 8 inches would have placed third overall in the turbo category. No other leaf blower we tested moved air with more power.
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Ryobi 40V cordless leaf blower
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Ryobi 40V cordless leaf blower
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Ryobi 40V cordless leaf blower
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Ryobi 40V cordless leaf blower
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This Ryobi unit had a fair showing overall. Only one other leaf blower we tested cost less, and it outperformed a few models that cost more in our propulsion tests. That left it as a reasonable middle-of-the-pack performer — but if you’re looking for something quiet, it might be the exact leaf blower you’re looking for. While all of the other leaf blowers we tested hit decibel levels nearing 100dB, the Ryobi blower was the quietest, ringing in at a more moderate 81.5dB.
