Leaf blower or vac
- Thread starter Jupiter01
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The vacs get very heavy when the bag fills with wet leaves and also soaks your legs with spray.
I was very disappointed with mine and eventually gave it away (Ryobi petrol).
Now I use a Stihl blower and a large shovel.
Your choice of course!
John
I was very disappointed with mine and eventually gave it away (Ryobi petrol).
Now I use a Stihl blower and a large shovel.
Your choice of course!
John
These days they tend to be a combined unit. At the flick of a handle you can switch from blower to vacuum.
This can be a benefit if you can blow the leaves into a heap and then vacuum them up from one place, rather than walking round and round. As they vacuum them up they also shred them so you end up with a bag of mulch. This can then be spread around any bushes/trees to help insulate/feed them over winter.
I use an 18v battery one in work, (can't remember the make), and to be honest it's not much good. Not very powerful on suck or blow and the batteries last about 45 minutes. At home I use a 230v McAllister unit with 6 metres of cable and it's a totally different class of product. It also has small wheels at the end of the tube so you are not actually carrying it around, rather you are supporting it via a shoulder strap as you push it around.
This can be a benefit if you can blow the leaves into a heap and then vacuum them up from one place, rather than walking round and round. As they vacuum them up they also shred them so you end up with a bag of mulch. This can then be spread around any bushes/trees to help insulate/feed them over winter.
I use an 18v battery one in work, (can't remember the make), and to be honest it's not much good. Not very powerful on suck or blow and the batteries last about 45 minutes. At home I use a 230v McAllister unit with 6 metres of cable and it's a totally different class of product. It also has small wheels at the end of the tube so you are not actually carrying it around, rather you are supporting it via a shoulder strap as you push it around.
The vacs get very heavy when the bag fills with wet leaves and also soaks your legs with spray.
I was very disappointed with mine and eventually gave it away (Ryobi petrol).
Now I use a Stihl blower and a large shovel.
Your choice of course!
John
A pair of lightweight waterproof trousers sorts that problem out John.
I always put a pair on when I'm working in the garden during autumn anyway. Saves getting your jeans/trousers wet if you have a slip.
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I have a 6hp Briggs powered Billygoat.....sucks up just about everything - leaves, stones, cans, glass......and probably the odd passing Volkswagen
John
John
I have a 6hp Briggs powered Billygoat.....sucks up just about everything - leaves, stones, cans, glass......and probably the odd passing Volkswagen
John
Thats not a Billy Goat thats a Beast, what forest do you clean up with that
Have a cheap flymo, does a great job and flick of a switch takes it from blower to vacuum.Should strap helps if you are on the weak side. Bought mine secondhand for £20.
Is the 18v Makita any good? I have the batteries and it's within my budget
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We have a chinese vac/blower. It is rubbish, the suction is so poor that if the end of the unit is not in perfect contact with the grass, it won't pick anything up.
I find it much faster to use my Festool dust extractor with a vacuum wand and hoover it as one would a carpet. That said, we have have fake grass.
I find it much faster to use my Festool dust extractor with a vacuum wand and hoover it as one would a carpet. That said, we have have fake grass.
It's the 2 x 18 volt, phenomenally powerful on the highest setting. I believe the 18 volt is well reviewed but a lot of landscapers on youtube compare the 36 volt model to Stihl.
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I have bought a combi blower/vac with the intention of just using it as a vac. Its fine as a vac where all the leaves gather in one corner, but it's not much good where they're scattered across a lawn. What i do now is use it as a blower to blow all the leafs onto the lawn then just get the lawn mower out and use that to suck the leaves up into the grass box
Does the mower work in this capacity when we have the depths of winter upon us?
My yard is probably getting on for about 100m^2 and I would say it's just about OK for the MacAllister "corded blower/vac" I got from Screwfix. It actually does a pretty good job even on wet leaves and having them shredded is a bonus but I'm not sure it's much quicker overall than a rake/brush. And when you forget to do the zip up on the bag it gets messy But for £40 I am quite impressed, though it is a corded model.
On our lawn/paddock we try to use the tractor mower which has a powered collector. We get several inches deep leaves sometimes so it's a real job! I would LOVE a BillyGoat but they start from a grand for the entry level one
But for £40 I am quite impressed, though it is a corded model.On our lawn/paddock we try to use the tractor mower which has a powered collector. We get several inches deep leaves sometimes so it's a real job! I would LOVE a BillyGoat but they start from a grand for the entry level one
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