Best gas leaf blowers 2022

When season of leaf fall is coming, the feeling of admiration of fascinating pictures is quickly replaced by the need of struggling with enormous amount of dead leaves and other debris in your backyard, garden, or any other outdoor area. A modern leaf blower will help you to handle easily any debris on your territory. The gas-powered leaf blowers are obviously more powerful and strong units compared with the electric corded and cordless models. The gas engine tools are capable to withstand different loads under various temperatures. However, you should always bear in mind the necessity to carry out complicated maintenance of such leaf blowers. That is, you should always check the fuel quality and replace the worn materials on a constant basis.

Thus, having read this article you’ll have a clear understanding whether you need a gas-powered unit or an electric model which would be more than enough to satisfy you cleaning needs. Besides, you’ll get an opportunity to review the most top-rated leaf blowers with the major pros and cons to be aware of. After all, I hope you will be able to select the right tool for the specific tasks and be pleased with the purchase.

Engine power. The engine is the main competitive advantage of a gas leaf blower. It allows developing higher power in comparison with electric counterparts. In particular, these tools are capable of delivering from 0,3 HP to 5,4 HP. Thus, the gas units help you to remove light-, mid- and heavy-duty debris from your way. Besides, the gas leaf blowers can be operated much longer without overheating, as engines have a forced air cooling system. So, the cleaning space covered by the gas tool will be commonly larger than that covered by an electric unit. More than that, an increased engine power offers wider range of different advanced user-friendly functions.

• Engine type (2- or 4-stage). The modern gas leaf blowers are commonly offered with 2-stage engines. The 4-stage engines are more powerful and consequently heavier and bigger in size. `The latter comprises 4-stage cycle: input, compression, expansion and output of fuel-air mixture. The principle of operation of a 2-stage engine is more complicated as the entire process is united in 2 stages only; compression and expansion, namely. The input and output stages are not excluded, they just take place during the above mentioned stages. Thus, some additional specific conditions, like increased pressure at the cylinder inlet, must be fulfilled inside the system to provide a consistent operation of an engine. The 2-stroke engines have a number of advantageous features compared with the 4-stroke counterparts. In particular, the 2-stage leaf blowers come in a lightweight and compact design, ensure smoothness of operation and cost less.

The 4-stage units are more fuel efficient as they do not emit any fuel together with waste gases like 2-stage models do. Besides, their maintenance is easier as there is no need to mix fuel and oil, keeping an exact accuracy of their recommended proportion. More than that, they are considered to withstand heavier loads and operate with less noise.

• Maximum air flow. In general, air flow and speed (described below) are two the most critical parameters indicating the performance of a tool. The higher ratings your leaf blower has, the more powerful it will be. The volume of air is determined in CFM or cubic feet per minutes. The gas models are designed for various fields of application. For instance, handheld and backpack units for residential purposes feature from 140 CFM up to 500 CFM which will be enough to get rid of stubborn debris from your garden quickly and easily. The heavy-duty gas wheeled models are capable of reaching up to 1000 CFM to clean larger areas like parks, squares and other outdoor public areas.
• Maximum air speed. As I’ve mentioned above this parameter is another key indicator of tool strength. It means how fast the air is blown from a tube. The air velocity is determined in MPH or miles per hour. So, the force of 180 MPH and higher allows tackling more challenging tasks like blowing or vacuuming of wet and heavy debris in bigger volumes.
• Fuel type. Frequently this issue is one of the main concerns of new owners of such tools. As a rule, the relevant information is presented in the instruction manuals; however it is better to know about possible options in more details.

The type of fuel to be filled in a gas leaf blower depends on a type of engine, that is 2- or 4-stroke system. The peculiarity of each type I have described a bit earlier here in this guide. In order to prepare a fuel mixture for a 2-stage leaf blower, you should observe the specified proportion of gasoline and oil.

As to the gasoline type for a leaf blower, it should strictly correspond to a grade recommended by the manufacturer with no deviations like being of higher or lower quality. Otherwise, it could cause considerable problems and early breakage of a tool.

• Fuel tank capacity. The running time of gas leaf blowers is determined by the size of a fuel tank. The capacity of a tank is measured in ounces (oz). The latter has to be chosen assuming the space you want to handle with the help of your gas leaf blower. Also, it would depend on a type of a tool. In particular, handheld and backpack models feature smaller tanks, as it increases the weight of a unit considerably, and affect negatively its mobility, accordingly. The volume in the range of 15 to 20 oz will be enough in this case to ensure a long-lasting continuous operation of your leaf blower. The wheeled models obviously come with higher capacity reaching up to 50 oz.
• Noise level. The gas leaf blowers are loud in operation, and this fact you should always bear in mind before making a right choice for your needs, as electric models are much quieter in operation. This high noise level is fairly grounded by the higher power of the engine. However, the advanced gas-powered leaf blowers are equipped with innovative engines and covering materials capable of mitigating the noise to a great extent. Nevertheless, be aware that the majority of the gas units run at about 100 dB. Thus, you should always take additional precautions in terms of hearing protection and use a special gear like ear plugs or similar. Besides, learn about possible official restrictions related to the permitted noise level and hours in your area, if any.
• Weight. And again, the weight will depend on a model of a gas leaf blower. The handheld and backpack options will weigh considerably less than the heavy-duty wheeled machines. For instance, the self-propelled wheeled blowers may come in a really heavy-weight design of up to 280 lbs. On the contrary, the weight of light-duty domestic tools varies from 8 lbs up to 26 lbs.

Husqvarna – is one of the oldest manufacturers of power products, which was established as a musket-making factory back in 1689 in Sweden. There are no concerns regarding reliability and performance of their equipment and tools which are offered in a wide range. In particular, they have a large lineup of the advanced gardening tools for domestic and professional use, including saws, hedge trimmers, and leaf blowers.

Makita – this Japanese brand was founded 1915. Nowadays, it is a global corporation which manufactures power equipment, tools, and attachments with their after-sale servicing, on request. Makita also offers a vast variety of electric- and gas-powered leaf blowers which are highly demanded thanks to their high-performance and versatility in use.

Hitachi – this worldwide corporation was established in 1910 in Japan. Today the company is one of the highly-recognizable leaders developing and manufacturing residential- and professional-grade power tools on the international market. Besides, the company successfully works in IT and telecommunications industry, offering the advanced digital technologies and innovative products. The range of Hitachi leaf blowers features an outstanding power and durability. The innovative low-emission technologies are specifically implemented in their gas-powered models.

Stihl – is German family-owned company which runs its business in more than 160 countries. Stihl develops, manufactures and sales power tools for timber, agricultural and construction industries. Also, they offer a vast variety of gardening tools by Viking brand. Their range of gas-powered leaf blowers are designed to meet the heavy-duty cleaning needs. Besides, they have compact units for residential purposes helping to accomplish any cleaning job quickly and easily in your backyard or garden.

Craftsman - is the authentic U.S. brand founded in 1927. Today it is the brand of power tools, gardening equipment and working wear. Initially the company was owned by Sears. Nowadays, they belong to Stanley Black & Decker Group. Craftsman offers a large number of leaf blowers/vacs in electric- and gas-powered designs.