Leaf Blower

[Birdhunter]

I know this is a woodworking site, but I bought a tool that was so great that I wanted to share.

My wife loves to blow leaves off our patio which is quite large. She has an old corded blower that is pretty weak. It takes me about an hour to unsnarl the 100 foot cord she uses.

I bought a Milwaukee 18v cordless blower that she loves. She has to run it at the low power setting because the high power is too hard for her to control. It is very light weight.

She is thrilled as she gets to blow leaves. I’m thrilled as there is no cord to unsnarl.

 

[Bob D.]

I have not used the Milwaukee blower.

I have been using the EGO 56V leaf blower for 4 years now and it is a great performer. I replaced my Stihl with the EGO blower and have replaced all my Stihl gas powered yard tools with EGO 56V tools. So far that includes my stick edger, string trimmer, and chainsaw. I have replaced my self-propelled mower with the EGO 21" self-propelled and also retired my old (1989) B&D commercial corded hedge trimmer for the EGO 56V trimmer.

 

[festal]

I use Ego tools as well.  Have a backpack blower and it does ok.  Have alot of leaves on my property and sometimes it struggles but gets the job done.  Also have line up of ego tools and they work well.  Only thing i have left from gas is a snow blower and fogger for mosquito control during summer as there is no battery equivalent yet

 

[Bob D.]

EGO does make a snow blower but I doubt it equals the average to better gas-powered models.

 

[afish]

I agree a cordless leaf blower is a great tool to have. I also have a gas backpack blower but it just depends on the job I will say that I use the cordless 99% of the time the biggest negative is these things kill a battery in short order.  I never timed it but I would guess I get about 8 min. full blast.  For blowing off a deck it would be perfect.  congratulations on your new tool purchase and saving some valuable time/frustration.   

 

[festal]

EGO does make a snow blower but I doubt it equals the average to better gas-powered models.

Yep they have 2 stage model, I'm strongly considering it.  Was looking at it last year but with inventory issues it was impossible to get and we had no snow last year lol. We'll see how this year pans out

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Funny that you brought this up. I had just seen the video that BobD posted a few days ago.
I recently got a Makita string trimmer that uses 2 18v batteries. It has been fantastic. I haven't had one for a while and finally pulled the trigger on this one.
The last one I had was a Worx. It was an older NiCad unit, that I always felt cheated after buying. They came out with a brand new Lithium Ion model almost immediately.
The odd part is that the Makita one runs counterclockwise? It has a reversing switch, but it will only stay that way for a few minutes, you can't leave it that way. The strange thing is that it has left-handed threads on the string spool. If it ran the other way (primarily) that would not be necessary either. It's fine, but takes some getting used to.

 

[guybo]

just a psa,for those who detail the own cars these work great ,all kinds made for every leaf blower

 

[Mortiser]

Yeah [member=15289]Birdhunter[/member] , another great thing is that you don't have to blow leaves. I bought an EGO leaf blower early last year because my wife wanted to blow off the driveway and didn't like pouring gas and pulling cords. I've been so impressed with the EGO performance, I've gotten rid of all of my gas powered lawn equipment. I've now got the string trimmer, hedge trimmer, and pole saw (replaceable head version) and chainsaw. The latest was I just got their self-propelled lawn mower. I won't be going back to gas.
I don't feel the same way about cars however.

 

[Vtshopdog]

I'm all-in on M18 platform and have the leaf blower, love that thing. 

Besides leaves and sidewalk dust I use it to clean sawdust from the area after running planer or tracksaw on my deck (well, disperse the dust I guess) and to blow dust out of tools (and sometimes my mountain bike) before putting them away on days where I don't want to deal with the compressor.  It's pretty noisy and usually wear hearing protection.

Also. have the M18 string trimmer - awesome power but weird awkward balance and ergonomics.  I only have 5.0 AH battery and maybe it's optimized for a heavier battery that will counterweight better?

 

[Bob D.]

I use my EGO leaf blower in the Winter to clear snow off the truck. Wife's car gets the garage and truck won't fit in there easily so it's outside all the time. No gas to mess with and you don't have to worry about putting it away hot.

It works if the snow is light and not crusted over with ice. Also works on steps. I have a 47" snow blower for the lawn tractor so not going to get a walk-behind battery snow blower but if I had a zero-turn I would consider the EGO 2-stage snow blower.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I'm all-in on M18 platform and have the leaf blower, love that thing. 

Besides leaves and sidewalk dust I use it to clean sawdust from the area after running planer or tracksaw on my deck (well, disperse the dust I guess) and to blow dust out of tools (and sometimes my mountain bike) before putting them away on days where I don't want to deal with the compressor.  It's pretty noisy and usually wear hearing protection.

Also. have the M18 string trimmer - awesome power but weird awkward balance and ergonomics.  I only have 5.0 AH battery and maybe it's optimized for a heavier battery that will counterweight better?

Does it run on a single 18v battery?
I got the Makita because I am already into the batteries, 4 more and a double charger can't hurt.
That kit also got me some higher amp batteries too. Most of the ones I had were 2Ah with one 3Ah. These are 5Ah.

 

[Birdhunter]

“ I don't feel the same way about cars however.”

I hate gas powered tools like blowers and edgers. Being free from 100’ long extension cords is wonderful.

I think a battery car would be great once the range gets up to 800 miles and can power a big SUV. One problem with battery cars is there isn’t sufficient electric power generation capacity for a lot of battery cars.

 

[Sparktrician]

“ I don't feel the same way about cars however.”

I hate gas powered tools like blowers and edgers. Being free from 100’ long extension cords is wonderful.

I think a battery car would be great once the range gets up to 800 miles and can power a big SUV. One problem with battery cars is there isn’t sufficient electric power generation capacity for a lot of battery cars.

 

The part that scares me is the replacement cost for batteries for the EVs.  One almost has to take out a second mortgage on one's house, just to pay the battery bill.  I also don't care for the limited range issue that we have now.  [sad]  I was really surprised to find that a second battery for an EGo lawnmower was ~$400.  That was a non-sale moment for me.  I can keep using my earplugs a bit longer.

 

[Mortiser]

Yeah, the EGO batteries are expensive! I've never bought a bare tool from them. I always get the battery with the tool. The battery is much cheaper that way. Also nice that all the battery sizes fit all of the tools.
Now, when I eventually have to replace a battery, I won't be too happy.

 

[Cheese]

The part that scares me is the replacement cost for batteries for the EVs.  One almost has to take out a second mortgage on one's house, just to pay the battery bill.  I also don't care for the limited range issue that we have now.  [sad]  I was really surprised to find that a second battery for an EGo lawnmower was ~$400.  That was a non-sale moment for me.  I can keep using my earplugs a bit longer.

Ya sparky I'm with you...I've had my order in for a Stihl mower for the last 3 months and I feel the price is pretty reasonable considering most of these other manufacturers of garden equipment haven't been in the lawn business long enough to know the difference between lawn mowed and lawn mower. That make me nervous.

I did recently purchase a Milwaukee 18V cordless hedge trimmer and have nothing but good things to say about the brand. Consequently I'll be moving the Stihl gas powered version down the road.

 

[rst]

I've always bought Stihl and Toro lawn and garden equipment, mowers, trimmers, chainsaws.  I have now switched to Milwaukee, 18v blower, trimmers, 12v chainsaw and am going to order the mower as soon as my gas can is empty.  The only Stihl that I still use is my commercial blower...for snow removal.