Whether you have a landscaped garden or have a Town garden, Gardenlines have the leaf blower for you.
Yet choosing the right machine is not as simple as opting for the most powerful model. Some tasks require a lighter touch than others; models capable of sweeping up damp squalid leaves may rough-up your precious petunias.
Electric blowers are usually outperformed by their petrol-driven counterparts, but should certainly not be seen as inferior products. A reduction in power is compensated by light handling, quieter motors and generally more appealing prices. And as manufacturers develop more efficient models, electric blowers are catching up and in some cases surpassing petrol-driven versions.
The ultimate decision breaker when choosing electric or power-driven blow-vacs is the power cable. If you don’t have an electrical outlet within a reasonable distance of the work area petrol power is the way forward. Picture yourself wandering the garden with your electric leaf blower attached to five bright orange extension cords while you manoeuvre around trees, bird baths and flower beds. Not ideal!
Most petrol-driven blow-vacs are powered by a two-stroke engine, with power calculated in cubic centimetres. A garden encompassing under half an acre with a couple of leafy trees can be maintained with a 30cc engine. When looking at anything larger go for a backpack model with 50cc’s of power. The latter option also solves the weight factor as petrol-driven models are heavier than electric ones.
Engine lubrication is achieved by mixing the recommended oil into the fuel, using the ratio suggested by the manual. With most of Gardenlines’ petrol-driven models we offer 100 millilitres of two-stroke oil for free when you order.
As for the noise factor the petrol-driven blow-vacs tend to be more ear-splitting than the electric powered models. Consider your neighbour’s and own sanity and bear in mind the backpack models place the engine even closer to your ear-drums. Of course this problem is easily solved by wearing ear defenders.
Then there’s the factor of the starting mechanism. Like lawnmowers, petrol-driven blowers have pull start ignitions that can be recalcitrant on cold mornings. The bother of filling the tank and maintenance costs may leave you longing for simple electricity.
On most electric models, changing from blow to vacuum modes is as simple as flicking a switch. Petrol machines are more complicated and involve fitting different tubes on either the inlet or outlet hole, connecting or removing the collection bag or re-orientating the machine each time. This procedure adds valuable time to the clean-up process.
By weighing up all the pros and cons when choosing your blow-vac you’ll find the right model for you.
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