Bosch 06008B1072 Electric Leaf Blower and Vacuum UniversalGardenTidy 2300 (2300 W, collection bag 45 l, variable speed, for blowing, vacuuming and shredding leaves, in carton packaging)

Product Information

Some of the best cordless leaf blowers will have batteries that are interchangeable with other tools from the same brand. Many tool companies, such as Bosch, DEWALT and Ryobi use the same battery type for a range of tools – you may find you already have a compatible battery in your garage.

Bosch Electric Leaf Blower and Vacuum UniversalGardenTidy

At just under 90dB, it’s a little noisier at its maximum setting than some leaf blowers, and also a little heavier – however the ergonomic handle and well-balanced design still allows you to comfortably operate it single-handed. It works with Bosch’s 36V Power For All batteries in lieu of the more common 18V variety, and the 4A battery we tested it with persisted for around 25 minutes of strenuous garden maintenance before sputtering out. If you’re not overly fussed about vacuuming and mulching, this is the best cordless leaf blower to buy. At 1.85 kg, this is a very lightweight leaf blower. Using two hands gives you more control, but the option of going one-handed means that you’ll be able to access hard-to-reach spots around your garden. The LED indicators on the battery are also handy, especially if you have several areas to clear. To give you more versatility, look for a leaf blower with multiple speed settings . Being able to switch to a less powerful setting (below 175 km/h) can help prolong battery life and will still move some dry leaves, dust and wood shavings.

Why break your back raking leaves or sweeping the driveway? These leaf blowers make light work of a garden tidy

In terms of volume, this leaf blower emits 92.6 dB. It therefore sits at the quieter end of the market, though it’s by no means the quietest leaf blower featured here. Unfortunately, the positioning of the trigger was a little annoying – if you try holding the blower by its handle and carrying it around the garden, you’ll likely end up accidentally hitting the trigger several times. Although not a huge deal, this did end up wasting a fair bit of precious battery.

Bosch 06008B1072 Electric Leaf Blower and Vacuum

We put our cordless leaf blowers through their paces by using them to drive and gather a range of leaves on both tarmac driveways and lawn. We test them against a mix of large wet tree leaves, smaller shrub leaves, and dry hornbeam and beech hedge clippings to see how well the blowers cope with different materials, and we record noise levels while operating on the highest and lowest settings. We also evaluate how easy it is to handle and control the blower, and, with the blower/vacuum models, how simple it is to switch between modes. Finally, we test how long the battery lasts from a full recharge, and how long it takes to charge them up again.One way to extend the running time of the leaf blower, without using huge and heavy batteries, is to have more than one battery. This way you can have a charged battery on standby, to swap out when the first one runs empty. In terms of storage, you will need sufficient space to store this leaf blower. The nozzle is pretty long and cannot be detached from the unit.

Bosch ALB 36 LI Cordless Leaf Blower with 36 V, 2.0 Ah

Worx sells the WG543E with a 4A PowerShare battery and charger, and this will give you enough charge for a good 20 minutes of blasting, slightly more at the lower power setting. You can also use other Worx PowerShare batteries, although the most common 2A units will only deliver half that lifespan. The WORX WG543E.9 LEAFJET Cordless Leaf Blower is a particularly lightweight and manageable model. Measuring just 77 x 17 x 12 cm and weighing 1.05 kg (without the battery) this is one of the lightest and smallest leaf blowers featured here. Wearing goggles and ear defenders is also a good idea; the air blasting from a leaf blower can be in excess of 250 km/h, that’s enough to send stones flying and create a fair amount of noise.Still, with its 177km/h blow speed, it made short work of leaves, twigs and sawdust from a recent DIY project, meaning it’s more than up to the job for the average gardener. And when you’re done, the nozzle detaches at the touch of a button for easy storage. Unlike some of the other leaf blowers that I tested, which were designed solely for leaves, this one was also created to clear dirt and dust from hard surfaces. Versatile, reliable and affordable, the BHY Cordless Leaf Blower has got a lot going for it. Not only does it offer six speed options, which is more than many models on the market, but the maximum speed is an impressive 241 km/h.

Garden vacuums/leaf blowers for DIYers | Bosch DIY

Generally speaking, having a choice of air speeds makes leaf blowers more versatile; however, if you’re only interested in a very powerful leaf blower, changeable speeds won’t matter as much. The size of the battery will make a difference to the weight of the leaf blower; there may be a difference of approximately 0.5 kg between the weight of a 2.0 Ah battery and a 5.0 Ah battery. Through our testing, we discovered that the best cordless leaf blowers will achieve a run time of approximately 20 minutes when fitted with a 2.0 Ah battery. Look out for these, particularly if you have a larger garden. Many leaf blowers only achieve half this time, with the same size battery fitted. This tool has another benefit as it can also be used as a vacuum. The vacuum isn’t quite as effective as the blower, but it can come in handy in certain contexts. Switching between the two functions is simple, requiring no tools. It might be small, but don’t underestimate it: this compact, convenient blower gets the job done in style.Let’s start with assembly, which is something that only took about 30 seconds. Even if you’ve never used a leaf blower before, this one is easy to put together – you likely won’t even need the instructions.