Who wants to make it easier for themselves with autumn leaves, cannot avoid leaf vacuums. However, not in trouble with neighbors, because all devices are quite noisy. Our practice test shows, which one is right for you.
The same theme every fall: The leaves have to go. Which has to be laboriously procured with a leaf broom and rake, leaf blowers can do this quickly and without much effort: Leaves are sucked up or blown away in no time. that sounds tempting. But worth the purchase for the private garden?
Size matters. Because the principle, after the leaf blower or. -blowers work, is not just easy, but extraordinarily effective: The intake air is bundled in this way, that it powerfully blows away everything that is loosely lying on the floor as a re-emerging stream of air – or the other way around. The artificial autumn storm is so strong on all tested devices, that dry foliage 20 to 25 meters is blown. So be careful in small gardens: The leaves that are thrown up can easily end up on the other side of the garden fence.
If the devices are to be used as vacuum cleaners, they have to be changed. For some, a flick of the wrist is all it takes, for others, the change of function is more complex. The blowpipe is exchanged for the leaf collection bag, and in front of the air intake opening on the engine is a thick intake pipe – a procedure, which can take ten minutes.
But the effort also has its good side. Because the three conversion devices in particular were convincing with their very good suction power. It only lasted a few minutes, until even considerable piles of leaves disappeared into the large-volume leaf bags. Also thin, dry branches, acorns, Beechnuts and chestnuts were swallowed very quickly. For the one-piece devices, that are easier to change, it took a little longer. The different engine powers of 650 to 1400 Watt made themselves felt here.
Some devices also shred the sucked up material with a knife or nylon thread, before it ends up in the collection bag. So the leaves are ideal for the compost heap without any additional work.
All tested devices proved to be very convenient to use. The heavier ones hang from a shoulder strap. So the arms are relieved, and the suction tube can be directed effortlessly. With the light devices, the handles are enough, to be able to handle them easily. Only the leaf sacks, the up to 65 hold liters, become heavier as the work progresses. A good sign, after all, all the leaves have been sucked away.
In gardens with a lot of foliage or there, where oaks, Chestnut or nut trees grow, whose foliage rots badly, a leaf blower with a shredding device is recommended. The four testers with this attachment shredded dry leaves and short ones, thin branches during vacuuming. The test results were convincing: From four large mountains of leaves, which would never have fit in just one collection bag if they were not shredded, only a filling with finely chopped leaves and branches remained.