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What size cordless leaf blower your yard needs
Updated
Pick the CFM class by what you are clearing, then pick the battery by how much of it there is. Hard surfaces need under 400 CFM. Most lawns need 400 to 600. Big treed yards and wet leaves need 600 and up, and more watt-hours than most kits include.
By yard type
| Your yard | CFM class | Battery to look for | Picks here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patio, deck, garage, short walk | Under 400 | 30 to 40 Wh is enough. A 1,000 sq ft hard-surface job needs about 13 Wh in our model | WORX WG547, BLACK+DECKER LSW221 |
| Small to mid suburban lot, some trees | 400 to 600 | About 120 Wh per 2,000 sq ft of moderately covered lawn | EGO LB6151, Greenworks 40V 550, or Makita XBU03Z if you own the batteries |
| Large lot, heavy leaf fall, wet leaves | 600 and up | As much as you can carry. 280 Wh or a second pack | EGO LB7654, Greenworks 80V 700 |
These come from the same model as the battery calculator. Put in your own numbers there.
Why not just buy the biggest
- Weight. The EGO LB7654 is 9.5 pounds on the listing. The WORX WG547 is 4.4 with its battery. If the job is a deck, the light one gets used and the heavy one stays on the shelf.
- Control. Big blowers scatter mulch and gravel unless they dial down well. The EGO LB6151 dials from 200 to 480 CFM per EGO's page, which covers beds and lawn with one tool.
- Battery reality. More CFM drains the pack faster. Greenworks says its 550 CFM 40V blower runs up to 20 minutes on high. Plan on that kind of number, not the hour-plus claims.
Kit or bare tool
"Bare tool" or "tool only" means no battery and no charger. The Makita XBU03Z is sold that way, so buy it only if you already own Makita 18V LXT packs. Everyone else should buy a kit and multiply label volts by amp-hours to see the watt-hours inside. Charge time matters too. The Greenworks 40V 550 lists a 120 minute recharge on the maker page, and the Greenworks 80V 700 lists 40 minutes.
Coming from gas?
Makers like to compare with gas. Greenworks rates its 80V 700 CFM blower as a 26cc gas equivalent, which is a maker claim. What no handheld battery blower can do is match a gas tank for hours of nonstop full power. What you get back is no fuel, no pull cord and no exhaust. California's Air Resources Board says one hour of running a commercial gas leaf blower emits smog-forming pollution comparable to driving a new passenger car about 1,100 miles. If your city restricts gas blowers, see noise and gas blower rules.
Plan your own yard with the battery calculator, or compare all seven picks on the roundup page.