The Best Backpack Blower

The sight of auburn leaves on your lawn in the morning is a refreshing calling card of nature, reminding you that fall is here in all its multicolored splendor. It’s also a sign that you’ve got a hefty dose of yard work coming up.

If that yard is big enough and those leaves are plentiful enough, you’ll probably want to trade up from that lightweight handheld leaf blower. When you want a yard cleaned up quickly, there’s nothing like the power of a backpack blower. The heftiest ones can even handle more than one season of yardwork by blowing snow off your driveway or getting rid of branches and other light debris.

There can be a wide range of efficiency in backpack blowers, but the power source is one of the first things you’ll want to look at. And while electric blowers are an increasingly popular choice, gas-powered models still have plenty of upsides.

When it comes to electric blowers, you’ll find corded models at the lower end of the spectrum on price. It’s easy to see why, as these units not only leave you tethered to a power cord but generally supply less power. Cordless electric blowers won’t necessarily sacrifice any of that power for the convenience of free-roaming operation, but they may have less runtime depending on the battery.

Gas-powered blowers can be a little intimidating for those who haven’t handled them before, but the Big Bad Wolf has nothing on their strength. They operate on the same general type of internal combustion engine you have in your car (or more likely, your lawnmower), and those engines can be divided into a couple of types: 2-cycle and 4-cycle.

You might see them also referred to as 2-stroke or 4-stroke, but it means the same thing. Those numbers are the number of strokes (or cycles) needed to complete the process of combustion and exhaust that turns gasoline into energy. Without getting into the mechanical weeds, suffice to say that 2-stroke engines get that process done quicker and dirtier. It translates into an engine that’s not only light but powerful and cheaper to boot. On the downside, 2-stroke engines tend to be louder and less efficient, resulting in more pollution. Most engines of this type also require a precise mixture of oil and gas that goes into the same intake chamber, but you can usually buy this fuel pre-mixed.

On the other hand, 4-cycle engines are more like your car. The gas and oil are loaded into separate tanks. With more moving parts to deal with, these engines are heavier but more fuel-efficient, saving you money in the long run on gas. In either case, you can get a good measure of your engine’s output by checking the displacement volume. On the high side is 40 cc’s or more. Sometimes 4-cycle engines are easier on your body, too.

“While heavier than a 2-cycle,  it operates at cooler temperatures,” says Vicki Liston, our home improvement expert and host of “On The Fly… DIY,” an award-winning show featuring helpful DIY project tutorials.

Electric or gas-powered, you’re going to want to know how powerful it is. Any backpack blower is liable to pack a lot more wind than a handheld model, but exactly how much is enough? You’ll see blowing power measured in two ways: MPH (miles per hour) and CFM (cubic feet per minute). MPH, of course, is a measure of wind speed, but that won’t mean much if there’s only a trickle of air coming out of the nozzle. CFM is a measure of volume, and it’s an equally important part of the equation. For backpack blowers, MPH might range from 100 to 300 or higher, while CFM varies from 300 to 700 or so.

“If you plan on blowing around heavier items like twigs, sticks and pebbles, look for a high CFA or MPH rating,” adds Liston.

• If you’re already committed to getting a backpack blower, it’s easy to be swayed into getting the most powerful model for the cheapest price. But if you want to keep your neighbors on your good side, consider the efficiency. Backpack blowers can be extremely loud, and in a crowded community, that might greatly limit the time you can use it without making enemies. Be sure to check the decibel level on the blower before you buy. Gas models tend to be the noisiest, but there’s a lot of variation on that statistic.
• If you’re buying a cordless, electric powered blower, take a moment to read through the parts. It’s not a given that your battery will be included. They can cost a pretty penny, and that’s not even including the charger. Even so, you may still come in cheaper than the higher-end gas models. If your lawn is especially big, you may want to consider investing that extra dough in a second battery to swap into your blower when the first one runs out of juice.
• Weight is also a big consideration, particularly for older users. Electric backpack blowers might weigh 10 pounds or less, while gas blowers can top out at more than twice that for 4-cycle models. Their extra power might get the job done fast, but you can expect to tack on some extra minutes if it’s too unwieldy to use. Some of that can be mitigated with solid design that distributes the weight evenly.
• Accessories can be a huge plus, turning a simple leaf blower into a versatile cleaner. Many blowers come with at least one interchangeable nozzle. Flat tips are good for blowing a wide swath of loose leaves and debris, while rounded ones can help break up deeply embedded or wet leaves. Other handy add-ons include leaf bags to hold all that mess, or gutter kits.
• Your backpack blower’s vibrations might make leaf blowing painful. “Vibration can quickly cause fatigue and numbness and can turn the work into an extremely uncomfortable experience,” says Liston. Look for anti-vibration features to avoid this problem.
• You may be used to mowing the lawn in comfortable clothes, but leaf blowers require a little more caution. No matter how adept you are at using them, there will be loose debris flying around. Don’t forget to wear safety goggles and perhaps a breathing mask — and for long-term hearing protection, a pair of earbuds is a must.
• Depending on where you live, your leaf blower might only get used a couple of months out of the year. Don’t let that be the only time you turn it on. To ensure that your blower keeps operating at peak efficiency, run it once a month in a well-ventilated area.