!: Using Leaf Blower Ratings to Choose a Backpack Leaf Blower

Leaf blower ratings can help you choose a backpack leaf blower that will suit your needs. There are technical ratings concerning the physics of how these tools work and there are others that are more the view points of people who have already bought the particular leaf bower that you are looking at. Both types are important but understanding what each means and how they can apply to your choice is just as important. This article assumes that you have already decided on a backpack version rather then a hand held or walk behind type.

Backpack blowers are available in two types. There are ones that just blow and others that can blow and vacuum as well. You firstly have to decide which type will meet your needs. In terms of the work to be done there are advantages associated with each type. The blower only type is simpler in design with fewer attachments to worry about. They will push the leaves and debris about and you can either blow them to the boundaries of your land where they are out of the way or direct them into piles which can then be collected and disposed of later. The ones with a vacuum feature have to have a bag attachment which is used to collect the leaves as they are sucked up. This bag has to be emptied when full and also restricts your movements compared to a simpler blower. You have to decide whether it is less trouble to move the leaves once they are in piles or to keep on emptying a bag.

There are 2 main measurements used to describe the ability of a blower to do its job. The first is the air speed generated in miles per hour and the second is the volume of air moved, measured in cubic feet per minute or CFM. The higher the air speed the larger and stickier the items that can be moved by blowing. A machine with a high air speed is more likely to move large wet leaves and this might be an advantage depending on the type of work you need to do. High air speed also means that debris further away is likely to be moved as well. The CFM measure is useful for determining the vacuuming ability. The higher the CFM of the machine the better that it is likely to be at sucking up larger objects, rather than leaving them lying on the ground.

Ergonomics describes how much thought has gone into making the machine easy on your body when you use it. The fact that this is a backpack design already means that thought has gone into this. It is used to make the machine easier to carry. They are heavier than the hand held ones so this feature is essential. The ergonomic design will determine whether it is comfortable to wear and easy to put on and take off. It will also relate to how easy it is to operate. Strap design and frame design are both important in producing a user friendly tool. Using a blower involves many repeat movements which can damage joints in the body. It is therefore essential that it is well balanced and that the controls are easy to get at and use.

Manufacturers will always say that their machines are well designed, so for information on this you need to consult reviews on the internet written by people who have already bought and used the equipment. With reviews you need to keep in mind that people generally write these if they are very satisfied or very dissatisfied. The vast majority of people who use the tool without problems wouldn't bother to put pen to paper. This means that if you see no reviews it doesn't say that the equipment is bad. You should mainly look to see if there are a lot of complaints about a specific issue and then decide if the information is important in your choice.

The choice of a backpack leaf blower therefore mainly involves looking at the air speed for blowing, the volume of air moved for vacuuming and the ergonomic characteristics to match the human body so that it can be operated in comfort without harming the body. There are many other issues that should be considered but there isn't room to discuss them all here.