Cordless Leaf Blower

3 Tips For Buying A Cordless Leaf Blower

A cordless leaf blower can be a convenient way to clean up your yard, but they’re not for everyone. Cordless blowers tend to have less power than their gas or electric cousins, and the batteries do wear out over time. But if you’re looking for something convenient to clean up relatively small spaces, cordless is a good choice. Let’s look at three things to consider when buying one.

The first thing to consider is the service and warranty coverage. Most major brands, such as Stihl, Poulan, Ryobi and Homelite offer good warranty coverage, but you’ll want to make sure you have a local service center that can deal with it for you if you have any problems. There’s nothing worse than having to ship your broken leaf blower halfway across the country to get it fixed.

Most cordless leaf blowers are sealed units, with few parts that can be replaced by the average handyman. But parts availability might be something you want to consider as well if you’re the type who likes to fix your own equipment after the warranty period is up.

The second thing to consider is the price. Most cordless leaf blowers cost in the $70-$100 range, such as the Black & Decker NS118 at $70 and the Worx Air WG541 at $100. You can spend more than that, however, so having a budget in mind when you start your search will help you avoid the temptation to buy the biggest and strongest model you find.

Another factor in the price is the type of battery in the blower, which leads to the third thing to consider. There are a couple of types of batteries used in cordless tools. The most common are Ni-Cad and NiMH. Ni-Cad batteries are an older technology and they tend to lose their charge quicker, and they wear out sooner - which means you’ll have to buy a replacement battery more often.

NiMH batteries are more expensive, however, so you’ll need to decide whether to spend more for the better battery or save by buying the older technology. This will likely come down to how often you use the blower and how long you want it to last you.

Most reviews and ratings of cordless blowers will address the batteries in each model, so you can get an idea of how long the charge will last and how good the battery is from them.