The numbers that matter
Inside every one of these is a motor-driven fan. The intake is a wide opening at the back or side; the outlet at the end of the tube is much smaller, so the air must accelerate to get through. That is the turbine principle, and three figures follow from it.
Air speed, in metres per second, is what shifts damp leaves, or leaves wedged in long grass and shrubbery, rather than merely ruffling them. Volume flow, in cubic metres per hour, is how much air passes through in a given time; anything from 650 m³/h upwards counts as genuinely powerful here. Battery capacity spans roughly 1.5 to 5 Ah across the field, and the large packs routinely cost far more than the bare machine they power.
Those figures pull against one another, and the Einhell GE-UB 18/250 Li E is the clearest illustration: its quoted 248 km/h is well above average and thoroughly misleading, because it comes from a very slim nozzle. A wide fan moves large masses of air slowly; a hairdryer forces a little air through a small opening very fast. The Einhell is the hairdryer, and its air output sits well behind most of the field.
Nor does a big battery guarantee a long run. In testing, a blower on a 4 Ah pack lasted no longer at full throttle than a combination vacuum-blower on a 2 Ah one.
Weight and noise
Battery machines are light enough that most makers leave the carrying strap out; on a vacuum, where a wet bagful can run to several kilograms, a strap is genuinely useful.
The decibel figure on the machine is usually Lwa, the guaranteed sound power, and occasionally Lpa, the measured sound pressure. The distinction is worth having straight: sound-pressure values are tied to a stated distance from the machine, while sound-power values have no relationship to distance and hold the same at any range. The gap can be wide — one blower quoted at 96 dB Lwa works out at 72 dB Lpa. Battery blowers are markedly quieter than backpack petrol machines, but none is quiet. Petrol routinely passes 100 dB, which is why petrol leaf vacuums were kept out of this test: the battery machines produce enough air for almost every job, and more power is rarely what is missing.
The leaf vacuum picks
Top pick — Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 2300
The best leaf vacuum here, and not because it is the most powerful — it is not. At 2,300 W it is under-motorised on paper against low-end rivals rated at 3,500 W, and what sets it apart is that more of that power arrives on the ground. Blowing or sucking, it shifts wet leaves and drives grit out of the gravel strip around a house, and the output approaches what some petrol machines manage.
The build quality is markedly better than any other combination machine in this field: the body feels a class up, the blowing tube is a stiffer, more rigid material, and details such as riveted bag mounts and a click-fit release for the tubes and bag stand well clear of the run of the category.
It is a converting machine, so it is either a blower or a vacuum, never both in one pass. Fitting the suction tube means taking a cowl off over the turbine — and that cowl is a real advantage, because blockages can be reached and cleared out completely through it, which is impossible on a sealed twin-tube machine. An interlock stops it running while it is open.
The control is a rotary switch set to a power stage, after which the machine runs on its own: no trigger to keep squeezed, so it can be put down and still be working, which makes it far more flexible to handle.
Three drawbacks. The conversion is unavoidable and forces you to plan the work; it is very loud; and if the thermal cut-out trips, the machine starts again by itself once it has cooled, so long as the dial is left where it was — there is no restart lock.
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The cordless one that actually works — Stihl SHA 56
An all-rounder for the whole year, and proof that a battery vacuum-shredder need not be feeble. It pulls sand, leaf litter and debris out of stones, corners and joints with real force — a gravel drainage strip was where it impressed most — and the blower will push small stones along.
The worry with suction was that it would drag stones into the shredding turbine. It did not: stones reached the tube and rattled about, and switching off briefly dropped them out again, so you can poke around in the stones and draw the sand and leaves out.
Speed comes off the throttle grip, doing away with a separate power dial. Material quality is the point of the machine — a metal strap eyelet, a bag with a coarse-toothed zip that does not jam as soon as sand gets into it, solid snap fittings for bag and suction tube. The blowing tube has two adjustable lengths, the strap is a proper one, and between a 180-degree starter handle and a bow handle it can be worked comfortably in any position, overhead included. It needs those ergonomics: in vacuum-shredder form it weighs 5.6 kg with the AK20 pack, a little less as a blower. The battery latches in two stages, giving a parked position where the pack sits secure but the machine is not live.
The catch is runtime. The AK20 pack, at 118 Wh, managed only 18 minutes, so the larger AK30 is the sensible choice; the standard AL101 charger takes about 1.5 hours. It packs down small, and anyone already on the maker's battery system does much better buying the bare machine.
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No lead, near-mains suction — Kärcher BLV 36-240 Battery
For anyone who will not put up with an extension lead. The 36 V pack gives up a little against a corded machine and returns freedom of movement, and in practice that trade comes out in its favour. At 66 m/s it blows sand out of stone and clears debris, cobwebs and leaf litter — not quite mains territory, but close.
Suction is the surprise: there is power enough for wet leaves and large ones, where most cordless machines fold. Large leaves do jam across the intake regularly, so you end up feeding them by hand, which is what the continuous-run lever is for — it holds the airflow at a chosen level and frees both hands. Really bulky foliage still defeats it now and then.
The chassis is a solid, well-planned plastic body, the chunky rubberised grip suits even large hands, and a bow handle and strap make it comfortable to carry, with robust details such as the strap carabiner and its eyelet. Taking the suction tube off to work as a lighter blower means releasing a catch and a snap fastener, after which a flap closes over the shredding turbine and is held by a screw — the motor will not start unless that screw is wound in. The 45-litre bag unlocks and pulls off quickly, and the 45-degree filler opening projecting into it meant no blockages at all in testing. The battery has a thermal cut-out, which warmed at maximum output but never actually tripped, and it displays the runtime remaining at the current draw. Against it: high noise, and a slim 15 to 20 minutes at maximum load.
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Finest shredding — Gardena ErgoJet 3000 9332-20
If you want the greatest possible volume in the smallest possible bag, this is the machine. It blows and sucks on a variable 3,000 W, and its intake measures a full 15 cm across, which swallows wet leaves, large leaves and small pieces of wood. All of it is reduced by the turbine at 16:1 — impressively tiny particles, finer than anything else here — and lands in a 45-litre cotton-weave bag. Woven fabric is the only workable material at that airflow, because the air has to escape.
Instead of a blade that could go blunt, an aluminium impeller generates both the airstream and the shredding. In blower form it drives air forwards; in vacuum form the tube sits at the intake and pulls leaf litter into the turbine, with the bag moving to the blowing outlet.
Blower and vacuum are separate builds, so it needs converting, and that only works if you organise the job: heaps first, then shredding. The long grip with its two stub handles is ergonomically sound, spoiled by a smooth, unrubbered surface that offers no grip. The bag hangs from three points beneath the tube so it clears the ground even when full, and the balance point is well judged, because wet leaves can put several kilograms in there — the supplied strap is not optional in practice.
Body, tube and fittings are good without being anywhere near professional kit, and this is not a machine for constant use. It will not start without the suction tube or its cap fitted. The noise at top speed is enormous, though at least even in character, and the drive is set by a dial rather than a throttle trigger.
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The sensible saving — Einhell GC-EL 3000 E
Not built to the Bosch's standard, but solidly enough made and clearly cheaper. It sucks and blows hard, wet leaves included, on the same converting layout, so the same staging applies: blow the leaves into the corners first, then pick them up and shred them in one pass.
It has more motor than the top pick — 3,000 W — and 840 m³/h, which beats most of the leaf vacuums here, though in practice the difference never shows. Airflow is set on a six-step regulator, and the control is traditional: a trigger held for as long as the machine is to run.
The blowing tube is the weak point and does not feel stable when used to poke about in drainage gravel or paving joints; a metal collar would have fixed it. The bag has a rare three-point mounting. An interlock prevents it being switched on while open for conversion, and touches such as the low-vibration handle please. It packs down well — the tube has to come off anyway — so it will sit on a small shelf over winter. Noise is relatively high, though mid-field for the category.
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The leaf blower picks
Top pick — Husqvarna 230iB
The most powerful blower in the recommendations and the one to buy. Stones, wood and wet leaves all get driven along; enormous volumes of air roll through it, and large quantities of leaf, wet or not, simply leave. The bulky look and the comparatively high 3.8 kg are honest about what is inside.
A three-button pad makes that output manageable. The on/off button has to be held for a moment rather than tapped; an idle-speed button holds the turbine turning steadily at a low level even with the throttle released; the throttle grip sets output variably; and a thumb turbo button is there when it is needed. It is a coherent scheme that works first time, without a manual.
Construction is solid and well thought through: a large rubberised grip area, standing feet that amount to more than moulded plastic nubs, and an impact-resistant plastic that separates it from nearly everything else here, where rivals use ordinary polyethylene. The blowing tube is high-density polyethylene, one of the toughest and least reactive plastics available. The intake sits in a protected position and cannot draw clothing in at all, a real advantage over similarly powerful machines that put a necessarily large intake at the back.
Runtime is 23 minutes at full throttle without turbo — short in absolute terms, and among the best available at this power level. The standard 40-C80 charger, at 2.5 hours, is the weaker half of the package.
One avoidable blunder: on the push-fit tube the first segment seats cleanly on the body and comes off easily, but the second is a few millimetres too large in diameter and pushes further onto the first than it should, so the small shield for the head of the blowing tube will not fit over it. It cost the machine a point in the rating, and it reads like the wrong tube in the box rather than a design fault.
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The wide fan — Ego Power LB5300E
The 56 V alternative, and one of very few machines here with a genuinely high-output turbine. It pushes even quite large stones along a path, and wet, clinging leaves are not an issue. Its airstream is strong and broad — a wide fan rather than a jet — which is what suits it to medium and large areas, because it moves a lot of leaf at once. The intake is internal, so it cannot make contact with clothing, hair or cords, and the output is never quietly throttled by the operator's own jacket.
Speed is variable from weak to strong for fiddly work, the trigger runs the machine at whatever setting is dialled in, and a thumb turbo button maximises volume flow without the second hand. Two things are missing: there is no lock for the throttle, so no true continuous running, and although there is a hook for a carrying strap, no strap is supplied. The trigger only has to be held for the machine to run, and that happens in transport too, so with a pack fitted it starts unintentionally now and then. Runtime is 22 minutes continuous without turbo on the 2.5 Ah pack, charging a reasonable 50 minutes. At maximum with turbo the turbine produces a bright whine that is not pleasant.
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If you already own the batteries — Worx WG584E.9
Interesting mainly to anyone already running the maker's 20 V packs, because bare — without batteries and charger — it is very cheap. It has slightly less force than the two picks above and no other drawback worth the name: enough to sweep dry leaves off a lawn or terrace, with longer grass the one place it struggles.
The ergonomics are pleasant. There is no trigger to hold; a three-position rotary selector doubles as the on/off switch, plus a thumb turbo button, and holding that turbo down continuously is the tiring part. With two packs mounted it looks bulky, but at 3.2 kg it weighs no more than its rivals and the balance is good enough to work without a strap and without fatigue. Two irritations: the tube is hard to push on, and it is loud — though dull rather than shrill, which makes it bearable. The 2 Ah pack recharges in an hour.
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For very large areas — Fuxtec FX-LB126ECO
Power in abundance and runtimes well beyond half an hour for very little outlay: a 26 cc two-stroke that runs for hours on a 0.45-litre tank. It is loud and it smokes. Against the typical 87 to 95 dB(A) of the battery machines it delivers 112 dB(A), so for an allotment or a small plot it is far too much machine in every sense. Turn it loose on a large area — a playing field, say — and it comes into its own.
The surprise is the weight: 4.8 kg including fuel, built on a plastic chassis around a lightweight 0.7 kW two-stroke. That engine needs no oil change and has no gearbox, since lubrication comes from the 1:50 mix, and a graduated measuring vessel is supplied for making it up.
Volume flow is no better or worse than the other blower picks; air speed is above average, achieved through a maximum of 7,000 rpm. The flat nozzle drives large quantities of leaf ahead of it even when wet, dry sand leaves a gravel strip at speed, and cobwebs have no chance. Starting is quick — no fuel tap, just a choke lever and a pull cord as on a mower — and the throttle need not be held, because an idle-speed slider lets the machine be set down at full throttle and left blowing.
The rubberised grip makes it comfortable to carry, though for a right-hander the intake ends up against clothing, which can cut the volume, and at worst cords are drawn in through the wide slots. Spare parts and accessories are offered — a replacement carburettor, a starter cord, and a suction and shredder attachment that converts it into a powerful vacuum.
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Also tested
Vacuums and combination machines
Worx WG583E.9 — moderate output for small areas: 14 minutes on two 4 Ah packs, stretching to 30 minutes in eco mode, which also drops the noise noticeably; in normal running it is very loud, though dull rather than shrill. Leaf is reduced 12:1 into the 35-litre bag, but eco is not always enough for wet leaves. No continuous-run setting, so the trigger is held throughout, and it will not switch on without the guard or suction tube in place. In the runtime test the pack warmed enough to shut down and would not recharge until it had cooled. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Onbest Elektro Laubsauger LV3245 — a simple corded machine with plenty of power, wet leaves included, and an impact blade that reduces material well into a large 45-litre bag; a slider turns it into a blower with strong volume flow. At 105 dB(A) it is clearly louder than the battery machines, though variable speed brings that down. The wheeled layout is too unwieldy for cleaning a wall, and the quality is the objection: thin bag fabric, a fine zip that will not survive sand and leaf, a stiff click-fit catch. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Makita DUB187Z — a well-built 18 V combination system undone by runtime: 12 minutes on a 6 Ah pack, blowing or sucking. Stepless lockable speed, a good grip, wheels and an easy bag fixing, with the impact blade reducing leaf well into the 25-litre bag; clearing a jam needs a screwdriver to unscrew the tube section. As a blower the volume flow is low and moving large amounts hard work. It does not come apart, so 117 cm of machine has to be stored somewhere. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Greenworks Tools GD24X2BV — two 24 V packs for a combined 48 V, which also brings 4.9 kg. Curiously the maker quotes only 540 m³/h, modest against several smaller machines. Narrowing the nozzle with the supplied insert makes most of the output evaporate onto a very small point; remove the small green nozzle and it blows well. Endurance is where the packs tell: 22 minutes at the highest setting from two 4 Ah packs. As a vacuum it is less convincing — an involved conversion, awkward inverted posture, and suction that works only on dry leaves. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Ikra IALS 2-20 — two 20 V packs, and the attempt fails. Suction and shredding are markedly weaker than corded machines, which would be tolerable if the runtime held up; at 11 minutes it does not, and charging takes 72 minutes. It had to be run at stage six or its 10 cm tube would not draw large leaves in, and wet leaves come one at a time. Quality is poor — the wobbly wheel under the suction tube says it. In its favour: no conversion to blow, just a lever thrown while running, and far less noise than the corded picks. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Fuxtec FX-E2LBS — a combination machine on two 20 V packs with a smooth plug-together system that switches modes quickly; as a blower the small mouthpiece cleans a gravel drainage strip well and is far handier at a wall than the bulky wheeled machines. Runtime on 2 Ah packs is just 10 minutes at the highest setting, and the 2.4 Ah charger needs 70 minutes. Without an impact blade the shredding turbine is fairly ineffective, there were breakdowns and leaf was not properly reduced, and the 15-litre bag is far too small. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Grafner LS10929 — a corded machine whose one convincing point is a genuinely pleasant 2.4 kg. Beyond that, two separate tubes for suction and blowing make it extremely unwieldy: as a vacuum it matters less, guided just above the ground on its rollers, but as a blower the poor weight distribution makes swinging it about hard work, and two hands are needed throughout. The controls are bare — no regulation, no continuous running, just on and off, at a fairly loud 100 dB. Decent pressure and air volume as a blower; too little suction as a vacuum. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Grafner LS10776 — built to roll along and lift leaf by leaf off a drive with as little effort as possible, plus the odd dusting of the garden tools; other jobs, such as clearing drainage gravel, are effectively beyond it, and the build is no more than serviceable. The curved blowing opening takes force out of the stream and rules out clearing sand from a drainage strip. The oval intake takes wet leaves essentially one at a time, twigs and long-stemmed material jam in front of it, and a deliberate constriction behind the turbine causes frequent stoppages, particularly with wet or long-stemmed foliage such as walnut. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Ikra ICBV 2/20 — air speed is a rapid 58 m/s, but the narrow blowing tube passes so little that progress is slow, so it is not the machine for a large plot; there is force enough to move medium pebbles and pull sand from a drainage channel. The two 20 V packs charge on the twin charger in an hour, and the runtime recorded was 14 minutes at stage five, flat out. It must run on two packs, which may differ in capacity — the smaller one sets the runtime. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Deltafox DG-CLB 3629 36V — a late arrival that turns in a solid performance as blower and vacuum alike, let down by a handful of ergonomic details. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Blowers
Cub Cadet LH5 B60 — the premium model, and its 60 V output is beyond reproach: wet leaves, wood, bark and small stones all go. Its 1,080 m³/h is not remotely approached here, the next best managing 816 m³/h. At 4.7 kg it is not light but is built above most of this field. The controls are the highlight — either modulate airflow with the trigger, or set a fixed output steplessly on a blue slider, in which case nothing needs holding and it keeps running when set down, a small standing blower. Nothing else here offers that choice. Against it, 103 dB(A) and only 23 minutes in maximum mode, though 60 to 70 per cent of maximum is ample for most jobs and lifts the realistic figure to 30 to 45 minutes. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Husqvarna 120iB — 46 m/s moves even larger pebbles, so it suits wet leaves and sand in a drainage strip equally. Three-stage regulation runs off a button rather than a dial, so changes are slower. The blowing tube does not extend and, once pushed on, was very hard to pull off again. At full throttle the runtime is a slim 14 minutes despite a 4 Ah pack, and the 2.25-hour charge on the QC80 is very long; a fast charger is the answer. The impact-resistant plastic is decent and solid. The largest drawback is the character of the noise: high-pitched and rather shrill, where rivals are more bearable. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Sabo LB-934 — a thick 5 Ah pack and a claimed 934 m³/h from a large blowing-tube opening that can be narrowed with a push-on part; air speed is proportionally lower, which the test bore out, and still ample. Throughput is high enough that holding the machine is a little tiring, and at 3.6 kg it is not light. Output can be reduced but not easily — the stepless throttle grip has little travel and the locking lever is hard to meter. Plenty of pressure, and a respectable 23 minutes. Two reservations: 95 dB, and a finish below the outlay, with imperfect edges on the housing. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Greenworks Tools G40ABK2 — unpromising on paper: 663 m³/h is respectable, 177 km/h is below average and the 2-hour charge for the 4 Ah pack unexciting. In practice it works. At 2.7 kg it moves enough leaf without your bracing against it, and more power would only add weight. What dampens the pleasure is 100 dB measured at 40 cm, which is simply too much. The pack allows up to 21 minutes at full output. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Husqvarna Aspire B8X-P4A — a proud price for below-average figures: 144 km/h and 600 m³/h. The battery runtime is more than disappointing at 11 minutes from a 4 Ah pack, though it recharges in 95 minutes. A shame, because it is genuinely enjoyable to use — 2.7 kg, superb to steer, the lower output perfectly workable if slower. The machine has to be put into readiness before the trigger does anything, at which point three LEDs show the pack state, then vanish. Output steps through three stages on a second button, and it is never apparent which stage is selected; only the noise on start-up gives it away, and at 95 dB it is not quiet. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Worx WG585E.9 Leafjet 40V — as light and comfortable as almost nothing else in the 36 V class: 2.7 kg including two 4 Ah packs, lighter than some 18 V machines with a single pack. The nozzle head slides 20 cm back and forth, changing the outlet and so the angle of the stream — a wide fan with less force for light leaf, a narrow one that hits harder for stubborn cobwebs or sand in drainage stones. A dial sets the airflow and doubles as the on/off switch, so it can be set down and left blowing, with a thumb turbo for wet leaves. Without turbo it ran 20 minutes on two 3 Ah packs; the WA3883 twin charger takes about 2 hours. Loud but dull rather than shrill. Small jobs only. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Einhell GE-LB 36/210 Li E — a twin-pack machine that will not run on one. In turbo with 3 Ah packs it recorded 19 minutes, not far off the best here; without turbo it runs longer but will no longer blow stones off a path. Pleasing details: a sheet-reinforced tube end, a three-position tube extension that clicks in easily, a supplied strap on a metal eyelet. At 3.7 kg not everyone will need that strap. The grip surround is fully rubbered, and the multi-stage speed found almost no use, the lower gears moving little leaf. The twin charger takes a short 58 minutes on 3 Ah packs, and packs of equal capacity should be used because the smaller sets the runtime. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Stiga SAB 500 AE — an airstream about as strong as the top pick's, regulated in four stages. Not a recommendation all the same, and the reason is not the price: with the pack fitted the weight is strongly rear-biased, the ring and little fingers have to hold the machine up constantly so the tube tilts towards the ground, and after less than 10 minutes those fingers had cramped. Otherwise well built, running 20 minutes on a 4 Ah pack, with one outstanding feature — one-handed fitting and removal of the blowing tube, which no other model here manages so easily. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Wolf Garten LYCOS 40/740 B SET 40V — does much right and, against strong competition, does not quite convince. Output is not in question: 740 m³/h is considerable for a battery machine, and it comes with two nozzles, one for wet and one for dry, the latter best on a rockery. The build looks cheap and careless in places, the chassis above all. Removable tubes mean it stores compactly. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Bosch Advanced LeafBlower 36V-750 — high output for a 36 V machine; cobwebs and stones are no trouble and the speed is steplessly adjustable, though with no lock for continuous running the trigger must be held throughout. The tube comes off easily, which makes storage simple. Small drawbacks cost it a recommendation: 13 minutes at maximum on a 4 Ah pack is comparatively short, the turbine sometimes draws clothing in, and the bright turbine note is unpleasant. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Litheli 40 V — force and a sophisticated battery concept, spoiled by ergonomics. Two 20 V packs run the turbine at 40 V and shift a lot of air, and the white high-gloss packs are also power banks with USB Type-C and Type-A outputs; any USB charger works, though a 45 W one is needed for real speed, and none is included — the right call. Speed dial and turbo button are beyond criticism. The tube is hard to pull off and the large intake likes to grab clothing. Noise is a moderate 99 dB(A). Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Makita DUB184RF — shows its worth in the build: metal strap hooks and tube screw fittings reinforced with metal eyelets, unheard of at this level. Airflow is set on the throttle switch, and there is a lock for continuous running with a preset speed, so nothing has to be held and the machine can be set aside and left working. No miracles from the 18 V motor: 10 minutes on a 3 Ah pack at the highest setting, and force enough for dry leaves and sweepings but not really for damp leaves, stones and some cobwebs. The intake sits right by the operator and can draw loose clothing in. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Kärcher LBL 4 Battery 36V — not to be confused with the 18 V version. Handy, easy to store and refreshingly simple with two output stages, plus a push-on head nozzle that optimises the stream for sand and grit and makes it strong enough for a drainage strip. Area coverage is low, so it takes a long time — and time is what it has not got, the pack flat after 20 minutes at most. Wet leaves are moved only poorly; this is a machine for dry work. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Gardena PowerJet 18V P4A — not much of a performance. There is puff enough for dry leaves, debris and sand, but it made no headway in a sanded drainage strip, where a flat nozzle would have helped — and only a round one is supplied. The multi-stage speed is then of little use, since it has to run flat out most of the time, which lasts 19 minutes, after which the weak charger needs close to 4 hours. The plain but stable construction counts in its favour and it comes apart easily. Despite a light 2.1 kg the hand tires, because there is no strap and no eyelets for one. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
AL-KO LB 4060 Energy Flex — solidly built, mid-range output, for dry leaves and general cleaning; too weak for wet leaves, though it will blow small stones off a path. There is no start/stop control at all, only a speed dial, so it can be set aside and left blowing, and with the pack mounted at the rear it is balanced and sits well in the hand. Flat and round tube attachments are supplied, the flat one better for sweeping. For a right-hander the intake pulls at the trouser leg and reduces output. Even the high-capacity 5 Ah pack returned only 22.5 minutes, and neither that pack nor the 4 Ah one is justified by what the machine delivers. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Stihl BGA 30 — concentrates on leaves with a large mouthpiece and a raised 430 m³/h, without reaching the front of the field, which is not what an entry-level machine is for. Two tiny 10.8 V packs are in the box, which looks advisable at 8 to 9 minutes each; the slow AL 1 charger needs 80 minutes. At 1.7 kg including the pack, with a handy frame, it is comfortable to work with. The intake is at the back, so the turbine occasionally draws light clothing in. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Einhell GC-CL 18 Li E Solo — light, cheap and small, for the smallest gardens. The tiny mouthpiece means large volumes of leaf are not the point; it is for cleaning a wall, blowing out the eaves and lighting a charcoal grill, with speed steplessly adjustable on a dial and quality to match the outlay. The 30 minutes on a 2 Ah pack beats many top models, but it was recorded at idle on the highest setting and the comparison is undone by a feeble 105 m³/h. In its favour: 1.73 kg with the pack, moderate noise, and an intake underneath that does not grab clothing. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Einhell GE-UB 18/250 Li E — the machine behind the air-speed lesson above, and adapted to its limits it is genuinely likeable: small, handy, not as loud as the big blowers, made for a terrace and the garden corners a rake will not reach. Five LEDs show exactly which stage is set, though the small wheel has to be turned a long way. The battery is the curiosity: 6 Ah is a substantial block, and 17 minutes sounds acceptable until you weigh it against the output. The percentage gauge cannot be relied on — 40 per cent after five minutes, apparently empty after 12 minutes, then another five minutes of running — and activating the display reports the pack as 4 Ah rather than the 6 Ah claimed, which would explain it. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Einhell GP-LB 18/200 — not one to buy: the noise is so unpleasantly shrill that it stood out even with five machines running simultaneously in the runtime test, on less output than the top pick. The 12.5-minute runtime is no strength either, nor is the build — the body is fine in itself, but the tiny rubber-dome buttons for speed and turbo do not suggest longevity. The mechanical on/off slider that puts it into an idle speed is good. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Bosch UniversalLeafBlower — anything but universal. The one thing it does is aim a hard airstream at tiny points, so given plenty of time it will clean a drainage strip or a wall, while on a normal lawn it takes far too long. The upside of low output is low noise; the 14-minute runtime does not join in. It is handy, very light and decently made. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Worx WG543 — a handy mini-blower on the maker's 20 V packs. Not much is to be expected of the small turbine and not much arrives: the stream is not weak but is aimed at a small point, and sliding the nozzle head to broaden it drops the force below anything awkward such as wet leaves. After 16 minutes of continuous running at stage two it is finished anyway, and then wants 2 hours on charge. The noise is moderate in level, unpleasant in pitch. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Ryobi OBL18JB — moderate force, enough for a small front garden and short paths, with stepless air speed as its distinguishing feature, though a finger holds a given stage poorly — which hardly matters, since most of the time it runs flat out. Handling is good and the weight under 3 kg. What did not please at all is the retaining clip for the blowing tube: part of the transparent plastic body, it will break sooner or later, so the tube is best left on permanently. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Bosch ALB 18 LI — a best seller, and the reason is not obvious. It has almost no force, so the job never gets finished, and the good 24-minute runtime does not compensate. It is at least the quietest machine in the field, very light and reasonably solidly made — but a little more outlay buys distinctly more powerful machines. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
Einhell GE-CL 18 Li E Kit — costs little and delivers little. The airstream from the plain plastic construction barely moves wet leaves at all, and even dry material makes a lawn or path take an age. The suction tube is also very hard to pull off — it tends to need two people. Search Amazon UK · Search Amazon US
How they were assessed
Fifty-nine cordless leaf blowers and corded leaf vacuums from a range of makers were gathered for the test, which is run every autumn once the trees have dropped part of their leaf and a full clear-up is due. Petrol leaf vacuums were excluded.
The work is not confined to moving leaves from left to right: walls, drainage stones and tool sheds are cleared of sand and cobwebs too. Alongside output, the assessment covers build and ergonomics — how solid the machine is, which materials and material combinations the maker has used, how easily the suction or blowing tube goes on, and, most important, whether the hand tires after fifteen minutes of work.
Controls are weighed the same way: some machines have a trigger that must be held continuously, others an on/off switch and a separate regulator for blowing speed, stepless or multi-stage. Storage matters more than it sounds, because a machine like this spends most of the year in a shed — it helps if the tube comes off and an eyelet allows it to hang on a wall. The charger is looked at too, and whether it has holes for wall mounting.
The short answers
Which leaf vacuum is the best? The Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 2300. The functions are practical and the output very good, and several other vacuums here are thoroughly recommendable as well.
Which leaf blower is the best? The Husqvarna 230iB, which has the most force of any of the recommendations.
What happens if acorns or conkers go into a leaf vacuum? Acorns are small and light, and the turbine carries them into the bag, partly broken up. Conkers are too heavy and are normally not drawn in at all.
Can a leaf vacuum suck without shredding? No. The turbine always chops the leaf as it goes; there is no other route through the machine. On some models the shredder blade at the turbine can be removed if less reduction is wanted.
Will sand and small stones damage the shredding turbine? There is certainly wear over time, and cast-iron shredding wheels will outlast the plastic ones some machines use. The shredding blade in the turbine is blunt in any case, so the efficiency of the reduction does not fall away.
