Any electric leaf blower will clear leaves off grass or pavement; the true question is whether you value power or portability. Corded blowers have faster wind speed, giving them a slight but noticeable edge in power. A battery-powered leaf blower gives you the freedom to go anywhere without being tied to an extension cord, but they’re also more expensive.
We looked at top-rated leaf blowers from home improvement stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot, plus any that earned praise from best-of lists and professional reviews like Consumer Reports. Each leaf blowers we tested is capable of removing leaves, but the best leaf blower should work for jobs of all sizes, from a quick patio sweep to an entire yard cleanup.
How We Chose the Best Leaf Blower
Balanced MPH and CFM
Lawn care experts agree that the best leaf blowers have a good balance of miles per hour (MPH) and cubic feet per minute (CFM), but they couldn’t tell us exactly what that balance looked like. So, we went into testing to find out which mattered most, CFM or MPH.
We brought in the extremes: the leaf blower on our list with the highest CFM, and the one with the highest MPH. Then, we selected six additional machines that had a high proportion of both variables. This gave us eight leaf blowers in total, with a total range of 92 to 250 MPH, and 300 to 600 CFM.
We were impressed. Despite their differences in MPH and CFM, all of our leaf blowers got the job done in the same amount of time (give or take a few seconds). This taught us that leaf blowers with a lower CFM still did a great job, so long as they compensated with a high MPH, and vice versa.
Specific power settings
Our best leaf blower cordless fell into two categories: ones where you could change the power setting in steps (usually one, two, and three) and those with a continuous dial to fine-tune the exact level of power you want, like adjusting the heat on a stove burner.
If you agree with the manufacturer on what makes the “low speed” truly low, or the “high speed” truly high, the former are perfect, preset machines. Both the Greenworks Pro and the Worx 520 work this way, but we weren’t thrilled with these presets. We couldn't fine-tune their settings, which ultimately made them less versatile than a dial-style blower.
We liked the Husqvarna, for example, which sets its speed by how tightly you squeeze the handle.
Easy to adjust
The adjustment controls' style didn’t affect us as much as where on the machine we found them. We liked the Husqvarna, for example, which sets its speed by how tightly you squeeze the handle. By comparison, we struggled with the Worx 509 Trivac. We could easily toggle between modes, but the button was hard to reach.
Instead of being placed at the front of the handle like the EGO, or in the middle of the handle like the Toro, it’s toward the back of the machine. We could change settings, but it required an awkward criss-crossing of arms to do so. Both right- and left-handed testers had to stop and lift the machine every time they wanted to adjust the power.
The Worx Trivac's adjustment dial is awkwardly placed at the back of the machine.
Comfortable balance and handfeel
A handheld leaf blower needs to comfortable, especially if you’re chasing leaves for longer than a few minutes. Balance, or how the weight is distributed in the machine, turned out to be much more important than the how much the machine actually weighs.
A good leaf blower will automatically point the nozzle to the ground as you hold it. We aren’t usually aiming at ceiling cobwebs, and having the nozzle stay perfectly level means we have to work to push it down toward the leaves. The Greenworks Pro, for example, is just as lightweight as the Ego, but harder to carry due to a nozzle that aims straight ahead rather than down. After a few minutes, we needed to switch hands to avoid wrist strain.
The Greenworks Pro's grip is comfortable, but the lack of an angled opening means putting more strain on your wrist as you point it toward the ground.
The 2 Best Leaf Blowers
The Best Powerful Leaf Blower
Toro and Toro 51619
It effortlessly pushes, guides, and mulches leaves. You'll need an extension cord, but the blower is easy to carry.
High wind speed
Electric corded leaf blowers are usually powerful, and the Toro Electric Ultra Blower/Vacuum is no exception. It quickly became a top leaf blower for our testers who were impressed with both its power and maneuverability; it shepherded leaves into our target square and cleared them back out in seconds. While its 350 CFM wasn’t as high as the EGO’s 480, it had no trouble clearing leaves off the lawn. It packs a wind speed of 250 MPH — faster than any blower we found.
Easy to adjust
We liked the Toro’s continuous dial for adjusting power settings. It’s easy to reach, so we could adjust the amount of power for each phase of our test. Its lowest setting was not only powerful, but also precise. We could move leaves into our target area without blowing away the ones already in it.
The Toro’s handle design allowed us to change our grip and adjust the nozzle’s angle, while still keeping a firm hand on the blower.
Extra attachments
The Toro also comes with two additional nozzles to create even rows and piles, plus a concentrator to focus the wind at stubborn leaves like a power washer. Even without the extra nozzles, we were still impressed with its narrow blade of air. As a result, we had precise, crisp lines of lawn after we ran a pass through the leaf pile.
It also doubles as a vacuum and mulcher, too. After pushing our leaves into a neat pile, we pulled off the nozzle and attached the vacuum tube. The Toro sucks up leaves, twigs, and even pine cones. Then, the spinning blade chops it up and spits out fine, garden-ready mulch.
Points to consider - Requires extension cord
The Toro’s cord is nearly non-existent, so you’ll need to purchase a . Because of the extension cord, it's not the best option for larger yards with a lot of trees and limited power outlets.
We love how powerful the Toro is, but that doesn’t really matter if you can’t use it in the areas of your yard you need it most. While you can use a rake in areas the Toro doesn’t reach, that defeats the purpose of having a leaf blower. If you have a big yard that requires a lot of maintenance, we recommend choosing a battery-powered leaf blower.