Leaves are a problem of addition by subtraction: Just a couple of mature trees can drop enough debris that you need to remove, and in the process, consume hours of your weekends. Mowing leaves into mulch is a compelling option, but you’ll still need to wrangle them off driveways, walkways, flower beds, and patios. Gas blowers have long been the standard, but rising noise bans, finicky engines that are hard to start, and battery advances are cutting into their appeal.
If you’re on the fence about a leaf blower, know that owning one of any kind will reduce the amount of raking you do, but rarely eliminate it. For small yards, or if you (or your neighbor) have just one medium-sized deciduous tree, a rake and a tarp may be all you need. On the other hand, if you live in an arboretum, the long runtime of a gas backpack blower may be worth the maintenance headaches—unless you’re willing to invest heavily in multiple batteries.
I’ve tested the newest crop of battery-powered blowers on everything from heavy fabric leaves to gravel, mulch, and even knocking over a concrete paver. Today’s models deliver serious clearing power without the gas-can hassle, though runtime is always the primary trade-off. Here’s everything you need to know about battery-powered blowers.
Featured
Best OverallEgo Power+ 880 CFM BlowerRead more$379
Amazon
Best BudgetSkil Pwr Core 40 Brushless 40V 650 CFM Leaf Blower KitRead more$199
Amazon
Best Mix of Power and RuntimeHusqvarna Leaf Blaster 350iBRead more$379Amazon
Best SystemRyobi 40-volt HP Brushless 800 CFM Whisper Series Blower KitRead more$349 $279 (20% off)Home Depot
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Best Overall
Video: Sal Vaglica- Courtesy of Amazon
- Photograph: Sal Vaglica
Ego
Power+ 880 CFM Blower
$379Amazon
$379Lowe’s
When factoring in overall performance along with the quality and diversity of Ego’s outdoor tool ecosystem, this blower is the best option for most users. In testing, it delivered gaslike power, easily knocking over a 5-pound brick paver on high speed where lesser machines required turbo mode, and it cleared the test patch of leaves without issue, without relying on turbo. Even with all that power, it was the second-quietest machine on turbo, registering about 89.7 decibels at an arm’s-length distance of 30 inches—though Ego still suggests hearing protection.
Ego Power+ vs. paver
A bright, 1.75-inch LCD serves as the tool’s dashboard and is easy to read even in direct sunlight, though some details, like confirmation that a battery is installed, add clutter without much information. The electronic cruise control is intuitive: squeeze the variable-speed trigger to your desired speed, press the speed lock button, then release the trigger. The blower maintains that pace until you press the speed lock button again.
Ergonomically, the blower’s relatively narrow frame keeps the tool comfortable and tight to your body during operation, and the unit naturally pitches the nozzle towards the floor. A plastic grid covering the air intake and battery location helps prevent stray leaves from clogging the vents. The included fan nozzle widens the airflow for clearing hardscapes, though on a lawn, it can scatter leaves rather than help corral them. The tool sits securely on a wide base so it doesn’t tip very easily, and has a stubby, 4.5-inch-long nozzle beneath the blower tube that works for drying a car or a grill.
Ego's was nearly the most expensive blower we tested, and its 56-volt battery powers a capable range of outdoor power equipment, from lawn mowers to string trimmers and chainsaws, making it a good choice for outfitting your garage or shed. The manufacturer has also branched into lifestyle gear, including portable power stations that run on its tool batteries, fans, wet-dry vacuums, and even a fun-looking mini bike. The downside of this leaf blower is runtime, which Ego attempts to offset by packaging the kit with two 4 amp-hour batteries. It had the shortest runtime of the tested models, a direct trade-off for its high performance. The thinking is that you can charge one battery while using the other, which may work for most users since few people blow continuously for 11 minutes.
SpecsPower56-volt battery with 4 Ah (kit comes with two batteries)Claimed CFM880 on turbo; 700 on highClaimed MPH200 on turboBatteryJust over 11 minutes on high, 52 minutes to rechargeWeight10 pounds, 12.8 ouncesNoiseUp to 89.7 decibelsWarranty5 years on the tool, 3 years on the batteryDoes It Come as a Bare Tool (No Battery)?Yes, model LB8800Other Battery Capacities Available2.5, 5, 6, 7.5, 8, 10, and 12 AhBest Budget
Video: Sal Vaglica- Courtesy of Amazon
- Photograph: Sal Vaglica
Skil
Pwr Core 40 Brushless 40V 650 CFM Leaf Blower Kit
$199Amazon
The Skil checks two important boxes for a battery-powered leaf blower: It was the least expensive model we tested and tied for the longest runtime, at just over 33 minutes on high. Skil, a sister company to Ego, couldn’t match our top pick’s power—it would only knock over the brick on turbo and took a bit longer to push a brick-topped tarp—but it’s capable for most common leaf-blowing jobs. It was also the quietest blower in our test, registering 78.6 decibels on high, though Skil still recommends hearing protection.
Skil vs. paver
Video: Sal VaglicaThe trigger system is as simple as it gets: Pull the variable-speed trigger, or rotate the dial with your thumb to set cruise control for longer sessions. Like most blowers, a separate button engages boost mode. The air intake is covered on all four sides by a black plastic grid that didn’t clog with leaves during testing, though if one gets sucked in it should be easy to pull off. This compact blower measures just under 36 inches long and is one of the few models that can stand upright when the battery is attached, which could help with storage.
Like the Ego, it has a short tube built into the housing, which is handy when you need high-volume airflow in a tight space. The secondary handle, while not very useful for clearing the lawn, makes the tool easier to rotate, position, and hold at awkward angles for jobs like clearing gutters, directing airflow around a vehicle for pushing water or snow, or clearing a workbench.
The Skil’s impressive runtime is partly due to the 6-amp-hour battery it comes with, though the blower is also available with a slightly less capable 4-amp-hour battery for about $20 less. That 40-volt battery can power a range of core lawn and garden tools, including mowers, trimmers, and chainsaws, and the system has earned a solid reputation for performance and runtime. Skil doesn’t yet have much in the lifestyle department—it does have a handy inverter which helps get more use out of the battery between weekends, but doesn’t offer the range of battery amp-hours Ego does.
SpecsPower40-volt battery with 6 AhClaimed CFM650 on turbo, TBD on highClaimed MPH170 on turbo, TBD on highBatteryJust over 33 minutes on high, 130 minutes to rechargeWeight10 pounds, 12.8 ouncesNoiseUp to 91.1 decibelsWarranty5 years on the tool, 2 years on the batteryDoes It Come as a Bare Tool (No Battery)?NoOther Battery Capacities Available2, 2.5, 4, and 5 AhBest Mix of Power and Runtime
Video: Sal Vaglica
Courtesy of AmazonSave to wishlistSave to wishlistHusqvarna
Leaf Blaster 350iB
$379Amazon
$379Lowe's
At the intersection of power and endurance, the Husqvarna 350iB feels as capable as the Ego but offers roughly three times the runtime. This well-designed, capable tool costs as much as our winner, but delivers somewhat less value: It comes with only one battery, powers a smaller lineup of tools, and carries a three-year warranty instead of Ego’s five. In testing, it cleared our test patch of leaves with ease and, in turbo mode, knocked over the paver. It’s also relatively quiet at both high and turbo speeds, and recharges quickly in just under an hour and a half.
Husqvarna vs. paver
Video: Sal VaglicaThe 350iB’s high power is plenty strong for all but the most stubborn jobs. The tool is well-balanced, keeping the tube pitched slightly downward when walking. Thoughtful design details include punchy springs that help eject the battery, rubbery feet to protect the surface you set it on, and a second nozzle with a stiff plastic scraper that helps dislodge wet, matted leaves from a patio. The controls rely on graphics rather than words, but the buttons are intuitive to decipher.
If you’re new to outdoor power equipment and expect to build a system out to cover the basics, Husqvarna is a good choice to handle core lawn and garden tasks like lawn mowing, string trimming, and cutting wood with a chainsaw. The system doesn’t offer the variety of lifestyle tools that Ego or Ryobi do, however, and Husqvarna’s tools tend to cost more than comparable models. But for homeowners who prioritize power and runtime, the 350iB makes a strong case for the Husqvarna system. The higher price and shorter warranty are the main trade-offs.
SpecsPower36-volt battery with 7.7 AhClaimed CFM800 on turbo; 555 on highClaimed MPH200 on turbo; 140 on highBatteryJust over 33 minutes on high, 80 minutes to rechargeWeight10 pounds, 3.2 ouncesNoiseup to 90.5 decibelsWarranty3 years on the tool, 3 years on the batteryDoes It Come as a Bare Tool (No Battery)?Yes, model 970 56 99-03Other Battery Capacities Available4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15 AhBest System
Video: Sal Vaglica
Courtesy of Home DepotSave to wishlistSave to wishlistRyobi
40-volt HP Brushless 800 CFM Whisper Series Blower Kit
$349 $279 (20% off)Home Depot
The Ryobi has an excellent mix of power and balance, plus a rubbery nozzle tip that makes it easy to pry debris off the ground. But price-wise, it sits between better-performing models and our favorite budget pick. The blower’s power and ease of use are hampered by a scant 12-minute runtime, despite having the largest amp-hour battery in the test. That short runtime, combined with the long recharge time, makes it less practical for larger cleanup jobs, unless you have a second battery.
Ryobi 40V vs. paver
The Ryobi measured under 85 decibels on high. The rear intake is lined with foam that helps tame the noise. There’s no boost or turbo button here, so you pick between two cruise control settings for max power or max runtime, or squeeze the variable speed trigger. It’s a capable blower, but its biggest advantage is the 40-volt system behind it: Ryobi offers one of the widest ranges of tools that use the same battery, making the platform, rather than any single tool’s performance, its strongest selling point.
Like nearly every outdoor power equipment manufacturer, Ryobi uses the same battery across a range of push mowers, string trimmers, and chainsaws. But the company also offers useful niche tools, including a leaf vacuum mulcher, handheld power washer, and log splitter. The same battery can power heavier-duty equipment, too, including a two-stage snow blower, rear-tine tiller, and auger. For someone planning to build out a broad outdoor power equipment collection, that range is a significant advantage.
SpecsPower40-volt battery with 8 amp hoursClaimed CFM800 on max power; 740 on max runtimeClaimed MPH200 on max power; 165 on max runtimeBatteryJust over 12 minutes on high, 1 hour and 40 minutes to rechargeWeight10 pounds, 12.8 ouncesNoiseUp to 84.1 decibelsWarranty5 years on the tool, 3 years on the batteryDoes It Come as a Bare Tool (No Battery)?Yes, model RY40HPLB01BOther Battery Capacities Available2, 4, 6, 12 AhOthers Tested
Video: Sal VaglicaVideo: Sal VaglicaGreenworks 80V Electric Leaf Blower for $190: This was a powerful blower with about 15 minutes of runtime on high, which was longer than our favorite model. It also stayed well below 90 decibels, even in turbo mode. The blower is very narrow and comfortable to hold, and has a 4-year warranty on the battery, which was the longest in our test. Sometimes the tool is on sale for less than $200 as a kit, which is a good value for the power, and a recharge time of about 40 minutes. On sale, it’s about the same as our budget pick, which felt as powerful and had a longer runtime.
FAQs
What to Look for (and What to Skip) in a Leaf Blower
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronHere’s what I’d focus on when buying a blower for leaf cleanup:
Volts: In the cordless power-tool arms race, leaf blower batteries range from 18 to 80 volts. Some of that difference is marketing trickery: an advertised 20-volt max battery or tool delivers essentially the same power as an 18-volt model, and the same goes for 36- and 40-volt options. But, unless you’re a minimalist who wants one battery to power everything from a drill/driver to lawn and garden gear, you’ll probably be happier with a leaf blower that uses at least a 36-volt battery. A few capable 18-volt blowers use two batteries—either simultaneously to mimic the power of a 36-volt tool or in succession to increase the runtime—but they tend to cost more and only make sense if you already own the batteries. For smaller jobs, though, a standard, single-battery 18- or 20-volt blower may be all you need to clear a patio, clean out the garage or shed, or dry a car.
Amps: Volts get most of the marketing attention on the box, but a battery’s amp-hour rating tells you more about how long a blower runs. Think of voltage as the car’s engine and amp-hours as the size of the gas tank—you want to know both. Batteries with higher amp-hour ratings cost more than otherwise-similar battery voltages, and they tend to be heavier. For leaf blowers, manufacturers typically pair kits with batteries rated from 4 to 8 amp-hours. You can buy higher-capacity batteries separately, and it pays to know the range of options a manufacturer has. A battery with a higher amp-hour typically takes longer to charge.
Systems: Underestimating the range of tools a battery can power in pursuit of “the best” is, in my opinion, a mistake. Often, the difference between two top-performing tools is negligible, and with cordless power tools, that difference often comes down to runtime, which you can address with a higher-capacity battery. If your garage is already stocked with one brand’s outdoor power equipment (OPE), it makes sense to stay within that platform and buy the blower as a bare tool, leveraging the batteries you already have. Switching brands just to buy “the best” probably isn’t worth it to introduce a whole new battery and charger.
If you’re new to OPE—and a leaf blower is a common first purchase—the breadth of tools that share the battery matters. Some manufacturers stick to the lawn and garden basics, so one battery can power a blower, mower, string trimmer, and hedge trimmer, while others offer a much wider range of tools, from log splitters to snow blowers, and even some handy lifestyle products like portable power stations. Before buying, consider what else you can power with the battery that comes with your leaf blower because, chances are, lording over leaves won’t be your only lawn and garden chore.
Traditional 18-volt power tool manufacturers—the ones who make drill/drivers and circular saws—all offer leaf blowers and the simplicity of a one-battery platform, but they’re not powerful enough to replace a gas unit. Ryobi, for example, uses 18-volt batteries across its traditional power tools, and some outdoor equipment, but its most capable gas alternative options run on 40-volt batteries.
Detent clasp: Blowers have two or more connection points: where the tube meets the housing and where the nozzle attaches to the tube. Look for models with a detent at those junctions—a small, often brightly colored spring-loaded clip that snaps into place with a satisfying click when the parts connect. I find these connections hold more securely and last longer than simple friction-fit attachments.
Stubby nozzle: Recently, blowers aimed at car detailers, with short tubes and sometimes a pistol grip, have become popular. Manufacturers responded by adding a stubby, 3- to 6-inch tube that the main blower attachment slides over. When you remove the longer tube, this short one works to direct the volume of air with an overall shorter tool length that’s easier to use around cars or in tight spots (the blower’s nozzle doesn’t fit on this stubby tube, though, so you lose some velocity).
What I’d Worry Less About:
Weight: Across the board, regardless of voltage, a good battery-powered blower will weigh about 10.5 pounds with the battery attached. If you need a lighter option, look for an 18-volt powered blower. Some have better balance than others, meaning that when you hold them without squeezing the trigger, as you would while walking around, the tool stays mostly level or the nozzle end tips down a bit. These models will cause less fatigue than one that forces you to rotate the nozzle upward. With the former, you only need to make a slight horizontal twisting motion to spread the stream of air. Most modern leaf blowers also draw air in a straight line through the rear of the tool, unlike gas-powered models with intakes mounted to the left or right of the engine. Those offset intakes can create a twisting motion that increases hand fatigue and may even suck in your pant leg.
CFM, MPH, and Newton: This sounds counterintuitive, considering how much marketing goes into boasting about a leaf blower’s cubic feet per minute (CFM) and MPH, but these figures are a guide, not necessarily the only reason to buy a specific model. A blower needs both to be useful: CFM tells you how much air it moves, while MPH tells you how fast that air is moving. But there’s no universally adopted testing method for these specifications when it comes to battery-powered blowers (ANSI/OPEI B175.2, the standard test on the books, applies only to internal combustion engines). That means brands can test their units differently — for example, measuring MPH where the motor meets the tube rather than at the end of the blower tube, which gives you a better sense of the airspeed you’ll actually get in use. Some CFM numbers are also measured with the unit running in its max, boost, or turbo setting, rather than on high speed.
Newtons, a unit of force, is a rating that’s appearing more frequently on the spec sheets of higher-voltage, battery-powered leaf blowers and is the best apples-to-apples comparison of blowing power. However, because there’s no testing code for battery-powered leaf blowers, reporting newtons is optional and, like CFM and MPH, consumers have no way of knowing whether the test is standardized. Generally speaking, a good midrange blower will produce around 20 newtons, while models that produce more are typically higher-performing units. Treat newtons as a guide rather than a definitive specification while buying.
Wide nozzles: Some blowers come with a wide-tip nozzle, which can be useful for clearing paved surfaces like patios and driveways or blowing water off flat surfaces. But in practice, it’s not enough of a game changer to be a deciding factor. The narrower nozzle is typically what you’ll use, and you can twist your hand back and forth to create a wider pattern when needed.
Photograph: Sal VaglicaHow Noisy Are Battery-Powered Leaf Blowers?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronWhen tested from 30 inches away to approximate the noise you’d hear at arm’s length, the blowers ranged from 78.6 decibels on high to 95.2 decibels on turbo. Most user manuals recommend wearing hearing protection when using these tools, particularly for extended periods. By comparison, a handheld gas blower might produce 100 to 110 decibels. That might not sound like a lot more noise, but generally, a 10-decibel increase is perceived by the ear as roughly twice as loud.
Much of the noise reduction comes from eliminating the idling gas engine. Your neighbors will thank you for going battery-powered, too: In open air, sound typically drops by about 6 decibels each time you double your distance from the source. That means your neighbor across the street might hear your battery-powered blower at roughly the same volume as standing next to a washing machine.
What Else Are Battery-Powered Leaf Blowers Good For?
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronBesides clearing leaves and grass clippings, these fume-free tools are handy for all sorts of jobs. Use one to dry wet surfaces after rain or washing, including your car, patio furniture, or deck. In winter, a blower can remove a light dusting of snow from your car, making it easier to clear areas like the roof. With a cautious trigger finger, you can also clear dry leaves from gutters—just avoid wet, matted debris, which will only turn into a mess below. When grilling or firing up a pizza oven or outdoor fire pit, a gentle stream of air from a safe distance can help get the flames going. Indoors, a blower can clear dust from baseboard heating assemblies or remove lint from your dryer vent.
How I Tested Battery-Powered Leaf Blowers
AccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronVideo: Sal VaglicaVideo: Sal VaglicaI put each blower through a series of tests to gauge power, runtime, noise, and ease of use. I spread about 8,800 3x3-inch polyester crafting leaves—nearly 4 pounds’ worth—over a measured 6-by-6-foot area and used each blower to clear the section, noting which models could do the job on high and which required a boost or turbo mode. To test blowing power, I placed a 5-pound concrete paver a fixed distance from the nozzle and recorded which machines could knock it over on high and which needed turbo.
For runtime, I fully charged each battery, ran the blower at its highest standard speed, excluding any turbo or max settings, and timed how long it lasted. I measured noise with a smartphone decibel-meter app held 30 inches from the air intake while each blower ran on high and at any available turbo or max setting. I also performed practical tests to see how well each model moved gravel and wood chips and cleared water from surfaces such as a grill and patio furniture.
