I was desperate for an excuse to get out into my garden, even if it meant resorting to pilfering leaves from my neighbours. The result: a thrilling 10-week test of electric leaf blowers and garden vacuums designed to make the whole process less thankless.
The trouble is, I couldn't have tested them without my neighbour's generosity – or their patience. As luck would have it, one of our bay trees decided not to put up with the summer heat and began shedding its leaves earlier than usual. It was like Mother Nature had given me a sign: time to get started.
I lined up multiple contingency plans before the first blower even got tested. That hedge trimmings stash I'd been hoarding came in handy, but it wasn't enough. Someone tidied those bags and took them for recycling – a relief that meant fewer trips to the centre and more time with the blowers.
Once the horse chestnuts dropped their leaves, I was free to get to work. It was like a never-ending supply of ammunition for my blower. The real challenge began when it came to seeing how well each model could blow leaves without kicking them around or creating too much of a mess.
The test results were overwhelmingly positive, with the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower FBLG3-802 earning top marks. Its ability to send leaves flying was impressive – although not ideal for those who enjoy using their feet to redistribute piles of leaves.
One blower in particular caught my eye: the Bosch Universal leaf blower 18V-130. It might be smaller, but it had a much narrower working angle that made it perfect for targeted blowing and tidying up smaller areas.
As the test continued, half of the blowers proved to be garden vacuums as well – including the Stihl SHA 56, which turned out to be a powerhouse at sucking up leaves.
Now, with my lawns looking tidy and all the leaves gathered up, I feel like a different person. Not that tidying has become enjoyable or anything, but it's definitely not been a chore either.
The trouble is, I couldn't have tested them without my neighbour's generosity – or their patience. As luck would have it, one of our bay trees decided not to put up with the summer heat and began shedding its leaves earlier than usual. It was like Mother Nature had given me a sign: time to get started.
I lined up multiple contingency plans before the first blower even got tested. That hedge trimmings stash I'd been hoarding came in handy, but it wasn't enough. Someone tidied those bags and took them for recycling – a relief that meant fewer trips to the centre and more time with the blowers.
Once the horse chestnuts dropped their leaves, I was free to get to work. It was like a never-ending supply of ammunition for my blower. The real challenge began when it came to seeing how well each model could blow leaves without kicking them around or creating too much of a mess.
The test results were overwhelmingly positive, with the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower FBLG3-802 earning top marks. Its ability to send leaves flying was impressive – although not ideal for those who enjoy using their feet to redistribute piles of leaves.
One blower in particular caught my eye: the Bosch Universal leaf blower 18V-130. It might be smaller, but it had a much narrower working angle that made it perfect for targeted blowing and tidying up smaller areas.
As the test continued, half of the blowers proved to be garden vacuums as well – including the Stihl SHA 56, which turned out to be a powerhouse at sucking up leaves.
Now, with my lawns looking tidy and all the leaves gathered up, I feel like a different person. Not that tidying has become enjoyable or anything, but it's definitely not been a chore either.
But seriously, it made me realize how much we value convenience and ease over independence. Like, what if you didn't have a neighbour willing to lend you their leaf blower? You'd be stuck in the dark ages of raking leaves by hand! And that got me thinking about how our lives are all connected - literally and figuratively. We need each other's 'help' sometimes, but at the same time, we don't want to feel like we're losing ourselves in the process. It's a weird paradox, right?
I think it's awesome how you used your neighbour's generosity to test out those leaf blowers and garden vacuums 
! It sounds like the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower FBLG3-802 was a real winner 
, but that Bosch Universal 18V-130 is so underrated 
! Its narrower working angle made it perfect for tidying up small areas 
. And can we talk about how cool it is that half of the blowers were also garden vacuums 
? It's like, who needs just one tool when you can have a multi-tool 
?
️ omg i'm so down for this leaf blower test sounds like a total game changer i never thought id be excited about cleaning up my garden but now that its done i can finally relax and enjoy the fresh air 
. and btw those electric blowers are insane! who needs manual labor when u got tech to make it easier? 
The idea of getting to see how well each model does its job without kicking up a mess is genius 
. And wow, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Blower FBLG3-802 earned top marks? That's impressive! 
I'm loving the detail about the Bosch Universal leaf blower 18V-130 having a narrower working angle - that sounds like a total game-changer for smaller areas 
, but at least they were generous and patient. Can I just say, my neighbour's generosity paid off in the best way possible? 