Fall is our favorite season in a lot of ways. The weather is so comfortable, and watching the leaves change color is always beautiful. Of course, we all know what happens to leaves after they change colors — they drop onto our lawns and pile up until we motivate to clear them. Instead of overpaying a landscaper this year, you should consider getting a leaf blower and clearing leaves yourself. It’s a whole lot easier when you have the right tool for the job, and we’ve tested all the top models to find the best leaf blowers you can get.
Our top picks
- Best overall: DEWALT 20V MAX XR Leaf Blower
- Runner-up: EGO Power+ LB7654 Variable-Speed Cordless Leaf Blower
- Best gas leaf blower: Husqvarna 125B Gas Leaf Blower
- Best cheap model: Sun Joe SBJ597E Electric Blower
- Best leaf blower and mulcher: WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Electric Leaf Blower
If you just want to dive right in, any of those options will make quick work of the leaves on your lawn. Or, if you want to learn more about what makes each leaf blower so impressive, keep reading.
1. Best overall: DEWALT 20V MAX XR Leaf Blower
Pros: Lightweight, powerful, long-lasting battery, durable, affordable
Cons: Battery and charger aren’t included
If you want the best of the best, look no further than the DEWALT 20V MAX XR Leaf Blower.
As recently as a few short years ago, using an electric leaf blower meant making a huge compromise. It has always been great to have a quieter option and not to have to deal with gas. But electric leaf blowers have historically been hugely underpowered compared to gas blowers.
This DEWALT leaf blower is the perfect showcase to prove that power is no longer an issue for electric leaf blowers. With variable strength up to 125 mph using the concentrator, this model makes quick work of the leaves on any lawn. That translates to a whopping 450 Cubic Feet Per Minute of clearing power, yet it’s so much quieter than any gas blower will ever be.
At only 5.4 pounds, DEWALT’s MAX XR leaf blower is very lightweight despite all the power. We also loved the variable-speed trigger with trigger lock, which lets you squeeze to the exact power level you want and then lock the trigger in place.
The only downside to speak of is the fact that this model doesn’t come with a battery or charger. Even when you factor in those prices though, this model is still a fraction of the cost of a landscaper.
2. Runner-up: EGO Power+ LB7654 Variable-Speed Cordless Leaf Blower
Pros: Tons of power, long-lasting battery, optional shoulder strap
Cons: On the heavy side, expensive
The EGO Power+ LB7654 Variable-Speed Cordless Leaf Blower could easily have been our top pick. It’s a terrific model that checks all the boxes, but there are two things that held it back.
First, this model is expensive, with a $329 retail price and up to another $329 that you’ll have to spend depending on which battery and charger you want.
Second, the EGO Power+ LB7654 is much heavier than our top pick, the DEWALT 20V MAX XR Leaf Blower. This EGO Power+ model weighs in at 9.5 pounds without a battery, compared to 5.4 pounds for the DEWALT model. That’s still a manageable weight for model people, though, and there’s an included shoulder strap you can use to make it more comfortable over longer periods of use.
If not for those two issues, this model would be perfect. It’s much more powerful than the DEWALT blower, with a staggering 765 CFM for up to 200 mph of wind speed. This blower will make quick work of the leaves on any yard. It also has a variable power dial as well as up to 90 minutes of runtime with a 5Ah battery.
If you prioritize power and performance, it doesn’t get any better than the EGO Power+ LB7654 leaf blower.
3. Best gas leaf blower: Husqvarna 125B Gas Leaf Blower
Pros: Powerful, very lightweight for a gas blower, easy to start, low noise level for a gas blower
Cons: It’s still loud
Electric leaf blowers are so much better these days than they used to be. Of course, some people still prefer gas, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you fall into that camp, the Husqvarna 125B Gas Leaf Blower is the best in the business.
With this great Husqvarna model, there’s no big backpack or tricky starter to deal with. At 9.4 pounds, it’s shockingly even lighter than our second-favorite electric leaf blower, the EGO Power+ LB7654 Variable-Speed Cordless Leaf Blower. Also, the starter is both reliable and easy to use.
Despite the light weight, you still get more than enough power with 425 CFM of air volume. That translates to about 170 mph of air velocity.
The main downside with this model is the same downside you get with any gas leaf blower: it’s loud. This model is on the quieter side for gas blowers, however, with a noise level of about 94 dB at the ear and 109dB at the machine. If you want to compare that to an electric leaf blower, our top pick (DEWALT 20V MAX XR Leaf Blower) runs at about 66dB at the machine.
Long story short, any gas leaf blower is going to be pretty loud, so be sure to get yourself a good pair of safety earmuffs.
4. Best cheap model: Sun Joe SBJ597E Electric Blower
Pros: Crazy-cheap, lightweight, surprisingly powerful
Cons: Corded
With a retail price of just $29, it doesn’t get any cheaper than the Sun Joe SBJ597E Electric Blower.
This is a no-frills leaf blower that doesn’t bill itself as fancy or exciting. It does what it’s supposed to do, and that’s it. That being said, it’s surprisingly powerful for a leaf blower that’s so unbelievably cheap. Sun Joe says it offers up to 155 mph of air speed, though we suspect that might be a bit of an overestimate. It’s still more than powerful enough for dry leaves, though.
Also, since this leaf blower is so basic, it weighs in at just 3.9 pounds. That makes it the lightest blower we tested.
The biggest downside with this model is that it’s corded. For $29, you’re obviously not going to get a battery system. As long as you’ve got a long outdoor extension cord handy, this Sun Joe leaf blower is a terrific option.
5. Best leaf blower and mulcher: WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Electric Leaf Blower
Pros: Powerful, easy to use, inexpensive
Cons: Corded
Most people want to blow leaves off their yards and never think about them again. But you’re not like most people, and you know that getting rid of leaves means getting rid of nutrient-rich material that could be feeding your lawn.
The WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Electric Leaf Blower offered the best performance out of the 14 different mulchers we tested. It’s quite cheap, with a retail price of less than $100. Yet it’s also very powerful, with up to 350 CFM of air volume that translates to 210 mph of clearing power.
You can easily blow leaves off your lawn with this powerful leaf blower, but that’s not where this model shines. Switch to the vacuum attachment and reverse the motor to instantly transform it into a mulcher.
WORX says this model can hold a whopping 18 bags worth of leaves in the included bag attachment, which means you might be able to clear your whole yard in one pass. You can also get the optional LeafPro Universal Leaf Collection System to make it even more versatile.
The WORX TRIVAC’s main downside is that it’s a corded leaf blower, so it has all the same limitations as any other corded model.
