The 6 Best Leaf Blowers to Easily Clean Your Garden and Pathway

Owning one of the best leaf blowers means you can say goodbye to using your rake to clean up leaves, and you'll be able to keep your garden and patio neat and tidy with the minimum of effort. 

Leaf blowers are particularly useful if your mobility is limited, or if the sheer scale of your leaf coverage makes sweeping or raking impractical. They do what they say on the tin, but they're also handy tools for tackling debris and larger twigs.

To find the best leaf blower for your garden design, there's a few things to consider, such as price, type (cordless or corded) and how large your outdoor space is. This guide will help you find your perfect leaf blower to suit differing budgets and requirements.

These are the best leaf blowers available now — your leaves won't know what hit them. 

Best Leaf Blowers

Not only is this VonHaus machine affordable, ergonomic and comfortable to use, but it's also a 3-in-1 blower. It's value for money and then some.

Those two extra functions are mulching and shredding, and the 10:1 mulching ratio means you get more out of the collection bag, so you'll need fewer trips to empty it out.

It's lightweight too, and comes with a shoulder strap as well as wheels on the end of the nozzle. This attention to detail in the design means you can use it for extended periods without getting tired. 

The 10m power cable means it's a good blower for small-to-medium garden sizes.

While you may be disappointed to learn that isn't the gun from Ghostbusters, the silver lining is that this lookalike backpack leaf blower is great for tackling demanding tasks and larger gardens. 

With a max speed of 355 km/h it boasts an all-out air assault of a performance. You can easily work through excessive leaf coverage, including wet leaves, as well as clippings and debris. And its variable engine speed means you can switch to a more subtle jet for lighter jobs, so you don't risk dismantling your flowers. 

The backpack design is great for distributing the weight of the blower around your body, so it's less focussed in your arms and wrists, and makes using it for longer sessions much easier. 

The lightest leaf blower on this list, NETTA's leaf blower is also very affordable and packed with reasons to buy it.

It has a surprisingly high max air speed and detachable tubes which can be taken apart to save storage space. There's also an 'easy start' button which does what you'd expect: simply plug the blower in and press the button to begin - this is very handy if you haven't used one before. 

The reason this blower isn't higher is the 6m power cable, a little on the small side, making it effectively only usable in smaller gardens. 

Ryobi's OBL1820S is a good all-rounder for smaller gardens. It's cordless so you're not constrained by your nearest power socket, and it has a very reasonable max speed.

Moreover, it's powerful enough for cleaning hard surfaces such as decks, patios and driveways, and the long nozzle is great for focusing that power effectively (although, sadly, not enough to remove wet leaves from your lawn).

It's also a great option if you already own interchangeable batteries from Ryobi's ONE+ range, in which case you can simply purchase the bare tool. If you don't, worry not, you can buy the bare model and the battery together from Amazon.

DeWalt's DCM572 is a premium trimmer for medium-sized gardens, and even some larger gardens. It runs on powerful 54V batteries, enabling you to quickly and easily clear debris. 

The variable speed trigger with lock is particularly user-friendly, meaning you can run on full power without having to hold down the trigger. Plus it comes with a concentrator attachment which increases the force for stuck debris. It's one of the most effective leaf blowers around.

The only slight negative is that it doesn't come with the batteries or charger. However, the Flexvolt batteries are compatible with the DeWalt 18V XR range, so these can be used interchangeably if you already own a DeWalt cordless tool. 

The Makita BHX2501 is a really efficient petrol blower, but the first thing you'll notice is how quiet it is.

While you'll be able to hear some petrol blowers from the next street, Makita's blower is equipped with a large-capacity muffler, so it makes less noise, which your neighbours will thank you for. 

On performance, its powerful and fuel-efficient 4-stroke engine will easily blow away leaves and debris, and it doesn't consume a lot of fuel which will help to conserve running costs. Plus, it features a mechanical decompression system which makes it easy to start. 

What's more, you can break down the two-part blower tube so it's easy to store. 

How do I Choose a Leaf Blower?

Leaf blowers come in all shapes and sizes, and the best leaf blower for you will depend not just on your budget but also the size of outdoor space. Use this quick guide to assess what type of leaf blower you need. 

Leaf blower or leaf vacuum?

Both machines serve similar purposes, but slight variations in their features and modifications can make a big difference. Leaf blowers generally tend to be speedier, whereas leaf vacuums, while still fast, collect leaves rather than moving them around, which slows them down. Plus, with leaf vacuums you will have to empty the collection bag once filled up. 

Cordless or corded?

The benefit of a cordless leaf blower is that you're not constrained by a power cable, although battery-powered cordless blowers generally aren't as powerful as corded models, which makes them suitable for smaller and medium-sized outdoor spaces.

Cordless petrol leaf blowers meanwhile are great for large gardens and path areas where you can't see the path for the leaves. Petrol means power, but of course it also means you'll have to refuel the tank once it's empty. 

Corded leaf blowers will require you to have a nearby power socket, but tend to offer more suction power, and are more eco-friendly than petrol blowers. 

Ease of use

As evidenced by our #2 pick, some leaf blowers can be pretty heavy, and while most blowers are designed to be as comfortable possible, you might to want to consider a lightweight model if you don't need as much power for smaller gardens. 

Also, keep a lockout for features such as variable speed triggers (which makes the blower easier to use) and those which offer more power to deal with wet leaves and debris. 

More Best Buys for Regular Gardening Jobs 

• Easily clean outside up with the best pressure washers 
• Take the chore out of mowing your lawn with the best petrol lawn mowers and best cordless lawn mowers
• Tidy up your garden with the best strimmers and best cordless strimmers
• Spruce up your bushes and shrubs with the best hedge trimmers
• Easily remove garden waste with the best garden shredders