If you’re looking for a backpack leaf blower or researching back pack blowers in general, read this. It’ll certainly help you understand what you’re looking at. Backpack blowers offer you an easier way to keep your yard and driveway looking its best. Many have the power to clear large debris, in a relatively short amount of time.
Note that in Daytona Outdoor Power you can currently buy a echo backpack blower or pick up a new husqvarna backpack blower, and we even have the powerful commercial grade Shindaiwa backpack blowers.
There are a lot of things to compare in one backpack leaf blower to the other. Generally speaking, hard core users agree that the main considerations are few, or rather that the many considerations can be condensed into a few categories. The pros know because they have to use them potentially all day in all weather conditions. They know what to think about when they look at a blower because they’ve experienced it all.
Top Five Things About A Backpack Leaf Blower
Here are the five most wanted features in back pack blowers that real professional users of a back leaf blower would want, regardless of whether it’s on commercial grade or homeowner equipment:
- Power
- Noise
- Weight
- Gas
- Comfort
1. Backpack Leaf Blower Power
Other than the engine size in cubic centimeters (cc), the unit’s power is determined by CFM and MPH. That’s the amount of air measured in volume that can be moved per minute, expressed as cubic feet per minute (CFM); and the speed that air can be moved (MPH). So a blower’s power is expressed as CFM or MPH. Depending on what you’re blowing, you may want the air to come out faster, or you may just want more air to come out at a time. If you restrict the output size of the tube, you’ll be squeezing air through under more pressure, thus making air flow faster. If you open that tube wider, you’ll move more volume of air slower. A good balance is something to look for. If you can move a lot of air and that air is moving at a fast speed, then you can push bigger areas at a time, or you can push heavier items.
Airspeed is how fast the air comes out of the tube. The amount of required airspeed will depend on the area you need to clear (size), the type and quantity of debris you need to move. The more yard you have, the more airspeed you’ll need.
A narrow tube with a high airspeed won’t clear as well (as fast) as a wide tube with high airspeed.
The mechanics and engineering of what is necessary to accomplish this is what makes the prices increase. It will take a lot more expensive engineering and parts to make a more powerful backpack leaf blower. similarly, a more powerful one is considered better and is used by pros out there doing lawn work all day.
2. Back Pack Blowers Are Noisy
Noise is measured in decibels and prolonged exposure to loud noise is very unhealthy.
Two-stroke engines are most common in smaller OPE because they pack more power in a lighter package than a four-stroke engine. Two stroke engines are inherently loud, and most back pack blowers are two strokes. Four stroke engines in blowers are quite rare. That’s why loudness is a prime consideration in these machines. Do you want to hold a very very loud noise next to your ear for most of a day? No. Not even for ten minutes. With more power, comes higher noise levels.
Battery-powered, cordless or electric engines, are quieter and don’t put out any harmful emissions like a gas engine. Battery-powered backpack blowers can be used in areas that have restrictions on noise and air pollution. These blowers aren’t as powerful as a gas-powered blower, and you’ll probably need a backup battery. Keep in mind that they really are still not a “green” solution because a ton of pollution comes from the mining of the lithium for the batteries. Oh, and landfills are full of expired batteries, so there’s that pollution too.
Read the material accompanying the equipment and understand how loud the unit will be when in use. It is highly recommended (for pros, OSHA makes it mandatory) to wear ear protection.
The decibels are a measurement of sound pressure levels on your ear drums.
40 dBA is a soft whisper at 5 feet away, while a conversation is about 60 dBA at 3 feet away.
A freight train is 80 dBA at 100 feet away, and a nightclub is about 110 dBA with music.
You hear 130 dBA of a jet take off at 200 feet away, but the threshold of pain is only 10 dBA higher than that at 140 dBA.
The dBA of back pack blowers is generally in the 100’s, although the manufacturer’s tag may say it’s in the 70’s (they must measure at greater distances than the units will actually be used). That’s the noise range of between a freight train and a night club. Since they’re hanging in close proximity to your ears, you need ear protection to use them.
3. How Heavy Can a Backpack Leaf Blower Be?
Well, they range in weight of course that’s depending upon construction materials, mechanics, and engineering, but let’s say the range is around 24 to 28 lbs. For a reference, a handheld blower will weigh 9 or 11 lbs. and your hand/wrist/forearm can cramp up wielding one around for an hour. Knowing that, imagine carrying 26 pounds on your back for several hours if you’re a commercial landscaper. With only a slight variance in weight between different models, over the length of an entire day an extra 2 or 3 pounds can make a difference my friend.
4. Gas Backpack Leaf Blower Tank Size
Note that when I write fuel or gas, what I mean is gas and oil mixture. Two stroke engines have to be run with a mixture, usually 50:1.
Parts and repairs won’t come for many hours of usage, so the only regular expense after your original purchase to measure is the fuel consumption. Let’s face it, you are considering a gas backpack leaf blower because they deliver greater power and offer a better way to be lugged around than cordless or gas handheld units. With the gas backpack blower comes the obvious wonderment about fuel usage.
Gas consumption is a consideration because in professional use, it contributes to wasted time. Every time an operator runs out of gas, they will have to return to the truck to refill. Every trip to the truck equates to time not spent working.
OPE manufacturers rate their own equipment with fuel capacity in fluid ounces, unlike car manufacturers who rate theirs in miles per gallon (or how long that gas is supposed to last). Carrying a lot of gas adds significantly to weight. Since adding weight is a no-no, OPE manufacturers keep their equipment tank sizes smaller. You want to get as big of a fuel tank as possible without adding terribly to weight. Carrying more gas means less trips to the truck, unless you have a very inefficient machine (i.e. out of tune, not running right).
5. Comfort
If you use outdoor power equipment for any length of time during a day you’ll know that you have to consider comfort. This can mean weight, vibration, placement of controls, heat, anything that contributes to your comfort.
We covered weight above, so we’ll skip that here. A cool thing (pun intended) about back pack blowers is their ability to actually cool you down. Yes, it’s crazy, but a built in cooling fan is actually another creature comfort to consider. Think about it, the blower is run by fans spinning to create air flow, so why not divert some of that to cool the area between your back and the machine? Clever right? Some of the more expensive units do have this kind of active airflow.
Padding is a necessity in areas of contact with your body because it can soften vibrations and abrasions where hard casings meet flesh and bones. You will primarily want it on the straps in front of your chest and your back. There are different materials used in padding and some work better than others. Certainly the more expensive units have better padding. Consider the material and how well it’ll withstand daily abuses. Adjustable shoulder straps are a must.
Hip belts take the weight off the shoulders and put it on the hips, where it’s easier to carry.
You might think that a nice vibrating back rub would feel nice right now, but have you ever felt a prolonged vibration for an extended amount of time? It can have a numbing effect. So wearing a large, heavy, loud, vibrating piece of equipment on your back for a while can actually be uncomfortable.
Ergonomics or the usability of the machine is a consideration because there’s no need to make a hard job harder. Controls in proper places and contours that don’t cause discomfort are important. The throttle should be ergonomically designed so as not to aggravate the wrist, elbow, or shoulder. Try before you buy. See how a unit fits and feels on you.
Backpack Blower Reviews
SECRET REVEALED: If you have been reading backpack blower reviews around the Web, you should know that they’re written by biased observers who get paid to recommend certain items. Backpack leaf blower reviews are anything but reliable, and here’s why. Let’s say that a store or manufacturer wants to promoted their brand or a certain model as the best backpack blower. They invite bloggers to be paid to review or comparison their model to others and highlight the good so that the overall rating can provide a skewed look at their own. They will send their product to reviewers for keeps in return for a favorable review in a blower comparison article. They’ll even tell the writer what to say in some cases. BEWARE the so called "backpack blower reviews". They often compare apples to oranges to make a biased point. They don’t compare ALL similar blowers to each other because they don’t have their hands on that many machines. In fact, some haven’t had their hands on ANY machines. Heavy sigh. Welcome to the Internet where everyone can portray themselves as an expert.
"Reviewers" will often write something to the effect of, "check out our top five backpack blower picks." The links are tracked to the respective websites so commission can be paid to the "reviewers" for their article.
Coming up when i refresh this article:
Husqvarna backpack leaf blower
Husqvarna 125bvx in particular
Echo backpack leaf blower
Shindaiwa backpack leaf blower
What’s the best backpack blower?
best backpack leaf blower paragraph.
What’s the strongest backpack blower?
Power paragraph.
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