Buying guide
Leaf Blower Buying Guide (2026)
How to buy a leaf blower: CFM over MPH, battery platform strategy, and the gas-ban factor.
Buy this type if / avoid if
Buy a high-CFM battery blower (500+ CFM) if you have a medium to large yard with real leaf fall and no gas restrictions to worry about. The EGO LB6504 is the archetype.
Buy a corded blower if your yard is within 100 feet of an outlet and you want maximum airflow per dollar. The Toro F700's 725 CFM at a budget price is the value loophole.
Buy a light battery blower (400-450 CFM) if your yard is small, your leaf load is light, or weight matters more than power. The Worx WG584 and DeWalt DCBL722 live here.
Avoid gas unless you have acres: bans are spreading, they are the loudest option by far, and battery has closed the residential performance gap. Avoid no-name blowers with no published CFM: hidden airflow specs mean weak airflow.
CFM vs MPH: read the right number
CFM (cubic feet per minute) measures air volume: this moves leaves. MPH measures jet speed: this matters for stuck debris and precision. A blower with 650 CFM at 150 MPH out-clears a blower with 400 CFM at 200 MPH on every leaf pile that matters. Always compare CFM first; treat MPH as a tiebreaker.
Battery platform strategy
A blower is rarely your last yard tool. EGO's 56V platform covers mowers, trimmers, and saws; DeWalt's 20V Max covers hundreds of tools; Worx Power Share is smaller but affordable. Buying the blower is buying into the ecosystem: choose the platform you will grow into, not just the blower with the best specs today. Bare tools are dramatically better value than kits once you own batteries.
Noise, bans, and being a good neighbor
Gas blower bans now cover many US cities, driven by noise (70-80+ dB) and emissions. Electric blowers sidestep bans, but corded models are still loud at full power. Practical neighborliness: blow mid-day, use the lowest effective speed, and blow debris away from neighboring properties, not toward them. Variable triggers are the feature that makes this easy.
Questions, answered
How much CFM do I need?
400+ for hard surfaces and light leaves, 500 to 650 for lawns with real fall, 700+ for heavy wet cleanup or large properties. Match the CFM to your worst month, not your average week.
Are battery blowers as good as gas now?
For residential yards, yes: 650 CFM battery rivals mid-range gas handhelds. Gas still wins for all-day commercial use and the very top CFM tier (800+), but homeowners no longer sacrifice meaningful performance going electric.
What is the best all-around leaf blower?
The EGO Power+ LB6504 for battery, the Toro PowerJet F700 for corded value. Between those two, cord reach decides: within 100 feet of an outlet, the Toro; anywhere else, the EGO.
Do I need a vacuum/mulcher combo?
Usually not. Blower-vac combos sound versatile but the vacuum function is slow and the bags fill fast. Blow leaves onto a tarp and drag it: faster than any consumer vacuum mode.