Leaf blower ratings are used to try and compare the functioning of different leaf blowers. There are many different ways to compare leaf blowers and not everything is scientific or standardised.
Not all leaf blowers work in the same way. This makes it difficult to do an actual comparison. It is a little easier to compare leaf blowers that work in the same way because the numbers used will actually mean something. When it comes to whether people like a particular machine or not it is all based on reviews involving personal experience.
Some reviews are done by people working in the journalist field. Here they tend to compare a set of similar blowers and they are often well organised and ask the same set of questions for each machine. You need to remember that the results of these will always be somewhat biased towards the views of the reviewer.
Other reviews are done by actual people who bought the particular blower. The results of these depend on the experiences of the particular person. Generally people who have a very good or very bad experience will comment. the ones who are just content with their purchase simply won't bother to write a review. It takes a certain type of person and a degree of effort to write a review. Most people will be more concerned with just cleaning their yard.
A strategy for rating different blowers
Decide on the type of blower you want:
Blower: These perform only one function and that is to blow the leaves and debris away
Blower and Vacuum: These can be used to blow material away or suck it up and direct it into a collection bag.
Blower and vacuum and mulcher: These have the added function of breaking up the collected debris so that it can be composted or easily bagged and disposed of.
Decide on the style of leaf blower that you want:
Hand Held: These are portable but powerful. They can be difficult to use for long periods.
Backpack: These are often more powerful, larger and heavier. They are worn on the back and can be used more comfortably for long periods
Walk behind: These are mounted on wheels. They are normally used for commercial applications, but they can make short work of a large home lawn
Look at the facts and figures for each blower in the type and style you have chosen. here are some of the main facts that come up:
Power source: Hand helds can be gas (Petrol) powered or electric. Gas ones are more portable. Back pack and walk behind are all gas powered. Electric hand held can be battery powered or use a power cord.
CFM: Means Cubic feet per minute and is a measure of how much air is moved by the machine. It is particularly useful for Vacuum types where it is a measure of the sucking power. The more air moved the better the sucking or blowing.
MPH: Means miles per hour and is a measure of how fast the air is made to move. This useful for blowing types where higher speeds are more likely to move larger items of debris.
Reduction ratio: This is used
for machines with a mulching function. A 5:1 ration means that 5 bags of leaves will be condensed down to 1 bag by the muching process.
Speed settings and cruise control: These allow better control when sucking or blowing
Attachments: These are such things as extension tubes for cleaning gutters. There are also attachments that allow you to spray for mosquitoes as the leaf blower is used. Do these come as standard or as extras?
Ergonomics: This describes how much thought has gone into making the device easy to hold and use without straining muscles and joints in the body.
Once you have looked at the figures select some reviews to read so that you can consider such things as:
Reliability: How long is the useful life of the machine? Are there any typical problems that people have experienced?
Warranties: How long is the warranty for and what does it include/exclude?
Ease of use: How happy are people with their machine?
