9 best leaf blowers in 2026 – as tested by our expert reviewers

• Jump to our 5 top-rated cordless leaf blowers
• Jump to our top-rated leaf blower vacuum

These days we're all a lot more relaxed about fallen leaves in autumn, but I still find there lots of times when they need shifting – when they're on the grass (too many there, sitting for too long will damage the lawn), when they're on the patio (slipping is never fun) and when they're making it dangerous for the delivery drivers coming to the front door (no one really wants to get sued).

So, a leaf blower or leaf blower vacuum can be a great purchase, and these days they don't even have to cost that much. But get the wrong one, and you'll regret it. And that's why my colleagues and I at GardenersWorld.com have tested literal shedloads of the things. And the result is this page, crammed full of leaf blowers and leaf blower vacuums that we think are worthy of your hard-earned cash.

If you're lumbered with lots of leaves, check out our test of the best gardening gloves to collect them in comfort, and why not learn how to make leaf mould – a super compost and soil conditioner – as well as how to make your own leaf mould bin. Our expert testers trial hundreds of garden tools to work out which will do the job well and offer the best value, comfort and quality. We’ve tested essentials like the best garden spades and best hoes as well as more specific kit like the best hedge trimmers, the best garden shredders, the best pressure washers and the best trimmers.

Oliver Parsons, GardenersWorld.com

Our best leaf blowers and leaf blower vacuums to buy at a glance

Our 5 top-rated cordless leaf blowers

• 5 stars: Our best cordless leaf blower for value – Worx WG543E LeafJet £79.99
• 4.8 stars: Our best leaf blower for ease of use, £200+ – Husqvarna Aspire B8X-P4A £198
• 4.8 stars: Our best leaf blower for performance, under £100 – Makita DUB186Z 18V cordless leaf blower £59.99
• 4.8 stars: Our best leaf blower for features – Einhell GP-LB 36/210 Li Turbo blower £117.95
• 4.8 stars: Our best lightweight leaf blower – Stihl BGA 30 cordless blower £144

Our top-rated leaf blower vacuum

• 4.5 stars: Our best blower vac all-rounder – Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 3000 £95

Also recommended: cordless leaf blowers

• 4.5 stars: Our best leaf blower for performance, £100+ – Bosch Advanced 36V -750 £134.99
• 4.5 stars: Our best leaf blower for ease of use, under £100 – Yard Force LB G18 leaf blower £89.95
• 4.5 stars: Our best budget leaf blower – Vonhaus G-series cordless leaf blower £44.99

Comparison table: best leaf blowers and leaf blower vacs

Jump to the best leaf blowers:

• Our 5 top-rated leaf blowers
• Our top-rated leaf blower vacuum

Jump to leaf blower advice:

• What's the difference between a leaf blower and a leaf blower vacuum?
• How to choose the best leaf blower
• How to use your collected leaves
• How we tested leaf blowers
• Meet our testing panel

Our 5 top-rated cordless leaf blowers

Worx WG543E LeafJet

Our best leaf blower for value

RRP:£79.99 (bare tool)

Our rating: 5/5

Available from: Amazon (£79.99)

Reasons to buy:

• No assembly
• Simple and powerful
• Lightest on test
• Choice of speeds
• Blasts wet leaves
• Part of Worx 20-V Power Share system

I found this light, powerful leaf blower easy to use and ready to go right out of the box. The 20V battery takes just 60 minutes to charge and delivers 23 minutes of runtime. It also has a handy battery level indicator so you can check how much time you have left while you work.

The blower offers the choice of two nozzle lengths, which are easily adjusted by flicking a button and sliding the nozzle up and down the tube, and two speeds for gentle or more powerful blowing – it coped brilliantly, blasting damp leaves off paths in our test. It has a hard-wearing, brushless motor, and for its power and features, I think it’s excellent value. Plus, it comes with a two-year warranty.

It's ideal for medium to small gardens, and the LeafJet is also part of the Worx 20-V Power Share cordless battery system, which means you can use the battery in other Worx tools, saving you money if you invest in the future. Kay Maguire

• Buy the Worx WG543E LeafJet leaf blower from Amazon (£79.99)

Husqvarna Aspire B8X-P4A

Our best leaf blower for ease of use, £200+

RRP:£209 (kit)

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from: Amazon (£198)

Reasons to buy:

• Well thought-out design
• Easy to use and store
• Comfortable and well-balanced
• Clearly visible battery charge on the handle
• Choice of speeds

Reasons to avoid:

• Relatively heavy
• No speed indicator

The Aspire leaf blower is very easy to put together – I had no problems attaching the nozzle with this blower; it simply clipped in with the push of a button and breaks down just as easily for storage. Plus, it comes with its own storage hanging hook.

It only has one nozzle, but this is a good size for blasting away on large areas like lawns. It also works reasonably well when you need more focus in beds and borders or when blowing leaves into piles, although it wasn’t the best at this in my test. It has a clearly visible battery charge indicator on the handle and offers three speeds, also controlled via buttons on the handle. However, there’s no indication which speed you’re in at the time, and I also found I had to stop blowing to change speed.

Thanks to the weather at the time of testing, I know that the blower handled primarily wet leaves very well, and although it didn’t blow them into as neat piles as some, it cleared paths, beds and lawns well. It feels powerful yet controlled, and it is ideal for quickly clearing large areas. The blower is quiet, has a comfortable, easy-grip handle, and feels well-balanced. Although this is a heavy blower once the battery is loaded, it’s not the heaviest I tested.

The 18V battery took the longest to charge in our test, at well over an hour, but it lasted the longest too, blowing wet leaves on full power for over 12 minutes. The battery is also part of the Power For All Alliance, which means it’s compatible with other 18V tools in the Flymo, Gardena, and Bosch tool ranges, as well as the Husqvarna Aspire range, saving you money if you invest in them in the future. The Aspire blower comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

• Buy the Husqvarna Aspire B8X-P4A leaf blower from Amazon (£198)

Makita DUB186Z 18V cordless leaf blower

Our best leaf blower for performance, under £100

RRP: £84.99 (bare tool)

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from: Amazon (£52.99) and Tool Station (£86.98)

Reasons to buy:

• Long, narrow nozzle for directional blasts
• Three speed settings
• Fast charge time
• Compact, comfortable and lightweight

Reasons to avoid:

• No charge level indicator on the battery

I found this cordless leaf blower light, compact and easy to use. It has one of the narrowest nozzles in the range I tested, which meant it delivered a powerful but focused blast of air that tackled wet and dry fallen leaves very effectively, particularly on paths and in awkward corners. Generating an impressive air speed of 68m/s, I also like the three speed settings – low, medium and high – they allowed me to increase and decrease the power according to need. This gave me plenty of control to manage wet and dry leaves, and I found it even shifted compacted debris in between paving and compressed wet leaves that had been trodden into the pavement.

While you must hold the pressure trigger to operate, it’s in an accessible position so it doesn't feel tiring, even with smaller hands. The soft-grip handle, together with the position of the battery, which slots in at the base, helps balance the leaf blower in a downward direction, making it comfortable to use for longer periods of time. It has a run time of up to 80 minutes (on the low setting – 12 minutes on high) and a relatively short charge time of 45 minutes, so you can use this in larger gardens with lots of leaves to clear. It’s part of the Makita LXT 18V cordless tool system, so the 5Ah battery and charger are compatible across the range, and it comes with a three-year warranty. Kay Maguire

Read the full Makita DUB186Z leaf blower vacuum review

• Buy the Makita DUB186Z cordless leaf blower from Amazon (52.99) and Tool Station (£86.98)

Einhell GP-LB36/210 Li Turbo blower

Our best leaf blower for features

RRP: £128.95 (bare tool)

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from: OnBuy (£128.95) and Tooled Up (£117.95)

Reasons to buy:

• Well balanced
• Turbo setting
• Choice of nozzle lengths and speeds
• Long run time
• Wall hook and carry strap

Reasons to avoid:

• Battery and charger sold separately

This well-thought-out blower is packed with features. It has a whopping six speeds to choose from, plus a Turbo boost, so I found it easy to adjust the power of the blast according to what and where I was blowing. The tough nozzle has a metal end for scraping debris, the blower can't shift on its own, and it adjusts with a twist to three different lengths, so no matter your height, you can get the nozzle to the perfect length to suit you. Powered by two 18V batteries, which take just 60 minutes to charge, the blower has a run time of 92 minutes on the lowest setting. However, the batteries and charger are not included with the blower and do need to be bought as a kit separately, but once bought, they can be used with any of the tools in the Einhell Power X-Change system, saving money if you invest in these in the future.

The blower is well-balanced and felt comfortable when I used it, but it also comes with a carry strap, so if you’re blowing for a while, this will help balance the load. The nozzle and tube break down for storage, and there’s a handy hanging hook to keep the blowers stored up and out of the way. It has a brushless motor and comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

• Buy the Einhell GP-LB36/210 Li Turbo leaf blower from OnBuy (£128.95) and Tooled Up (£117.95)

Stihl BGA 30 Cordless Blower

Our best lightweight leaf blower

RRP: £99 (bare tool)

Our rating: 4.8/5

Available from: Just Lawnmowers (£144)

Reasons to buy:

• Variable speed trigger works well
• Two batteries included
• Quiet operation is possible
• Very well balanced

Reasons to avoid:

• No leaf scraper
• Short run time on full power

New last year, the Stihl BGA 30 cordless blower is an excellent addition to their small garden tool line-up. It’s an undeniably handsome little blower that works on their reliable AS compact battery platform. It comes bundled with a pair of miniature-sized 2.0Ah batteries, and you'll need them too, because the run time on full power is just eight minutes at maximum power. However, what I think makes this one of the best small leaf blowers is the variable speed trigger. You can easily control the blowing force to clear stubborn stuff and save battery when you want to.

The air speed maxes out at 43m/s, and even on full power, it only produces 73dB, which is very quiet for a blower. On low speed, the volume is even lower, just in case you need to do some discreet garden clearance. At this low blowing speed, you can extend the useful working time to around 25 minutes.

There’s a comfortable moulded rubber grip that's just about big enough for large hands in gardening gloves, and it features a slick battery charge level indicator built into the top, showing the remaining charge in three green bars. Weighing 1.5kg without the tiny, lightweight batteries, the blower doesn’t feel heavy thanks to clever ergonomics and a finely tuned balance between the battery and the nozzle end. An excellent handle design makes it easy to manoeuvre around, and the slightly flattened nozzle tip helps direct the air horizontally while remaining accurate.

Although this blower is at the pricier end of the market for lightweight leaf blowers, its handling, two batteries, and ability to be used across Stihl’s AS range of tools make it worth the money. Harry Duncton

• Buy the BGA 30 from Just Lawnmowers (£144)

Our top-rated leaf blower vacuum

Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 3000

Our best blower vac all-rounder

RRP: £108.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from: Argos (£63) and Currys (£75)

Reasons to buy:

• Simple assembly
• Powerful at both sucking and blowing
• Good value for money

Reasons to avoid:

• Doesn’t break down easily for storage
• No on/off switch
• Heavy, particularly when the vacuum bag is full

I found this leaf blower vacuum ideal for clearing up large areas of leaves quickly. The blower is powerful, if a little heavy for me, and great at blasting leaves, with a narrow nozzle that helps you funnel and direct them into piles and out of tight corners. The vacuum mode has good suction with a well-shaped nozzle and a large collection bag. Initial assembly was simple, with clear instructions, and all that was required was to attach the handle and build the vacuum nozzle, which comes in three parts. For blowing, the nozzle simply slots into place and, when you need to swap into vacuum mode, no tools are required.

However, the vacuum tube is large and once built, I found it difficult to break down, so it took up a reasonable amount of room in storage. It blows and sucks at variable speeds via a dial that sits under the handle, and this dial is also the on/off switch. This does mean you have to scroll around the dial to turn the blower off, which is not fast if you’re on the highest setting, and so from a safety point of view, this could be a problem. It also requires the use of two hands.

It has a 10m-long cable and is reasonably noisy but not jarringly so, but it's heavy, and in vacuum mode feels quite unbalanced, especially once the bag starts filling up. There’s a padded shoulder strap, which helps take some of the strain, but it's in the wrong place to completely take the weight. However, I'd say it's a powerful, well-made machine that performs well and is great for the general clearing of gardens. It’s also great value and comes with a three-year warranty. Kay Maguire

• Buy the Bosch UniversalGardenTidy 3000 from Argos (£63) and Currys (£75)

Also recommended: cordless leaf blowers

Bosch Advanced 36V - 750 blower

Our best leaf blower for performance, £100+

RRP: £142 (bare tool)

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from: Robert Dyas (£134.99) and Tooled Up (£114.95)

Reasons to buy:

• Easy assembly and storage
• Good control of different speeds
• Quiet & powerful
• Quick charge time

Reasons to avoid:

• Heavy and lacks a shoulder strap
• Short run time on full power

This leaf blower is simple to put together. I just twisted and clicked in the tube, and I was ready to go. It’s therefore equally easy to store, as the tube comes off quickly, and it takes up little room on a shelf. There’s only one wide nozzle, but this is very effective at both the powerful blasting of wet leaves and more focused blowing in borders and into piles. I felt in control when using this blower and was able to direct leaves wherever I wanted them to go. It has a variable speed control, delivering 100 to 200km/h, and it’s easily adjusted with a dial on the handle. I found it simple to scroll up or down as I worked. It has a comfortable handle and is well-balanced, but it does feel heavy, noticeably so compared to others in the test, and I felt it would really benefit from a shoulder strap if using it for a prolonged period.

However, the battery run time is quite short on full power. Despite having a run time on a low setting of 35 minutes, on full power, the battery only lasted seven minutes, compared to 12 minutes with the Husqvarna Aspire, so it was the shortest in my tests. It does charge quickly, though, taking just 65 minutes to get up and running again. The 36V battery has a charge level indicator on the end that helped me see how much charge was left, and it's compatible with all 36V tools in the Bosch cordless range.

This leaf blower is ideal for fast clearing of lawns with lots of leaves. It has a long-lasting brushless motor and feels sturdy and well-made. The Bosch Advanced blower comes in cardboard packaging with just a little plastic wrapping and comes with a generous three-year warranty. Kay Maguire

• Buy the Bosch Advanced 36V-750 from Robert Dyas (£134.99) and Tooled Up (£114.95)

Yard Force LG G18 40V blower

Our best leaf blower for ease of use, under £100

RRP: £129.99 (bare tool)

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

Available from: Amazon (£89.95)

Reasons to buy:

• Two-nozzle choice
• Three speeds plus Boost
• Cruise lock lever

Reasons to avoid:

• Bulky for storage
• Loud

This powerful blower comes with a large 40V battery and charger. It takes just 60 minutes to charge, and the battery has a 30-minute run time, making it ideal for medium-sized gardens. It also has a battery level indicator so you can check how much charge you have on the battery as you work. I found the blower balanced, comfortable and well-thought-out with the choice of three speeds, plus a Boost button to give an extra powerful blast when I needed it. A cruise control button allows me to set the speed without having to constantly hold the trigger down, making it easy to use this blower for longer periods of time. It has a brushless motor, and it also comes with an extra flat-end nozzle for concentrated power.

However, it's quite large and doesn’t compact down, so it will take up room in storage, and I also found it comparatively loud, although it’s still nothing like the volume you would get with a petrol blower. Part of the Yard Force GR40 battery system, it comes with a two-year warranty. Kay Maguire

• Buy the Yard Force LG G18 leaf blower from Amazon (£89.95)

Vonhaus G-series cordless leaf blower

Our best budget leaf blower

RRP: £46.99 (kit)

Our rating: 4.5 out of 5

Available from: Vonhaus (£44.99)

Reasons to buy:

• Lightweight
• Powerful
• Cheap
• Compact for storage

Reasons to avoid:

• Handle vibrates
• 12-minute runtime
• Single speed

This simple, compact leaf blower packs a punch. Despite weighing just 1.7 kg, I found it very powerful, and it made short work of both wet and dry leaves on paving, shrub beds, and gravel, though it struggled a little with both wet and dry leaves on grass. Thanks to its lightweight construction and narrow nozzle, it’s easy to manoeuvre around the garden and put leaves exactly where you want them. This blower is ideal for nipping around a small patio, terrace or front drive.

It’s a reasonable price, and great value as its G-Series battery is also compatible with the Vonhaus hedge trimmer, pole trimmer, and grass trimmer. However, although the grip on the handle is soft, the handle vibrates a lot in use, which gets uncomfortable. Its 12-minute runtime is also short, but it takes just an hour to charge. Kay Maguire

Best Buy review video - the Vonhaus G-series cordless leaf blower

• Buy the Vonhaus G Series cordless leaf blower from Vonhaus (£44.99)

Best of the rest

Although some models didn’t quite achieve a BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Best Buy award, they still have great features that make them worth recommending. Browse our pick of the best of the rest.

Ryobi 18V ONE+ cordless brushless axial blower

RRP: £82.99

Our rating: 4.5/5

Available from: B&Q (£99)

Reasons to buy:

• Variable speed trigger
• Interchangeable nozzle tips
• Excellent grip shape
• Battery charge level indicator

Reasons to avoid:

• Can only be locked on full power
• Will only run for 7 minutes on full power with the supplied 2.5 Ah battery

The drill-style handle on this blower is familiar from many other Ryobi tools, and I found that helpful. It’s comfortable to use one-handed and is probably the most ergonomically shaped blower handle I’ve tested yet. I found it easy to set up, and it weighs just 1.5 kg with the battery installed. This blower comes with a pair of different nozzle tips. There’s a standard round nozzle with a flexible tip for accurate aiming and a wide nozzle that looks like a vacuum cleaner head, helping to sweep a wider path in front of the blower. You can also adjust the shaft length by clicking two separate pieces into place.

Ryobi’s cordless blower uses a brushless motor to achieve impressive blowing power. The air speed is controlled by the variable speed trigger, so you can choose the power you want. The trigger can be locked on, but only at full speed, which is quite noisy. This bundle comes with a 2.5 Ah battery that can be used in more than 200 other Ryobi tools. The 2.5 Ah battery is on the small side if you want to blow leaves for more than a few minutes at a time, but larger Ryobi batteries are available. This blower is covered by a three-year warranty. Harry Duncton

• Buy the Ryobi 18V ONE+ Cordless Brushless Compact Blower from B&Q (£99)

LawnMaster MX 24V cordless axial blower

RRP: £59.99 with battery and charger

Our rating: 4.25/5

Available from: B&Q (£59.99) and Amazon (£49.99)

Reasons to buy:

• Inexpensive
• Lightweight
• Simple to use
• Leaf scraper on the end of the nozzle

Reasons to avoid:

• No charge level indicator on the battery
• Only one speed setting

I found this lightweight and affordable leaf blower from LawnMaster an uncomplicated and straightforward tool to use. Weighing in at a shade over 1.5 kg, it’s easy to use one-handed for long periods. The ergonomic handle features a comfortable rubberised grip on the underside, and the power is easy to reach. The position of the battery underneath the handle is well thought out because it didn’t rub against my hand during use, and the large handle size is ideal for larger hands, even when wearing thick gardening gloves.

Although it only has one speed, it’s fine for blowing dry leaves around. And when the leaves are wet or stuck to paving slabs, the integrated hanging hook on the tip doubles up as a handy scraper. The removable nozzle thins down at the end to help direct a narrow jet of air, although the air flow rate was a little lower than expected.

This blower comes with a 2.0 Ah battery that will give you around 15 minutes of work and a charger that will take around three hours for a full charge. Even if this basic blower doesn’t feature a variable speed trigger or the fastest charging time, for the very low price, I'd say it’s a capable tool for blowing leaves, sawdust, and other light bits around the garden. This blower comes with a two-year warranty. Harry Duncton

• Buy the LawnMaster MX 24V cordless axial blower from B&Q (£59.99) and Amazon (£49.99)

BLACK+DECKER 18V cordless axial blower

RRP: £79.99 with battery and charger

Our rating: 4/5

Available from: Tooled Up (£84.95)

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Reasons to buy:

• Plenty of air flow
• Two speed settings
• Available as a bare tool

Reasons to avoid:

• Slightly awkward battery placement
• 2.0 Ah battery doesn’t last for long

This comfortable and well-balanced 18-volt blower weighs just 2.1 kg, even with the battery installed, so it made it easier for me to point around with just one hand. A leaf-scraping tip on the bottom of the nozzle helped me tackle wet leaves stuck on the paving slabs, and the wide-diameter removable nozzle tip is handy for directing the air where you need it. There are two different speeds to choose from: eco mode or boost mode. There’s enough air speed on eco mode to deal with small piles of leaves and sawdust, so we left it on that setting mostly to conserve some battery life. Boost mode produces a prodigious amount of blowing power, but drains the battery in around 8 minutes.

Although the handle doesn’t feature grippy, rubberised sections, it’s spacious enough to accommodate large hands, even in thick gardening gloves. The speed setting switch is easy to operate with gloves on, too. The only problem I encountered was that the battery slots in right at the base of the handle, and rubbed against my wrist while I was using the blower, especially when a larger capacity battery was in use. This version comes bundled with a 2.0 Ah battery that promises around 16 minutes of run time on low speed, and a charger that takes two hours to fully recharge. That run time is enough to tackle a small garden, but a larger capacity battery would be more appropriate. If you already have a compatible, larger-capacity battery, it would be best to buy this blower tool-only, saving you a bit of cash and helping you achieve a longer run-time. This blower comes with a two-year warranty. Harry Duncton

• Buy the BLACK+DECKER 18V cordless axial blower from Tooled Up (£84.95)

Flymo powervac 3000

RRP: £89.99

Our rating: 4/5

Available from: Robert Dyas (£93.99)

Reasons to buy:

• Powerful blower
• Excellent shredding
• Good-sized collection bag

Reasons to avoid:

• Doesn’t break down easily for storage
• Unbalanced
• The vacuum nozzle is too wide
• Awkward handle shape

This large blower vac is reasonably easy to assemble, and no tools are required, but I found the instruction diagrams very small, so it took a little time. Once I'd put the suction tube together, it was almost impossible to break down again, which made the Powervac bulky for storage. To change modes, you also need to take it apart, so it’s simpler than the Bosch GardenTidy. It’s heavy as both a blower and a vac, and I thought the handle design was a little over-fussy and doesn’t help with the balance of the machine, especially in vac mode. It has a carry strap to help lighten the load, but this feels like it's in the wrong place. Thankfully, the collection bag is smaller than some, which makes it easier to use.

It has a variable speed dial on the handle, although I didn’t notice too much difference between these; the blower is powerful and great for blasting leaves across large lawns. Unfortunately, the vac is far less efficient with a nozzle shape that's too wide to suck up leaves well. However, once it’s got the leaves, the shredding power of the Powervac is excellent, with a ratio of 16:1 that reduces a bag full of leaves down to a tiny pile. The Powervac has a 10m cable, feels well-made, is built to last, and comes with a two-year warranty. It's good value for money for blowing and clearing leaves in a small garden, but the vacuum’s performance doesn't match the blower's. Kay Maguire

• Buy the Flymo Powervac 3000 from Robert Dyas (£93.99)

Webb ECO WEV20ABB4 cordless axial blower

RRP: £79.99 with battery and charger

Our rating: 3.75/5

Available from: Mowers Online (£79.99)

Reasons to buy:

• Affordable blower
• Comes with a large battery
• Decent 22-minute run time

Reasons to avoid:

• Only single speed
• Slow battery charging
• Loud

Webb’s answer to the lightweight garden blower is a robust and happily affordable piece of kit. The tool's three-piece design allows for compact storage while offering two different nozzle lengths, although it lacks a leaf scraper on the tip that I found so useful on other models. Weighing in at 2.9 kg, it’s not the lightest by a long way, but much of the heft is taken up by the large capacity battery. You could swap it out for one of Webb’s smaller batteries, but it’s worth the extra bit of weight for a longer run time. Supplied with a generous 4.0 Ah battery with a handy battery charge indicator on it, it can run for 20 minutes. That’s plenty of run time for a medium-sized garden or driveway, and it’s a good thing, too, because recharging the battery is a bit slow at 160 minutes.

They haven’t skimped on the handle; the rubberised grip is huge and has plenty of space for the biggest hands in thick gardening gloves. The only thing that gets in the way is the position of the battery, which sticks up above the base of the handle and can dig into the wrist at certain angles. It’s a well-balanced blower, especially with the nozzle at its full length. It’s easy enough to point around the garden, and the wide-diameter tip replaces pinpoint accuracy with a wider air stream for blowing leaves around. It’s just a shame that you can’t vary the blower speed because it’s loud at 96 dB during operation. This blower comes with a three-year warranty. Harry Duncton

• Buy the Webb ECO WEV20ABB4 Cordless Axial Blower from Mowers Online (£79.99)

Flymo 18V Easiclear

RRP: £109

Our rating: 3.5/5

Available from: Amazon (£130)

Reasons to buy:

• Light and easy to use
• Variable speed
• Long battery run time
• Visible battery charge

Reasons to avoid:

• Lacks power, and the lowest speed is very weak
• Hard to break down for storage
• Long charge time

The quiet 18V Easiclear 100 is available as a bare tool or as a kit with an 18V 2.5Ah battery and charger. These are both part of the Power for All Alliance, so if you already have other Bosch, Flymo, Gardena or Husqvarna cordless tools or plan to, investing in these will save you money. The blower comes with one nozzle tube, which I found reasonably easy to put together, but once built, it was hard to take apart for storage. It’s a good length and width and has a ridged end which helps lift stubborn material. This is particularly handy as this isn't a very powerful blower. It offers variable speed, adjusted by a dial on the handle, but the lowest setting is very weak.

The 18V battery has a 13-23 minute run time, depending on speed, and it takes 154 minutes to charge. Unlike the other leaf blowers in my recent tests, the Easiclear has a battery charge display on the handle, which is very useful. This simple blower comes with a two-year warranty and is best for gentle blowing in small gardens. Kay Maguire

• Buy the Flymo EasiClear 100 leaf blower from Amazon (£130)

Other best of the rest cordless lawn mowers, tested before 2023

• 4.3 stars: Stiga SAB 100AE cordless leaf blower £99
• 4 stars: Worx WG547E Leaf Blower £120.54

What's the difference between a leaf blower and a leaf blower vacuum?

Quite simply, a leaf blower will lift wet and dry leaves from paths, grass, borders and pavements. The wind speed it generates blows leaves into a pile, which you can either leave as a habitat for wildlife, or collect and put on the compost, in your green waste recycling, or store in bags to make leaf mould.

A leaf blower vacuum not only lifts wet and dry leaves, but sucks them up too, passing them through a blade, which cuts and mulches them and then deposits them into the bag that attaches to the machine. You can dispose of them the same way, but they have the added advantage of being shredded, so they decompose more quickly when added to the compost or used to make leaf mould. However, leaf blower vacuums can get blocked up, may need more maintenance, and also tend to be expensive, but they are more efficient when it comes to keeping your garden leaf-free.

Before you decide which of these you need, think about how many leaves you have to collect - if you can manage blowing leaves and debris into a pile to gather up by hand, then a blower will do the job and is a cheaper option. However, for larger gardens with more trees and shrubs, being able to suck up leaves will save time, especially if you go for models with a mulching option.

How to choose the best leaf blower and leaf blower vacuum

There are three types of leaf blowers and leaf blower vacuums available, each with its own pros and cons:

Cordless leaf blowers and leaf blower vacuums: There are lots of pros with this type of blower – in addition to being lightweight, quiet and environmentally friendly, they don’t need messy petrol or a restricting power cable. However, they can be more expensive if you’re buying batteries and chargers as extras to the cost of the tool, and you’ll need to check the run time if you have a larger garden.

Electric leaf blowers and leaf blower vacuums: Often at the budget end, these are low maintenance and, like cordless types, also lightweight. However, the power supply cable can be limiting as well as potentially hazardous.

Petrol leaf blowers and leaf blower vacuums: These deliver plenty of power and, just like cordless types, can be used anywhere, but their environmental impact is a consideration, as is the hassle of buying and storing petrol. They’re often heavy and noisy and will need more in the way of maintenance, too.

Think about the following features before you buy:

• Variable speed controls - air speed (measured by metres per second or kilometres per hour), and airflow (measured by cubic metres per hour). Dry leaves are light and easy to shift, but wet, compacted leaves and other debris will need more power. Variable speed control is a useful feature as it allows you to change the speed and power depending on where you’re working – you’ll want to be gentle around plants, whereas more oomph will help on lawns
• Nozzle size – in general, the narrower the better, as the air flow is more concentrated, giving more control when it comes to corralling the leaves into a pile
• Mulching blades - Metal blades are tougher than plastic, as well as more durable, so are the preferred choice
• Collection bag - While not essential, a waterproof collection bag makes things a lot more comfortable if you’re working in wet weather, as it prevents moisture from soggy leaves dripping through the bag and onto your legs
• Comfort features - Soft-grip handles and a padded shoulder strap will help make it more comfortable to use the leaf blower or leaf blower vacuum for any length of time

Buyer's Guide to budget leaf blowers - video

Buyer's Guide to leaf blower vacs - video

Many thanks to Sue Fisher and Rosie Yeomans for their help in making these videos. Thanks also to Sparsholt College for their generous assistance.

How to use your collected leaves

If you’d like to make leaf mould with your leaves, you’ll need a bin separate from your compost. Leaf mould is created when leaves are broken down by fungi, rather than the bacteria that decompose the ingredients in your compost bin. By piling leaves up separately, in a leaf mould bag, bin or cage, you’ll create the perfect material for mulching and potting.

Different leaves break down more quickly than others, but all deciduous trees will make good leaf mould. Small, thin leaves, such as birch, will break down quickly, but larger leaves, like chestnut, might need shredding first. Evergreen leaves and conifer needles will take much longer and should be chopped before they are added. Avoid adding evergreens in large quantities.

For more help, see our guide to creating a leaf mould bin.

How we tested leaf blowers and leaf blower vacuums

The BBC Gardeners' World Magazine reviews team tested different leaf blowers and leaf vacuums across a range of garden situations – removing leaves from lawns, in borders and on gravel paths and paving, in both dry and wet weather. Before we started, we checked for any wildlife in the leaf matter and were cautious around plants to avoid disturbing insects and other creatures. The following criteria were used to calculate the scores, with equal weight given to each:

• Ease of use: Looked at the assembly needed, ease and clarity of instructions, any storage features and, where relevant, the battery charge time
• Handling: Assessed ease of use, weight, noise levels, comfort and safety features
• Performance: Focussed on the power and air flow control, plus run and charge time (where applicable)
• Value for money: Considering all of the above, plus quality and design, the RRP including battery and charger (where applicable) and the length of warranty

Meet our testing panel

Oliver Parsons, Strategic Projects Editor
Oliver is a gardener and magazine journalist of 20 years’ experience. He trained as a professional horticulturalist at RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Chelmsford and has also worked for Gardening Which?, as a freelance gardener and with the gardening team at Down House in Kent. He is now Strategic Projects Editor at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and GardenersWorld.com, heading up our reviews desk, Apple News output and weekly newsletter.

Kay Maguire, Magazines Editor
Kay trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and has been writing and making films about gardening ever since. She has written for websites and magazines, including The Garden and Amateur Gardening, was Horticultural Editor on BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine for five years, and has also written several books on a range of gardening topics from growing house plants to making the most of a small space. After several years as Reviews Editor, building up our reviews section into a leading resource for UK gardeners, she has now become Magazines Editor for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, responsible for all print output.

Harry Duncton, freelance powered tools tester
Harry has a wealth of experience, from being a language teacher to a tree surgeon, and has built this into a career writing about all things DIY and gardening. A passionate believer in self-reliance, his aim is to inspire others to give it a go themselves and not worry about making a few mistakes along the way. A regular contributor to popular DIY blogs and a recent addition to the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine team, he loves tracking down the best new tools and writing about them.

Sue Fisher, freelance garden writer
Sue’s extensive horticultural career spans over 40 years, starting with a decade in the garden centre and nursery industry before developing into an accomplished gardening writer, designer and speaker. Sue writes regularly for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, GardenersWorld.com, and Garden Answers magazine. She has written 10 books on subjects including container gardening, plants for small gardens and designing with colour, and she has co-authored other books with some of the biggest names in gardening.

Emma Crawforth, Horticulture Editor
Emma holds the Kew Diploma in Horticulture and has been working in horticulture for 18 years, including roles in public gardens, a plant nursery supplying plants for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and a training college for young horticulturists. She looks after an ornamental, fruit and veg garden at home and regularly undertakes trips to see plants growing in their natural habitats. She is the author of the Kew Publications book, Things to Do with Plants.

This review was last updated in February 2026. We apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.