Do Blower/Vacs Really Work with leaves?

Gambler

Our new home is surrounded by huge oak trees in neighbouring gardens and fields. I've been thinking about getting a blower/vac and just wondered if anybody could recommend one please?

Also I could see how this could work on the patio and lawn etc but we have quite a lot of ornamental gravel in the garden too. Would the vac work or would it take half our stones away too !??!

ic

I use one to collect leaves off slate, seems to do the job - the skill is in not getting too close so as to pick up the slate, but close enough that the leaves get whipped up. I just have the aldi model that comes round every so often (might even be there now - £40ish). It does get upset if I vac lots of wet stuff, as it all gets jammed at a corner behind the fan/cutting blades - but a poke around with a stick always gets it going again.

frogeyesimon

I have a Stihl petrol blower/vacuum. The blower is OK when the leaves are dryish, the vacuum IMO is hopeless - quicker to rake them up.

27col

I've got a Flymo blower/ vacuum.It is hopeless when in vacuum mode but fine when in blower mode. Even if it sucks up the leaves, it gets really heavy and it is a bind having to empty the bag. It works best when you blow the leaves into a corner and then pick them up with a brush and shovel into a barrow.

Gambler

27col wrote: »

I've got a Flymo blower/ vacuum.It is hopeless when in vacuum mode but fine when in blower mode. Even if it sucks up the leaves, it gets really heavy and it is a bind having to empty the bag. It works best when you blow the leaves into a corner and then pick them up with a brush and shovel into a barrow.

I was looking at the flymo in Argos for £45. Thanks for the warning.

economiser

Definitely better as blowers than suckers. I've tried Flymo, B&Q and Stihl. Sucking is OK with dry leaves for small areas but with large quantities its easier to blow them into heaps and pick up manually. The Stihl (electric) was far the best of the three but also the most expensive. Suppose you get what you pay for sometimes.

[Deleted User]

My gardener always blows leaves into a corner and picks them up.
That means that suckers 'suck' (sorry, couldn't help it :rotfl: )

onejontwo

I'm sorry to disagree with tou lot, but I've been using a black and decker one for the last 6 months to pick up leaves and hedge clippings (which I seem to be trimming every 4 weeks with all this rain!) and I find it saves me hours! As well as getting into all the nooks and crannies, it shreds them so it takes up less space,
I say go for it!!

Gambler

onejontwo wrote: »

I'm sorry to disagree with tou lot, but I've been using a black and decker one for the last 6 months to pick up leaves and hedge clippings (which I seem to be trimming every 4 weeks with all this rain!) and I find it saves me hours! As well as getting into all the nooks and crannies, it shreds them so it takes up less space,
I say go for it!!

Can I ask which model you have please?

tomstickland

A fine way to make a lot of noise and achieve very little. Rake or brush is far better.

Gambler

I was thinking of the Flymo as it is powerful and has a jet vacuum for wet leaves.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7303872/Trail/searchtext%3EFLYMO+VAC.htm