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10/20/2015 12:00 AMIt’s leaf season. It’s about to get noisy around the neighborhood. Many gas-powered leaf blowers put out sound that’s roughly equivalent to standing next to Interstate 95 during heavy truck traffic (see the end of this article for some details on that).
Last year, I went in search of an answer to this question: Is there a kinder, gentler leaf blower?
One source of information comes from emissions-conscious California, where the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) offers a Green Zone certification program that helps property owners create and maintain zero-emission, low-noise landscapes (see www.agza.net).
According to AGZA founder Dan Mabe, electric leaf blowers are universally quieter than gas-powered models. He says it can be difficult to find exact noise ratings on homeowner models, but his organization’s informal research rates electrics about 45- to 50-percent quieter than gas models.
I learned what that means in practical terms the first time I used my EGO 56V cordless leaf blower. My husband asked me a question as the equipment hummed at a level somewhere between a hair dryer and a vacuum cleaner. I could hear what he said. Then I turned up the speed and asked him to repeat himself. The conversation continued at manageable levels.
In 2015, there are more electrics to choose from than ever before. Corded models have been around for a while, but the cord is a drawback unless they operate in small areas with few obstructions. Battery-powered models, however, represent a level of leaf-blower liberation that is worth pondering.
There are models with conventional rechargeable lead acid batteries and, these days, models with lithium-ion batteries. The latter cost more, but provide more power and a longer charge.
My EGO 56V lithium-ion model operates upwards of an hour at low speed. Run time is shorter for the two higher speed levels. The blower weighs about eight pounds, which I find manageable. When the charge runs out, I let the battery cool and then plug it into a charger. After an hour, it flashes green.
Electrics are no wimps. Leaf blower effectiveness is often explained in cubic feet per minute (CFM), the volume of air the machine can move through its impellers. Manufacturers also state miles per hour ratings, MPH.
The EGO model I use delivers 480 CFM and 92 MPH at its highest setting. A gas model from Echo, the PB255-LN top-rated by Consumer Reports, delivers 354 CFM and 191 MPH at its peak according to the Echo website. The Echo weighs ten pounds and sells in the same $200 price range as the EGO.
Green Works, Kobalt, and EGO lithium blowers get the highest ratings among handheld battery electrics from Consumer Reports’ review of eight battery-powered blowers. There are two new models from WORX, a 20V and a 56V that are well rated by Popular Mechanics. Stihl, a mainstay among power equipment manufacturers, offers quieter, zero-emissions leaf blowers as well as other heavy-duty landscape equipment.
According to Mabe, there are even a few electric leaf blowers that meet the needs of landscape crews.
“We’ve seen models from Greenworks and Mean Green Machines implemented successfully with professional landscape teams,” he says.
If you are ready to shop, visit the websites of any these leaf blower brands for where-to-buy links. Several brands are available in our local big box stores, as well as independent power equipment shops.
As for those noise comparisons referenced above, gas-powered leaf blowers put out sound between 70 to 100 dBA when measured next to the operator. A busy interstate is noise-rated around 90 dbA. If you spend most of your time in a residential neighborhood, leaf blower noise can be a major irritant.
The size of the problem shows up in community battles from Maine to California. Fifteen major metropolitan areas and hundreds (if not thousands) of smaller communities have noise regulations that attempt to reduce the disturbance created by leaf blowers as well as other gas-powered equipment. Indeed, some Connecticut and Rhode Island towns have ordinances addressing landscape equipment noise. Waterford, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook are just a few. For more information, the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse (www.nonoise.org) and Quiet Communities (www.quietcommunities.org) cover this topic.
Kathy Connolly is a landscape designer, garden writer and speaker from Old Saybrook. Email: Kathy@SpeakingofLandscapes.com. Website: www.SpeakingofLandscapes.com.