Fall is fast approaching and already the leaves are starting to pile up on the ground. That’s got me thinking about cordless leaf blowers and, since they’re related, cordless trimmers. The biggest concern here would be battery life and power. A portable battery simply cannot hold the same amount of energy as a small tank of gasoline.
But the question is whether a portable battery is enough, or two batteries since I don’t mind switching in the middle of a job. The big advantages of electric are noise and convenience. Who wants to keep around a gas/oil mix just for their trimmer or leaf blower? I know I don’t.
And since a large portion of the cost of cordless tools is in the batteries, if you already have two great batteries, you can pick up a bare tool for a reasonable price. In fact, this is something you should think about before you buy a quality drill. Before you spend close to $200 on a drill, you should think about what other tools you can use those two batteries in. Does the manufacturer offer the kind of tools you’re likely to want?
Most manufacturers offer the usuals: cordless circular saw, jig saw, light, radio, grinder. You’ve seen the kits. But if you’re looking for a cordless drill whose batteries you can use in a leaf blower, it looks like you can choose from Black and Decker and Makita. That’s it. I wish there were more, but it is what it is.
I’m not saying you should buy a Makita because some day you may want to get a leaf blower too and you’ll save 50 bucks. Buy the drill that’s best for you. But if you’re looking at a Makita and one other brand, on the fence and you’re likely to want leaf blower too, then factor the leaf blower into your decision.
I’m going to try to get my hands on cordless leaf blower soon to put it through some real world tests. In the mean time, what are your experiences? Please let me know in the comments.