Summary
Autumn is a time when leaves begin to turn, temperatures begin to drop, and people start gearing up for the winter. This also means that you need to start preparing the outside of your house for the weather. If you’re like me, that means dealing with a lot of leaves that have fallen off your trees.
Raking leaves is one of my least favorite fall tasks. I have many trees and have to deal with a constant barrage of red, orange, and brown leaves falling all over my lawn. When I bought my home, I was gifted a large push leaf blower with a ton of power. After three years of using it, I opted for a handheld blower instead. Why? Because the other blower was too much for my lawn.
That morning dew can get you
The moisture does a number
I live in the northeast part of the United States. During the fall months, it tends to be cool and crisp as the seasons transition to sweater weather. While it’s actually one of the driest parts of the year, it can still rain and each morning can start with some frost, once the temperature hits a certain level.
This causes the ground to be colder and soggier when I’m trying to do yard work. The blower that I have is the Little Wonder Optimax, which is a gas-powered mower on wheels that is meant for large-scale blowing. This can produce a lot of airspeed, giving it the upper hand against debris, leaves, sand, dirt, and more.
As noted, I was gifted the Little Wonder a few years back. It came from my uncle, who had been given it by my grandfather years before. I have one of the earlier versions of the Little Wonder, so it’s not one that can be purchased today. I don’t have the manual, so I don’t actually know how powerful the motor is and how much airspeed it offers. But the newer ones can reach up to 190 MPH.
Unfortunately, it also does a number on my grass if it’s wet. I can wheel it around and move tons of leaves from one area of my yard to another. But the blower is rather heavy and low to the ground. It has small wheels that I often have to pump up after a year’s worth of not using them. Even so, these are wheels that will sink a bit into my lawn, causing it to leave marks in the wet grass. This isn’t the only flaw in the design though.
It takes me a while to get my lawn done
It’s because I have to go over areas multiple times
The Little Wonder Optimax is a solid push blower. There’s no denying that. It can tackle pretty much anything that’s going to be naturally on the ground. This has a shock-absorbent handle that helps you handle the vibration of the powerful motor.
Mine still works incredibly well, despite being many years old. It’s been kept in good condition and the motor is as powerful as ever. However, it takes me a long time to use it because of its tough design. The chute where the air comes out is on the left side of the machine.
It’s low to the ground, but it’s a wide slot, allowing a good amount of air to travel outward. The problem I have when making piles of leaves is that I’m unable to change the direction of the chute. If you’re using a snowblower, you are able to rotate the chute and throw the snow in different directions.
This allows you to clear the path in a more uniform fashion. When I’m using the Optimax, I can blow leaves in one direction and then I have to basically loop around to gather more of a pile. Ultimately, I like to rake my leaves onto a tarp to move them to my curb more easily. I have to blow some of the same leaves multiple times because of the patterns I have to use to get to the leaves. It makes me feel like I’m doing double to triple the work to get all the leaves I have to.
Because the blower is so powerful, it often can blow leaves far distances and scatter them even more. As I’m trying to corral them and push them into a pile, I sometimes have to take a roundabout route to move them into place. It takes a while and, with the really loud engine, forces me to wear ear protection and push a heavy machine for a long time.
Why I switched to a handheld blower
It works in my battery system too
I switched to the Greenworks 80V 800CFM Cordless Blower. I like how handheld it is and how powerful it can be. The trigger is adjustable, so you can choose to release as much air as you want to blow leaves and other items on the ground.
I have multiple Greenworks power tools and they all use the same battery pack, making having one charged at all times easier. I also love the freedom of being able to point the blower wherever I need it to shoot. Adding directional air in multiple directions makes me feel like I’m clearing away the mess in a faster time frame than with the Optimax.
I can also bring the Greenworks onto my deck and clear away leaves that have collected there. I really can’t lift my Optimax up onto my deck to do that, limiting it to being used on the lawn.
The powerful machine I no longer need because of the lack of convenience
I’m thankful that I was handed down a wheelable blower. However, it has proven to be a less useful tool than I hoped. I’m looking to finish my work outside in a more efficient manner and a cordless blower is the right move for me.
Greenworks 80V Cordless Leaf Blower
The Greenworks 80V Leaf Blower runs at 800CFM and is lightweight and easy to maneuver.