Electric leaf blowers are a huge improvement
OPINION — The recent article on electric leaf blowers begins with the fact that gas-powered blowers have been a big quality of life question recently, and the next eight paragraphs, detail that person’s opinions; no “facts” were checked.
Most of the backpack gas and electric blowers vary less than 10% by weight, but the gas models (when full) are slightly heavier; all are around 19-23 lbs.
The batteries, that cost cents to recharge, last 1-2 hours, so two batteries provide 2-4 hours of performance.
Changing a four-pound battery, in a mass produced, consumer device shouldn’t injure professional maintenance personnel, and you can’t spill a battery.
The CFM ratings of all models are published by the manufacturers and are facts. The correct machine will clear the street quickly, and unlike gas machines, are solid state, so they won’t flood or stall and require almost no maintenance.
Backpack blowers, with several batteries and a charger, start around $1,250 and the best Stihl models (made in Virginia, USA) are about $2,300 (to any consumer). So, four machines would in fact cost $5-9,000.
The difference in decibels, carefully tested in the factory, is 20-30% lower for electric, by all manufacturers. This isn’t all the noise, but it’s significant; think of a 25% improvement in anything.
What was strikingly missing in the article is that the gas machines will burn about 150 gallons of gas, mixed with 2-stroke oil (that blue smoke), every year. This will be over $1,300 in annual operating costs, versus the electricity of around $110.
On any given day in Paradise Valley, around 800 houses will be “maintained” by several hundred workers, using these machines, putting themselves, and everyone around them, at risk. Until 25 years ago, brooms and rakes sufficed, but if we want blowers, the electric versions are a huge improvement.
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