Lawn maintenance requires a lot of work as any home or business owner knows.
The old days of having to remove leaves and debris from lawns using rakes are gone thanks to modern technology and leaf blowers.
When shopping for a leaf blower, you may get confused about which one to choose. If you are looking for a new blower, my buying guide may help.
- What does it all mean?
- What is CFM?
- How much CFM should you look for before buying?
- Which leaf blower is best?
Leaf blowers come with two numbers that measure performance: cubic feet per minute (CFM) and miles per hour (MPH). Both metrics are equally as important.
What is CFM?
CFM reflects the power of the air volume as it is expelled through the machine in the span of one minute. The MPH measures the speed of the air as it exits the machine in one hour.
For example, a leaf blower with a CFM of 120 can theoretically push 120 cubic feet of leaves and debris in one minute.
The CFM measurement measures the force of the air. You can have a high speed, but if there is a low air volume the blower will not be as effective and vice versa.
You want the force (and speed) to be with you š
Here is a really cool video that I found on YouTube that shows CFM in action. I can’t say that I recommend any of the blowers in the video, but it’s more for a visual representation of CFM.
Check it out below:
So What CFM Do You need?
That depends on several factors. One factor is the size of your property and the size of the job. For most homeowners who just want to clean up their driveways or patios, a cordless leaf blower might be a good choice.
Generally, electric leaf blowers have a CFM falling somewhere from just under 200 to 400.
If your property is an acre or more, you will probably want a leaf blower with a CFM between 400 to 700. These machines are noisier and obviously more powerful with the ability to handle both wet and dry debris.
The most powerful leaf blowers are the push behind models. Push blowers can give you CFMs up to 3,000 and are good for moving both wet and dry leaves as well as dirt and even rocks from properties.
They are gas powered for ease of mobility around large areas and suitable for commercial complexes such as parking lots. You should be forewarned: they are very noisy so, again, you may want to check with any noise ordinances in populated areas.
These are general guidelines when it comes to choosing a leaf blower based on CFM, but make sure you take other factors (MPH, ease of use, weight, price) into account before making your final decision.
Last update on 2023-06-01 / Affiliate links / Somes Images and Data from Amazon Product Advertising API
