* Photo: Thomas Hannich * Scraping up fallen foliage doesn't have to suck — it can blow. Ditch your rakish past and pick up an electric- or gas-powered leaf blower to clear your yard of deciduous dead matter. Hey, it beats using that glorified broom you "borrowed" from the neighbor.
Echo PB-251 Power Blower
$160, echo-usa.com
Resembling a '50s-era house fan, the Echo isn't the beauty queen of blowers, but it's the quietest of this batch. According to our, ahem, scientific speed test — propelling a tennis ball up a 45-degree incline — it's also the most powerful. Gas-fueled, the Echo frees you from cords but supersizes your carbon footprint. It's short on accessories (you do get a free can of oil — nothing to sneeze at nowadays), and it can't vacuum like the electrics on this page. But if you want a gas blower that won't get you ticketed for disturbing the peace, this is it.
Wired: Rated at 65 decibels, or somewhere between conversation and city traffic. Light and easy to maneuver despite its bulk.
Tired: Gas-guzzling two-stroke engine seats zero and is guaranteed to make Al Gore shake his hammy fist in rage. Chunkier than a pint of Ben & Jerry's Everything But The ...
Remember composing a letter without the distractions of a pulsing inbox or chat pop-ups? The only sounds were the soft clack of keys, the typebars' satisfying snap, and the chime marking the end of a line. Our favorite: the Royal portable model beloved by our 1940s journalist forebears, including Papa Hemingway.
Toro Ultra Blower Vac 51599
$86, toro.com
Olé! This little red bull plows through leaves so fast you'd swear it's fueled by taurine. Actually, it's electric — and cheaper than a rodeo girlfriend. We found one online for $70. It comes with a vacuum attachment and bag, and its impeller has serrated teeth for serious mulching. Lithe, quick, and inexpensive, the Toro is the best of the two electrics we tested, outpowering the Black & Decker yet easier on the ears.
Wired: A C-note will get you one of these and two rib eyes. Comfortable handgrips and well-balanced proportions make it easy to aim as you amble. Quiet operation.
Tired: Changing speeds and turning it off require fumbling with a rotary-dial speed selector. A vacuum attachment, bag, and airflow concentrator are the only extras; doesn't even come with a cord, limiting your out-of-the-box range to the longest one in your garage.
Husqvarna 125B Handheld Blower
$150, usa.husqvarna.com
Rounded contours and an elephantine snout create a toyish impression, but make no mistake: This handheld cyclone is not a plaything. When revved, the two-stroke gas engine howls like a lawless pocket bike. A trigger throttle lets you quickly and single-handedly goose the power to blast your neighbor's doggie deposits back into his yard — or dial down to herd errant leaves and grass clippings. Neither the quietest nor the strongest nor the cheapest, this middle child pleases with its lack of disappointments.
Wired: Trigger throttle increases thrust as needed and returns to idle quickly. "Husqvarna 125B" sounds like the name of a big, beautiful Swedish fem-bot from the future.
Tired: Unlike our dream Scandinavian cyborg, it smells awful and smokes when turned on. Weakest blowing pressure — by a hair.
Black & Decker Leaf Hog LH5000
$80, blackanddecker.com
Despite its porcine moniker, the electric Leaf Hog is a svelte, urbane unit. And it does double duty as a vacuum. The impeller — the fan that makes a leaf blower blow — even steps up to mulch sucked-in leaves and light yard debris (no branches or broken glass, please). The included vacuum bag opens easily for quick emptying. But with a 12-inch power cord, you'll need a long extension or a really short yard. While you're at it, pick up some ear protection and warn the neighbors: This thing wails like an air raid siren.
Wired: Full set of accessories. Innovative swiveling attachment dispatches leaves with minimal effort from your carpal-tunnel-ridden wrists.
Tired: Variable speed-control knob is inferior to the trigger throttles of gas-driven blowers. Screamingly loud engine will make the Joneses think the Soviets are invading, Red Dawn-style.
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