The Best Leaf Blowers 2025: Recommended Options Based on Our Extensive Testing

Clearing up fallen leaves or grass cuttings is a garden job that few of us enjoy, especially when the weather is cold or damp. Luckily, the best leaf blowers make short work of the task, creating big piles of garden detritus ready to be scooped into the garden waste bin.

And if you opt for a leaf blower that doubles as a garden vacuum then you can suck up the leaves and clippings and mulch them in moments, making them perfect for composting.

Over the last four years, I’ve tested over a dozen leaf blowers and garden vacuums using my driveway and yard as a test lab. You’ll find my shortlisted recommendations below, including inexpensive leaf blowers suitable for smaller gardens, more versatile garden vacuums, and even super-quiet models that can help you clear up without making a racket. And if you need more advice on what to buy, you can find it in the buying guide that comes afterwards.

Best leaf blower: At a glance

How we test leaf blowers

We put cordless leaf blowers through their paces by using them to drive and gather a range of leaves on both tarmac driveways and lawns. We test using a mix of large, wet tree leaves, smaller shrub leaves, and dry hornbeam and beech hedge clippings, to see how well the blowers cope with different types of materials and moisture levels.

We evaluate how easy it is to handle and control the blower, and, with the blower/vacuum models, how simple it is to switch between modes and how effective any vacuuming and mulching features are. Meanwhile, we also record noise levels while operating on the highest power setting.

Finally, as with all cordless tools, we test how long the battery lasts from a full charge, and how long it takes to recharge it from empty.

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The best leaf blowers you can buy in 2025

1. Bosch AdvancedLeafBlower 36V-750: Best cordless blower overall

Price when reviewed: $302 (tool only) | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… powerful airflow, comfort and control
• Not so great for… keeping costs down

Bosch’s cordless blower is more potent than its specs suggest. At its highest setting, I found that even the wettest, most unyielding leaves couldn’t stand against its power – leaves that were tangled in low-level plants around the driveway were easily freed and hurled against the wall, while larger, soggy leaves were effortlessly shifted from their spot. Yet, with the simple under-thumb power dial on the handle, I could rein in the power for the lighter leaves and to gather what I had collected into a manageable pile. It’s a remarkably easy tool to work with.

At about 90dB, it’s a little noisier on max than some cordless leaf blowers. And at a touch over 6lb, it’s also a little heavier. Luckily, the ergonomic handle and well-balanced design meant that I could still comfortably operate it one-handed. It runs on Bosch’s 36V Power For All batteries, instead of the more common 18V variety, and the 4A battery I tested it with only survived around 25 minutes of fairly strenuous yard work. If you’re not overly fussed about vacuuming and mulching your leaves, this is the best cordless leaf blower you can buy.

Key specs – Type: Blower; Power source: 36V Power For All batteries, 2A or 4A (not included); Weight: 6.16lb; Blow speed: 60-125mph; Collection capacity: N/A; Warranty: 1 year

2. Ryobi 18V One+ HP 510 CFM Brushless Blower: Best quiet leaf blower

Price when reviewed: $149 (tool only), $219 (battery and charger included) | Check price at Ryobi

• Great for… garden tidying without the usual noise
• Not so great for… shifting the thickest and wettest leaves

This blower from Ryobi is part of their Whisper series, and comes close to doing what it says on the tin. Admittedly, 80.7db is nobody’s idea of a whisper, but it’s definitely quieter than an equivalent gas-powered leaf blower and should be quiet enough not to upset your neighbors or scare nearby pets. It’s no louder than your average lawn mower, which is useful, because the quieter it is, the more likely you are to use it, and the more it keeps tiring vibrations to a minimum.

Weighing in at just barely more than 8lb with a 4A battery from Ryobi’s interchangeable One+ range installed, I found this blower light enough to use for more than the 15 to 20 minutes it took to run out of juice, though Ryobi claims you can get more than an hour from their 6A battery. While there’s no shoulder strap, the ergonomics are first-rate, so you won’t need one – even if you’re attempting to work the 610m2 maximum coverage Ryobi claims. The only drawbacks are a lack of a “cruise control” function – meaning you need to squeeze and keep holding the trigger – and that the airflow isn’t quite as focused as its rivals, making it tough to dislodge some stubborn, soggy leaves.

Still, with its 130mph blow speed, I found it made short work of most leaves, twigs, and assorted debris, including sawdust from a recent DIY project. And when you’re done, the nozzle detaches at just a push of a button, ready for storage.

Key specs – Type: Leaf blower; Power source: 18V ONE+ battery; Weight: 5.51lb (no battery); Blow speed: 130mph; Collection capacity: N/A; Warranty: 3 years

3. Worx WG583 3-in-1 Leaf Blower, Vacuum, and Mulcher: Best blower/vacuum combo

Price when reviewed: $277 (with 2 batteries and charger) | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… easy clearing and vacuuming
• Not so great for… stamina, unless you’re using Eco mode

The Worx WG583 easily converts from leaf blower to vacuum and back in a matter of minutes, without any hassle and without requiring any special tools. It’s a powerful little beast too and, at its highest setting, it throws out more than enough power to send the leaves flying right across the lawn. Then, when I switched to vacuum mode, it could suck up great piles in seconds, neatly shredding and compacting them so that the equivalent of 8 dry gallons is packed into a single bushel. Big, damp leaves aren’t a problem either, and it even tackled patches of moss that had been thrown down by the local birds, along with clippings from a short conifer hedge.

The only downside here is battery life. On full, I could practically watch the power indicator running down, and I was lucky to get more than 10 minutes of vacuuming. However, I could double that lifespan by engaging Eco mode, and it would still pick up or blow dry leaves. It would certainly be worth having a spare set of batteries for this one, and that would work best if you have some other cordless Worx tools in your toolshed, so that you can share the batteries between them.

Key specs – Type: Blower and vacuum; Power source: 2x 20V PowerShare batteries; Weight: 11.3lb; Blow speed: 210mph; Collection capacity: 1 bushel; Warranty: 1 year

4. Worx WG543: Best compact cordless blower

Price when reviewed: $13 (battery and charger included) | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… super-powered gusts and easy storage
• Not so great for… keeping leaves under control as you blast

This Worx leaf blower is so light and compact that I could easily use it one-handed and, with the telescopic nozzle withdrawn, it’s just under 31in long. In fact, it’s so light and compact that it’s hard to imagine it’s capable of blowing the skin off a cold bowl of soup. Yet its clever design uses air amplifier technology to drive more air through the tube than you might expect, reaching speeds of up to 130mph. That’s more than enough puff to lift wet leaves from a lawn or driveway, and will scatter dry leaves in all directions – it’s worth switching down to the lower power setting to give you a better chance of driving them into some kind of pile. Still, that extra force was brilliant for clearing debris off my decking, or even drying the car after a wash.

With a 4A PowerShare battery, this will give you enough charge for a good 20 minutes of blasting, or slightly more on the lower power setting. You can also use other PowerShare batteries but make sure you double-check which ones you buy – the more common 2A units will only deliver half that lifespan. It might be small, but don’t underestimate the Worx WG543: this compact, convenient blower can get the job done.

Key specs – Type: Blower; Power source: 1x 20V PowerShare battery; Weight: 3.8lb; Blow speed: 130mph; Collection capacity: N/A; Warranty: 1 year

5. Gardena PowerJet 18V P4A: Best jack-of-all-trades cordless blower

Price when reviewed: $199 (tool only) | Check price at Amazon

• Great for… quiet and comfortable removal of your garden clutter
• Not so great for… not much. It’s a good all-rounder

The Gardena PowerJet 18V P4A delivers plenty of power for shifting sodden leaves, but it’s a blower that’s still easy on the arms. I found the well-balanced body and top-mounted handle and trigger made it easy to maneuver and still keep blasting away. Plus, with a noise output of just under 75dB at maximum, it’s also surprisingly quiet – the neighbors won’t hate you every time you get it out.

The PowerJet runs on 18V Power For All batteries and, while I didn’t expect much from the 2A battery I tested with, it maintained a solid 25 minutes of blowing leaves around my lawn and driveway before it started to sputter out. The detachable precision nozzle is a nice touch – you can use it to persuade the most adamant leaves or debris to move on from your grass or borders – and, after use, removing the nozzle for easier storage is a pretty simple task. If you don’t have an existing Power For All kit then you’ll need to budget extra for a battery and charger but, even so, this cordless blower is excellent value.

Key specs – Type: Blower; Power source: 1x 18V Power For All battery, 2A or 4A (not included); Weight: 4lb; Blow speed: 62mph; Collection capacity: N/A; Warranty: 3 years

How to choose the best leaf blower for you

What should I look for in a leaf blower?

Essentially, leaf blowers are a high-power fan in a casing that allows you to blow your leaves off of your lawn and, ideally, into a convenient pile for disposal. They arrive in a range of shapes, sizes, and power ratings, from the lightweight models that you can use one-handed, perfect for a small backyard, right through to the heavy, powerful machines that you see being used in public parks, on the roadside, or around municipal buildings.

These heavy-duty leaf blowers are particularly well suited to clearing big piles of wet leaves, with that extra oomph being delivered by larger motors or gas-powered engines. However, for the average gardener, something more compact should be fine. But just don’t choose anything too weedy – the last thing you want is to discover that the model you’ve bought is only capable of clearing away half your leaves.

If you want the ultimate in functionality, look for a garden blower vac. These combine the most useful benefits of a leaf blower with the extra convenience of a garden vacuum. They can blow leaves into a tidy pile or suck them all up at the flick of a switch – although some are more fiddly to use than others.

Some may even offer a mulching function, meaning you’ll be able to fit more garden waste into your bin. With such garden vacuums and convertibles, you’ll need plenty of power to suck the waste in, a solid, leak-proof bag to collect it all, and – ideally – a durable blade that can chomp through your leaves and clippings without any hassle.

Which is better – corded or cordless?

Corded blowers tend to be lighter and more powerful since there is no battery to carry and fewer constraints on the motor. However, you’ll find them limited by the length of their cable.

Cordless models have improved dramatically, thanks to more efficient motors, lighter batteries, and streamlined designs. Naturally, they have an advantage in that you can take them anywhere without running out of cable. Instead, your biggest concern will be running out of charge, so make sure the battery life is sufficient to cover your needs.

Cordless blowers are often more expensive, too. Particularly if you need to invest in a battery and charger at the same time. However, you may find that there are models that will work with the batteries and chargers that came with your existing garden or power tools. Models from brands like Worx or Ryobi, for example, will have batteries that can be used in tools right across their range. What’s more, some manufacturers have worked around a battery standard – so, a Bosch leaf blower that uses batteries from the Power For All Alliance would be able to share batteries and chargers with compatible equipment from Gardena, Flymo, and Husqvarna, to name a few.

For really big gardens, or areas with lots of heavy, stubborn, wet leaves and other debris, your best bet would be a gas-powered blower. These can be found as either handheld or backpack models, but they can be heavy, noisy, and expensive – and the engine needs regular maintenance on top of regular refuelling.

What else should I look out for?

Never underestimate the importance of good ergonomics. A heavy blower with poor weight distribution might not be a big issue in a small garden but, if you have a large area to clear, it will be tough on your arms, back, and shoulders. So, look for straps or grips that will ease the burden.

Similarly, models that vibrate a lot can be uncomfortable to use for longer sessions. And some leaf blowers can be incredibly noisy – you will need ear defenders and understanding neighbors.

These aren’t the only practical considerations. Is the blower easy to start and use? If it’s a vacuum, or convertible, how straightforward is it to empty the bag or collector? How compact is it to store? Some models have collapsible tubes or detachable nozzles, which can help if you’re short on storage space, but these can be a nightmare to get on and off if they’re not well designed.

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