When autumn rolls around and leaves begin blanketing your lawn and garden beds, a leaf blower is an essential tool for quick and easy clean-up.

Cordless leaf blowers provide the freedom of battery-powered portability without the hassles of gas, oil, pull cords, or extension cords.

If you’re looking for a lightweight, quiet, and environmentally-friendly way to tackle fall leaf removal, a cordless electric leaf blower is the perfect solution.

This guide will overview the key considerations when choosing the best cordless leaf blower for your needs.

Blower or Blower + Vacuum?

The first decision is whether a standard blower or a blower plus vacuum is the right fit. Leaf blowers use a powered fan to generate a strong stream of air to move debris. Blower/vacuum combos add a collection chamber and mulching capability.

Standard Leaf Blowers Simply blow leaves into piles for easy raking or off into your flowerbeds as natural mulch. Their powerful focused air stream works well to blow leaves from lawns, walkways, decks, and driveways.

Blower/Vacuum Combos offer the versatility to not only blow but suck up leaves into a collection bag for compact disposal.

The mulching function chops leaves for nutrient-rich mulch or compost. The vacuum feature helps thoroughly clean all areas of your garden.

If you have lots of trees or need to collect leaves, a blower and vacuum combo allows switching between modes. For quick leaf dispersal, a standard blower could suffice.

Battery Voltage

Cordless blowers are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs. Higher voltage batteries have more strength to rotate the high-velocity fan motor faster and extend runtimes.

Most cordless blowers run on battery voltages between 20V to 80V. Higher voltage equates to longer continuous run times on a single charge. It also improves suction power on vacuum models.

Light-duty blowers around 20V to 40V work for quick small garden clean-up. For larger properties with heavy leaf cover, 50V+ blowers provide the extended running time to finish the job.

Charging Time

Faster recharging sounds ideal to keep your blower running with less downtime. However, charging time impact is minimised if you purchase an extra backup battery.

Most batteries take 30 minutes up to an hour to fully recharge. Though even short 15-20 minute charges can provide enough juice to work for 30 minutes.

The most convenient solution is buying an extra battery. It allows you to rotate between a fully charged battery while the other recharges. Just swap batteries to work continuously without any waiting.

Noise Level

Gas-powered leaf blowers generate noise up to 110 dB, about the level of a rock concert. Cordless electric blowers operate much quieter thanks to the lack of a loud gas motor.

Cordless blowers produce about 65 dB to 85 dB of sound. Quieter blowers in the 65-75 dB range allow using early mornings or weekends without disturbing the neighbours. Levels under 65 dB qualify as very quiet.

Units above 85 dB remain significantly quieter than gas but are better suited when noise is less of a concern. Lower dB blowers maximise residential-friendly use.

Key Features

Along with power and runtime, consider extra convenience features:

• Variable Speed Trigger Gives you better control over air velocity with sensitive finger-trigger modulation. Start gentle then gradually increase power.
• Cruise Control Locks in your set airflow speed so you don’t need to hold down the trigger continuously. Prevents hand fatigue for longer jobs.
• Interchangeable Nozzles Lets you toggle between nozzle types like round concentrator nozzles for focused powerful airflow and wide-mouth nozzles better for covering more ground.
• Brushless Motors Increase efficiency, maximise air velocity, reduce noise, and extend operating life of the motor.
• LED Light Illuminates the area for better visibility when working in shady spots or at night. Cordless design allows easily reaching all areas of your landscape.

When selecting your cordless buddy for fall clean-up, factor in your garden size, mess level, collection needs, and noise limitations. Battery power continues improving with stronger motors and longer runtimes to make quick work of autumn leaves. With the right cordless leaf blower, you’ll look forward to getting outdoors this season.