A Great Way to Clear Leaves around Chain Link
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This is a review of the Toro 51609 Electric Leaf Blower and Vacuum, which, as it turns out, is a great way to clear leaves around chain link fence:
I was given one as a Christmas gift. It sat in the basement until this weekend, when I pulled it out to clean up a property surrounded by chain link. Chain link catches anything and everything, including dried leaves, loose newspaper, and especially those plastic shopping bags.
Assembly of the Toro Blower/Vac was easy. Everything is press-fit plastic. I was surprised by the shape it took for "vacuum mode." All the pictures on the box show it acting like a leaf blower. In vacuum mode, a large tube comes off the bottom of the machine vertically. You hold the blower with two hands like a deep sea diver dredging for buried treasure.
Pros:
- Powerfully picks up dried, loose leaves
- Chops the leaves into dust for dense throw-away bags
- Doesn't send a lot of dust into the air
- Easy to unzip and empty the bag.
Cons:
- Pretty noisy, especially when you suck up small rocks or pieces of tree bark
- Awkward to use, between the vibration and the shoulder strap.
You must use the shoulder strap when the bag starts to get full, so get comfortable with it beforehand. Adjust it so that it carries some of the weight of the blower from the beginning.
Overall, I was surprised by how quickly I could spruce up my chain link fences by vacuuming all those leaves away. Including assembly and put-away time, I did in 40 minutes what I think would have normally taken an hour and twenty on my hands and knees. In the end I had two bags of leaf debris, ready either for the dump or regular trash disposal.
Now I've heard that the impeller that drives the vacuum only lasts so long in the face of constantly sucking up small rocks and tree bark. So we'll see how long it lasts. But even if I had to buy a new one every other season, I think the time I'd save clearing my particular fences would pay for the blower/vac and then some.
Overall, I'd recommend it.
