Backpack blower vs handheld?

[strantor]

Reading multiple comments about getting up on the roof to blow leaves. Is this something every homeowner but me knows to do? I've owned this house 5 years and never once gotten on the roof to blow leaves. I get up there annually to trim branches away so that wind storms don't thrash branches against the house but that's the only reason I go up there. I have trees that extend over my roof, and I've never noticed leaf deposits up there. Maybe I just get enough wind that it doesn't become a problem. Or maybe it is a problem that I'm not cognizant of. It seems to me that I'm more likely to damage the roof (or myself) clambering around on it than some temporary deposits of decomposing leaves might be.

 

[yardtime]

I”d go with the most air speed and cfm’s you can afford with a backpack blower. Handhelds have their purpose at times , I have both but used only a back pack for years . I just broke down and bought a new large commercial duty backpack. Only use the handheld for areas in between the shrubs and the house .

 

[slckeys]

Reading multiple comments about getting up on the roof to blow leaves. Is this something every homeowner but me knows to do? I've owned this house 5 years and never once gotten on the roof to blow leaves. I get up there annually to trim branches away so that wind storms don't thrash branches against the house but that's the only reason I go up there. I have trees that extend over my roof, and I've never noticed leaf deposits up there. Maybe I just get enough wind that it doesn't become a problem. Or maybe it is a problem that I'm not cognizant of. It seems to me that I'm more likely to damage the roof (or myself) clambering around on it than some temporary deposits of decomposing leaves might be.

I personally have 3 very large sycamore trees around my house and that's only what directly there. More farther away.

My roof angle isn't steep, and I have deflectors at where my valleys meet on my gutters so there isn't a stream running straight off even it rains heavy. That's where I get a backlog of leaves. Still working on a way to fix that. My leaves would be up there years if I didn't do what I do.

I'm only up there spring and fall.

 

[The Deerslayer]

I have had both a handheld and a back pack blower, and have found the back pack blower to be far more versatile and efficient. I went with a Stihl and have zero regrets; other than I wish I bought it sooner. I have a similar situation as the OP in regard to use. Although I also use mine for cleaning up my long gravel driveway. It also makes quick work of cleaning off the lawn tractor and my Kubota after each use.

 

[tradosaurus]

I personally have 3 very large sycamore trees around my house and that's only what directly there. More farther away.

My roof angle isn't steep, and I have deflectors at where my valleys meet on my gutters so there isn't a stream running straight off even it rains heavy. That's where I get a backlog of leaves. Still working on a way to fix that. My leaves would be up there years if I didn't do what I do.

I'm only up there spring and fall.

That's my problem. I'm planning on cutting down about 3 trees near my house so that should reduce the amount of leaves on the roof.

 

[RalphVa]

They should make the backpack things battery powered with a big battery in the backpack so it'll last a while.

We only use a battery powered blower because I cannot use any engine powered ones any more due to a ICD in my chest, and the wife cannot start the engine ones.

Battery powered are A LOT more efficient and earth friendly, especially if the power comes from water or nuclear rather than gas or coal. Even from gas or coal, battery power is still more efficient than a small gas engine.

 

[two_bit_score]

They should make the backpack things battery powered with a big battery in the backpack so it'll last a while.

We only use a battery powered blower because I cannot use any engine powered ones any more due to a ICD in my chest, and the wife cannot start the engine ones.

Battery powered are A LOT more efficient and earth friendly, especially if the power comes from water or nuclear rather than gas or coal. Even from gas or coal, battery power is still more efficient than a small gas engine.

Stihl has them.



.

 

[ericm979]

Reading multiple comments about getting up on the roof to blow leaves. Is this something every homeowner but me knows to do?

If you don't need to do it that's great.

We have a couple 120' firs not that far from the house on one side and a 90' redwood on the other. And some more tall firs farther away on another side. We get needles from all of them on the roof and in the gutters.

Piles of dry leaves or needles on the roof or in the gutter can ignite during a wildfire and result in a house not surviving. And in the winter they will block the gutter drains. So I have to keep the roof and gutters clear all year. In the winter when the needles are wet blowers do not work well so I have to do it by hand. The blowers work well during our rainless summers though.

We replaced the shingles a couple years ago as they were worn out. But from age not from me walking on them. They were cheap "20 year" shingles and it'd been 30.

 

[mwemaxxowner]

I have a Ryobi 40v handheld and a kawasaki 2 stroke backpack. They each have their place. For big jobs and jobs that require working a long time it's the backpack hands down. For quick jobs the convenience of not putting the pack on and off AND not having to pull a start cord or fuel up is nice. The 40v blower is akin to my Stihl handheld in power.


My old house had a lot of very old trees in the back yard and was surrounded on all sides by woods. I would have to work for hours on end getting the leaves up back there. It was backpack or bust for that! For blowing in my pine needles when I freshen up my beds it's a wash. For blowing off the driveway, or the patio around the pool, I usually use the handheld.

 

[tradosaurus]

I went by a Stihl dealer and after being shown the adjustability of the BR700 I would get this one over the BR600 since there is only a $50 difference in price.