What Is a Leaf Blower? CFM vs MPH and How to Choose One

Leaf blowers get mocked more than most garden tools, usually by people who have raked a large garden in autumn. Used sensibly they turn a two-hour job into fifteen minutes, and they are genuinely useful well beyond leaves — clearing grass cuttings off a patio, blowing sawdust out of a workshop, drying a car after washing.

The confusion is entirely in the specifications, where manufacturers advertise whichever number looks biggest. This guide explains what actually matters.

What a Leaf Blower Actually Does

Inside the housing is an impeller — a fan — driven by a motor or engine. It draws air in through an intake and forces it out through a narrowed nozzle, which concentrates the flow into a directed stream.

That stream does the work of a broom, but faster and without bending over. On hard surfaces it moves debris efficiently; on grass and gravel it is less effective because the material sits down among obstructions.

Many blowers also vacuum. Reverse the airflow, fit a collection bag, and the same impeller sucks leaves up and often mulches them as they pass through — reducing volume substantially, which is useful if you compost.

What they are genuinely good at:

• Clearing leaves from lawns, drives, paths and patios
• Blowing grass clippings off hard surfaces after mowing
• Clearing gutters (with the right attachment, and with care)
• Blowing sawdust and debris out of a workshop or garage
• Drying a vehicle after washing without water spots
• Clearing light snow from steps and paths

🍂 The honest limitation: blowers move debris across surfaces. They do not collect it. You still end up with a pile to pick up unless the machine has a vacuum function.

CFM vs MPH — The Key Confusion

Almost every buying mistake with blowers comes from this, so it is worth being precise.

CFM (cubic feet per minute) is the volume of air the machine moves. Think of it as how much air comes out.

MPH (miles per hour) is how fast that air travels. Think of it as how hard the stream hits.

For moving leaves, CFM is the more important number. A high volume of air gets underneath a pile of leaves and rolls the whole lot forward. A narrow, very fast jet punches a hole through the pile and scatters the rest.

MPH matters for stubborn material — wet leaves stuck to a driveway, matted debris, or clearing a stubborn patch. That is why many blowers have a turbo setting: a burst of high speed for the difficult bits.

A manufacturer quoting a very high MPH with modest CFM is usually describing a narrow nozzle rather than a powerful machine. The two figures are often measured separately too — peak MPH with one nozzle, peak CFM with another — so a machine rarely delivers both simultaneously.

Gas, Corded and Cordless

Cordless has become the default for domestic use, and for good reason. Modern battery blowers move serious air, weigh less than gas machines, start instantly, need no fuel mixing, and are dramatically quieter. The limitation is runtime — blowers are power-hungry, and turbo mode drains a battery quickly.

Corded electric is the cheapest route and never runs out of power, but you are tethered. For a small courtyard or a driveway near a socket it is perfectly sensible; for a large garden the cable becomes the dominant frustration.

Gas remains the choice where the area is large and the work is continuous — professional grounds maintenance, big rural properties. The trade-offs are noise, weight, vibration, fuel handling and maintenance. For most homeowners these outweigh the power advantage.

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Handheld, Backpack and Wheeled

• Handheld — by far the most common. Light, manoeuvrable, fine for domestic gardens. Weight becomes tiring after twenty minutes or so, particularly with a larger battery fitted.
• Backpack — the engine or motor sits on your back with a hose to a handheld nozzle. Much better weight distribution for long sessions, and usually more powerful. Overkill for a small garden, essential for a large property.
• Wheeled — a large machine you push, used on estates, sports grounds and commercial sites. Enormous air volume, but bulky and expensive.

For nearly all domestic use, handheld is the right format. Consider a backpack only if you regularly clear a large area and find handheld weight tiring.

Uses Beyond Leaves

Most people buy a blower for autumn and then find it earns its keep year-round.

• Grass clippings. Blowing cuttings off a patio or drive after mowing takes seconds compared with sweeping.
• Workshop and garage clearing. Sawdust, wood chips and general debris blow out of a garage far faster than sweeping — though do this outdoors-facing, and wear a mask, because you are putting a lot of fine dust into the air.
• Drying vehicles. Blowing water off after washing avoids water spots and gets moisture out of mirrors, grilles and trim.
• Gutters. With an extension attachment you can clear dry debris from ground level. Only for dry material, and only where you can do it safely.
• Light snow. Fresh powdery snow blows off steps and paths surprisingly well. Wet or compacted snow does not.
• Clearing before painting or sealing. A quick blow removes loose dust from a deck or fence before you coat it.
• Getting cuttings out of a hedge after trimming, where they lodge in the foliage.

Using One Efficiently

1. Work with the wind, not against it. Fighting a breeze wastes most of your effort. Plan your direction before starting.
2. Blow toward a collection point — a tarp, a corner, a bagging area — rather than pushing leaves aimlessly around the garden.
3. Use long sweeping strokes at a shallow angle to the ground. Pointing straight down scatters material rather than moving it forward.
4. Work in sections and consolidate. Move one area into a pile, then move that pile onward, rather than trying to push everything at once.
5. Save turbo for stubborn spots. Running full power constantly drains a battery quickly for little extra benefit on dry leaves.
6. Wet leaves need a different approach. They stick. Higher speed helps, but sometimes waiting for a dry day is genuinely faster.
7. Keep the nozzle a few inches off the ground — too close and you blast a hole through the pile.
8. Mind gravel and mulch. Blowers scatter loose stones and bark chips easily. Ease off near beds and gravel paths.

Noise and Neighbours

Leaf blowers have a poor reputation almost entirely because of noise, and some areas restrict when they can be used or ban gas models outright.

• Check local rules before buying, particularly for gas machines — some jurisdictions have restrictions or outright bans.
• Cordless is dramatically quieter than gas, and is the reason many councils and communities have moved that way.
• Observe reasonable hours. Early mornings and evenings are what generate complaints.
• Wear hearing protection. Even quiet blowers are loud close to your own ears for a sustained period.
• Use lower power settings where they will do the job — quieter and longer runtime.
• Eye protection matters too. Blowers fling grit and small stones at speed.

Blower Vacuums and Mulching

A blower-vac is two machines in one, and worth understanding before you decide whether the extra complexity is useful to you.

How mulching works. In vacuum mode, leaves are drawn up the tube and pass through the impeller, which shreds them before they reach the collection bag. Manufacturers quote a reduction ratio — the volume of leaves going in versus what comes out. The practical effect is that a bag holds several times more material than it would with whole leaves, so you empty far less often.

Why mulched leaves are useful. Shredded leaf matter composts much faster than whole leaves, and it makes an excellent mulch for beds. If you garden at all, this turns a waste problem into a resource.

The realistic drawbacks. Vacuum mode is slow compared with blowing. The bag gets heavy quickly and hangs off one shoulder. Wet leaves clog the tube. And twigs or small stones drawn up with the leaves can damage the impeller — most machines warn against vacuuming anything but leaf litter.

How most people actually use them: blow everything into a pile first, which is fast, then switch to vacuum mode to collect and mulch the pile. That plays to each mode’s strengths rather than vacuuming a whole lawn.

If you have no use for mulch and are happy raking a pile onto a tarp, a blow-only machine is lighter, simpler and usually cheaper.

Maintenance and Storage

• Clear the intake and nozzle of leaf fragments after each use. Blockages reduce airflow and strain the motor.
• Check the vacuum tube for jams if suction drops — a twig lodged sideways is the usual cause.
• Empty the collection bag fully and let it dry before storing. Damp leaf matter left in a bag rots and smells.
• Store batteries indoors over winter rather than in a freezing shed, and do not leave them fully discharged for months.
• Keep the air vents clear on the motor housing — blocked vents cause overheating.
• Inspect the impeller occasionally if you use vacuum mode; chips or cracks from ingested debris affect balance and performance.
• Charge the battery before storing for the season rather than leaving it flat.

Do You Actually Need One?

Worth asking honestly before spending anything, because a blower is not the right answer for every garden.

A blower makes sense if you have hard surfaces to clear — driveways, patios, decking, paths — or a lawn with mature trees dropping leaves each autumn. It genuinely turns hours of raking into minutes, and that difference compounds every year you own it.

A rake may be enough if your garden is small, mostly planted beds, or you only face a modest amount of leaf fall. Rakes cost very little, make no noise, need no charging, and on a small lawn the time difference is not dramatic. Gravel gardens in particular are difficult with a blower, which scatters the stones.

A garden vacuum alone suits people whose priority is collecting rather than moving — small courtyards where there is nowhere to blow leaves to.

Consider your neighbours and your patience. If you live somewhere with restrictions, closely spaced houses, or you simply dislike the noise, a quiet cordless model or a rake may suit you better than the most powerful machine available.

The people who regret buying blowers are usually those who bought on peak specification figures for a small garden and ended up with something heavy, loud and more machine than the job needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CFM on a leaf blower and why does it matter?

CFM is cubic feet per minute — the volume of air the machine moves. It matters more than MPH for moving leaves, because a large volume of air gets under a pile and rolls it forward, whereas a narrow high-speed jet punches through and scatters it. When comparing machines, look at CFM first. MPH is useful for stubborn wet debris, which is why many blowers include a turbo boost.

Is CFM or MPH more important?

CFM for general leaf clearing, MPH for stubborn material. The ideal is a good figure for both, but if you have to choose, volume wins for typical autumn work. Be aware that manufacturers often measure the two separately — peak MPH with a narrow nozzle, peak CFM with a wide one — so a machine may not deliver both at once. A very high MPH paired with low CFM usually indicates a narrow nozzle rather than a powerful motor.

Should I get corded, cordless or gas?

Cordless suits most domestic gardens — quiet, convenient, no fuel, and modern machines move serious air. Corded is cheapest and never runs out, but the cable limits you to small areas near a socket. Gas gives the most sustained power for large properties and professional use, at the cost of noise, weight, vibration and maintenance. For a typical home garden, cordless is the sensible default.

Can a leaf blower be used as a vacuum?

Many can. Blower-vacs reverse the airflow and fit a collection bag, and most mulch the leaves as they pass through the impeller, which reduces the volume substantially — useful if you compost. Bear in mind that vacuum mode is much slower than blowing, the bag fills quickly, and the machine is heavier with a full bag attached. Most people blow debris into a pile first, then vacuum the pile.

How long does a cordless leaf blower run?

It depends heavily on the power setting. Running at low or medium power, a decent machine will cover most domestic gardens on one charge. Turbo mode drains batteries very quickly — it is designed for short bursts on stubborn debris rather than continuous use. Larger capacity batteries help substantially, and a second battery is worth having if you have a large area to clear.

Buying and Using Checklist

• Compared CFM figures first, then MPH
• Checked whether battery and charger are included
• Power type matched to garden size and local noise rules
• Weight considered for how long you will hold it
• Vacuum and mulching function decided on
• Eye protection and hearing protection ready
• Working with the wind, toward a collection point
• Nozzle held a few inches off the ground at a shallow angle
• Turbo saved for stubborn wet debris
• Care taken near gravel, mulch and planted beds
• Reasonable hours observed for neighbours

Final Thoughts

A leaf blower is a simple machine sold on confusing numbers. Ignore the marketing and compare CFM — that is what moves leaves. Treat MPH as a useful secondary figure for stubborn material.

For most gardens, a cordless machine with battery included does everything needed without the noise, fuel and maintenance of gas. The EGO POWER+ is the one to look at if you want gas-class air volume quietly.