Indicates subscriber only content

Leaf blowers

Toro Rake and Vac 51574
 
Approximate retail price:
$50
Price it button
Summary:

This Toro 10.5-amp, corded-electric handheld leaf blower weighs 6.6 lbs. and has vacuum capability. It comes with a 2-year warranty.

Dividing line
Community icon11 people have reviewed this model.
Type: Electric handheld blowers
About - Toro Rake and Vac 51574

The Toro Rake and Vac 51574 is part of the leaf blower test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, leaf blower models like the Rake and Vac 51574 are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.


Sweeping:
Denotes speed of moving leaves.

Loosening:
The speed of removing embedded leaf particles from a lawn.

Vacuuming:
How quickly models picked up leaves and how finely they mulched them.
About This Brand

Another leading brand of electric leaf blowers, Toro makes lightweight plug-in electric models that weigh 5 to 8 lbs. Toro uses line names Power Sweep, Super Blower and Power Blower on some of its models. Toro leaf blowers are among the most widely available, and can be found in mass merchants, home centers, Web retailers and hardware stores.

Features & Specs - Toro Rake and Vac 51574
info Weight (lbs.) 6.6
info cc/amp 10.5-amp
info Multiple speeds Yes
info Vacuum capability Yes
info Translucent fuel tank NA
info Spring assisted starting NA
info Four-cycle engine NA
More features and specs
User Reviews - Toro Rake and Vac 51574
Consumer Reports User Reviews
Already own it? Write a review
 
1.0
a waste
2/15/2013
Pros
Easy to Use
Well Balanced Feel
Cons
Breaks Down
Best Uses
Taking up space
Comment:
I don't recommend it. Mine broke down on the 4th use and all of the uses were VERY light duty. No more tan 10 minutes sweeping off a small back patio. never got a chance to use the vacuum.
How long have you owned it:
Three-to-six months
Bottom Line
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
 
5.0
To all of you with burnt out blowers
2/2/2013
Pros
Easy to Use
Powerful
Cons
Requires Hvy Ga Ext Cord
Best Uses
Blowing Leaves
Blowing Light Snow
Clearing Sawdust
Mulching Leaves
Comment:
I need to get one thing out of the way.... If your leaf blower is burning out frequently, there is one common denominator in all of this.... YOU. Why?<br /><br />Because these are 12A leaf blowers on 15a 120v circuits, which so happens to be the absolute maximum for continuous usage. If you're using a very high powered electric device, you need to use the appropriate gauge electric cord... This means those cheap, light weight orange 16ga extension cords are completely unacceptable! It gets even worse over a long distance like 100ft. As a point of reference, the wiring in your wall for a 15a circuit is using solid core, 14 or 12ga wiring yet you're using a stranded wire 16ga wire over 25ft+ and think it's ok to load this circuit to its absolute maximum!? I think not! So what is the appropriate remedy? Well the bad news is, if you're going say 100FT, you'll need a 10ga cord... Yes this is expensive, heavy and beefy but absolutely necessary. Why? Because if you're loading down that puny 15a circuit to its absolute maximum, and you're a far distance away, there are tremendous electrical losses and since that extension cord is using stranded wire, a 10ga stranded over 100+ft=14ga solid core wire. <br /><br />If you can get a watt meter, load it up at full power on this blower and have the blower on a thin cord at one end, one thing you'll see is a huge voltage sag from like 120v which is what it's designed for down to something unsafe like 100v which means the current goes up to compensate, burning out the motor and possibly cause fire. For a given power load like 1200watts, less volts means higher amps.<br /><br />I don't know WHY toro doesn't have a guide, maybe because it would repel people but anybody who is a professional knows or should know that high powered devices need high gauge cords less they want to start a fire or damage their equipment.<br /><br />Now if you're really REALLY lazy, you MIGHT be able to get away with a thin gauge cord IF and only IF, you run the blower on the lowest speed setting and don't do it for an extended period of time. However this removes some of the utility of this blower which is why getting the high gauge cord is so important. <br /><br />For 50ft, a 12gauge cord should be sufficient but anything more the whole cord needs to be 100ft. Also, tying extension cords onto each other is very bad as there are a lot of losses in the extension cord connectors so having 4 10ga 25ft extension cords isn't acceptable either but definitely better than using those cheap orange 16ga extension cords.
How long have you owned it:
More than six months
Bottom Line
Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.
 
2.0
Good Performance, Poor Reliability
11/7/2012
Pros
Easy to Use
Powerful
Cons
Breaks Down
Best Uses
Blowing Leaves
Comment:
As blowers go, it was very good and I was pleased with its performance. However, over the coarse of three years I went through two blowers. The first one only lasted one season. I did use the vacuuming feature, and thought that maybe that use did it in. The store did take it back and with the second one I decided just to use the blower feature. it lasted approximately two years, then quickly started to decrease in power, and then completely quit working. I have since gone with an entirely different brand, hoping for better reliability.
How long have you owned it:
More than six months
Bottom Line
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Other User Reviews
There are 0 reviews from the web
See all Models
Nobody Tests Like
We Do
Our testers put 100s of products through their paces at our National Testing and Research Center. Learn more about how we test for:
Performance
Safety
Reliability
Learn more