Best Leaf Blowers of 2025

Whether they’re electric or gas, handheld leaf blowers are best for smaller properties with only a few leafy trees. Electric handhelds can be corded or battery-operated. To pick the best handheld models, we favor lighter models over heavier ones (if all other factors are equal), because weight has a noticeable effect on ease of use and maneuverability.

Backpack leaf blowers are helpful for larger properties with more trees, including those with hilly yards, where a wheeled blower would be tough to maneuver. Beyond the main criteria we test for (sweeping, loosening, power, handling, and noise), we also evaluate how easy and comfortable these models are to strap on and how easy they are to maneuver once they’re on your back.

Wheeled leaf blowers are designed for large yards. They’re expensive and usually noisy, though a few models are surprisingly quiet. Note: Wheeled blowers can’t vacuum or shred, and they require about 8 square feet of storage space.

We test handheld, backpack, and wheeled leaf blowers. Some years, we blow through 2,500 pounds of leaves in the process. Because we can’t rely on that quantity of leaves falling on our Yonkers, N.Y., campus each autumn, we often start collecting and storing fallen foliage a year in advance.

To make sure we use the same quantity of leaves to test each model, CR’s test engineers rope off a standardized swath of grass and dump bags of leaves inside the boundary. We time how long each blower takes to clear the pile and whether the tool moves every last leaf. Some leaf blowers struggle by the time we reach the bottom of the pile, where leaves can get embedded in the grass. Then, to get more detail on how well leaf blowers loosen debris, our technicians embed a grass-like synthetic turf with sawdust and rice.

We also note how difficult it is to maneuver each leaf blower, how heavy it feels, and how intuitive the controls are.

High-quality options exist in every category, says David Trezza, who oversees leaf blower testing at Consumer Reports. The best leaf blowers in our ratings have the following in common.

They’re fast at moving leaves. The best blowers in our tests clear a large swath of grass in under a minute.

They’re good at loosening embedded leaves from the lawn. Even with a leaf blower that’s quick to move most leaves, you’ll notice a few stragglers. We look for machines that don’t require you to break out a rake to clean up.

They’re powerful. A high score means the leaf blower produces a greater force (typically with a higher airflow) than most models. A powerful leaf blower will move pine cones, twigs, or other debris, and can do the job of clearing gutters.

They’re easy to handle. We consider weight, the placement of the controls, and ease of starting to find models that start and run effortlessly. We also favor models that are light and easy enough to use that you won’t end up with sore arms.

They’re not too loud. We test sound both at the ear of the operator and from 50 feet to simulate how loud each blower might be for you and your neighbors. The best models keep the volume below 65 decibels, while the worst exceed 85 decibels. At 85 decibels, you’ll need ear protection to avoid hearing damage even from very brief use. At lower decibel levels, hearing protection is often still a good idea, especially if you’re using a leaf blower for a long stretch of time.

They’re reliable. Each year, we survey thousands of CR members to provide brand-level reliability and owner satisfaction scores to predict which leaf blowers will continue to work well long after their first autumn.

Here are some of the most asked questions when it comes to shopping for a leaf blower. To learn more about how to shop for a leaf blower, see our leaf blower buying guide.

It largely depends on your yard and your comfort level. 

• If you have a small yard with a few trees, a corded or battery-powered electric blower might work best. 
• If you have quite a few trees packed into a small lot, you might prefer a gasoline handheld blower for its longer run time, though having a second battery charged and ready to go can also double the run time of battery models. 
• For a bigger yard, or if you struggle to hold a handheld blower for long stretches—most weigh 8 to 15 pounds—consider a backpack blower. Battery backpacks are quieter and cleaner, while gas models continue running as long as you keep adding fuel. 
• If you have a massive and relatively flat yard surrounded by woods, a wheeled leaf blower lets you cover a large area in minimal time, and you can blow leaves into the woods around your property.

In short: Yes. Years ago, cordless leaf blowers were little more than overpriced novelties, designed to comply with rigorous local noise regulations. But that’s no longer the case. Today’s battery leaf blowers can match or even beat the performance of gas models. If you’re interested in a battery model, see our roundup of the best cordless leaf blowers.

Manufacturers often try to convey the power of a machine by measuring airflow in miles per hour or cubic feet per minute. These figures can be useful, but on their own they don’t provide enough information to indicate how well a model will move leaves. 

What does matter is design. You can have a leaf blower producing hurricane-force winds, but if the tool can’t effectively channel that force into an airstream that loosens and sweeps leaves, that power is irrelevant. Instead of relying on these figures, look at the sweeping and loosening scores in our ratings to see how well a tool tackles the thing that matters most: clearing leaves.