Garden vac/blower

[Robbo90]

I am getting a bit of earache off the missus. The garden is looking a bit of a mess. Apparently it's my fault, all I have been doing is cutting some kindling, splitting a few logs and using the chainsaw to cut some bit bits down to size. I have told her the off cuts will all rot down even though I brushed some of the bits into the borders, but apparently thats not a good enough excuse. So. I need one of those garden vac/blower thing's. What are the good and bad ones out there? It will need to chew lumps of bark and bits of stick. Is a petrol one that much better than electric? What do I need?

[GardenKit]

I fear you may be barking up the wrong tree!

Don't expect too much from a blower vac, whatever the make or price. The lumps of bark and small sticks will have to be pretty small for them to be lifted and chopped. You may still need to rake them up.

Ideal for leaves and sawdust, crap for most other things.

[mushroom]

I fear you may be barking up the wrong tree!

Don't expect too much from a blower vac, whatever the make or price. The lumps of bark and small sticks will have to be pretty small for them to be lifted and chopped. You may still need to rake them up.

Ideal for leaves and sawdust, crap for most other things.

I agree, if the leaves are wet they don't budge, if you have a big garden the noise is a pain.

Annie

[kev_s]

get an allen hover mower, will deal with all of that for you!

[Couldyajust]

You are unlikely to find a blower/vac that actually vacuums that kind of material at a sensible price. Most handheld blowers will help gather up dry material into a pile which makes it easier to shovel up but the vacuum side of it is always a waste of time unless you just have dry leaves with no twigs or stones amongst them.

If it is wet material then a handheld blower is unlikely to shift it which means paying out a fairly hefty sum for a backpack blower instead which is not necessarily cost effective if it is only for use in your garden although you may spot a secondhand one going cheap on arbtrader or ebay such as this one but even with a backpack blower it only helps create a pile in one place which will still need shoveling up.

[Couldyajust]

Should probably add when it comes to petrol vs electric, electric will usually be cheaper but petrol means you are not limited to where the cord will reach. That is basically all it comes down to for domestic use.

Plenty of people round here are happy with the electric flymo blowers although very few of them bother with the vacuum function as they clog continuously with little twigs.

I have a Stihl SH85 which costs quite a bit more than an electric flymo but the vacuum is a waste of time on that too therefore it is only ever used as a blower, spending more on a handheld petrol blower/vac does not make the vacuum function any better.

[Macpherson]

Got a Stihl handheld blower with the vac attachment a couple of years ago, wouldn`t be without it now, more than paid for itself, it`s mostly only used on small jobs for tidying up, using the rake does my back in and I hardly touch it now.

Having said that, as has been said , the vac`s only good on dry stuff and definitely no stones, the bag supplied fills real quick from a pile so if there`s a lot of stuff I miss the bag out, put on an extension hose and fire it straight into ton bags.

[Richard 1234]

Could you sweep in onto grass and then mow it up?

[Robbo90]

My mower only cuts and I prefer to let the cuttings cover the brown muddy bits which makes it all look much greener.

[Gnome]

Got a Stihl handheld blower with the vac attachment a couple of years ago, wouldn`t be without it now, more than paid for itself, it`s mostly only used on small jobs for tidying up, using the rake does my back in and I hardly touch it now.

Having said that, as has been said , the vac`s only good on dry stuff and definitely no stones, the bag supplied fills real quick from a pile so if there`s a lot of stuff I miss the bag out, put on an extension hose and fire it straight into ton bags.

 

Agree with above, How longs the extension hose? is there a drop in suction?