Sweet jeebus the 80 volt one packs a punch. The 40 volt one I already had is kind of like the lady version; it's ok for smaller areas and if you're not in a hurry. The 80 volt one is for when you don't want to mess around, you just want all the leaves - and anything else not nailed down - gone.
Glad to hear that it does the job How long does it run on a single charge? That may be the deciding factor on whether it's practical for professional use.
Next time the gardener comes, we'll put it to the test, and I'll report back.
So far I've only used it to dust off the porch, a big old Craftsman thing with chairs and even rugs. It was amusing watching it lift the rugs up. Beats the heck out of trying to vacuum them.
(That said, even the 40v blower probably would be useful there; it would just take a little longer, and provide less flying carpet entertainment. Also, the difference in effectiveness is from the 500cfm vs. 125 cfm, or whatever, the two provide; there are also 40v ones with the higher cfm, but I suspect their batteries don't last as long. One comment said the higher blow rate on the small blowers was only if you press a turbo button, and batteries only lasted 15 minutes then.)
Yes, and I did a couple years ago. I also drive an EV. Decarbonization is hard, I have yet to attack the house's space or water heating systems, and I can't cap the gas line because we have a historic stove and gas fireplace that we'll keep for sentimental reasons.
OK! He's used the leaf blower on two visits now. He reports the (2AH, 80v) battery lasts for 20 minutes, and that the blower is good; it feels like a V8, he said, and really does the job. He liked it so much he asked where I got it, how much it cost, and what model it was. He explained that he's gotten several warnings from a neighboring town about using gas leaf blowers, and he wants to avoid getting fined. So evidently the tools are starting to get good enough for real use... for at least some gardeners, and when there is threat of enforcement.
For our yard, he even likes the 40V Black & Decker string trimmer and hedge trimmer; for bigger yards he said he'd want ones more like the monster 80V blower. And it turns out he has his own Ryobi electric tools which he uses at smaller jobs in that town that banned gas blowers.
He estimates he would need four battery packs total, even with charging while working. And they're not cheap; $150 each (the Ryobi 40V batteries are about two thirds that).
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So far I've only used it to dust off the porch, a big old Craftsman thing with chairs and even rugs. It was amusing watching it lift the rugs up. Beats the heck out of trying to vacuum them.
(That said, even the 40v blower probably would be useful there; it would just take a little longer, and provide less flying carpet entertainment. Also, the difference in effectiveness is from the 500cfm vs. 125 cfm, or whatever, the two provide; there are also 40v ones with the higher cfm, but I suspect their batteries don't last as long. One comment said the higher blow rate on the small blowers was only if you press a turbo button, and batteries only lasted 15 minutes then.)
For our yard, he even likes the 40V Black & Decker string trimmer and hedge trimmer; for bigger yards he said he'd want ones more like the monster 80V blower. And it turns out he has his own Ryobi electric tools which he uses at smaller jobs in that town that banned gas blowers.
He estimates he would need four battery packs total, even with charging while working. And they're not cheap; $150 each (the Ryobi 40V batteries are about two thirds that).