Professional Tool Reviews for Pros
While cordless leaf blowers may get all the attention these days, professional landscapers still rely on gas for a majority of their work. That may change as battery technology improves. For now, we rounded up the best gas leaf blowers to make sure you know which models stand out in the crowd as the top performers and best value options.
Check out our article on gas vs battery-powered leaf blowers to see what we think of the divide and how each plays an important role in landscape management and maintenance.
Let’s get one thing straight—the ECHO PB-9010T technically has a bit more blowing force than the Stihl BR 800 C-E Magnum backpack leaf blower. However—and this made a big impression on us—we cannot stress how awesome the side start feature is on the Stihl. Once you have the BR 800 up and running, a simple pull on the side handle (located on your left hip) gets you back up and running. Need to stop for a conversation? No problem—stop the blower and then restart it at will—without having to take it off your back.
And, of course, the 41 Newtons of blowing force put out by this backpack doesn’t make it a slouch either. If you want more than the Newtons for specs, this blower delivers more than 900 CFM of air volume, and 230MPH of wind velocity out the tube! With a 4.4 bhp engine and only rated to 78 dB(A) of noise output (albeit from 50-feet or more away), this blower gets the job done. Do you need more blowing force than 41 N? Probably not. And up until last year, you really didn’t have an option to get more. The only downside is that Stihl doesn’t offer any backpack blowers with a hip throttle. If you want that feature, you’ll need to go with a different brand.
ECHO claims this as the most powerful blower in existence. To pull this off, they started with a 79.9cc engine. Then, they tuned it to deliver a monster 1110 CFM and 220 MPH. In certification testing, that translated to 48.0 Newtons of force.
Our testing didn’t result in the same value. It was higher. A full 4 Newtons higher, maxing out at 52.0 Newtons on our meter. Keep in mind that environmental conditions affect blower force and we don’t have the controlled setup of a lab. Regardless, the ECHO PB-9010T is the strongest backpack blower we’ve ever tested—by far.
We like everything about this blower—including the large translucent 83.8-ounce fuel tank, the comfortable straps, and the convenient location of the air filter. The PB-8010 is no slouch, but if you want that extra “oomph”—this tool has it. You can also find it with a hip throttle (the ECHO PB-9010H).
We need to qualify our pick here. You may prefer the additional airspeed of the Husqvarna 525BX’s flat nozzle…or the Stihl Easy2Start system found on the BG 86 C-E. In fact, if you have any arm, shoulder, or elbow problems, definitely check out the Stihl. However, the fact that the Echo PB-2620 prices out roughly $60 less than either of those alternatives makes it a great pick for our best handheld gas leaf blower. In addition to that, Echo makes it easy to maintain this blower. You get a 2-year commercial warranty (5-year consumer).
This X-Series blower delivers around 456 CFM out the tube with 15.8N of blowing force and 172MPH (max) airspeed at the nozzle. It’s a beast, and we’d buy this over any other handheld gas leaf blower on the market.
While we put our hands on the Husqvarna 525BX blower back in 2015, it really impressed us. It still does, combining a lightweight design with ample power into a single package. At 9.5 pounds (dry weight), we have yet to see another tool pack this kind of punch while keeping off the weight.
With this tool, you get a respectable 459 CFM of airflow in the tube plus up to 192MPH using the included flat nozzle (157 mph with the round nozzle). At 15N of blowing force, we also know they aren’t fudging numbers anywhere to impress us. That’s a solid performer for such a lightweight gas blower. Husqvarna also has done a lot to reduce vibration in this blower, making it more comfortable to use.
We picked the sub-$140 Troy-Bilt TB27BH as our best gas leaf blower for home use. It features a powerful 27cc engine and manages to hit an astounding 450 CFM/205MPH combination. It does this while adding great homeowner features like a SpringAssist pull start and a bonus curved tube. That curved tube lets you get under low-lying bushes and other landscape features that would be more difficult with just a straight tube.
Weighing just 10 pounds and with a 14-ounce fuel tank, Troy-Bilt makes a very powerful, yet lightweight gas leaf blower that should work really well for any homeowner. The fact that it does it for a great price makes it that much better.
The Stihl SH 86 C-E picks up where most blowers “leaf” off (you see what I did there?). It adds a triple-bladed steel mulcher that sits above the impeller to finely chop incoming leaves and debris into fine particles. We selected this shredder/blower/vac because so many other models simply pass debris through the plastic impeller on its way to the bag. It doesn’t take long to end up with a clogged (or even broken) impeller once you grab a stick or some larger debris by mistake.
The SH 86 C-E also benefits from having the Stihl Easy2Start system. It’s also made in the USA. In the blower mode, you get a solid 15 Newtons with 170 mph speed and 444 CFM of blowing volume. At 12.3 pounds, it isn’t the lightest unit you’ll carry around. However, since you can grab it with two hands during vacuuming, the result is a very maneuverable tool. You can pay a LOT less for a vacuum/mulcher, but probably not if you want it to last.
The Craftsman B2200 25cc handheld gas leaf blower delivers up to 430 CFM of air volume from the tube. Using the concentrator nozzle you can achieve 200 MPH airspeed for blasting away dirt and debris when needed. Craftsman’s easy pull start has made for consistently simple starting historically. We love that they include a tool-like rubberized grip on the handle.
Other great features include an integrated metal scraper on the front of the tube that helps you get rid of tougher debris without damaging the plastic. At 10.3 pounds, this isn’t the lightest blower, but it’s within a half-pound of the lightest models we’ve tested in this class. You also get Craftsman 2-year limited warranty. For all these reasons—and the $129 price—we chose this as our best gas leaf blower for the money.
Considering the number of brands, models, and styles available, deciding who makes the best gas leaf blower is no easy task. Given our hands-on testing of many different brands, Stihl, Husqvarna, and Echo clearly lead the industry in innovation and performance. Of those, Stihl has the best dealer network—in the United States at least. The last time we checked, Stihl had more than 10,000 authorized full-line servicing dealers.
As far as who makes the best gas leaf blower, the answer requires several caveats. Our Stihl recommendation above clearly favors the professional user, rancher, or large property owner. When we turn to value for the homeowner, you can begin to see some exceptional products from other manufacturers—even consumer-minded brands like Craftsman.
What it comes down to is build quality, ergonomics, warranty, serviceability, and price. Those all seem “rubberbanded” together so that as you increase certain parameters, other flex in response. In general, we like to pay more for a product that provides more and lasts longer. That doesn’t, however, always make sense for those who don’t need a ton of performance from their gas blower. For anyone with only minimal use in mind, spending less makes a whole lot of sense.
Most of the time, the best cordless impact wrench for you is one that uses the batteries you already have. If that’s you, here are our top recommendations from other brands we trust to get the job done.
When we tested the no discontinued RedMax EBZ8500, we got some of the highest Newton force measurements we had ever seen at the time. With the replacement RedMax EBZ8550 (EBZ8550-RH for tube throttle), you get even more power, speed, and air volume. Rated at 1077 CFM and 206 MPH using the round nozzle, this gas leaf blower puts out over 41 Newtons of blowing force. That’s very impressive, and fans of RedMax know that these blowers last forever. In fact, the only thing preventing this from being our top pick was the sheer convenience of Stihl’s side-start feature.
As the base model for the Ryobi 40V RY40440 backpack blower, the Ryobi RY38BP produces 175MPH airspeed with 760 CFM of blowing volume. This 20-pound blower features a recoil start and anti-vibration system to reduce the stress on your back and shoulders. About the only thing missing is a hip belt (which is an unfortunate oversight in our opinion). Pros don’t typically use a hip belt, but consumers not used to wearing a backpack blower can really benefit from the added weight distribution. This is definitely the best Ryobi gas leaf blower since the RY38BP backpack model outperforms the gas handheld “jet fan” blower by 240 CFM and 15MPH.
Homelite doesn’t make a ton of blowers, but we prefer the Homelite UT26HBV to the smaller UT09525. It adds a cruise control feature and includes the ability to vacuum leaves if needed. For $20 more, the vacuum kit and better build quality make a lot of sense. This gas blower works well for those not requiring a ton of power and who don’t plan to use the tool for more than 30 minutes per week. It’s not that the tool can’t handle more, but in general, we consider this a lighter-duty tool.
Makita Corporation announced in 2020 that it will discontinue the production of engine products on March 31, 2022. Regardless, we really liked the performance of their Makita MM4 4-cycle backpack blower and it had remarkably low vibration. If you really want to nab a Teal gas blower before you can’t any longer, the Makita EB7660TH 4-stroke backpack blower has the goods. The 75.6cc engine generates 706 CFM and 206MPH of airspeed at the tube. This blower also sounds a lot quieter than most backpack blowers due to the muffler and 4-stroke technology. Since they discontinued the BBX7600N, the EB7660TH is the best Makita gas blower you can buy…if you can find it in stock.
Poulan Pro offers several leaf blowers, including both backpack and handheld models. There’s a lot of competition in this space, so shop around and pay attention to some of our recommendations above first. We actually prefer Poulan Pro’s handheld blowers due to their lower price point and features. For just blowing, you can pick up the capable PRB26 for around $115. That’s an excellent price if you don’t need to blow off an acre of maple leaves. If you want a blower/vac combination, the 25cc PPBV25 is your ticket for around $50 more.
When we attempted to find the best backpack leaf blower, we loved the Shindaiwa EB802. The Shindaiwa EB910RT puts that model to shame. The EB910RT (or EB910) isn’t just the best Shindaiwa leaf blower—it’s an 1110 CFM (48N) beast that puts out air at up to 220 MPH. On top of that it offers an air cooling system through the back pad that keeps you cool while you work—not a very common feature among Pro brands. You get a carbon fiber frame and a wear ring for scraping debris without dmaging the plastic tube. You an also get this blower with either a hip or tub throttle. This Shindaiwa backpack runs loud—but you also get a ridiculous amount of work done while using it.
Like it or not, a blower really comes down to two things: air volume and airspeed. The trouble is, you can vary the one while sacrificing the other. A good way we’ve found to balance that out and understand true blowing force is to measure the ANSI Newton force at the end of the nozzle. This lets us set up a standardized test that we can replicate across all manufacturers and models. It works for battery blowers, gas leaf blowers, backpack blowers, and any combination of the former.
When we started measuring Newton force using a force meter and the ANSI specification, we quickly realized the disparity between battery-powered leaf blowers and gas leaf blowers. Gas leaf blowers still hold the lead—by a fairly large margin. For that reason, professional landscapers prefer gas for blowing leaves, though more and more are starting to “tactically” use battery-powered products where they make sense.
While Newton force gives us an idea of overall blowing power, air volume—represented by CFM, or cubic feet per minute—tells you how much work the blower gets done. We think of CFM as the measure of how much material you can expect to move with this blower. Spread a thick pile of dry leaves across a nice green lawn. All things being equal, a leaf blower with higher CFM should blow leaves more quickly and efficiently than a tool with a lower CFM rating.
The other side of the equation is air speed. Measured in miles per hour (MPH), this rating tells you how much air comes out of the end of the nozzle. Why is that important? A higher air speed should help you move sticky or wet leaves more easily than a tool with lower air speed. Combine high air speed with a relatively high CFM and you have a very capable leaf blower indeed.
For professional landscapers, a heavier backpack blower might not bother them too much. However, if you can get more air volume, speed, and force out of a lighter package…wouldn’t you want to? We look at the overall weight and size when making our choices and pay special attention to handheld leaf blowers which really benefit from reduced weight.
Of course, blowers with less power often come in lighter and smaller. This spec tends to weight itself more aggressively towards homeowner and handheld tools as a result.
As you might tell from our top pick above, the ease of starting really made an impression on us. Over time, overcoming compression on a 2-cycle motor can lead to repetitive stress injuries in some people. We love spring-assist starter systems that aid in this process.
Most gas leaf blowers start up with a more complex choking process on the first start and then subsequent starts occur with much less effort. Stihl capitalized on this with their side-mounted starting handle. Once you have the backpack leaf blower started, subsequent starts can be done without removing the tool from your back. We can’t stress how convenient that is for professional operators who may need to stop to talk to coworkers or clients while operating a backpack blower.
While not a huge deal, one thing we do check when possible is the fuel efficiency of a blower. We also couple that with the size of the fuel tank so that we can calculate the amount of run time you have before needing to fill up. A backpack leaf blower with a small tank and poor fuel efficiency will waste time if you have to refuel more times throughout the day.
As always, value is a big part of what we look at with any tool. It’s not about which one is the cheapest, it’s about getting the job done well while getting the most bang for your buck.
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When he's not remodeling part of his house or playing with the latest power tool, Clint enjoys life as a husband, father, and avid reader. He has a degree in recording engineering and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.
Clint’s career has covered nearly the entire realm of audio and video production. After graduating at the top of his class with an Associates Degree in Recording Engineering, he began working for the famed Soundelux studios in 1994, one of the largest post-production companies specializing in audio for feature films & television. Working on a myriad of feature films, Clint honed his skills as a dialogue editor, foley editor, and sound designer. Years later, he moved into the expanding area of video editing, where he served as the company’s senior AVID video editor for three years.
Working for such clients as Universal Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, NASA, Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, SEGA, NASCAR, and others, Clint dealt extensively with client management as well as film & video editing, color correction, and digital video & MPEG compression. He also carries several THX certifications (Technician I and II, THX Video), and is ISF Level II Certified.
After founding the CD Media, Inc. publishing company in 1996, he went on to help start or grow several successful online publications, including Audioholics (as Editor-in-Chief for 12 years), Audiogurus, and AV Gadgets. In 2008, Clint founded Pro Tool Reviews followed by the landscape and outdoor power equipment-focused OPE Reviews in 2017. He also heads up the Pro Tool Innovation Awards, an annual awards program honoring innovative tools and accessories across the trades.
Crediting his excellent staff for the success of what is now the largest power tool review publication in the industry, Clint DeBoer hopes to see continued growth for the company as it rapidly expands its reach. Pro Tool Reviews critically reviews hundreds of hand tools, power tools, and accessories each year to help inform users about the best and newest products in the industry. Reaching everyone from the construction industry professional and tradesman to the serious DIYer, Pro Tool Reviews helps tool consumers shop better, work smarter, and stay aware of what tools and products can help put them at the top of their game.
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Professional Tool Reviews for Pros