Les Jones

Tech > 'Tis the Season for Leafblowers

My brother bought a leafblower for me when I bought my house. It was a gas model and lasted about five years.

It didn't wear out. I killed it. I'm jinxed when it comes to two-cycle engines. My brother says it's because I don't perform the ancient mystical rite of draining the fuel lines after each use. Sounds like superstitious nonsense to me.

I replaced the gas blower with an electric Toro. It's quieter, doesn't require me to keep gasoline around the house, never runs out of gas, and it's more environmentally friendly (two-cycle engines pollute badly). I have to manage the extension cord, but in return I expect this to last longer than any gasoline model.

I was surprised to see in Consumer Reports that the electric models outperform their gas cousins. When it comes to gas vs. electric gas usually wins.

I took these pictures on Thanksgiving, with lots of leaves on the ground. Two days later I cleared all of the leaves before the rains came. I miss the leaves. Fall leaves are like a blanket of snow. They tie everything together and make the house a part of the landscape.

P.S. Consumer Reports has test of glues. I like Gorilla Glue, but Loctite's Sumo Glue and Elmer's Ultimate look interesting. Loctite is my favorite brand of cyanoacrylate glue because it lasts for years.