Rustling Up Reaction to Leaf Blower/Vacs

Our concern about leaf blowers (“In the Garden,” Dec. 2) is where do people think the material goes that they are blowing? And for gas models, they are not only in the midst of the dust created but also breathing the exhaust fumes.

For the vacuum type, still the particulates have to go somewhere--for $70 the bag is not going to hold them. Our concern has always been the particulates for both the users and their neighbors. Perhaps we think what we cannot readily see will not harm us, or maybe will harm us enough years in the future that we will forget the cause.

At any rate, we usually seriously consider both eye protection and the proper respirator for the task at hand.

--JOHN PALMER

Yucaipa

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Great article but too bad you bought a Black & Decker blower. I have a Toro that is well-balanced (both blower and vac work easily with one hand), powerful (I’ve got the 180 mph model, which doesn’t blow my pots around like the 210 mph model), and quiet (well . . . sort of). I have never heard a Black & Decker, but I know for a fact that it would be virtually impossible to irritate a neighbor with any of the Toro machines. In fact, my neighbor was the one who first put me onto them.

While I still rake those areas that are mulched and the blower tends to “de-mulch,” I have a rather large driveway with liquidambar and carob trees dropping constantly, and the blower/vac is a godsend.

--DON GROSS

La Canada

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We own a Sears Craftsman blower/vac and can agree with some of your problems. It’s uncomfortable as a vac, particularly as the bag gets heavy. But it is not that noisy. At least I don’t think it’s as noisy as you describe yours. I certainly would not wear earmuffs.

--DICK WILLHARDT

Ventura

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I have seen such a blower/vacuum in operation only once, but I was quite impressed at the time by the lack of noise. It wasn’t even in the same league with a gasoline-powered blower. I can’t tell very much from the picture that was shown with the article, but there does not appear to be any major difference between that one and the one that I saw in use. Do you know if there is more than one type available?

I currently use an electric mower and that is far, far quieter than any gasoline-powered mower that I have seen. I once had an electric-powered mulcher, but it was rather noisy, as well as being underpowered and inadequate. It also produced a lot of dust, but I suppose that is inevitable.

--ROBERT E. SPENGER

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