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Overall Rating

Works well, but some substantial drawbacks
I wanted to love this Leaf Hog. For the first day I owned it, I did love it. The honeymoon is now over though, and not everything is quite as rosy as I thought. Here’s where we stand:

Pros:
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1) Mulches leaves very effectively
2) No significant problems with clogging
3) Lightweight, easy to maneuver
4) Easy to switch between blower/vacuum
5) Inexpensive

I primarily bought this to help me turn leaves into leaf mulch. It does that quite well. I now have nearly 2 cubic yards of well-shredded leaves to use as mulch and throw in the compost pile. I thought it was simple to put together, and it’s easy to operate.

Cons:
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1) Collection bag is of very poor quality
2) Motor is obnoxiously loud
3) Some parts don’t fit well
4) Vibration is excessive, and can cause health problems

Bad news…the collection bag developed a hole and some tears the second time I used it. The bags run $15-$20 or so. If I had to replace one each season, I might not be so upset. But at this rate I’ll be spending more on bags every year than the initial cost of the blower itself. Unacceptable.

And this sucker is _loud_. It’s not really a problem for me since I wear good hearing protection while operating machines like this, but I do worry that I’ll annoy my neighbors if I use it frequently.

While it was easy to put together, the plastic tube that attaches to the motor housing fits poorly. Lots of dust and some other larger debris flies out of the mating surface where the pieces don’t meet tightly enough.

The biggest negative of this product _for me_ is that the vibration is excessive. What’s the big deal if it vibrates too much, you ask? Besides being uncomfortable to hold, it can actually lead to problems with the nerves in the hands and arms. There’s something called Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) that can develop with repeated usage of tools like this. I’m not exactly sure what happened in my case (I don’t believe I have ‘HAVS’), but twice when I used it my hands and fingers became numb for an extended period of time. By “extended period” I mean 2-3 days. Now I just set it on the ground next to a pile of leaves and guide the leaves into the tube. Works fine.

If I can find the receipt, I’m thinking about returning this due to the defective/low-quality collection bag. If I do so, I might try the similar Toro Ultra 12 Amp Variable Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum With Metal Impeller #51599 which supposedly is much quieter — and hopefully vibrates less as well.

I don’t think this Black & Decker is a bad product. It works great, and it does so without a lot of pizazz or polish. Given the price, I can’t really complain about how it performs. Obviously something about my physiology isn’t compatible with the vibrations it produces, but I don’t expect this to be a problem for most people.