Originally published at: For general yard clean up, nothing beats a leafblower | Boing Boing
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“I am always shocked at the amount of sand, brake dust, leaves, and random bits of other folks’ detritus that winds up in my yards.”
I too am surprised by this and usually it’s because my neighbor used his leaf flower to blow his leaves into the street which then blow into my yard.
“…wander around blowing everything into one corner where I can easily sweep it up.”
Good on you for collecting what you’ve blown.
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You’re worried about brake dust and sand in your yard? Is your yard linoleum?
Brooms are cheap, last practically forever, don’t require electricity or gasoline, and are blessedly almost silent.
Also, who does a more-than-yearly power wash of their concrete? Do you hate your concrete? Quit abrading the top layer away and maybe it won’t look dirty every 6 months.
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Leaf blowers are the spawn of the devil. Howling every day up and down the 'hood. All week it’s the professional yard crews, and on the weekends it’s the enterprising homeowners. Never a quiet daytime moment. That racket starts at 0700 and persists until 1700 or even darkness.
Just. Say. No. And get yourself a proper rake.
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I’ve been using the same push broom for the last 20+ years. One apple powers me for 5+ broom hours.
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Other than visiting philatelists’ conventions I see very few practical applications for leaf blowers.
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Just like Trigger’s broom:
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I never saw that before, thanks for the chuckle.
I’m my case I’ve got the same handle and head as from the day I bought it. Here’s a picture, what more proof do you need? 
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Tear gas.
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I watch someone in the churchyard chase one damp lab round and round a bench while someone with a rake fills a wheelbarrow. One of these days I’ll crack. Nothing beats a leaf blower? It’s only a matter of time.
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Hmm, cordless leaf blowers might now become part of the protestors’ armoury.
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My leaf blower has a bag attachment and nozzle attachment so I can use it as a lawn vacuum. It also chops up the leaves so what would’ve been four or five garbage bags fits neatly into a couple of five gallon buckets. The leaf litter also works great as mulch in the garden.
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i hate leaf blowers. our neighborhood used to be so much quieter, and neighbors actually could talk to each other when out sweeping and raking the yard, before the noisy, lazy, cheap as shit leafblowers came along.
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Leafblowers, phooey!
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years ago (when my son was younger and lighter) we used two leaf blowers to make a hovercraft - it was really cool - one blower for lift, the other for steering - electric blowers and it worked! - and whenever i sat on it it would squish to the floor and refuse to move - no fair
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For my fellow blacksmiths out there, these things also make great forge blowers, just add a waste gate or speed controller and hook it up to your tuyere. I’ve been using the same one as in the article for 3 decades now on the coal forge, still works just fine. For yard work, I use a rake.
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a bagging lawnmower is by far the best… it vacuums up everything in one step.
My neighbor’s hobby is leaf blowing.
For general yard clean up and good relations with your neighbors, nothing beats a rake and broom.
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Can I recommend this rake? It’s great! ZZZZ approved!
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