Best petrol leaf blower [UK]: for large gardens, professional and powerful leaf blowers compared

Specification: Cubic Capacity: 24.5 cc, Engine: 4-Stroke, Max Airflow: 10.1 m³/min, Horsepower: 1.08 hp, Fuel Tank Capacity: 0.52 litres,

We chose the Makita BHX2501 petrol leaf blower has our number 1 for a few reasons. It is worth mentioning that Makita really are producing incredible garden kit, it was only last week we ranked a Makita best cordless lawn mower, then days later best cordless hedge trimmer, and best cordless brush cutter too. Basically, Makita are doing making notch machinery at excellent money.

Firstly, it has a 24.5cc 4 stroke engine as opposed to the more common 2 stroke type engines that a found on power tools. 4 stroke engines are quieter, produce less vibration, and are better for you and the environment because they don’t produce the same amount of emissions as 2 stroke engines. Here’s a look inside this quality engine:

4 stroke engines, like the one powering this petrol leaf blower are usually more fuel efficient too, although this model, with only a 0.5 litre fuel tank, still has to be refilled fairly often. On the plus side, the fuel tank is translucent so you can keep an eye on how much you have left.

The reason for the smaller fuel tank is that Makita have tried their best to keep this petrol leaf blower compact and lightweight. Intending it to be carried in one hand as you walk along.

Carrying along with this compact theme is the design of the blower tube, which can be separated into two parts and stored away easier than a single solid piece.

Some lower quality petrol leaf blowers can be a pain in the backside to start, but this Makita starts up very nicely thanks to a mechanical decompression system and electric ignition. I won’t pretend I know the ins and outs of workings of that system but I can honestly say it does what it’s supposed to.

Petrol power tools make noise, it’s unavoidable and something you have to trade off for the extra power. Makita have fitted a large capacity muffler in this model to try to limit this, and again they have done a decent job.

I personally didn’t try the vacuum attachment that can be purchased separately, but I have been told that it can be a bit fiddly to attach. Then again, it only costs an extra ten pounds so it might be worth a look.

Personally, I just used this petrol leaf blower to do just that-blow leaves, and blow them it did, with a good output of focused air coming out the flat nozzle that allowed me a lot of control over where the leaves where going.

To sum up, this is a great product that will keep on ticking for years as long as you keep up the basic maintenance tasks.

Specification: Cylinder displacement: 46cc, Engine: 2-Stroke, Blow speed: 98.34m/s / 355km/h. ,Fuel Tank Capacity: 2.2 litres. , Rated Power Output: 1.5kW / 6500rpm

If power is high up on your list of requirements when it comes to your petrol leaf blower, then look no further, as the McCulloch GB355BP has it in spades. They make excellent quality equipment and probably manufacture the best robot mower at the moment that’s well priced.

At 46cc, the engine is almost twice the capacity of the Makita BHX2501 and it has a fuel tank that is 4 times bigger, being able to hold 2.2 litres of petrol.

The engine in this McCulloch is a 2 stroke device, so you need to mix the oil in with the petrol before pouring it in. 2 stroke engines are usually noisier and smokier than 4 stroke units but they can produce a lot of power, and this one can blast out air at speeds of 355kph. At that speed you can not only blow leaves but other debris such as twigs and cuttings.

With the extra power and engine size comes extra weight, and the McCulloch GB355BP weighs just over 9kg. This isn’t a big problem though as this is a petrol powered, backpack leaf blower and designed to be carried differently to handheld models.

The backpack that comes with this petrol leaf blower is a very good one, with nice padded shoulder straps that help to take the weight off your back.

The control system is something that resembles a fighter pilot’s stick, and has a responsive trigger that changes the speed of the blower as you add or reduce pressure. If you want to keep at a constant speed, you can flick a switch and it goes into cruise control, allowing you to take your finger off the trigger and still work away.

The position of the trigger grip can be adjusted and slides along the leaf blower so you can find just the right length and feel as comfortable as possible.

If you decide to buy this powerful petrol leaf blower, make sure you have plenty of fuel hanging around as, with any powerful engine, the extra ‘oomph’ comes at the cost of petrol.

On the other hand, the extra power helps to get the job done in half the time, so I suppose it balances out in the end.

Specification: Cylinder displacement: 27.2 cc , Engine: 2-Stroke, Air Velocity Flat: 85 m/sec (190 mph) ,Air Velocity Round: 69 m/sec (154 mph),Air Volume Flat: 610 m3/h (359 cfm) ,Air Volume Round: 780 m3/h (459 cfm) ,Engine Power: 0.8 kW (1.10 bhp)

Stihl garden tools are often the choice of professionals because of their reliability and long working life.

The Stihl BG86CE petrol leaf blower is a handheld tool that gets its impressive power from a 27.22cc 2 stroke engine that has built in air-cooling so you can work for longer without worrying about overheating.

Some 2 stroke engines can be stubborn starters but this Stihl has their ‘ergo start’ design to ensure that it starts up from cold easily and quickly every time. The engine has been designed to reduce the amount of emissions it produces and also to be good on fuel to save you a few quid while helping the environment.

Another thing people complain about with 2 strokes, is vibration. Again, Stihl have tackled this problem by fitting this petrol leaf blower with 4 springs that act as an anti-vibration system. Nice, soft padded handles also help to reduce any vibrations passing through the machine while it’s on, so you won’t be shaking like a ‘leaf’ after a long spell on this machine.

The build quality of Stihl products is always of highest level, and this petrol leaf blower joins the ranks alongside its namesakes. Everything feels strong, solid and heavy duty.

At 5kg it is light enough to be carried in one hand, but if you intend on using it for long periods, or if you lack upper body strength, you might want to consider buying a shoulder strap of some kind.

The tool arrives pre-assembled, you only have to twist on the black blower pipe onto the main unit and you’re ready to mix your fuel, top up, and blow away that garden debris with the Stihl BG68CE’s high air speed.

Flooding the engine on a petrol powered garden tool is something a lot of us have done at some point, especially with our first purchases, but Stihl have given this model a semi-automatic choke lever to reduce the chance of that happening.

Other good features are the purge pump primer that also helps the engine to start up easier, and a built in stop switch where the throttle lock returns to the start position automatically after the machine is switched off.

Specification: Cylinder displacement: 25 cm³, Air speed: 95.83 m/s, Fuel tank volume: 0.54 l, Vac bag capacity: 45 l, Air speed: 95.83 m/s, Air flow in housing: 13.03 m³/min,

Our second McCulloch petrol leaf blower is the GBV345 leaf blower/Vacuum.

As you have probably already guessed from the name, this machine can be used to either blow the leaves where you want them to go, or suck them up into the integrated shredder to be used as mulch on your garden.

The 345kph blowing power that the 25cc engine produces is more than enough to clear leaves and debris from your lawn and path and the flare nozzle does a good job of concentrating the air into a tighter area when you need to shift some stubborn wet leaves.

As we already mentioned this petrol leaf blower can also act as a vacuum, and to store all the leaves that it picks up there is a 45 litre vacuum bag. Unfortunately, the bag can’t be released and emptied separately so you have to carry the whole tool over to the bin, which is annoying. Also the zip on the bag doesn’t open the whole length of the bag making it harder than it should be to get all the leaves out.

Like the Makita BHX2501, McCulloch have chosen to make the fuel tank on this model translucent to help you know when it’s getting close to the time to refuel. The tank can hold a maximum of just under a litre, which is more than our top rated petrol leaf blower.

Vibration has been taken into account by McCulloch and the measures they have taken to reduce it in this model seem to work well. I think the solid overall construction of the tool and the soft grip handles also play a part here too.

Other notable features are the cruise control that is adjustable so you can save yourself some hand strain if you have to pull a long shift in the garden, and the soft start technology which means you don’t have to yank hard on the pulley to get the machine going.

The McCulloch GBV345 petrol leaf blower weighs 4.4 kilograms which is just under average for a petrol handheld leaf blower. The weight is well distributed and the blower feels well balanced when you are holding it.

Hyundai have blown straight up the list with the Powerful Petrol Backpack Leaf Blower. In case you’re wondering, 52cc 2 stroke is massive. To put this into context it’s more powerful than my first moped! This thing is actually over powered for a 16 year olds moped if we want to get technical 😀

Obviously with this much power it’s back pack but don’t worry, all in it’s less than 10kg so not much heavier than the biggest most powerful rivals like some of the McCulloch’s or Husqavarna’s. This truly is a massive bit of professional kit and miles above what a homeowner needs unless you’ve got a serious garden:

This thing isn’t blowing leaves, it’s blowing hay about in a field knotted up with ease. So add to that a cracking 36 month warranty and a trigger you can set to the power you want to blow consistently (without holding it) you can get hours of work done with this thing. They claim it’s good on juice, and perhaps it is for the amount of work done but you’ll use way more than the Makita top pick in this review. It’s best run on unleaded with a simple 40 to 1 2 stroke mix – worth a mention. However speed is a factor too right? That’s why you want a commercial backpack leaf blower…and fuel economy isn’t everything!

In terms of start up, it goes first time most times. There’s really not a lot to dislike about this kit but I’ll try:

When I said it starts first time, there’s no bulb primer so if it doesn’t go, you’ll be giving it a good few cranks – rare but can happen. If you want mental power you still need to look to the Stihl, don’t think you can trade this up at less than half the money and get the same power, a BG56 blows this away – no pun intended 😀

Beyond that I’m pretty much picking wings off flies because I wan’t to sound reasonable and unbiased. Overall it’s a great buy and if you’ve a huge garden, there’s no way this disappoints and you get the 3 year warranty which they honour…

Specification: Cubic Capacity: 26 cc, Engine: 2 Stroke, Max Airflow: 170 mph, Horsepower: 1HP / 0.70kW,

Priced at just over 90 pounds, the Parker PBV-2600 might be just the thing if you’re on a tighter budget.

It is a 3-in-1 petrol leaf blower, vacuum, mulcher and shredder. As a blower, it is very competent, and the 26cc engine does a soiled job of blasting enough air to shift both dry and wet leaves, even if it is a bit ‘thirsty’ when it comes to fuel consumption.

The vacuum setting doesn’t work quite as well as the blower but it isn’t bad. I just wish that Parker hadn’t designed it so that the exhaust points up when vacuuming as you get a face full of fumes in some positions.

The mulcher/shredder also works ok, but is nothing special. It’ll give you a good enough mulch to add to your compost heap.

I was happy that the 26cc engine started up very easily, even without using the choke but I did prime the carburettor first by pressing the slightly hard to get to primer pump.

The only set up I had to do was attach the pipe, but that was trickier than expected as the two sections were very close in size and diameter. This meant a bit of bending and squeezing of one of them was needed to get them to fit together.

At around 4kg this parker petrol leaf blower is light enough to carry around in one hand and wield without too much effort.
As expected with low cost tools, the quality of the casing material is ok, but not up to the same standard as the other, more expensive products we’ve reviewed here.

And that pretty much sums the Parker PBV-2600 up- it’s a decent little petrol leaf blower that won’t break the bank, but just isn’t ‘polished’ enough to compete with the likes of the Makita BHX2501 and the McCulloch Petrol Backpack Leafblower.

At around 4kg this parker petrol leaf blower is light enough to carry around in one hand and wield without too much effort.
As expected with low cost tools, the quality of the casing material is ok, but not up to the same standard as the other, more expensive products we’ve reviewed here.

And that pretty much sums the Parker PBV-2600 up- it’s a decent little petrol leaf blower that won’t break the bank, but just isn’t ‘polished’ enough to compete with the likes of the Makita BHX2501 and the McCulloch Petrol Backpack Leafblower.

Specification: Displacement: 42.7 cc, Engine: 2-stroke, air-cooled, Power: 1.25 kW, Speed: 6800 rpm, Air velocity: 47 m/s, Air volume: 900 m3/h, Fuel Tank Capacity: 1.2 litres,

VidaXL’s petrol leaf blower is priced at the lower end of the scale for this kind of product, but it gives far more expensive models a good run for their money.

At 6.5kg it is one of the lighter petrol leaf blowers, and when you’ve got the padded shoulder straps of the free carry-backpack on, what weight there is quickly becomes nothing more than a second thought.

Far more comfortable than I would have expected for the lower price tag, the backpack is

The 42.7cc two stroke engine delivers an impressive 6800rpm, air volume of 900 m3/h and a velocity of 47 m/s that will shift the most stubborn wet leaves from the longest grass.

And it does this while being relatively quiet. With a noise level of 108 dBA it competes with some of the more powerful electric leaf blowers in that department. Now, it’s a leaf blower, and it makes noise, but it isn’t terribly distracting.

Refuelling is kept to minimum thanks to 1.2 litre fuel tank, so you won’t have any problem spending as long as you need at the bottom of the driveway getting those piles of leaves just how you want them.

Like most petrol models, getting set up takes a little more time than with an electric ones, but it’s not anything out of the ordinary. Once you’ve connected the few pieces you need to, and mixed the oil and fuel, this blowr starts up really easily and smoothly each and every time.

The only thing I didn’t like about this extremely solid and well built machine is that the main blower tube is not detachable, and this makes storage a little bit more difficult than it needs to be. However, if that’s the only real flaw I have to put up with to get a cracking petrol leaf blower at such a low price, I’m more than happy to do so.

Specification: Cubic Capacity: 76CC, Engine: 2 Stroke, Power Output: 2 hp/ 7500rpm, Air Volume: 980 m³/hr, Fuel Tank Volume: 1300 cm³,

Another option for those seeking a powerful petrol leaf blower but on a tighter budget is the BU-KO backpack model, available for around a hundred and thirty pounds.

It is, in many ways, similar to the VidaXL backpack leaf blower but this one sports a 65cc 2 stroke engine that gives you nearly 25cc more to play with over its closest competitor.

The engine produces 2.8 horsepower and sends the fan spinning to a maximum of 7500rpm, and this is turn gives you a mighty wind velocity of 210mph. At that speed, you’ll be hard pressed to find any common garden debris that can’t be blown away by the BU-KO.

To keep the temperature of this powerful 65cc block down, BU-KO have ensured that it is air cooled and that the system they’ve installed works the way it should. I played with this petrol leaf blower for quite a while and never felt like it was overheating. They’ve also done a good job with the starting mechanism, and it didn’t take more than 2-3 pulls on the starter cord to bring this little beast to life.

The advertising I saw for this petrol leaf blower stated that it weighed 6.5kg. Now, I didn’t weigh this accurately myself, but once filled with a 30:1 ratio fuel and oil mix, it felt a bit heavier than that. Thankfully though, this machine comes with a backpack to help ‘shoulder’ that extra weight (sorry, I jut can’t resist puns). The backpack is decent enough, with padded shoulder straps that are pretty comfortable, but it isn’t up to the same quality as the one you get with the Vida XL.

And that’s pretty much the whole story with this petrol leaf blower: It’s good for the price, but it just isn’t quite as polished as the VidaXL which costs around the same.
Yes, you are getting a bigger engine and a bit more power, but you also get a little more vibration from it too. It isn’t anything health threatening, or even that bad really, but after a while you do notice it coming through the backpack.

The overall build quality isn’t quite as on point as the VidaXL either. When it comes to the larger things like the engine housing, blower tube, and main control, this BU-KO petrol leaf blower is very solid and as good as its rivals. However, when you get to the smaller details like the thinner plastic parts, it doesn’t shine as much.

Then again, this is a low cost model, so these things are to be expected to some degree, and it does have some good features such as the adjustable hose length and the fact you can detach it for easy storage.

This model also comes with a full set of protective gear thrown in, including gloves, safety glasses, and of course ear protectors.