The 7 Best Cordless Leaf Blowers of 2023

We tested more than 20 cordless leaf blowers, and these 7 blew us away.

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Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek

While we all enjoy watching the changing colors of the seasons, raking leaves can be a tiring chore. Cordless leaf blowers make quick work of cleaning up leaves, but wading through all the options online can feel overwhelming. We took the guesswork out of it for you by testing 23 different cordless leaf blowers to find the best cordless leaf blowers.

We also talked to Kris Kiser, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute and Equip Exposition, and Adam Woodhams, garden, lawn, and landscape professional and host of Gardner's Clippings on YouTube, to find out what are the most important things to consider with cordless leaf blowers.

"A major factor to consider when purchasing a leaf blower is its mobility," Kiser says. "Consider how long you may need to operate it when selecting equipment. The size of your yard, volume of leaves, and distance you have to carry the blower can all become factors that impact usage."

Here are the best cordless leaf blowers.

Amazon

It's a powerful but lightweight cordless leaf blower.

The battery lasted for 12 minutes in our testing.

The best overall cordless leaf blower is this option by Makita. At just 6.5 pounds, it's lightweight enough to use with one hand, but powerful enough to clear a 10 square foot area of leaves in seconds.

One feature we really liked was the multiple power options. The blower was easy to hold with one hand and to adjust power control with the other hand. You can also use the speed lock function (think of it like cruise control on your car) for continuous use.

Users also have the option to use the variable speed trigger function to adjust the speed. Using this trigger function will extend the run time, but if you keep the leaf blower running continuously, it will drain the battery faster.

One feature we appreciated was the power boost. To engage the power boost, we had to have the speed lock set, and then we could engage the trigger for more power. The only downside of this model was the battery run time; we ran the unit for 12 minutes before the battery died.

Overall, we recommend this lightweight cordless because it's lightweight and affordable. It's powerful enough to clear leaves quickly, but it may not be suited for an expansive landscape that would take more time to clear.

Price at time of publish: $199

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

Amazon

It only weighs 6 pounds, making it easy to maneuver.

Run time averages around 15 minutes, so you might want to have two batteries on hand if you have a big area to cover.

For some homeowners, lugging around a heavy leaf blower can be a deterrent to using their cordless leaf blower. This model from Ryobi only weighs 6 pounds, making it much easier for users to manage.

We felt in control of this leaf blower, and it was easy to maneuver and use. The leaf blower cleared all conditions we tested, it was lightweight, and it was easy to handle with one hand.

Although it's lightweight, we found it very powerful. It has a variable speed up to 100 miles per hour (MPH) with an air flow capacity of 280 cubic feet per minute (CFM), and we noted that this blower quickly got up to full power.

The official battery runtime listed by the manufacturer is 15-20 minutes, but we were able to use it for 30 minutes before the battery ran out. It took two to three hours to charge the battery, so you may want to consider having two batteries on hand so you can charge one while using the other.

The only other downside we noticed was that this leaf blower was pretty loud compared to other models of cordless leaf blower we tested. Because of its powerful performance, it's the best cordless leaf blower for those looking for an affordable option.

Price at time of publish: $159

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

Amazon

You don't have to hold down a button while running the blower.

It weighs 12 pounds, so it's heavier than several others on this list.

The Ego Power+ 600 CFM Backpack Blower is our pick for the best splurge cordless leaf blower. The backpack harness made it very easy to maneuver the cordless blower. we found that the backpack was comfortable, not too heavy, and the wand was flexible and moved well. This model weighs 12 pounds, but with the weight distributed evenly because of the backpack harness, it felt lighter.

This cordless leaf blower also performed well in all of our tests, clearing leaves in just seconds, with a variable speed up to 145 MPH. One feature that made this model easy to use was that we could set the desired speed and then turn it on. We appreciated being able to set a dial and let the leaf blower blow at a predetermined speed and strength so we didn't have to hold down a button the entire time.

This kit comes with a 7.5 AH arc lithium battery with a fuel gauge and a charger, which is compatible with all Ego outdoor power equipment. The manufacturer information listed the decibel level at 64, but we found it to be a bit louder than that. However, we felt the sound level was tolerable and much quieter than a gas-powered backpack leaf blower.

Overall, we recommend this cordless leaf blower for those with a large yard or with yards that have a lot of trees. It's a heavy-duty blower that can quickly move leaves and debris.

Price at time of publish: $581

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortok

Amazon

Two batteries work in tandem for extra-long battery life.

It may be too powerful for small spaces.

If you’re looking for a long battery life, the Worx 40V Turbine Cordless is the best leaf blower for you. It comes with two 20V batteries that slide onto each side of the handle. Even with the double battery configuration, this cordless leaf blower only weighs about 7 pounds.

We were impressed by the power of this leaf blower and noted it was an effective leaf blower with multiple power settings. The first setting cleared most conditions, including wet leaves, and we also noted that it was lightweight and easy to handle with one hand.

The manufacturer recommends using the lower power setting on hard surfaces, such as driveways and patios. The higher power setting delivers speeds up to 90 MPH, which works best for working around shrubs in the landscape and moving leaves across grass.

With the extra battery life, this lightweight cordless leaf blower can handle big jobs, and we recommend this leaf blower for homeowners with a medium to large size yard. An added benefit was that this leaf blower wasn't as loud as we expected it to be. We like this leaf blower because it has a long battery life, it's quieter than some of the other models we tested, and it's more affordable than some of the other options.

Price at time of publish: $220

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek

Amazon

It weighs less than 4 pounds, so it's easy to maneuver with one hand.

It's not as powerful as others on our list, so it may take longer to clear leaves from one spot.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive, lightweight cordless leaf blower to clear your front steps or a small patio, this is a great option. We like this cordless leaf blower for those with a small outdoor space.

During our testing, this leaf blower cleared leaves off of concrete much faster than it cleared leaves on grass. We had to make two or three passes with the blower to move leaves in the grass. There is only one power setting, so we had to hold the blower low to the ground to get the air under the leaves to lift them up.

The biggest benefit of this cordless leaf blower is that it weighs less than 4 pounds, and we were able to operate it with one hand. Occasionally, we used two hands to help direct the flow with more precision, but it was light enough that our forearms didn't get tired.

A drawback we found was that the cordless leaf blower had lower power than some of the other models we tested. We didn't like that we had to bend down to get the air low enough to move the leaves on grassy surfaces, and it wasn't comfortable for our taller testers to use. Overall, we recommend this cordless leaf blower for small yards and outdoor hard surfaces.

Price at time of publish: $99

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

Amazon

It's a powerful leaf blower that works well for large yards.

It takes extra effort and a screwdriver to assemble it for the first time.

If you’ve got a lot of ground to cover you may want to take a closer look at the Greenworks Pro 80V Cordless Backpack Leaf Blower. The manufacturer claims that it can easily handle clearing leaves up to one acre, and we agree that it is a powerful leaf blower.

Specifically, we liked the variable speeds so we could clear leaves with precision, and we appreciated that there are multiple ways to control power. One is like a trigger, and we used that feature the most so we could turn the blower off easily to improve accuracy. The other speed control keeps it on at a constant speed.

The backpack design helps distribute the weight evenly and makes it easier to maneuver. One of our shorter testers commented that it was a little unwieldy for her to get it on because it was so big. Once she had the backpack on and was using it, it felt very manageable.

We recommend this cordless leaf blower for homeowners with a large yard. It performed well in quickly clearing leaves across a large expanse of lawn, and we also liked that we could easily control the power while working around obstacles. The only drawback was the size for smaller users.

Price at time of publish: $350

Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek

Amazon

There were two ways to turn on the blower, making it easy to use in any part of the yard.

The power starts to wane a little toward the end of the battery life.

For those looking for precision control, the Dewalt Brushless Handheld Blower is the best cordless leaf blower. It has two modes of operation. We used the variable speed trigger to quickly turn it off and on, which was a great feature when working in landscaped areas and not wanting to disturb the mulch or damage plants.

We liked being able to control the power two ways, either on all the time or by using the trigger function to control on and off for things like the flower bed. The other option is a speed lock feature, which allows users to set the speed and turn it on, and then it will maintain the set speed without the users having to hold down a button.

We liked this option when clearing leaves from a wide open lawn as it felt more comfortable not having to keep a tight grip on a button while operating the leaf blower. Another feature that made this cordless leaf blower comfortable to use is that it's lightweight. It weighed less than 7 pounds, which made it manageable to operate with one hand.

Overall, we recommend this cordless leaf blower for yards because of its multiple power options which make it versatile for clearing both lawns and garden beds.

Price at time of publish: $267

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

Better Homes & Gardens / Rachel Marek

Overall, we recommend the Makita Brushless Cordless Blower Kit because it's a powerful leaf blower for an average-size yard, and it's moderately priced. For a large yard or small acreage, the Greenworks Pro 80V Cordless Backpack Leaf Blower is the best cordless leaf blower because it can clear a large expanse of space quickly with speeds up to 180 MPH.

This was a blind product test of 25 cordless leaf blowers, and we didn't know the brand until after completing each task and making our performance ratings. We gave each product a rating from one to five based on the ease of setup, battery life, ease of use, portability, and noise level.

To determine the effectiveness of each product, we performed a series of tasks removing leaves from a 10 x 10-foot area. We tested how long it took the cordless leaf blowers to remove dry leaves and then wet leaves on grass, and we also tested how long it took to remove dry and wet leaves on concrete.

To measure the accuracy of the cordless leaf blowers, we also noted how long it took to move leaves on grass and on concrete into a box. We used the ratings and the timed tests to determine the seven best cordless leaf blowers.

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

Most of the cordless leaf blowers we tested had an 18-volt, 20-volt, 40-volt, or 80-volt battery. You may also notice an Ah rating on the batteries, which stands for ampere hours or amp hours. "Basically, higher voltages and higher Ah give you better run-times and more power," says Adam Woodhams, garden, lawn, and landscape professional and host of Gardner's Clippings on YouTube.

Most of the best cordless leaf blowers we tested ran for 10-25 minutes at full power, which is enough time to clear a small yard or a specific landscaping area. A couple of the more powerful cordless leaf blowers could run for three hours on a single charge, and we felt that these models were better suited to large landscapes.

We noted that cordless leaf blowers that weighed 7 pounds or less were easy to operate with one hand and didn't cause fatigue as quickly. We noticed a big difference when handling leaf blowers that were more than 8 pounds; our arms tired out quickly with the heavier units.

If you have a big yard and need a more powerful cordless leaf blower, we recommend going with a backpack version that better distributes the weight of the unit.

There are two important speed settings you’ll want to pay attention to: MPH and CFM. Miles per hour (MPH) refers to the speed of the air coming out of the leaf blower. Cubic feet per minute (CFM) measures how much air is passing by a stationary point in one minute.

Generally speaking, the bigger the numbers are the more power the leaf blower will have. We like cordless leaf blowers that have adjustable speeds so you can have more control.

Regardless of the speed, Kiser recommends maintaining a safe distance when using a leaf blower. "Never point an operating leaf blower in the direction of people or pets. Make sure bystanders, including other people using leaf blowers, are at least 50 feet away before you turn on your leaf blower," Kiser says.

Cordless leaf blowers are significantly quieter than gas-powered leaf blowers. Many manufacturers list the decibels at 60-70 decibels, the noise level of a conversation. We felt like they were a bit louder than that, comparing them to background noise in a busy restaurant. Overall, the best cordless leaf blowers are much quieter than gas-powered leaf blowers.

Most of the cordless leaf blowers we tested came with the blower, a battery, and some sort of tube. In some instances, this tube just lengthened the blower. In other models, the end of the tube narrows or has flexible ends, and this design improved precision when trying to move leaves in a specific direction.

There are also a few cordless leaf blowers that come with a backpack harness, and this made it easier to operate heavy, more powerful cordless leaf blowers.

Better Homes & Gardens / Henry Wortock

The Toro 60-Volt Brushless Cordless Leaf Blower performed well in our tests and was able to move leaves out of the 10 x 10 area, but it wasn't as fast or powerful as some of the other models we tested. Weighing in at 10 pounds, this model is also 3-4 pounds heavier than many of the other handheld cordless leaf blowers, making it more difficult to maneuver.

We thought the Craftsman V20 cordless leaf blower would work well for small spaces, but it was slow to clear leaves from larger spaces. Although it weighed less than 5 pounds, our arms felt fatigued because it took so long to clear one area.

This Greenworks Pro 80V Cordless Axial Leaf Blower was able to complete all the tasks in our test, but it was slower to clear the area than other products we tested. We needed to get closer to the targeted leaves to get them to move. Since this model took longer to remove leaves, the nearly 9-pound tool felt too heavy.

The Ego POWER+ 600 CFM Backpack Blower and the Worx 40V Turbine Cordless Leaf Blower Power Share with Brushless Motor both have runtimes of 180 minutes. The Ego backpack blower is more of a splurge, but it's a worthwhile investment if you have a lot of land to cover. If you’re looking for a handheld model with a long battery life, then the Worx blower would be a good option. With dual batteries, it offers a much longer runtime than the other handheld units.

The Greenworks Pro 80V Cordless Backpack Leaf Blower is the most powerful cordless leaf blower we tested. Most of the cordless leaf blowers we tested had an 18-volt, 20-volt, 40-volt, or 80-volt battery, and this one is at the top of the list with an 80-volt battery. It can blow up to 180 MPH, and it has an air flow capacity of 610 CFM.

Most of the cordless leaf blowers on our list had a top speed over 100 MPH, although there was one of the lighter-weight models that listed 90 MPH as its top speed. Cordless leaf blowers with a speed of 100-150 MPH are good for general use, but if you have a lot of leaves to move or you have a large space to cover, opt for something more powerful.

Corded leaf blowers generally provide more consistent power and for longer periods of time because you don't have to factor battery life into your running time plus you get a steady source of power through the power cord and outlet. However, battery models have dramatically improved in terms of power in the past few years. During testing, we found the best electric leaf blowers in the cordless and corded categories to have similar amounts of power. Out of the top-scoring leaf blowers overall, three were cordless and one was corded.

Megan Boettcher is a freelance writer for Better Homes and Gardens, writing about a variety of topics including home design, holiday crafts, and more. To find the best cordless leaf blowers, she considered insights from testers, who tested each pick at our lab in Des Moines, Iowa. She also consulted Kris Kiser, president and CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute and Equip Exposition and Adam Woodhams, garden, lawn, and landscape professional for additional insight.

Next to all of the products on this list, you may have noticed our BHG Recommends seal of approval. Products that earn the seal have been put through rigorous testing to make sure they're worth a spot in your home. We buy most of the products we test ourselves, but occasionally we are provided samples by companies if buying isn't an option. In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products.

Looking for more products that have earned our BHG Recommends seal of approval? Check out our picks for everything from picnic blankets to humidifiers.

Price at time of publish: $199 Product Details: Power: Runtime: Weight: Speed: Air Flow Capacity: Noise Level: Accessories: Price at time of publish: $159 Product Details: Power: Runtime: Weight: Speed: Air Flow Capacity: Noise Level: Accessories: Price at time of publish: $581 Product Details: Power: Runtime: Weight: Speed: Air Flow Capacity: Noise Level: Accessories: Price at time of publish: $220 Product Details: Power: Runtime: Weight: Speed: Air Flow Capacity: Noise Level: Accessories: Price at time of publish: $99 Product Details: Power: Runtime: Weight: Speed: Air Flow Capacity: Noise Level: Accessories: Price at time of publish: $350 Product Details: Power: Runtime: Weight: Speed: Air Flow Capacity: Noise Level: Accessories: Price at time of publish: $267 Product Details: Power: Runtime: Weight: Speed: Air Flow Capacity: Noise Level: Accessories:

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