On 18 Nov 2003 21:10:00 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

~In article ,
~jane wrote:
~~
~~I can't imagine any blower capable of handling wet leaves that
~~wouldn't blow loose soil into the air and damage plants. If one
~~can't handle wet leaves, then it is of pretty restrictive use in
~~the UK!
~
~I have a cheapo electric Black and Decker which can be a blower or a
~hoover. ...
~... I tried cleaning the paths etc
~with a broom for the first couple of years here which was a backbreaker
~then the sister out law gave me her old slightly dodgy B&D as she was
~emigrating.
~
~Brooms aren't good at removing wet leaves, I agree. When I need to
~do that, I use a spade, followed by a broom to clean up. But even
~a spade isn't ideal.
~
~Yes you have to empty the bag a lot, but one bagful is about 3/4
~binlinerful so it' a fair number of leaves. It's easier on the lumbar spine
~to shake leaves out into the binliners while standing upright than to keep
~on bending over! And I defy anyone to clear a rockery with a rake or broom
~without damaging things.
~
~I'll defy anyone to blow wet leaves out of a rockery, too :-)

wooops there goes the edelweiss....!

:-)

~From your posting, it sounds as if you use it in vaccuum mode most
~of the time, and my muttering was specifically about blowers. I
~can see that a garden vaccuum could be useful.
Yes, only used it in blow a couple of times and it wasn't as useful *in my
particular circumstances*. The poster above yours was asking why not a
vacuum as they had been thinking of one, so I figured my pennorth may be
useful.

Of course if the bag comes off accidentally then you get a blower at the
same time! (or if you forget to rezip the bag after emptying it...)

Another downside of a blower as a against a vac is if you have lots of
specimen shrubs or a hedge that is getting covered. Suck gets the leaves
out and blow tends to push them further in.

I guess if you have a drive or lots of paths and loads of trees and just
want the leaves off the surfaces, a blower is best. Off a garden or largish
lawn, probably a vac. I did notice how yellow the lawn was under the
relatively few leaves that were round the back... so I guess I'll be
resowing the wretch yet again...


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!