"According to the Lung Association, a leaf blower causes as much smog as
17
cars . "

Because it's a 2-stroke engine, of course.

My gas leaf blower recently expired (possibly prematurely). I went to Home
Despot to look at new ones, and all of them had "engine life 100 hours" on
the price tag. Screw that!

Now I use my mulching mower to chop up the leaves. I also bought a Shop-vac
that came with a blower attachment, which I use to clear off the sidewalk.
The electric Shop-vac is cheaper, quieter, more versatile, more robust, and
easier to start than a gas blower.

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net
The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.