Costco's Backpack Leaf Blower Is The Powerful Answer To Your Fall Leaf Mess

Fall is upon us, the season of pumpkin spice everything, crisp mornings, vibrant foliage, and — cleanup of said foliage. While it may be tempting to simply ignore the fallen leaves blanketing your yard — they are pretty — doing so can be detrimental. Fallen foliage can deprive grass of water, sunlight, and other nutrients, as well as become a hotbed for insects and fungi. That's all to say: don't overlook those leaves. Plus, yard technology has improved greatly since the days of the tedious hand rake, making fall cleanup easier than ever. For example, see the Greenworks 80V 690CFM Backpack Blower, which is sold at Costco for $579.99 (a limited-time offer ending on September 29, 2024).

One of the main benefits of this powerful tool, which comes with an air speed of up to 165 miles per hour, is that it is battery-operated, unlike many leaf blowers, which run on gas, and are notoriously loud, and emit strong, toxic fumes. It's equipped with dual battery ports, enabling a longer run time, along with a dual-port rapid charger that fully charges each battery in less than an hour. This Greenworks blower is also designed to make the job as easy as possible, with a variable speed trigger and both a cruise control and turbo speed option. All of this sounds good on paper, but what do people who bought this product say about it?

Overall, reviews of the Greenworks 80V 690CFM Backpack Blower are mostly positive, with one buyer writing that they were able to clear their yard in less than 10 minutes, drawing the envy of others in their neighborhood. The Tech of Tech on YouTube raved about the ease of using a battery-operated blower that required no warm-up time, as opposed to those that are gas-powered. "You just pop in the battery, and you're good to go. That means I'm much more likely to pull the Greenworks blower out for a small job than I'd ever consider practical for my gas blowers," he said, adding that because there are no toxic fumes, he also uses the blower for other tasks, like cleaning his garage floor.

However, some customers find the tool to be lacking in a few aspects — lowering the leaf blower's rating on most retailers' websites, between 3 and 4 stars. While the majority of reviewers say the Greenworks 80V 690CFM Backpack Blower gets the job done, it's never going to be as powerful as a gas-operated blower, nor will the batteries last as long, which a handful of people mentioned. At 27.1 pounds, it's also on the heavier side, though most said it felt much lighter once on their back.