To remove leaves from your garden, yard or street, the device sucks the leaves through a wide opening with the help of an air stream and therefore works according to the same principle as a vacuum cleaner. A collection bag catches the leaves, making it easy for you to empty and transport the garden waste.
Many leaf vacuums are also equipped with a shredding function, which immediately shreds the vacuumed leaves as well as small branches or hedge residues in a compost-friendly manner, so that you can clean up more area with one suction operation than without the shredder.

Before you look at the power in detail, you should assess what work you want to do with the leaf blower. If you buy a more powerful device, you can use it not only to collect leaves, but also small branches.
As a general rule, petrol engines with fewer watts can deliver the same performance as high wattage electric leaf vacuums and leaf blowers.
An electric leaf vacuum should offer around 2000 watts to easily loosen the leaves from the ground and suck them in. A leaf vacuum with a petrol engine works differently again, so it is sufficient if it has 0.75 kilowatts. The combustion engine is more efficient in itself, but not more environmentally friendly. You can therefore choose a device with less power without hesitation and achieve the same speed.
Battery-powered devices have the lowest power. While manufacturers use modern and equally reliable batteries, they often have to sacrifice performance to ensure adequate battery life. Also, when choosing a blower, keep in mind that different units of measurement apply depending on the design:
For leaf blowers that use an electric drive, the power is always expressed in watts (W).
For leaf blowers with a petrol engine, the power is always defined in kilowatts (kW).
The higher the engine power, the higher the speed. A leaf blower that has a power of 2500 watts can reach up to 300 kilometres per hour (km/h) of air speed during operation, which is an almost unimaginable speed. A device with a motor with 3000 watts of power is for real professionals and even reaches a speed of 418 km/h.

Basically, you have the choice between petrol, electric and battery-powered versions of leaf vacuums. In the following, I will tell you the characteristics of the different drive types:
Operating mode
Properties
Electrically operated
requires electricity and must be located near a power outlet (location-dependent)
more economical in consumption than a gasoline-powered device
works via a cable
the cheapest devices
recommended accessories: extension cable or cable drum
Drive by rechargeable battery
(lithium-ion)
also dependent on electricity, but cordless
after charging, the device often has a power of 1000 to 1500 watts and can suck up a volume of thirty liters of leaves
are ideal on the pavement, in workshops or on construction sites
does not cause any petrol smell when working
batteries / charger easily available in stores
gasoline-powered
has a very high performance due to the combustion engine
very mobile / work until the petrol is empty
available with either a two-stroke engine or a four-stroke engine
does not need a power supply in the vicinity

When choosing oil, you should first check your leaf vacuum's owner's manual to determine what fuel mixture you need. It's better to be safe than sorry so you don't damage your leaf vacuum with the wrong type of fuel.
The engine will usually only run properly and for as long as possible if you choose good quality oil and fuel. If you do not follow the manufacturer's instructions and deviate from the mixing ratio, for example, this can lead to damage to your device.
For engine oil, you should choose an oil with the TC classification. Sometimes the manufacturers of the various gardening tools even offer their own types of engine oil. If you have the option of using this type of oil, it is advisable to do so, as these oils have been specially adapted to the engines of the gardening tools to ensure a particularly long engine life.
When choosing the right petrol, you should also make sure that it has an octane rating of at least 90 RON. As petrol is harmful to the environment, you should also consider using unleaded petrol. This is not only beneficial for the environment, but also for your health, as the engine emits fewer harmful exhaust gases.

It is not uncommon for leaf vacuums to reach a noise level of 85 decibels (dB), and some gasoline-powered leaf vacuums even reach 115 dB.
If you consider that long-term hearing damage can occur from a continuous noise level of 80 decibels, it is not surprising that under certain circumstances leaf vacuums and leaf blowers can be banned.
The Federal Immission Control Ordinance classifies leaf vacuums and leaf blowers as noise level II. This means that they are potentially capable of causing medium and long-term hearing damage. Users of such equipment therefore usually wear hearing protection while working.
Generally speaking, battery-powered leaf vacuums are considerably quieter than petrol-powered models and you can buy a variety of vacuums with different suction and blowing levels.

Yes, while cordless leaf vacuums are so small and compact that you can easily carry them over your shoulder, there are also much larger leaf vacuums. Mobile leaf vacuums are characterized by a strong motor power as well as a collection container with a large volume.
In addition, a mobile leaf vacuum promises you a particularly convenient use, because you simply push the device in front of you, whereby the leaf collector picks up the leaves. At first glance, mobile leaf vacuums therefore look like lawn mowers. There are suction pipes in the immediate vicinity of the rollers, which suck in fallen leaves, stones and branches.
Alternatively, mobile garden vacuums may also be equipped with a separate feed hopper so that larger branches and debris can be sucked in. Although you can also use mobile leaf vacuums in a private environment, the typical areas of use are more in the commercial sector.

Since neighbours, passers-by or even animals are at the mercy of the noise pollution caused by leaf vacuum cleaners, there are regulations and restrictions on the use of these devices. This includes, among other things, a local and/or time-limited ban on the use of these implements.
The times that the Federal Immission Control Ordinance stipulates for use are as follows:
on working days (Monday to Saturday): from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
on Sundays and public holidays: all-day ban on leaf vacuum cleaners and leaf blowers
These regulations apply throughout Germany, but each city and municipality can enact its own regulations regarding noise protection. For example, it is not uncommon for commercial areas or rural regions to have a nighttime ban, but allow unrestricted use during the day. If you don't know what your operating hours are, you should check with your local or city government. Violations of these times are punishable by a fine, which can be up to 50,000 euros depending on the type of offence and the municipality.
In addition, according to tenancy law, the landlord can also set his own quiet times. Please refer to your tenancy agreement or the house rules.

Basically, a leaf vacuum is suitable for any surface for the removal of leaves and waste. Since most devices are portable, you can transport them to wherever you want to work with your vacuum. However, portable leaf vacuums can also be used on almost any surface, mainly due to their large wheels.
Depending on what you want to use the vacuum for, you will find different models with different focuses. For example, there are leaf vacuums that are primarily designed for work in rock gardens and gravel beds.
In general, most leaf vacuums are suitable for areas in your garden, in the yard, in front of the house as well as for parks, playgrounds and sports fields or paved surfaces. Leaf vacuums are therefore flexible to use and you are not tied to a specific location - especially with battery-powered devices.

That depends on what you want to use your device for. Unlike a leaf vacuum, a leaf blower does not leave behind a clean surface when the work is done, because it scatters the piles of leaves in the area.
Therefore, a leaf vacuum with an airflow reverser is particularly recommended. With these models, the leaves are first blown together and then sucked in. This works with the help of a switch that you can set to the desired function and thus either suck or blow. This turns your leaf vacuum into a leaf blower in no time at all, keeping the street and your yard clean not only in autumn, but also in spring and summer. The blowing function eliminates the need for a broom, as dust, dirt and objects can easily be blown away or sucked into the device by the suction function.