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Last updated: April 7, 2023
Reviews of three of the best battery-powered backpack leaf blowers, based on weight, performance, runtime, durability, and more.
While it may not be the most common type of leaf blower, the battery-powered backpack-style blower does have its benefits compared to the often clunky, stinky, and heavy gas-powered variety.
If you’re currently looking to replace your old leaf blower with a cordless electric backpack model, or if you’re in the market for your very first leaf blower, we’ve got you covered.
We have reviewed the most highly rated products on the market and have listed our top 3 battery-powered backpack leaf blowers.
Top 3 Battery Backpack Blowers:
| Blower | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EGO Power+ LB6000 Backpack Blower | Price |
| 2 | Greenworks Pro 80V Backpack Leaf Blower | Price |
| 3 | Powerworks 60V Battery Backpack Blower | Price |
Top 3 Battery Backpack Blowers
Keep reading for the detailed reviews of the top three most powerful, dependable, and effective cordless electric backpack leaf blowers.
Further below, we’ll help you figure out which model is right for you with our handy buyer’s guide with lots of practical tips.
If you prefer a handheld model, read our guide to the best handheld battery leaf blowers for some great options. If you’d like to learn more about the different types of leaf blowers that exist, check out our leaf blower buying guide for an outline of all the available options and pros and cons of each.
1. EGO Power+ LB6000 Backpack Blower
Looking for a long-lasting cordless leaf blower for large yards and big jobs? The EGO Power+ Backpack Blower is hands down the best choice.
Power
This powerful blower features a CFM rating of 600 and can push air out at 145 MPH. It might not get the job done quite as fast as the below Greenworks blower, but it is powerful enough to take on any task.
But where this tool really shines is in the battery life department.
Battery
EGO has made a name for itself in the yard tool industry thanks to its impressively long-lasting line of interchangeable batteries. If you already have some EGO tools, this product is a great buy since you don’t have to pay extra for additional batteries.
If you do need batteries, then we recommend the 2.5Ah battery. This lightweight battery charges on the included charger in just 40 minutes. On low, it can run the EGO blower for about 75 minutes. On high, you’ll get about 15 minutes out of it. Not bad, considering that’s the life of the Greenworks option when run on the lowest setting.
If you have a larger job to do that requires a lot of power and time, you may consider upgrading to the hefty 7.5Ah battery. This powerful battery can run the blower for up to 3 hours on a single charge.
Features
In addition to impressive battery life, this tool features a variable speed lever and turbo boost button. The backpack portion is comfortable to wear and includes an adjustable hip strap.
This blower also includes an adjustable tube that allows you to focus the power and increase the MPH as needed. We love this feature for removing stuck-on, wet debris from narrow spaces.
This blower weighs only 12 pounds without the battery. However, the bulk of that weight is in the handheld piece of the blower setup, which means it won’t feel much lighter than most options out there.
Overall
Overall, the EGO Backpack Blower is an excellent choice for those who already own EGO products or those who need the longest battery life possible to get the job done. The blower is covered by a 5-year warranty, while all EGO batteries are covered by a 3-year warranty.
2. Greenworks Pro 80V Backpack Leaf Blower
Greenworks has built a reputation for itself in the world of landscaping tools. Their backpack leaf blower is an excellent example of why people love this brand so much.
Power
This uber-powerful 80V blower has the highest power ratings of any we found. At 610 CFM and 180 MPH, it can easily cut through wet, piled leaves and move them impressive distances with almost no effort.
In addition to being incredibly powerful, this electric blower is also impressively quiet. Even in turbo mode, it puts out much less noise than your typical gas-powered blower. It can easily be used without ear protection.
The ergonomic handle features a variable speed lever and turbo boost button for precise control and plenty of power. At 14.64 pounds, it is decently lightweight and very comfortable.
Battery
The set comes with one 80V 2.5Ah battery that will run for up to 13 minutes on lower power. The included rapid charger can fully charge a dead battery in just 45 minutes.
For the typical suburban yard, this runtime will be more than enough. But if you have a yard larger than an acre or with higher-than-average leaf debris, we’d recommend getting a second battery. Another option would be to pick up the 4Ah battery, which will last about 1 hour at high speed.
The battery compartment on this blower is a little snug, which can make pulling out the battery difficult. But it does not encounter the accidental battery discharge problems we’ve encountered with some other products.
Overall
This model is slightly more powerful than the brand’s handheld blower and certainly more comfortable to use. If you do need that power, then the Greenworks Pro is the way to go. This product is well-priced for what you get and comes with a hard-to-beat 4-year battery and tool warranty.
3. Powerworks 60V Battery Backpack Blower
If you need an all-around dependable leaf blower for standard yard use, the Powerworks Backpack Blower is a good option.
Power
This blower isn’t quite as powerful as the other two featured above, but it still has more than enough oomph to clear leaves and lightweight debris. It has a CFM rating of 540 and can move air up to 140 MPH.
Battery
This backpack comes with a choice of battery options. We recommend the 5Ah battery because of its long 27-minute run time on high. You could also buy the tool and 2.5Ah battery separately, but you’ll only get about 10 minutes of runtime on high.
While it isn’t the most powerful blower, it is one of the lightest and easiest to carry around. The bulk of this blower’s weight is centered in the backpack, which means less weight on your arm. With the large 5Ah battery in, it weighs just 14 pounds. Without the battery, it is only 10 pounds.
Features
The ergonomic grip handle features a variable speed switch and a turbo button. For moving leaves off the lawn or out of the garden, the low settings work great. But for moving wet leaves or packed-in debris, you’ll need to engage the turbo mode.
Overall
Most importantly, the Powerworks Backpack Blower is dependable and well made. For lightweight jobs and small to medium-sized properties, it is a great choice. The tool and charger come with a 3-year warranty, while the battery has a 2-year warranty.
Buying Guide
If you are new to electric backpack leaf blowers or leaf blowers in general, this handy buying guide will tell you everything you need to know about these products.
Once you understand the different aspects and considerations of different leaf blowers, you will be able to find the right one to fit your needs.
Let’s discuss the following buying factors:
- Electric vs gas-powered backpack
- Power
- Weight
- Features
- Battery and runtime
1. Electric vs Gas-Powered Backpack
Electric backpack leaf blowers come in two varieties; corded and battery-powered.
Corded leaf blowers are great because you get all the same power as a gas leaf blower without the smell, maintenance, or noise. These types also run indefinitely, which means you will never have to stop to refill them or change out the battery. Unfortunately, they have one major flaw: you can only move as far as your extension cord allows.
Battery-powered backpack leaf blowers are quiet, easy to maintain, and don’t put off any odor or toxic exhaust. They are just as quiet as corded blowers but often aren’t as powerful as gas-powered or corded options. They also have limited battery life and require multiple expensive batteries if you plan to take on larger jobs.
Gas-powered backpack blowers have plenty of power and are unrestricted in their movement. However, they tend to make a lot of noise, must be refilled as needed, and put off a lot of exhaust. Plus, they require winterization and often need special gas/oil mixtures.
Overall, battery-powered electric backpack blowers provide a great option for smaller projects. If you have a larger yard or need more power, you can still find a cordless blower that can get the job done but expect to pay more and purchase extra batteries up front.
2. Power
Power and performance of leaf blowers are typically determined by the CFM and MPH ratings.
CFM
CFM, which stands for cubic feet per minute, is one way to measure a leaf blower’s power. This measurement tells you how much air a leaf blower moves through the nozzle each minute. The power of the motor and the width of the nozzle both affect this rating.
This volume measurement gives you an idea of how much material and how large of an area you can clear using that blower. In general, the higher the CFM rating, the more powerful the tool. Battery-powered backpack leaf blowers typically have a CFM rating between 400 and 900.
MPH
Just like with driving, MPH stands for miles per hour. This rating measures how fast the air is going as it leaves the nozzle of the leaf blower. Blowers with high MPH ratings can clear leaves much more quickly than those with low ratings. They are also able to move the debris farther with each pass.
The trick to finding a powerful leaf blower that can take on all jobs is to look for one with a high CFM rating and a high MPH rating. This can be tricky to find since the two tend to be inversely related.
This is because wide nozzles allow for more air to come out at once (high CFM) but at a lower speed (low MPH). Narrow nozzles, on the other hand, force the air out faster (high MPH) but move less air at a time (low CFM).
The key is to find a blower that has both a powerful enough motor to force a lot of air out at once and the right-sized nozzle to force that high volume of air out quickly. Battery-powered electric backpack blowers typically have an MPH rating between 125 and 250.
Check out our guide explaining the CFM and MPH values for leaf blowers.
3. Weight
Backpack leaf blowers are nice because they take much of the strain off your arm and hand. Because of this, they can be a little heavier, which means more power without being uncomfortable or hard to use.
Still, you always want to balance weight with power. A very powerful blower is great unless it’s so heavy that you can’t use it for more than a few minutes at a time. On the other hand, a lightweight backpack is easy to carry but may not be powerful enough to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time.
In general, backpack-style leaf blowers that come in between 10 and 18 pounds have just the right amount of power without adding too much weight.
4. Features
Most leaf blowers come with more features than a simple on/off switch. At the very least, they should include different speed options. This can come in the form of multiple speed buttons or a variable speed lever.
Being able to change the speed and power of a leaf blower is key to moving debris where you want it. To get leaves out of your garden bed without blowing the mulch away, you’ll want considerably less force than when moving years of stacked, wet debris from along the fence line. Being able to change speeds gives you control over how much ground cover is moved and how far.
Many blowers also feature a turbo boost button. Engaging this feature maximizes both the power and speed of the air flowing through the nozzle. This is a great feature to have when you encounter heavy debris, such as wet leaves, acorns, pine cones, or gravel.
Other features to look for include extra padding on the shoulder straps, a rapid battery charger, extra batteries, and multiple nozzle tips for more precise clearing.
5. Battery and Runtime
How powerful and lightweight your backpack blower is both help determine how useful it will be to you. But one of the more important aspects of useability that often gets overlooked is battery life and runtime.
All electric leaf blower batteries will be rated on their voltage and amp hours (Ah). The higher the voltage, the more power your tool will put out. But, the voltage needed is determined by the blower and can’t be changed by simply upgrading the battery. Amp hours determine how long a battery will last before it runs out of juice. It is possible to increase your tool’s runtime by getting a higher amp-hour battery.
In general, cordless electric backpack leaf blowers come with batteries rated between 2.5 and 7.5 amp hours. The higher the amps, the longer the battery will run. But the exact runtime is determined by the power use of the blower itself and, thus, varies depending on the tool being used.
If you have a large yard, you may consider upgrading to a high amp hour battery or buying multiple batteries so you can switch them out as they die. But keep in mind that batteries generally take longer to charge than to die, so you may need a few to get the job done in one pass.
