Toro 51618 Super Blower/Vacuum, 225 mph Vac

When we moved from the suburbs to a wooded area about 2 years ago, I start looking for a blower to help clear my 60 foot long driveway. When I saw the price and reviews for this one, I thought I couldn't go wrong. Now my only regret is that I wasted years moving leaves without one of these.In my opinion, a leaf blower is one of the most fun tools in the garage. And this one puts out a much better windstorm than I expected when I opened the smallish box. After I snapped on the funnel attachment, the thing was ready to go. One lesson I learned quickly was to run the power cord through the loop and clip under the back of the handle -- put there to prevent the cord from coming unplugged.Still, I was immediately impressed. This moves dry leaves great! I still pick up a rake from time to time for piles of wet leaves but only when I'm in a hurry. You can still move wet debris with the high setting. And I really like that there is a low setting, because I use that for flowerbeds and mulched areas. Seems just right for cleaning leaves out without disturbing anything else.But I'm even more amazed at the versatility and ruggedness of this blower. I use it for much more than clearing leaves:1) Drying off stuff that's wet (bikes, cars, children). After a messy ride, I'll get the hose out and wash the mud of my bike, and then switch the blower to high and dry off the whole thing by tracing the bike with the end of the nozzle. Works great. I've also used it for blowing water off my car after wash. And of course, chasing kids around with the blower is fun too.2) Moving Snow. Despite my wife telling me I look like a redneck, I now approach snow removal with a shovel in one hand, blower in the other. This method works great for our gravel driveway. In the past, we'd pushing rocks around with the snow shovels, but the blower works great for cleaning the snow off. For light fluffy snows, I don't even carry a shovel. For deeper snows, I push most of the snow off, and then run the blower behind the shovel. This blower has been covered in snow a few times (even dropped in the snow), but it keeps coming on and doing the job.3) Starting fires. After blowing the leaves away for campfires, this blower on the low setting helps get the flames going on those glowing embers.4) And of course, general cleaning. Let's just say I don't sweep my garage, deck, or paved areas anymore. I even clean my furnace's air filter by first blowing the dust of out it. That's true of anything else I might pull of my garage that just needs the dust blown off.This is definitely a product I would buy over and over again. Great value, versatility, and the thing is reliable. I've been using it for well over a year in all seasons, and the thing still blows me away (*folks!*) every time.

In this case, it is all GOOD:).IMPORTANT TIPS:1:) MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL - The manual section on which extension cord to use is very poorly written. When the manual says "Use 14 gauge or HIGHER", what they MEAN is 14 gauge is OK, 12 gauge is BETTER, 16 gauge will destroy the motor. The manual uses the comparative term "HIGHER" but fails to specify that they are speaking ELECTRICALLY higher, NOT numerically HIGHER, which the average user is not going to realize is two opposite directions. According to the MANUAL, if your cord is max 50 feet long, you can use a 16 gauge cord. At 100 feet they suggest 14 gauge, and at 150 feet 12 gauge. To help you understand this, the longer the cord length, the more difficulty the cord has in delivering current to higher wattage tools. So you will RUIN your tools if you plug them into a wire with a gauge that is insufficient. You cannot go wrong with 12 gauge wire, so I recommend using 12 even though the cord costs a bit more and is heavier. Unless you are staying under 20 feet, go with 12 for maximum safety.2:) ALSO IMPORTANT: There is a trick to attaching the cord which the manual does a poor job of explaining, but if you go to TORO'S website you can find a far better guide with illustrations. In a nutshell, do NOT just plug the cord directly into the connector on the blower. What you must first do is create a loop in your cord, about 12 inches from the end, and insert that loop into the notch on the back of the blower so that it catches on the plastic hook, THEN connect the cord to the blower. This prevents the cord from disconnecting as you pull the blower, which can damage the motor if it happens.ON TO PERFORMANCE:I used it to clean up a half acre property which is mostly rock landscape but had a LOT of dead leaves that needed clearing. Got the job done using only a 100 foot 12 gauge extension cord. If your property is one half acre or less and you have an electric outlet in the middle of it, you should find 100 feet sufficient. If you have multiple outdoor outlets in a ll corners you might find 50 feet sufficient. I suggest using the shortest cord possible in 12 gauge, as the cord gets HEAVY as it gets longer.PROS:1:) Reasonable noise level - way less irritating than gas blowers.2:) Lightweight, easy to maneuver3:) Good airflow, not as strong as a gas blower, but good enough for just about any task if you have some patience.4:) 2 year warranty5:) Very reasonably priced, I paid more for the extension cord than for the blower.6:) Attractive7:) Easy to storeCONS:1:) Dealing with the cord is a royal pain. This will be true of any electric blower, but for me, dealing with getting and storing gas was a bigger pain, so I went electric. Another option to consider if you are doing light duty only is a lithium battery powered rechargeable blower. But batteries pose their own headaches and are very pricy.2:) The blower housing gets very dirty and has a lot of air holes around the motor - only time will tell if this affects long term performance.3:) A bit more power would be better - for heavier duty I would suggest looking at the 12 amp models if you want electric, or stepping up to gas if storing combustibles floats your boat.BOTTOM LINE: A very good value priced leaf blower which will get the job done for you and is guaranteed to last for 2 years, just make SURE you use the right cord.