I’m having a bit of a problem with my yard right now.
First of all, it’s December in Minnesota and there are still leaves blowing around. The temperature is a balmy 42-degrees today. It’s supposed to be winter.
I live next to a farm field and the corn husk foliage that should have blown away in October is still floating around in the ether region and landing on my driveway, the deck, and everywhere in between. It seems strange to say this but the leaves are even still on the ground because I haven’t bothered raking up anything yet. My bad. Even as recently as a couple of weeks ago, the trees still had a few leaves and, let’s be honest, most of us like to wait until the trees are barren and we don’t have to rake leaves more than once per fall.
Of course, this isn’t even fall — and I’m still coming to grips with that. I also hate raking leaves because it seems a bit mindless and inefficient. I was happy to try out the Stihl BGA 57 Leaf Blower as a way to speed up the process. And I mean: really speed up. With a max air velocity of 121 miles per hour, this is the blower you want for quick clean-ups.
I started out by powering up the leaf blower over by my mailbox. Now, I’ve been testing gadgets like this for many years but the advent of battery-powered lawn implements is relatively new, at least from the standpoint of leaving the gas-powered models in the dust. There’s no reason to go back. I timed how long the blower lasted and ran out of power about 20 minutes into the clean-up. Most importantly, I had already cleared my entire yard before I had to recharge. (One trick to using any of thes battery-powered tools is to invest in one back-up battery.)
I like how easy it is to use. There’s a safety switch you have to hold and then you can press another lever to start blowing. Some of the models I’ve tested have a weird side switch you have to push in or hold. In some cases, I’ve had helpers who couldn’t figure out how to turn on the lawn tool, but the Stihl BGA 57 Leaf Blower is easy enough for anyone. You don’t need to get a degree in Battery Powered Lawn Tools to use it. Just punch it and go.
A few other things I liked:
The blower is light enough to use for all of the clean-ups you’d want to do without feeling like you need to set it down. It feels light and portable, the rubber handle didn’t really require that I wear gloves because I felt like it provides a good solid grip. The design is cool. It looks like you are carrying a small rocket ship around in your flannel shirt and boots. I highly recommend the Stihl BGA 57. It’s the best battery-powered leaf blower I have tried so far.
