Toro 51609 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed (up to 235) Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller

I compared a few Blower/Vac combo units before choosing this Toro 51609. Ultimately, I'm very happy with this machine.I researched the following competing models (mainly by reading their Amazon reviews - I do NOT have hands-on experience with these other units):Black & Decker LH5000 12 amp Variable Speed Electric Leaf Hog Blower/Vacuum - seems like a good unit, but more complaints re: motor longevity and quality of leaf bag.WORX TriVac WG500 12 amp All-in-One Electric Blower/Mulcher/Vacuum - looks cool, but expensive, poor quality, terrible reviews.Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller - well-established, highly-rated unit with >1200 Amazon reviews, 4.5 star average. Was about to buy it, noticed that Toro had just released a newer model...Which led me to the 51609. The only detectable difference seems to be the inclusion of some new blower nozzle attachments (cord wrap, power insert, and concentrator insert). These are all quite handy and work as intended. The cord wrap is perfect for a 50ft extension cord, anything longer exceeds the capacity of the hook and makes the unit really heavy to carry around. The power insert does help with blowing leaves more easily into rows and the concentrator insert is good for clearing stuck on debris.Switching between blower and vac is really easy. One thing I notice is that looser shorts can get sucked up against the intake cover in blower mode, but the opening isn't big enough for anything to get stuck or tangled.The blower speed is adjustable, but for some reason I was expecting more of a range between slow and fast - I think most people will notice that it's more or less two speeds, and the "infinite" adjustability isn't really a major feature.Works very well to mulch leaves, not super fine, but certainly good enough to simplify bagging or accelerate composting. Metal impeller was a big feature for me, should last a very long time.Overall, the differences between the 51609 and 51599 are minimal, but the addition of the two nozzle inserts and cord wrap are nice iterative improvements to an already great yard appliance.

I bought this blower/vacuum because the huge pin oak tree in front of my house makes SO much work for me every Fall, and I'm not as young as I used to be (!). Last year, the tree gifted me with 21 recycleable leaf bags of "droppings." Previous reviewers gave it high marks, so I went with this one, and I am not disappointed.First, the blower is much, much stronger than my old one and the attachment that boosts the power by focusing the flow through a narrower opening really works wonderfully for getting all the leaves into workable piles. And I never had to go more than about halfway on the power control, so it could blow even harder if I needed it.But the real reason I bought it was the vacuum and "cruncher" and I absolutely love it!! I'm about 2/3rds done, and have only 6 bags of leaves, so I anticipate 3 more bags. The cruncher is doing a terrific job of reducing the overall volume of material. Again on about half-power, it quickly vacuums up dry leaves. It can do wet ones more slowly, but not big clumps of wet ones. A pile of leaves at the curb got soaked by heavy rains before I could vacuum them so I have raked them out in a flat layer to see if they will dry enough to vacuum up before I am forced to shovel them into bags. I was worried about acorns, because the instructions caution about not vacuuming up acorns, small stones, etc. But the squirrels have done a great job of removing the acorns, and only some empty hulls remained, which didn't seem to bother the vacuum. You have to be careful with wet leaves, though, because they can get stuck halfway up the vacuum tube and stop all progress. Then you have to take the tube off and use a stick to clear the wet ball.The vacuum is somewhat unwieldy for a short (5'1") person like me, but I figured out a good way to hold it. The bag fills quickly, and it does get heavy over my shoulders, but then I can take a break and empty it into a leaf bag.

I have a gas blower and it's about 20 years old. Thought I would look for a quality electric blower at a value price. I found it. Did some research and wanted a 12A blower, not a 7A blower. Didn't want to regret getting a blower with less blow. It was easy to assemble and provides some accessories (additional blow tube insert for more condensed blowing, bagger for vacuum mode - not sure I'll use either). I have used twice and let neighbor borrow and really like this blower and its performance. Its relatively light as well. I find myself switching back and forth between hands when using for longer periods of time.I don't see myself needing to vacuum leaves too often if at all. Seems like vacuuming into the small bag attachment would be a royal pain as the bag is not that big. I was also thinking of buying the trash can cover and hose accessory, but seems like overkill and am afraid I would spend more time hassling with this accessory than simply blowing into a pile and raking/grabbing and placing in trash can. If I had to rake once a week for weeks on end I would look for more options/features, but for the couple of weeks that I attack the yard sometimes good and simple wins the race.The variable speed control seems to be a must. While it's not infinite, more of a detent with 4 speeds, it provides enough variance for blowing across wood chips (less than high mode) and back to max when the only thing you can blow is leaves.I wish it had a cord loop for the extension cord so it wouldn't unplug from unit as easy. I simply tie the x-cord in a loop/knot around the short blower cord end to prevent unplugging while in use. You might be able to buy a connector cover that wraps over both when connected. The short cord connector is somewhat large so buy a large connector cover if you go this way.It's also nice to come back in the house after blowing and not reek of gas.