You might be wondering, how will this Black+Decker Electric Leaf Blower and Vacuum review change your mind when buying a leaf blower? Well, this review not only highlights the pros and cons of this super useful power tool, it also provides critical recommendations associated with this electric leaf blower.
First of all, if you are not familiar with the Black+Decker name, then it is a brand steeped in producing high quality tools for both inside and outside the home. Where once it was a small machinery shop in Baltimore, Maryland, it is now known as a global manufacturing company that is at the forefront of power-tool evolution.
The Black and Decker 3 in 1 leaf blower is a perfect example of this innovation as it is leading the way in the backyard with the additional vacuum and mulching function. It is electric, so you will need a power outlet to run the cord to.
In short, the Black and Decker BV6600 is a 3 in 1 powerhouse, with its leaf blower, mulcher and vacuum functions. It is perfect for sucking up and mulching leaves or blowing leaves and grass debris from where it is to where you want it to go.
[lwptoc]
A Quiet and Powerful Leaf Blower
Starting with the Black and Decker electric blower, it is powered by a 12 amp motor with variable speed options. The air speed itself ranges from 140 to 250 mph and it is classified as low noise with a decibel of 68 dBA. To give you an idea of what that sounds like, a normal conversation is usually between 60-70 dBA. Put simply, the Black and decker 3 in 1 blower will not annoy your neighbors.
The blower can tackle grass and garden cuttings, plus the large quantum of leaves that land on the ground at the turn of Fall. It blows them away with ease and its powerful blowing function really does relieve you of all the hard work of having to sweep and rake everything.
If you have unsightly dead leaves in your backyard trees, it is also really easy to point the blow tube (nozzle) at the tree and blow to help dislodge them quickly. Because it is so light weighing in at 8.1 pounds, you won’t find yourself battling to keep it in the air.
Vacuuming Away Your Leaf Piles
First of all, to shift from the blower to vacuum function, you need to remove the fan guard and attach the vacuum tube. Then remove the blower tube and attach the bag.
Now you are ready to suck up leaves, grass and garden debris. Note that the first time you use the vacuum function, pay particular attention to the amount that fills up the bag. This will give you a rough indication of how many times you will need to empty the bag out when cleaning up your yard.
The joy of this vacuum is that it will pick up large leaves, pine cones and acorns. But be wary of sucking up any wet leaves or material as this may stick and clog up the tube.
The ability to select the speed and power up is such a great idea. It’s especially useful around garden and vegetable beds as you can suck up loose leaves without destroying your garden in the process.
Black and Decker 3 in 1 Leaf Mulcher
A huge bonus with this product is that not only does it suck up the leaves and grass debris, but it can also mulch while doing so. This option is one of the reasons that this Black and Decker 3 in 1 electric blower is so popular.
Starting with the mulching blade, it is made of metal, quite sharp and very solid. It grinds up the leaves quite fine as it has a 16 to 1 mulch ratio. In simple terms, the ratio means that the mulcher will reduce 16 bags (with each bag holding about 1.5 bushels) of raw material down to just 1 after it has gone through the mulching process.
Now the advantages of using this mulcher aren’t just limited to waste volume reduction. It actually takes significantly less time and effort to clean up your yard. That is one of the fundamental reasons why a tool like this has been made.
So if the idea of tirelessly raking up piles of leave, bagging them up, and then dragging them to a bin repeatedly leaves you with a feeling of dread, the mulcher helps to remove this concern for you.
The mulcher will suck up all of the targeted debris and mulch it into fine organic matter which is deposited into the bag. This bag now with its pure organic matter, can be emptied into your compost bin or pile to produce quality compost. So not only will you be cleaning up your yard, you will also be creating rich compost which will help to vastly improve your overall soil!
Operation
It is quite easy to assemble to use each different function and the instructions guide you through this one step at a time.
The blower comes with a blower nozzle whilst the vacuum nozzle is separate. The bag itself is easy to clip on and with the push of one button, it becomes detached allowing you to quickly empty it out.
The high impact metal fan works to prevent any clogging and the built in cord retainer keeps the extension in situ so the use of the tool is continuous.
Other Considerations
Extension Cords
Speaking of cords, the recommended extension cord for the black and decker 3 in 1 leaf vacuum is an outdoor heavy duty 12 gauge extension cord. This will endure all elements of weather and is strong enough to be moved around in the backyard with vigor.
Extra Vacuum Bag
Regarding the bag provided with the Black and decker BV6600, it is quite strong. But I would recommend you purchase another as a backup because these bags do go through some wear and you want to ensure you have a backup if you are in the middle of your clean up.
Also, because power tools are frequently upgraded, you don’t want to find that a newer future version of this electric leaf blower has made all of the accessories, including the BV6600 bag, redundant.
Disadvantages
A common complaint of this product is not the product itself but with an accessory, which is the trash can attachment. In short, if you are contemplating buying this addition, do your homework. The vacuum tube has been known to fall off easily leaving your pile of leaves or grass cuttings all over the place.
You will need to empty the bag quite regularly as a volume of 1.5 bushels fills up quicker than most people think, especially if you are not using the mulching function.
Summing Up The Black+Decker BV6600
This leaf blower and vacuum tool is designed very well and made light enough for anyone with reasonable strength to use. It has a lot of power, and in the words of my friend who owns one too, “this tool has made me love my yard once again”. It is reasonably priced, considering its 3 in 1 nature, and has the benefit of a 2 year limited warranty.
We think you cannot go wrong buying one of these electric blowers, but more importantly, we hope you got the information you needed from this Black and Decker BV6600 3 in 1 electric leaf blower and vacuum review to make the right decision for you.