Greenworks 80V Electric Leaf Blower, 770 CFM, 4.0 Ah Battery and Charger

Why it's worth it

The Greenworks 80V pushes 770 CFM, the highest of any handheld here, and its brushless motor is rated at 74 dB. If your HOA or your neighbors care about early-morning noise, this is the handheld to look at first.

The spec that separates this from the EGO isn't the extra CFM — it's the 74 dB rating. That's roughly conversation-level, and far below the 95-plus dB of a gas unit. If you want the driveway done before work without a neighbor complaint, that's the number that matters. Owners still describe it as noisy, so don't expect silence; expect not-a-lawnmower.

The brushless motor is doing real work here. Greenworks rates it for about 30% more torque and 50% longer life than a brushed motor, and it runs about 80 minutes on the included 4.0Ah pack. Cruise control locks the speed so you're not squeezing a trigger the whole time. On a long session, that's the difference between finishing and quitting early.

From our review of 8 leaf blowers, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +The spec that separates this from the EGO isn't the extra CFM — it's the 74 dB rating
• +The brushless motor is doing real work here
• +The catch is the platform
• +On paper it's the lightest handheld here, but that's the bare tool

What to know

• –Owners repeatedly flag battery drain at high speed
• –The small tool lineup is a genuine long-term cost