VonHaus 3 In 1 Leaf Blower Review

Reviewed by Kelvin Tebbs

September has arrived and as the days begin to get shorter, we know that Autumn will soon be upon us. If there isn’t already a dusting of leaves on the floor, I can guarantee that by the end of this month, they will be falling down off of the trees by the dozen!

We feel privileged to be surrounded by beautiful huge, mature deciduous trees but this does have it’s downfall when the leaves shed – what a mess it can make!

After last year’s seasonal yield of leaves, I decided that something a little more high-tech other than just a rake, my bare hands and a huge amount of physical effort (and sweat!) would be required for this year’s dumping. In fact, I had already began ‘window shopping’ looking at leaf blowers when out of the blue, I was given the opportunity to review the VonHaus 3 In 1 Leaf Blower. This was the perfect item to assist with my gardening needs for this Autumn and in preparation for any other seasons where it could be required.

The leaf blower was sent via next day delivery. This was a great bonus because it meant that I could get started immediately clearing the leaves that had already dropped in the garden. The VonHaus 3 In 1 Leaf Blower was packaged in a sturdy, thick brown cardboard box but the only thing that I found to be unusual, was that all the actual leaf blower machine parts were found loose inside this box and not housed within a branded, marketing packaging box like you would expect. This might be due to the fact that it was sent for reviewing purposes rather than for retail sale.

Inside the delivery box was an instruction manual and this contained some important information regarding the leaf blower, it’s functions, the assembly procedure and the operating information of the machine as well as some warnings that need to be adhered to for safety.

The assembly of the VonHaus leaf blower was very straightforward and simple to follow (no PHD required for putting this item together!) and I managed to assemble all the pieces in less than 2 minutes. 2 screws are provided within the instruction manual and these are required to hold the ‘nozzle’ parts together – so please bear in mind that you will need a screwdriver for this element of the assembly. Please also note that there is a warning written on the nozzle which says you must not turn on the motor unless the nozzle is securely fitted and fastened. I assume this is to prevent any nasty accidents that could occur with the mulcher parts.

So with my my tool in hand, I eagerly set to work in the hopes I could clear the front lawn, patio slabs and drive way of leaves in a fraction of the time that it has previously, manually taken me, and I was hoping to not lose my hearing upon completion of the task in hand. They can be noisy machines!

The functions of the leaf blower that I tested include;
Blowing – manoeuvring all the leaves into one area/ pile by using the blowing function. With a 3000W engine, it does takes a bit of practice to get the right trajectory for accumulating all the leaves in one place, but the force of the ‘blow’ is efficient and even works well on water logged heavier and larger leaves.

Vacuuming – once the leaves are collected together you then turn on the suck function to hoover all the leaves up. This is a quick process and simple to do.

Mulching – as the leaves are sucked inside the nozzle the mulcher element comes into play and ensures the leaves are broken down into smaller pieces. The ratio of the shredding is 10:1 so it significantly reduces the space that the leaves take up within the collecting bag. Therefore you can collect more leaves in one use of the machine and it neatly condenses them so they take up less room within the 35 litre collecting bag.

All of the above functions are operated by turning a switch on the side of the machine.

I was actually surprised that the machine itself is relatively light weight at only 3.5kg but obviously once the collection bag is at full capacity of wet leaves, it obviously weighs more than this. A shoulder strap for the machine does assist with helping to carry the load, whilst the wheels at the front of the machine reduces the strain placed on your body as you move around with it. I did find that my preference was to carry the machine when using it rather than rely on the wheels, but if someone is physically less strong or has back/ shoulder issue etc then at least this gives them the option to reduce the potential injury and strain on their body whilst operating it.

A really beneficial feature that I found was that even though the collecting bag can be clipped on and off of the machine, there is a handy zip which allows for quick, efficient and controlled emptying of the collected leaves. This is a perfect and easy way when adding the waste into any compost bin or heap and alternatively, is relatively mess free when disposing of them in my ‘green’ garden waste bin.

The VonHaus 3 In 1 Leaf Blower comes with a 10m electrical power lead so there is plenty of cable to allow you to freely move. However, if this isn’t long enough to cover all the areas of your property, like with other outdoor appliances, you can also use an extension lead to further extend the ‘reach’ aspect. With it being mains operated, in my opinion, I find that more preferable to the battery operated leaf blowers on the market because it won’t suddenly cut out in the middle of the job and you don’t need to worry about charging the battery up after use in preparation for its next outing!

Also, and fortunately, my hearing is still intact too! Yes, this is a leaf blower and yes, it certainly does make noise but it wasn’t as loud as other leaf blowers I’ve heard my neighbours use. If you have any concerns regarding this issue, then you could always invest in a pair of ear defenders to protect your ears whilst using it.

Overall, I’m really pleased with the outcome achieved on my first go using this leaf blower. It was straightforward to use and I’m happy with the results. It was certainly less physically demanding on my body with far less trips to the garden waste bin compared with my efforts of our garden leaf clearance last year!! I understand that it also has a ‘cut-off’ feature to prevent it from over heating but I have yet to ‘test’ this thankfully!

It’s worth checking out the VonHaus website at www.vonhaus.com to see a vast array of other home and garden related items which VonHaus offer and sell.

Why not buy your loved one a great gardening gadget for their birthday or Christmas gift this year?! I never know what to get my family members at Christmas and with the festive season looming in the not too distant future, the VonHaus 3 In 1 Leaf Blower would make a practical and helpful present in preparation for the gardening seasons ahead to come! You don’t need to be a ‘green fingered’ person to reap the benefits of this one!! And as an added bonus, it is also really competitively priced!

Rating: I would rate this product 4.5/5

The RRP for this item is £54.99

You can buy this VonHaus 3 In 1 Leaf Blower from the VonHaus website here.