Oregon 40 V Cordless Leaf Blower

[Philbert]

I have had the opportunity to use the new, Oregon, battery-powered leaf blower for a few months now. This blower is part of their PowerNow family which includes a chainsaw, pole saw, hedge trimmer, and string trimmers. All products in the family share the same batteries, charger, etc.

Executive Summary
Positive:
- compact;
- powerful;
- convenient.

Negative:
- uses batteries more quickly than expected.






Philbert

Oregon 40V Blower (BL300) product page: http://oregoncordless.com/product/blower-bl300/

Oregon 40V Chainsaw (CS250) review on A.S.: http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/review-oregon-powernow-cordless-chainsaw.179262/

Oregon 40V Pole Saw (PS250) review on A.S.: http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/oregon-40-volt-pole-saw.248941/#post-4611988

 

[Philbert]

Initial impressions

For reference, I am most accustomed to using a corded, electric Toro 'Super Blower/Vac', and do not have much experience with 2-cycle, hand-held blowers. Backpack blowers are a different category IMO.

I had the opportunity to briefly try an ECHO 58V battery powered blower at a Home Depot, but did not have the opportunity to try it side-by-side with the BL300.

I like the compact shape and clean lines. Has a quality feel. Rubberized grip is comfortable to hold with either Right or Left hand - ambidextrous! The blower has a trigger interlock, which is easy to use; a variable speed trigger; and a 'Turbo' boost feature operated with your thumb, for additional cleaning power.

It comes with a shoulder strap, useful for carrying the tool on the ground or up a ladder, slung behind the user's back. The strap is easy to attach or remove, but I added a loop of cord to help the hook hang more freely.



Very convenient to use, especially for small, light, clean-up tasks where I would be reluctant to drag out the extension cord for my Toro blower. I ran around the yard and tried blasting leaves, garden beds, sidewalk cracks, etc.

Sound level was pleasantly tolerable for this type of tool, even in Turbo mode. But surprised at how fast I used up the first 2.4Ah battery. Maybe it is the 'Tim Allen' or 'Red Green' gene in me, but I wanted to use the Turbo all-the-time, which may have been a factor. Have to learn to 'feather' the trigger a bit.


Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Battery Use

Oregon currently offers 3 batteries: 1.25, 2.4, and 4.0 Amp-hours (Ahr). Obviously, the larger capacity batteries run longer. And battery use is proportional to the blower speed, with the 'Turbo' function being really thirsty.

In fact, circuitry prevents the blower from operating in the Turbo mode if the smallest (1.25 Ahr) battery is inserted - it will only work in the standard mode with this battery. And as the capacity of the larger batteries is depleted, the blower may operate only in the standard mode for the final moments.

I consciously focused on feathering the trigger, instead of running it full blast, and avoided the Turbo mode unless really needed, and started to get acceptable run times. The lower speeds are suitable for tasks such as cleaning off the garage floor, blowing sawdust off a carpentry project, or blowing leaves from a garden bed when I don't want to coat the sidewalk with mulch. But full blasts and extended run times are still needed for blowing leaves off of the lawn in the Fall and Spring.

Battery use seemed to be heavier with this blower than the other 40 V tools in this line, but it may have to do with the way that it is used. Chainsaws, pole saws, and even string trimmers are often used in intermittent bursts, whereas, a blower is often run continuously on to clear an entire lawn or sidewalk. Consciously releasing the trigger when not needed helps extend battery life, as well provides a break in the noise, but must be practiced.

This is a tool where you will definitely want a second battery. Since many purchasers will already have another PowerNow tool, that may already be addressed. If you only buy the blower and one battery, make sure that it is the larger one.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Cordless versus Corded

I tried some Spring clean up tasks side-by-side with my corded, Toro electric model for comparison; blowing leaves off of the lawn and out of the garden beds, etc. The blowers appear roughly similar in overall length. The BL300 felt slightly heavier and weighed 2# 9 oz heavier (with 4.0 Ahr battery) on my postal scale. This was noticeable, but not a big deal in this case, as long as the blower was held at full arm extension by my side.





The Toro had noticeably more cleaning power, aside from any CFM or MPH ratings. It just moved the leaves much better. I never ran out of power with the cord. My thoughts were that I would prefer the Toro for large tasks, such as clearing leaves from the lawn, and for high power tasks, like blasting leaves from the garden. And I would prefer the BL300 for shorter, lower power demand, convenience tasks, where running an extension cord might discourage me from even pulling out the blower.

This is somewhat analogous to my early impression of the battery-powered chainsaw versus my conventional gas or electric saws.

I took another look at the 2 units side-by-side, and realized that the blower tube on the Toro extended approximately 4 inches farther from the grip, allowing me to place the tip closer to the ground, and the leaves I was trying to blow. Using some soft plastic (cut from the side of a Rubbermaid, office waste basket), and the 'handyman's secret weapon', I rolled an extension cone and placed it inside of the BL300 nozzle, extending it about 4 inches, to match the Toro nozzle length.



BIG difference!

The effective cleaning power went up dramatically. I actually feathered back on the trigger (extending battery life?), and avoided using the 'Turbo' button on some tasks. The sound level also dropped to a lower, less annoying octave (due to thicker tube wall or softer plastic?).

Because of the improvised, wrapped cone design of this extension, it actually had an unexpected benefit of being adjustable in length, simply by pulling it out or pushing it in.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

Continued Use

I have continued to use the BL300 and I like it. It is hard to overstate the convenience factor. Because it is so compact, and so easy to use, I grab it for lots of tasks where I would be reluctant to drag out my corded blower, shop-vac, or air compressor hose:

- I blew some mouse nests out of an old pair of RollerBlades that had been stored in the garage over the winter;

- I blow off the garage floor more frequently (non-Turbo mode);

- Use it to blow out chainsaw cases when cleaning saws;

- I like to make my big messes outside, when weather permits: orbital sanding, routing, or any grinding tasks (including saw chains). Used the blower to clean up some of these messes, and to blow off the tools used.

- My neighbor used it to clean off a classic snowblower he got at an estate sale He suggested that it would also be good for guys who wash their motorcycles and need a convenient way to blow-dry them.

- I helped a friend remove some tree limbs overhanging his house, and it was very effective at cleaning the leaves off of the roof. The battery operation certainly was an advantage at elevation: no pull starting, and no cords to trip on (no altitude compensation either!). The lower noise was also an attribute in an upscale, suburban neighborhood, on a weekend.

- I have been doing a bit of 'landscape painting' (picnic tables, built-in benches, landscape timbers, etc.) lately and the BL300 has been handy for cleaning off leaves and other stuff before sanding, and clearing off the sanding dust before painting or staining for a smoother finish.

- Might use this for my next birthday cake?

Philbert