Snow Blower vs Leaf Blower (Which Type is Better?)

When it comes to the winter months, everyone has a few different tools at their disposal to handle clearing away the wintery weather that lands on the doorstep or driveway. But aside from using a shovel, there are two machines commonly-used for clearing away large amounts of snow.

Snow blowers are machines specifically-designed to clear away snow by sucking it up and blasting it to the side. Leaf blowers, on the other hand, can be used both to cleaning up leaves in the fall while having enough energy to push away certain amounts of snowfall.

So which is better, and which should you spend your money on as summer fades into the past? We’ll review both the pros and cons of both machines so that you can decide which would better fit your needs.

Pros and Cons of a Snow Blower

Let’s go over snow blowers, first. In case you don’t know, snow blowers are specialized machines which use an auger to break up and loosen wide swaths of snow. Snow can become packed in as it falls or as the temperature surrounding it continues to drop, so loosening the snow beforehand is crucial.

Once the snow is loosened, is uses an impeller like a fan, which pulls in snow from the auger and then expels it in spectacular fashion out to the side.

Snow blowers are typically used to cut through packs of snow in straight lines, such as down a sidewalk or through a driveway. Snow blower reviews typically focus on a snow blower’s power, method of energy source, distance at which it throws snow, and overall price.

These are great machines that are perfect for handling large amounts of snow that would be a pain to remove with only the manual power of a shovel.

Overall, snow blowers are best for homeowners who experience heavy snowfall that requires more power to clear the snow away. It is also ideal for those who live in places where there aren’t many trees, and thus, leaves, to blow off their property.

Pros and Cons of A Leaf Blower

Leaf blowers are smaller, lighter machines that are carried by hand and fired from hip-level. Leaves typically fall in late summer and throughout fall, and they can coat one’s driveway or sidewalks in blankets of wet or crumbly plant matter which, if not removed, will be stamped into the ground over time. Therefore, getting the best handheld leaf blower is important. 

These machines are built to tackle this problem. They emit focuses bursts of pressurized air, powered by electric or gas motors, to push leaves away in specific, concentrated directions.

However, although they are primarily used to move leaves around, they can be just as proficient at shifting twigs, dirt, or small rock piles like those used for gravel.

Leaf blower reviews usually fixate on size, power of their air bursts, and noise level. They’re versatile, mobile machines that are great for general -use yardwork and the clutter that comes with the autumn season. If you have more leaves to clear compared to others, we recommend a more powerful version of the leaf blower:- the backpack leaf blower.

Differences Between Leaf blowers and snow blowers

Leaf blowers are smaller, lighter machines that are carried by hand and fired from hip-level. They are great for people who live in places with light snowfall or are annually inundated with leaves.

Snow blowers on the other hand are specialized machines that uses an auger to break up and loosen wide swaths of snow. Snow blowers are typically used to cut through packs of snow in straight lines, such as down a sidewalk or through a driveway.

People who experience heavy snowfall will not be able to rely on their leaf blowers to clear their property.

Power

A good rule of thumb to remember is that the snow blowers are more powerful at their task, but leaf blowers are more versatile and multi-use.

For instance, if you have a lot of snow and it tends to be thick and clumped together, you’d be better off buying a snow blower. However, if you only experience light snowfall but have leaves all the time, a leaf blower can help you with those problems and many more.

If you’re one of the unfortunate folks who has both problems, perhaps you need to invest in one of each! Thankfully, there are fantastic models of both machines.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there’s no clear winner between the two types of machines since they excel at different tasks. While they can both clear snow to some degree, the extra functions will determine which is better for your particular needs and property.

Hopefully, we’ve clarified the exact differences between these yard-clearing tools and helped you determine which of the two are more important for the maintenance of your property. Good luck with the winter months, and stay warm!