Stihl BGA 45 Leaf Blower £99 with charger

(battery built-in)

01276 417678 for stockists stihl.co.uk

Features

Powered by a built-in 18V rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Run time 10 minutes. Battery charge time 5 hours (mine charged from flat in 90 minutes). Singlespeed motor. Max airflow 38m/s. Removable activation key. Battery power-level indicator. Weight 2.1kg. Warranty: two years.

Performance

The top handle gives a nice balanced feel to this very light blower, making it easy to manoeuvre. The three-switch start-up sequence is a bit fiddly, though once running you effectively just use the lower trigger. The blower produces an impressive blast of air. This is the least powerful of the three tested, but there’s plenty of punch to herd dry, damp and heavier leaves like holly into a rough pile on the lawn. It’s also brilliant for clearing out nooks and crannies behind patio furniture or shifting debris in the flower beds, but it struggles with wet leaves. Delicate use of the trigger on/off is necessary to control the blast when finally pushing leaves into a pile, and the release slide (top front switch) sometimes locked me out, but it was easy to use my other hand to push it forward and keep running. The battery’s 10-minute run time is fine for small gardens.

Value

A light and easy-to-operate leaf blower from a highly respected brand that’s ideal for keeping small gardens tidy throughout autumn.

Just press the button to check the charge level of the battery The charger plugs into the side of the leaf blower to replenish the built-in battery The three-stage start-up – release slide (front), trigger (beneath), and trigger lockout on handle A removable activation key prevents unauthorised use of the blower