Vaccuum | Review Bunker

It’s definitely fall. Cold days, Halloween decorations everywhere, shorter days, and of course, leaves - thousands of yellow and brown leaves, all over my lawn. In the back of my mind I knew the consequences of buying a house is a neighborhood full of mature trees, as well as the consequences of buying a house with 2 huge cottonwoods in the back yard. Of course, my dread at raking huge piles of leaves wasn’t a major concern when buying our house, but I did know it would eventually be added to my list of chores. Unfortunately, that time has come.

On the plus side, I have recently enlisted a weapon into my yard work arsenal, a Toro “Rake & Vac” Electric Blower Vac (Model 51574). I picked it up at Home Depot for $50, and I spent an extra $5 on the extended warranty. I chose the cheapest of the leaf blower/vacuum combo units available. It is an electric blower/vac, and requires that I drag an extension cord around the yard to use it. Unfortunately, the battery powered units didn’t have vacuum capabilities, and the gas-engine powered units weren’t worth the extra cost or future maintenence concerns. The 51574 model was a compromise, giving me vacuum capabilities, as well as a cheap price. With 210 mph air speed, and 2 speed settings, the “Rake & Vac” is plenty powerful as well. It is also advertised as having the capability to shred 8 bags worth of leaves into one bag, and it comes equiped with a quick-release latch, making the switch between blower and vacuum mode quick and easy.

I’ll start off by saying this blower/vacuum was well worth the money, as long as it lasts through the end of leaf season. Just today, it reduced 2-3 hours worth of raking into less than an hours worth of blowing and vacuuming. The work was much less labor intensive as well (the last time I raked the yard I think I strained my shoulder with the repetitive motions). I will have to buy a longer extension cord in order to reach the far corner of my yard (my 50 foot cord doesn’t quite reach), but thankfully, extension cords are useful for a variety of things. I was surprised by how easy it is to blow the leaves into a large pile, and I was happy with the performance of the 210 mpg wind speed. Actually, it may be a little too fast on the highest setting, because I was accidently blowing our landscaping mulch out of the flower boxes. The unit weights 5-10 pounds, and is easy enough to carry around the yard for 30 minutes, while blowing the leaves into a pile. The only frustration while using the blower, is the constant need to struggle with the extension cord.

Once the leaves are piled, it is time to use the vacuum and shredding capabilities of the 51574. The vacuum is pretty powerful for a cheap electrical unit, but I would prefer to have better suction. There were multiple instances where leaves clogged the vacuum tube, and the vacuum process is a bit slower than I expected due to a lack of suction. Small sticks and clumps of leaves are eventually pulled up the tube, but if your yard is full of small cottonwood sticks, like mine is, it is definitely slower than a pile of pure leaves. In the end, though, it is better to have somewhat weak vacuum capability, rather than having to bag all the leaves by hand.

The impeller (chopper) is quite powerful, despite being made out of plastic. Some of the larger sticks got stuck in the impeller area of the machine, and required that I stop vacuuming to remove them, but for the most part, sticks and normal yard waste in addition to leaves were chopped quickly, thoroughly, and without problems. I am actually surprised that the plastic holds up so well against sticks, and I am pleased with the chopping performance overall. I think the claim of reducing 8 bags worth of leaves into one bag is nearly substantiated. I was able to reduce quite a large pile of leaves (maybe 6-8 bags worth), so that they fit with room to spare into one of my 32 gallon trash bins. The shredded leaves will make a great addition to a compost pile, once I’ve figured out where and how I want to start one. I am also pleased with the provided zip-up bag - it holds in a lot of the dust and all of the chopped leaf debris, and is sturdy and easy to empty. Unfortunately, it is impossible to keep some leaf dust from getting all over yourself, your clothes, and the machine itself, while vacuuming/chopping, but the bag seems to hold a lot of extra dust from flying out into the air. The bag also has a shoulder strap on it, making it easy to carry the unit with the extra weight of the chopped leaves.

All around, the “Rake & Vac” 51574 seems sturdy, well built, and does it’s job well. Despite being a bit slow at vacuuming, the 51574 has a cheap price point, and quite a few features that are nice and work better than I expected. Although I will likely only use this appliance for a month out of every year, I am happy with my purchase, and if you need a solution to a leaf problem, this Toro is a good blower/vacuum unit, and you should consider picking one up.