Customer Reviews

Black & Decker LH5000 12 amp Variable Speed Electric Leaf Hog Blower/Vacuum

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I sought an effective pine needle vacuum. I bought both this B&D unit AND the Toro equivalent model. They are nearly identical in size, shape, weight, specs, performance, price, and even their red color. Both products powerfully vacuum leaves quite well, but sucking pine needles is only 50 - 70% as effective by either brand. But that's not disappointing, especially in my rocks & stones & pebbles terrain where raking is impractical. Although both use metallic blades, the B&D does a much better job of mulching leaves.

I live in a zero lot-line house with very little yard but I still create grass clippings and have leaves that accumulate. I am not one who thinks it is right to blow lawn clippings and leaves into the street or someone elses yard. It is neither neighborly nor good for storm sewers. That is why I purchased an electric blower that also vacuums.

The reason I purchased the Black & Decker LH5000 is because it has a variable speed motor, vacuums as well as blows, and the bag is zipper-less with an easy to open, empty, and close arrangement. I have used zippered bags in the past with gasoline vacuums when I had a much larger yard and they are a bit of a pain to open a close after a while.

After listening to the harder items it vacuums hit the impeller blade I was glad that the blade is made out of metal instead of plastic. The variable speed knob is easy to operate and allows you to blow your clippings into pile at a lower speed before changing to the vacuum mode at a higher speed - although my cleanup area is small enough that I will probably just use the vacuum.

If you have a larger area to cover maybe an electric would not be appropriate, but for smaller yards this product is perfect.

This leaf blower is relatively quiet and light weight; above all we liked the zipperless bag so leaves don't get caught in a zipper and waste time; also was surprised that it sort of pulverized the leaves making them easier to get rid of in far less space and could have been used for a compost mix if we did that here in AZ. It sure makes a job easier and will pay for itslef rather than landscape maintenance, in a couple of uses.

I have been pretty pleased with the LH5000. I debated on purchasing one of the less expensive versions but I am happy I bought this one as it has two features the others do not. First of all, the variable speed allows me to adjust the strength of the suction which is very helpful in flower beds with mulch and around our rock driveway so to pick up the leaves and not heavier pieces of mulch or rock. That also comes in handy around our oak trees with all of the acorns it has dropped. Second, the zipper-less bag is great. I do have to empty it regularly so it is nice to not have to mess with a zipper. I can empty the bag and have it back on the vacuum in less than a minute.

The only negative is that it is heavier than I expected and my back has ached a little after using it. (However that would probably happen if I was bending over to pick the leaves up as well.) I wish it has a strap for the vacuum itself (only the bag has a strap) that could help distribute the weight over my shoulders a little more.

Overall I think this is a very nice product that has made cleaning up the leaves in my yard much easier. It shreds the leaves into small pieces which helps fill the bags to their limit. I recommend this product to anyone unless you have back issues or cannot carry 15-20 pounds around for very long.

This Blower/Vac perfomed very well. The new metal mulching blades are a big improvemnt from the old plastic ones. The zipperless bag is easy to empty. There are nylon strips inside the bag where the leaves enter that must be there for a reason I can't figure but they seem to be fraying as leaves pass through and are getting caught in the nylon threads and bunch up. They must be pulled out manually. The variable speed is great around mulched flower beds. You can set it to generate enough suction to pick up the leaves without getting much mulch. It's adjustable to add a little more, or less, suction depending on what you are picking up. Overall, this is a great improvement over the older models.

My old blower/vacuum finally gave out after over 10 years. I quickly got on line and ordered the Leaf Hog, as my old one was a Black and Decker. I thought the new one would be even better than my old one. WRONG! The bag was still as flimsy and hard to handle as ever and now it has a weird metal end piece to use as the closure for the bag-very, very much a big pain to put on and take off. The vac itself is too short. I am 5'10" and I have to bend over quite a bit to use the darn thing. Needless to say, I am not too happy. The suction was adequate but difficult-too hard to keep bending over and try to get leaves in the nozzle. My back is killing me after only a very short time in the yard.

I had a previous version of the leaf hog that I was satisfied with but when it burned out, I was in the market for another. This model is a noticeable improvement. The steel propeller is a key upgrade as is as the zipperless bag. It is relatively light weight and very powerful. I could not find this at home depot and was delighted that amazon offered it.

I owned an earlier generation Leaf Hog (with plastic impeller) and loved it. By the time it finally broke (motor burned out I think), the leaf collection bag was almost worn through. A real work horse that gave me 4 or 5 years of great service. When it broke I bought a Toro in the same $80-100 price range. Big mistake. Swapping the Toro from blower to mulcher/vac mode was a nightmare. The fittings were so tight that I couldn't get them on/off easily even after trying to sand the mating surface and lube them with silicon spray. Then, after barely a year of use the motor fried. I just got the new LH5000 and it is great to have the old orange workhorse back!! The variable speed mode does come in handy for when you're finishing blowing leaves into a pile. If you have only one speed (high) it's tough to corral(SP?) the last leaves together. Back off the throttle on this one and it's easy to use just the right blow-power to get the leaves into a smaller pile for pickup. The new zipperless bag design works well but although it should last longer it's not easier to use than the zipper version was. That's a trade-off... no zipper to break, but hey.. that zipper was fast and easy. Overall, no regrets.. the new wiggle-action nozzle is actually surprisingly effective too. Great product. (Oh, this one has an alluminum impeller too... not that the plastic one I used before ever broke but this is a nice update to the product!)

Pros:
Aluminum Impeller

Cons:
Much weaker engine (smaller nozzle to still maintain up to 240 MPH speed)My guess to save money due to going Variable speed.

Heavier by a good couple pounds, I am in my earlier 20's and athletic and was tired of carrying it after finishing my yard.

This does a great job of blowing leaves but it is loud.

After a couple of months with no problems I noticed that it wasn't blowing as hard. I looked at the motor and I saw sparks. I waited for a few minute then I tried using it again. I started smelling burning plastic. We did some research and found that this model has a defective engine. It has also been reported that some saw green flames coming from the model.

It never got wet. I used it approximately 5 times. I had it for about 6 months.