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The most helpful favorable review
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609 of 614 people found the following review helpful:
An excellent value in an electric blow and vac
I bought this Toro electric blow and vac in utter frustration after spending a small fortune on similar gasoline powered products. I use it as a vac several times per week and even daily in the Fall. I found that the very cheap gasoline blow and vacs start falling apart very quickly indeed as the result of poor and shoddy design so I moved up to the top of the line,...
Published on May 6, 2007 by BBS, Bay Area, CA
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135 of 138 people found the following review helpful:
Better blower than a vac
Prior to this, I had the B&D blower/vac that I bought locally. After about 2 years, it just sort of fell apart. I bought the Toro because of the metal impeller. As a vac, I liked the B&D model better. The Toro doesn't do much to grind up the leaves - important IMHO for more rapid composting. Also, the suction tube narrows about half way up. Leaves tend to plug...
Published on September 27, 2007 by Clifford Haugen
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609 of 614 people found the following review helpful:
An excellent value in an electric blow and vac, May 6, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
I bought this Toro electric blow and vac in utter frustration after spending a small fortune on similar gasoline powered products. I use it as a vac several times per week and even daily in the Fall. I found that the very cheap gasoline blow and vacs start falling apart very quickly indeed as the result of poor and shoddy design so I moved up to the top of the line, Echo, which appears to be very well made and engineered. My first one, an ES211, did outlast its 2 year warranty, it had a starter assembly and cord replaced under warranty but then just wore out during the third year. The second ES211 lasted 18 months until something broke inside the engine and it wouldn't even rotate. The third one (a $290+tax ES231 heavy duty model) is just over a year old and overheats very quickly, smokes badly, and is melting the plastic grill surrounding the engine.
The dealers lie and tell me that it's my fault and that the problem is lack of lubrication. As a lifelong, now retired, professional mechanical engineer and having owned 2-stroke engines since a teenager I have always used the correct gas/oil mixture in 2-stroke engines including motorcycles of course.
The Toro Ultra Blower and Vac does everything I need. Let's list the advantages. It is amazingly light and doesn't strain your back lugging its bulk plus a heavy bag of leaves around the way a gas powered model does - this is very important and not to be dismissed as you get up in years. It always starts when you turn the knob - you sure can't say that about gasoline powered garden equipment. It converts from a blower to a vac very quickly without needing a screwdriver and undue force - Toro obviously corrected this problem from the prior model. It is very quiet compared with gas models - your neighbors will appreciate this. It doesn't have a spark plug or an air filter that needs frequent attention. It doesn't get dirty, grimy, and oily from gasoline exhaust and leaky carburetors and tubing. You don't have to buy expensive gasoline and oil and be required to mix and find a place to store a separate highly inflammable gas/oil mixture. The Toro has a cast magnesium impeller that handles the occasional twig or stone quite handily. The leaf bag is well designed, it disconnects easily and is a snap to empty. The vac suction and air blast from the blower seems equivalent to the Echo. Last but not least is P R I C E , my Toro was $69.99, at that price I could buy four of them for the price of one Echo ES231.
Now for the only disadvantage I can think of. I use a 100 ft. 13amp. electric cord and reel. You sacrifice some ease of mobility because you have a cord dragging behind you all of the time - nothing in life is perfect I guess.
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187 of 188 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent!-Better than I expected!, July 14, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
I was originally planning to buy a GAS powered leaf blower.
However, the glowing reviews that I read on this leaf blower (here and on other sites) made me reconsider-I'm glad I did!
This unit is very light, well balanced, extremely powerful and QUIET!
NOTE: This model has the METAL blower blades as opposed to plastic in many of the lower model # Toro leaf blowers (some people have reported breakage of the blades on those models due to small rocks and twigs cracking or breaking the blades). Spend the extra few dollars to get this model that has the METAL blades.
Yes, you will need to deal with the hassle of an extension cord when using this tool, however I feel that it is LESS of a hassle in the long run (no fuel, no maintenance, no excessive noise or fumes, less expensive, leaf vacuum capability). Much less of an inconvenience than I expected.
This Leaf blower is so powerful that all of my walkways, patios, and driveway are free of lawn clippings and leaves in less than 5 minutes time and I rarely need to go above half throttle.
Oh yeah, the photo on this page is WRONG. You will actually get the RED colored unit (2nd revision maybe?) and it does indeed come with the leaf bag and vacuum tubing.
IMHO this is a very well designed and engineered product - I was skeptical before I bought it, but I am very glad that I did.
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150 of 152 people found the following review helpful:
The best (period), May 17, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
This blower/vac is the best lawn tool I have ever purchased. To think I used to rake my leaves! I live in an established neighborhood with huge maples and oaks that produce large amounts of tree-litter and a small to moderately sized yard (~6000 sq/ft total(?)). Dragging a cord around is not that much of a hassle for me, and it is well worth the power to weight and noise ratio this blower has (not to mention its lack of required maintenence). In fact, it is more powerful and quieter than most gas-powered blowers, most of which do not vac. (Plus, your neighbors may appreciate is lack of air and relative noise pollution).
The metal impeller in this model was the selling point for me and I was not disappointed. It sucks up twigs and bits of mulch without worry. In fact, the continuously adjustable suction allows you to suck up leaves over mulched areas. Pinecones and hidden rocks also will not terribly damage the metal impeller.
CONS: Leaf duty is still a pain, but I have not discovered a more useful tool to help you with it under $100. There are cheaper blowers out there, but I would be weary of purchasing one for anything but the most lightweight tasks (blowing grass off a sidewalk). It has a cord, but in every other way it is superior to gas blowers for about the same price or lower.
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135 of 138 people found the following review helpful:
Better blower than a vac, September 27, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
Prior to this, I had the B&D blower/vac that I bought locally. After about 2 years, it just sort of fell apart. I bought the Toro because of the metal impeller. As a vac, I liked the B&D model better. The Toro doesn't do much to grind up the leaves - important IMHO for more rapid composting. Also, the suction tube narrows about half way up. Leaves tend to plug there. After about four uses, the connection between the bag and the bag attachment is leaking bits of leaves and dust.
On the other hand, the blower function is great. It move lots and lots of air. The variable speed control is handy. I wasn't expecting to use the blower feature at all, but have found it quite helpful.
All said and done, for my purposes, I'd buy the B&D again. It's less money and does a better job of reducing leaves. However, if you're looking for a blower, this seems to be a good one. If you don't need a lot of reduction, the metal impeller has sucked a lot of leaves without any signs of wear.
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56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
ultra versus super, July 21, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
The difference between the ultra and the super models is that the ultra model has a variable speed versus the super which is only two speeds.
This model number is the Ultra, is bright Toro red and both come with attachments to both blow and vacuum leaves. I have not used the vacuum yet , but the blower works great. I have never been able to turn it up past half-way without out it being almost too powerful for clearing even the evergreens needles of my hedges off the sidewalk. My sidewalk has never been so clean.
Although the bag attachment has a shoulder strap(vacuum), it could use one for the blower attachment. I find how you have to hold it a bit unnatural and awkward. And there is no way to change speed without releasing one of your hands.
It also comes with an attachment to the blower (turbo) that focuses the air more directly to one spot. I have not needed to use it.
It changes from blower to vacuum by reversing a piece that covers the motor and fan. It takes less than a minute to do it.
I would say go with the Ultra model if you can. It is hard to find in the usual stores. The electric motor is friendlier to the environment and a lot less noisy that the gas blowers. But if you hate pulling a cord along, this is not the model for you.
I have two gas powered lawn care items and two electric , so I use the gas items, mower and trimmer first... and then use the cord for the hedge trimmer and lastly the blower to clean things up. Since I only unwind the cord that one time, it is not that much of a hassle for me to go electric.
The reviews on Amazon , helped me make my choice, so I feel I should return the favor. You will enjoy the power and the design of this machine.
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80 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
Toro Leaf Blower -- Addendum, April 9, 2008
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
I purchased this Toro Blower through Amazon in February 2008. Amazon did great job with delivery, but the blower just died! I used it about once a week to blow off the sidewalks and driveway for about 30 minutes each use. Yesterday, it simply died. I am very dissappointed in the short life of this product. I only used the blower funciton, never as a mulcher. In fact, bag and hose are brand new. Very dissappointed in Toro, and of course, the 90 day warranty has long since expired. UPDATE: November 2008. Since my original comments, I learned there is a two year warranty. Toro graciously replaced my broken blower with a new one. Thank you Toro -- good produce and excellent service. I now give 5 stars *****, but Amazon's feedback system won't let me change the rating. Joe
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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
Tora Ultra: More than satisfied., October 21, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
Having used a Toro blower before, I was not concerned about its ability to move leaves. What I wasn't sure about was the mulcher. For our acre lot with some 20 or more 100-year-old maples, it was either the mulcher worked or I would be spending a lot more on a garden tractor with a bag unit. Fortunately, the Toro mulcher has more than met my expectations. I blow the leaves into rows for mulching and fill the 13 gal. bag in two to three minutes. I get four bags in each of two 32 gal. plastic garbage cans that are hauled off to a compost pile. I've been forced by weather to do wet leaves but it is far better to do them dry. $65 vs. $2,000; now that's a very satisfying no-brainer!
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
Could suck the ball off a trailer hitch!, October 4, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
We've had so many of the cheap, electric leaf-blowers/leaf vacuums that I finally decided to buy a decent unit and quit searching for non-existant parts for the cheap ones.
This thing has a steel impeller -- this is the first thing that goes in a cheap blower with a poly impeller. The next seems to be the bag. Anyway, this Toro has a good impeller and a good bag (replacements redilly available locally).
It has two other features that make it stand-out: A continuously variable blower speed and a handle that makes it well-balanced with whatever you're doing.
My wife loves to do the leaf vacuuming (I have to empty the bags) and the Toro suction tube was too long, so I cut it off so she can stand up straight and vacuum.
So far, this seems to be the best unit we have had. I have a good feeling that it will provide many years of service.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
Toro Ultra 12 Amp Electric Blower/Vacuum #51599, October 17, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
I purchased this model of Toro Blower/Vacuum to replace an earlier Toro model. I like the upgraded design of the Mod. #51599 for the additional power and means of controlling the motor speed. The ease of changing over from blower to vacuum is a great improvement. I would rank this electric model in the superior category.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
My first leaf blower -- what a great tool!, October 28, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller (Lawn & Patio)
I have 4 mature oak trees on my property, and for the past 4 falls, I have manually raked the leaves. After reading about this blower in Consumer Reports' August or September 07 issue (it was ranked best), I decided to give it a try. I am really happy with this blower. I mainly use it to vacuum/mulch the leaves, and it does a good job. My only real complaint about this is that the vacuum attachment is a little too long for my 5'5" stature, so I'm somewhat clumsy with it. The shoulder adjustment strap also drops the bag a little lower on my hip than I would like. Other than that, I haven't had problems with it. Because of these two nuisances, I'm giving 4 stars.
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