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The most helpful favorable review
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86 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
Worth every penny!
I have MANY leaves to remove from my yard each fall, and I am always looking for ways to simplify and speed up the process (short of hiring someone else to do it!). As an extremely satisfied owner of the Toro blower-vac, I did not hesitate to purchase the accessory Universal Leaf Collector. I ordered it from Amazon after finding that its popularity caused it to be sold...
Published on January 11, 2007 by Sick of Raking
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46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
FAIL.
There are three primary points of failure, and if you are not suspecting, you will quickly find them all.
The hose fits into a canvas sheet that will, in turn, fit over the Toro collapsing bin. The fit is achieved by pulling a drawstring and closing the bin. While in vacuum mode, there is considerable air pressure from the vac into the bag.
The...
Published 20 months ago by Jeffrey Comer
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86 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
Worth every penny!, January 11, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
I have MANY leaves to remove from my yard each fall, and I am always looking for ways to simplify and speed up the process (short of hiring someone else to do it!). As an extremely satisfied owner of the Toro blower-vac, I did not hesitate to purchase the accessory Universal Leaf Collector. I ordered it from Amazon after finding that its popularity caused it to be sold out at all of my local vendors -- I live in New England.
This product lived up to my EVERY expectation. The part of the entire leaf removal process that I hate the most is the actual disposal of the leaves. My system is as follows: blow the leaves into a manageable pile; convert the blower into the vacuum/mulcher mode; suck the leaves into the fairly small "catch bag" attached to the vacuum; empty the catch bag into those large, brown paper leaf bags. The bags would then be collected by my town on "Leaf Days." The Toro vac/mulcher works great, but the brown bags would fill up very quickly: approximately three catch "bags-worth" per brown bag. It was also very awkward and difficult to empty the catch bag into the paper bags. I have a metal stand to hold the paper bags upright and open, but it was still a very time-comsuming task that often resulted in some spilled leaf detritus as well as a nose full of dust.
The Toro Universal Leaf Collector attaches to the vac the same way that the catch bag does. The hose coupling snapped on easily (although it was sometimes a little "sticky" to remove it), and at the other end of the hose there is a heavy-duty fabric "can cover" (for lack of a better term) with a drawstring hem. This cover can be placed over the top of a trash can or one of those collapsible barrels that are popular garden accessories these days. (It is important to make sure that the drawstring is pulled tight and securely around whatever collection conainer you are using, but that is not a problem.) Once you are set up in this fashion, just turn on the vac and away you go!
Depending on the size of the container you are using, you can quickly and easily remove MANY leaves from your lawn, eliminating the whole bagging step. I was concerned that the hose might clog during the vacuuming process, but it NEVER did during my many hours of use. As my available trash cans filled quickly, I was able to figure out a way to attach the "can cover" to the top of the frame holding my paper leaf bags. This worked very well, too. There was, however, a little spillage, as the shape of the can cover does not evenly conform to the top of the leaf bags, no matter how tight I pulled the drawstring. This minor inconvenience was FAR outweighed by the time I saved by being able to vacuum the leaves directly into the bags.
One minor complaint or bit of advice: Wear a dust mask, as dust is generated into the air when using this attachment.
In summary: I would not hesitate to HIGHLY recommend this product. It is a GREAT time- and labor-saver for what can be an arduous job. I am once again pleased with the high quality and durability of Toro products.
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46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
FAIL., November 23, 2008
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
There are three primary points of failure, and if you are not suspecting, you will quickly find them all.
The hose fits into a canvas sheet that will, in turn, fit over the Toro collapsing bin. The fit is achieved by pulling a drawstring and closing the bin. While in vacuum mode, there is considerable air pressure from the vac into the bag.
The first failure is that the draw is simply not enough to hold the canvas to the bin while the vac is operating. After having it pop off a dozen or so times, I came up with the idea of *clamping* the bag to the bin, using, of all things, automobile jumper cables. This worked, but the loose fit still allowed bits of leaves to be ejected around the lid.
The second point of failure is the hose - it is simply inserted into the canvas, and is held in place only by an elastic band inside the canvas sheet. Anyone who has ever messed with venting a dryer knows this simply will not work - and the air pressure here is much higher (not to mention the additional effect of the flying debris). With the lid finally secured by clamps, the hose kept popping out of place, further spewing leaf debris everywhere. The fix for this is some kind of cable tie, like what you would find on a dryer vent. Having none at hand, I simply used about a half roll of duct tape and put an end to that issue.
The third point of failure is that the hose has a small diameter and can get clogged up fast. During operation, you must make sure the hose is as straight as possible, as any kinks will cause debris to collect inside the hose.
These problems made a very difficult afternoon of it, having to stop and spend an hour or so re-engineering the equipment. I would not recommend it for that reason. Honestly, do people ever test these things before they start selling them?
GRADE: F.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
Good Design, January 13, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
Overall the design of this leaf collector is great. The problem lies in the minor parts such as the straps securing it to the leaf blower, cheap, weak. You're lucky if they last through the first use. Also the clip that is supposed to keep the cord tight securing the collector to your collection container, Toro makes a nice collection container, is also cheap causing the device to loosen and blow off. Even with the weak links the overall product works, it would just work better if Toro would address the obvious flaws.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
Works pretty darned good, January 9, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
I have a Toro blower/vac so this thing hooks directly up. There is a universal adapter included that looks like it would work fairly well but is not an exact fit. I wish the hose was a few feet longer. It works exactly as I had hoped - it never clogged on me and deposited leaves in our container with no problem. It sure beats emptying the bag all the time.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Another weapon in the "War of the Leaves", December 11, 2006
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
I live on a heavily wooded lot and as you might imagine fall is a lot of work at our place. I already had the Toro leaf blower that is recommended for use with this along with two of the collapsible leaf bins, so the additional investment was modest. I have found it helpful in those areas of the yard where I need to actually transport the leaves some distance (rather than simply blowing them into the woods). It is not great for cleaning huge volumes of leaves (it simply takes too long), but it is good for cleaning leaves off of stones or in gardens.
A couple of criticisms, the hose could be longer and it could be attached a bit more securely. Mine pulled loose on the first use. It is easy enough to pop back in, but it should stay put. The shortness of the hose means you need to be constantly moving the leaf container to stay close to the vacum.
All in all, I'm pleased with the purchase for the money spent.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Great product, November 8, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
A few have complained about the leaf collection system (Model #51500)-not being able to secure the part of the bag over the trash can (have a collapsable bin, but haven't tried it yet) and the solution I found is very easy.
After getting the cord snug around the top of the container, I tighten by pulling the two cords to the side, away from each other, and I am able to push the plunger part into the buckle with my thumb and the bag is quite secure with virtually nothing blowing out around the sides.
If you secure it up at the very top of the trash can around the upper most lip, it will inflate like a balloon and you can get much more into the container. When it's time to empty, just push the bag down into the can to compact the leaves collected, release the cords and push the edges of the bag into the can and very little that has collected at the edges will spill out.
The only problem I had was that the hose came out of the bag a few times because it was not secured in any way. A quick wrap with an electrical tie and the problem was solved.
Overall, A+.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
a Toro nightmare, November 28, 2008
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
This device was a complete nightmare from the first moment it arrived. I own a Toro super blower vac that is made for this unit and the connector still didn't match. The poor design of the hose into the collector was even worse. Not only was the draw string not adequate, the hose would easily pull out of the unit while in operation unless a large portion of it was extended into the collector. Beyond that, the collector unit expands in a rectangular shape while the collection unit is round causing pockets of leaf debris to collect on top and escape when you attempt to detach for emptying the container.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
toro mixed reaction, January 9, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
The toro was wonderful because you no longer have to do the back breaking work of bending over to pick up leaves nor do you need to try to stuff a bag full of leaves that keeps closing. The downside is that it takes three times as long to suck, mulch and bag the leaves as it does to bend over and scoop it up. My recommendation is that if you're physically able to do the work, then blow or rake leaves to one side of the yard, line a garbage can with appropriate sized trash bags, and scoop them up going down the side of your yard. Your back might hurt, you might use a bunch of bags, but you'll be done much faster and on to a more fun activity.
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
Nice idea but dysfunctional for some of us, January 25, 2007
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
Although a great idea that is needed this item would not stay attached to a trash can no matter how tight I tightened it down. The leaves blowing in at an angle was just too much for the bag part that fitted over the trash can. Blew off every time I tried to use it no matter what speed I ran the vac at.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Horrible, October 30, 2008
This review is from: Toro 51500 Universal Leaf Collector with 8-Foot Hose (Lawn & Patio)
I bought this with the collapsible 43 gallon bucket. This item did not stay attached to anything. After 5 minutes of trying to use it, I decided to return it. If it won't even attach to the Toro bucket, then what will it attach to?
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