Power blowers: more punch for plug-ins.(leaf blowers)(Product/service evaluation)

The best handheld electric blowers have long beaten their gasoline-fueled competitors with comparable power and less weight and noise. This year's electrics are an even better value.

Three new Toro corded electric blower-vacs outperformed our highest-scoring handheld gas model at about half the price. The top-scoring Ultra Blower Vac includes a metal impeller that should stand up to vacuumed twigs better than the typical nylon version. Yet at $70, it costs $15 less than the model it replaced.

Need the greater range of a gas blower? Manufacturers are cutting costs on larger backpack models by using the smaller impellers from their handheld machines. And nearly all gas blowers we tested meet this year's tougher emissions requirements for sale in California. (See our Ratings for specifics.)

You'll also hear more claims about quietness as communities increasingly crack down on gas-blower noise. Other features promise easier gas-engine starts with less fussing and fiddling. But our weeks in the field blowing and vacuuming leaves and other yard debris showed some of those boasts to be overblown. Here are the details:

Greater clamor than claimed. Extra muffling is among the steps Husqvarna took to get its redesigned pro-grade backpack blowers within the oft-imposed noise limit of 65 decibels at 50 feet. The company also claims a less-shrill tone, which we noticed during testing. But all three samples of the 356BFx proved several decibels louder than the 64 dBA Husqvarna promises. And while this $450 blower was tops at sweeping and loosening leaves, three small-impeller models from Echo and Kawasaki were nearly as capable and quieter for nearly $200 less.

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More elbow grease required. Stihl's $300 BR340 backpack blower lacks the usual primer bulb, which eases cold starts with a spritz of fuel. This made the Stihl much more difficult to start. Sears' Craftsman handheld 79498 and backpack 79499 blowers do reduce pulling effort with a spring-assist that uses the spring's pent-up force. But neither was a top performer.