Toro 51619 Ultra Electric Blower Vac, 250 mph, Red

Box was a little crushed at one end but nothing missing and product was un damaged. Arrived on time. This replaced a similar Toro product and has better suction. I prefer corded for a vacuum due to battery life.

After buying a new house with a beautiful yard and gardens, I started to realize just how much work was in store to maintain said yard and gardens. Then I turned my gaze up at the enormous trees shading the front and back yards. They're amazing trees, but they have an amazing number of leaves. Now that fall is wrapping up here in the Texas, those leaves are making their annual migration south for the winter. I've never seen so many leaves! I mean, I live in a land of junipers and live oaks and other evergreens trees. But whatever I have in my yards is just dumping massive quantities of dead leaves upon my entire property. In no time, my entire lawn was covered, so something had to be done. I can't have leave them there to choke out the grass while the weather is still warm.So I knew I would need a powerful leaf blower. I opted to try my luck with a battery powered mower and string trimmer. But I thought I might need more leaf blowing longevity than a cordless model could offer. And while a backpack style gas blower would be pretty sweet, it would nullify one of the great advantages of electric lawn equipment--no gasoline and associated maintenance.And so, I did some research and settled on this Toro blower/vac. I've used it a half dozen times so far (in addition to mulching leaves into the lawn with the mower), and I haven't even made a dent. But this thing is powerful and reliable and effective. It is lightweight and easy to use. My wife even likes using it (it's like vacuuming, and I like vacuuming). And that was before I showed her that she can actually _vacuum_ the leaves, too!Once you get a hang for how everything is attached and changed for different functions, it's super simple to get up and running, and to switch from blower to vac, quickly. I like the placement and design of handles, allowing for different holding positions. The big dial makes it easy to modulate the speed/power, even while wearing gloves. I find it better to loop the power cord through the handle to prevent it from coming unplugged. But man, can this thing blow. Even when the leaves have piled up one or two _feet_ thick around the shed, this blower moves more than enough air to expose bare ground in no time. I can quickly gather the pesky leaves into convenient piles, and then I take a break and swap out the blower tube for the vacuum tube for some efficient leaf mulching. I remove any sticks bigger than a small twig to prevent snagging in the impeller, but otherwise, I just don the collection bag, assume the position, and let 'er rip.The bag itself is small, so I do need to get a trash barrel with the hose/mesh attachment. That will just give me more time between emptying. But man, this thing will go to town on a pile of leaves, big or small. It really does a great job of chopping things up and reducing the total volume of leaves into manageable quantities for curbside collection or composting.All in all, I'm totally satisfied so far. I'm supremely happy with the purchase, and with my foresight that led to my choosing a corded blower rather than a battery powered model. I can easily run this thing for 30-40 minutes at a time with no concern for battery life, gas refills, or any interruptions at all. It's also lightweight, so I feel no ill effects in my back after a long session, nor do I get the uncomfortable buzzing in my hands after I've finished for the day.Solid blower/vac. Would recommend at this price point.

Ii bought it for the vacuum part. I had an older model which died. This one is definitely more bulky and heavier. The pick up tube alone would be very difficult for anyone shorter than 5'8". Great if you are stronger or a man. ( but my husband doesn't do anything.) It works good. I really wanted a cordless one but I took what I could get and toro is a good brand

Excellent Vac! Made mincemeat of dead leaves.

Like many who have purchsed this blower/mulcher, I am very pleased with how it works. As a blower, it is incredibly powerful. I have another corded blower and this is easily double the power. As a leaf vacuum and mulcher it's a huge time saver. We have two large trees in our front yard and we usually spend 6 man hours raking and packing leaves every fall. I also run the mower at different times during the fall to mulch smaller leaf drops. I did the whole yard by myself in about 3 hours, and collected some 400lbs of leaves. The bag looks like it could get heavy, but by the time it's full, it's rarely more than 10 or 15 lbs. The leaves are chopped up pretty well.It's loud and should be used with ear protection. Converting from blower to vac is a bit clumsy. The pieces fit tightly and are hard to remove. It also does NOT like wet or damp leaves. If you've had rain or snow, you are best off spreading the wet clumps out and let them dry. It will suck them up, but clogs very easily, which is a pain to clear. Have a long screwdriver in your back pocket to help clear out clogs.One of the truly great features of this vac is that it will pull leaves off rocks or from out of ground cover. We have a large edge of ground cover which has always been difficult to get clear of leaves. They get stuck right in the branches, and neither raking or blowing gets them out effectively. You can stick the tube from the Toro down in the shrubs and pull them right up.There is a long adjustable shoulder strap, which I think would accommodate many different heights. The unit is reasonably comfortable to use with a large handle and good places for your hands. Some have commented that the cord is in the wrong place. It's in the right place when used as a blower, but when you vac, you turn it around, so the cord comes out the front. You get used to it.This is one of the best tools I've bought in a long time.