41 votes

Students invent quieter leaf blower

26 comments

  1. Protected
    Link
    These kids are immediately my heroes and I wish them every success in their lives.

    These kids are immediately my heroes and I wish them every success in their lives.

    35 votes
  2. [6]
    BeanBurrito
    Link
    I noticed this as my state is phasing out gas powered leaf blowers, and there has been an amazing amount of "blowback" ( pun intended ) by the grounds keeping industry. Gas powered leaf blowers...

    The team started working last September. They hoped to improve an electric or battery-powered leaf blower, which is already much quieter than the notorious gas-powered ones, where the sound can carry over an average suburban block.

    I noticed this as my state is phasing out gas powered leaf blowers, and there has been an amazing amount of "blowback" ( pun intended ) by the grounds keeping industry. Gas powered leaf blowers where scheduled to be phased out for pollution concerns. People who are not grounds keepers consider the reduced noise of electric leaf blowers to be a happy side effect.

    22 votes
    1. [5]
      OBLIVIATER
      Link Parent
      The leaf blowers that professional groundskeepers use are huge backpack mounted gas powered ones, do battery powered leaf blowers even come close to the power of a higher end gas blower? I can't...

      The leaf blowers that professional groundskeepers use are huge backpack mounted gas powered ones, do battery powered leaf blowers even come close to the power of a higher end gas blower? I can't imagine hauling around 100 batteries and swapping them out every 10 minutes or so instead of just topping off your gas tank every now and then.

      2 votes
      1. [4]
        unkz
        Link Parent
        I have limited experience with gas powered blowers, but I use a battery powered one regularly and it's quite good -- power-wise, it's somewhat comparable to a gas powered blower. The one I use...

        I have limited experience with gas powered blowers, but I use a battery powered one regularly and it's quite good -- power-wise, it's somewhat comparable to a gas powered blower. The one I use does 200 mph, 765 cfm. In comparison, pretty high end backpack gas models can be found in the 240 mph 835 cfm range so there's a bit of a gap but I imagine there must exist higher end electric versions as well. You can get 2-3 hours of work off a single charge on low speed which is what I'm generally using, but that does drop down to about 15 minutes on turbo. I would think typically you wouldn't need to be on turbo the entire time though, and you could expect somewhere in the middle. I'm not using it to move leaves around though, so I don't know what a typical use pattern would be.

        3 votes
        1. [3]
          OBLIVIATER
          Link Parent
          I'm honestly very surprised that an electric leaf blower is that powerful, my experience with them so far has been that they're pretty anemic, suited for household use but not professional. Maybe...

          I'm honestly very surprised that an electric leaf blower is that powerful, my experience with them so far has been that they're pretty anemic, suited for household use but not professional. Maybe the technology has gotten way better since I last used one or maybe I just had a bad model.

          1. [2]
            Weldawadyathink
            Link Parent
            Electric power tools changed significantly once lithium ion came on to the scene. Many people have misconceptions about battery tools that stem from the nickel cadmium battery days. Modern lithium...

            Electric power tools changed significantly once lithium ion came on to the scene. Many people have misconceptions about battery tools that stem from the nickel cadmium battery days. Modern lithium batteries can throw out so much juice that power isn’t a limiting factor anymore. The other big evolution was when brushless DC motors became common. That removed the one common wear item in the drive train. The only reason I think an electric blower can’t compete with a backpack gas model is that nobody has made a backpack electric yet (maybe they have, I don’t know). If/when they do, the only way it won’t be able to compete is price.

            3 votes
            1. steezyaspie
              Link Parent
              Ego makes a few different backpack electric blowers, I’m sure other companies do as well.

              Ego makes a few different backpack electric blowers, I’m sure other companies do as well.

              1 vote
  3. [8]
    elight
    Link
    Can they get on top of a weed-whacker suppressor and lawnmower silencer? And then a mute button for the exhaust systems of all of the cars that drive through my neighborhood? Then I may finally...

    Can they get on top of a weed-whacker suppressor and lawnmower silencer? And then a mute button for the exhaust systems of all of the cars that drive through my neighborhood? Then I may finally get something resembling peace and quiet around here.

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      GOTO10
      Link Parent
      I like the proposal where car honks have to be as loud /inside/ the car as they are outside.

      I like the proposal where car honks have to be as loud /inside/ the car as they are outside.

      10 votes
      1. elight
        Link Parent
        And the exhaust? If so, I really dig this.

        And the exhaust? If so, I really dig this.

        5 votes
    2. [3]
      sparksbet
      Link Parent
      Forgive my ignorance, but isn't this what a muffler is? Honestly you'd be surprised how much car noise comes from the tires. There has been work on engineering "quiet pavements" that cut down on...

      And then a mute button for the exhaust systems of all of the cars that drive through my neighborhood?

      Forgive my ignorance, but isn't this what a muffler is?

      Honestly you'd be surprised how much car noise comes from the tires. There has been work on engineering "quiet pavements" that cut down on this noise, but unfortunately it's not in use in many places yet.

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        elight
        Link Parent
        Yep! That's much of what a muffler is. And somehow, in the US, we allow people to do ridiculous things to their exhaust systems to make their cars louder at the cost of everyone else around them.

        Yep! That's much of what a muffler is. And somehow, in the US, we allow people to do ridiculous things to their exhaust systems to make their cars louder at the cost of everyone else around them.

        3 votes
        1. sparksbet
          Link Parent
          Oh yeah the only reason I know what a muffler is is from hearing my parents complain whenever we passed someone who'd "broken" theirs.

          Oh yeah the only reason I know what a muffler is is from hearing my parents complain whenever we passed someone who'd "broken" theirs.

          1 vote
    3. [2]
      gowestyoungman
      Link Parent
      Im all in on banning gas lawnmowers and going electric only. Now that Ive had both, I can honestly say there's no advantage to gas anymore, other than faster 'refueling' but thats solvable by...

      Im all in on banning gas lawnmowers and going electric only. Now that Ive had both, I can honestly say there's no advantage to gas anymore, other than faster 'refueling' but thats solvable by having two batteries in the latest mowers - you mow with one while the other one is charging and then swap them. Not a big deal and far less hassle, less smell, less work than running to the service station for gas. Going electric for lawn and garden equipment is a no brainer and I wouldnt be surprised if gas mowers go bye bye within a few years - they sit around all winter and always give you grief in the spring anyway. Such a pain.

      5 votes
      1. elight
        Link Parent
        So many bad childhood memories of priming the pump, pulling the starter cord, and nothing happening right up until hurting myself pulling too hard.

        So many bad childhood memories of priming the pump, pulling the starter cord, and nothing happening right up until hurting myself pulling too hard.

        2 votes
  4. [2]
    spinoza-the-jedi
    Link
    I can’t give them my money fast enough.

    I can’t give them my money fast enough.

    7 votes
    1. elight
      Link Parent
      I can't give them my neighbors' money fast enough

      I can't give them my neighbors' money fast enough

      22 votes
  5. [3]
    Fiachra
    Link
    About a million unpolular neighbours worldwide are getting a surprise christmas present this year.

    About a million unpolular neighbours worldwide are getting a surprise christmas present this year.

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      Minty
      Link Parent
      They'll refuse to purchase because electric.

      They'll refuse to purchase because electric.

      1 vote
      1. Fiachra
        Link Parent
        That's why we have to give it to them for christmas

        That's why we have to give it to them for christmas

        1 vote
  6. [2]
    PepperJackson
    Link
    Too bad they aren't making the gas ones quieter. The electric ones are already so much better.

    Too bad they aren't making the gas ones quieter. The electric ones are already so much better.

    4 votes
    1. MimicSquid
      Link Parent
      Push your representatives to ban the gas ones. It happened in California and even before the official start of the ban pretty much everyone has already switched over to electric blowers. It's so...

      Push your representatives to ban the gas ones. It happened in California and even before the official start of the ban pretty much everyone has already switched over to electric blowers. It's so much quieter.

      19 votes
  7. SirNut
    Link
    Is there a printables link yet?? Would love to adapt this to my Ryobi later tonight

    Is there a printables link yet?? Would love to adapt this to my Ryobi later tonight

    3 votes
  8. [3]
    turmacar
    Link
    New leaf blowers having it is neat, having either an adapter or 3d printer files to make one would be neater.

    New leaf blowers having it is neat, having either an adapter or 3d printer files to make one would be neater.

    2 votes
    1. [2]
      Akir
      Link Parent
      It appears that the thrust of this is that the invention was either licensed or sold to a leaf blower manufacturer. If this was just a nice thing they were going to release for free, the school...

      It appears that the thrust of this is that the invention was either licensed or sold to a leaf blower manufacturer. If this was just a nice thing they were going to release for free, the school probably wouldn't have made such a nice announcement for it.

      I can practically guarantee that it will be integrated with the blower and won't be available separately.

      (paging @SirNut)

      4 votes
      1. first-must-burn
        Link Parent
        I looked for the patent and didn't find it, but from the video it looks like there is some kind of spiral outer channel in the adapter.

        I looked for the patent and didn't find it, but from the video it looks like there is some kind of spiral outer channel in the adapter.

        1 vote