Comparison STIHL BG 50 vs MTD BV 2500 E

Operating modes provided in the design of the garden vacuum cleaner. Many models support more than one mode. Also note that, despite the common name "garden vacuum cleaners", not all units are capable of suction.

— Blowing out. This mode can be called “vacuum cleaner in reverse”: the device generates a powerful air stream, which can be used, for example, to remove debris from hard-to-reach places, or “sweep” garden paths.

— Suction. The classic mode of operation of the vacuum cleaner: drawing in air along with various debris that is sent to the bin. Suction is well suited for "uncomplicated" debris — leaves and small chips.

— Shredding. This mode of operation is similar to the suction described above, however, the garbage drawn in by the vacuum cleaner is not immediately sent to the bin (or “to the exit”, into an external container), but is preliminarily crushed. The meaning of this function is twofold: firstly, due to crushing, the volume occupied by garbage is significantly reduced (see “Chopping factor”), and secondly, recycled leaves and branches can serve as fertilizer.

The highest speed of the air stream given out by the vacuum cleaner. The higher this parameter, the stronger the thrust provided by the device, and the more efficiently it is able to pull or blow out debris particles from cracks and other hard-to-reach places (of course, if there is an appropriate operating mode — see above). At the same time, in most modern models, this figure exceeds 150 km/h — this is more than enough for work of small and medium complexity. Therefore, paying attention to a high flow rate makes sense only when choosing a powerful model for working in difficult conditions; we note that in the most “high-speed” vacuum cleaners, the indicators can exceed 400 km/h.

The ability to change the speed (and, accordingly, the intensity) of the air flowissued by the vacuum cleaner. This function allows you to optimally adjust the operating parameters to the specifics of certain conditions — in order, on the one hand, not to waste energy / fuel and not wear out the unit, and on the other, to ensure proper work efficiency. For example, for collecting leaves from an asphalt path, high power is not needed, but for cleaning in thick grass, it can be very useful.

The ability to adjust is especially important for high-performance garden vacuums — these are the models that are most likely to find themselves in a situation where high power is unnecessary. And in models with a petrol engine (see below), this function is provided by default.

Performance of the garden vacuum cleaner when blowing (see "Operating mode").

This parameter determines the amount of air that the device distills through itself in a certain time. It should be noted that it depends not only on the speed of this air, but also on other parameters — for example, the diameter of the pipe. Therefore, two models with the same performance can noticeably differ in speed, and vice versa. You also need to keep in mind that the efficiency of "purging" bottlenecks with stuck debris does not depend on performance, but on the flow rate. On the other hand, good performance makes it easier to work on large areas, as allows you to simultaneously cover a large area with a jet of air.

Most modern garden vacuum cleaners in blowing mode provide up to 15 m / min; higher rates are typical mainly for professional models.

The ratio of shredding debris provided by a vacuum cleaner with the appropriate mode of operation (see above).

This parameter shows how much the volume occupied by garbage decreases after passing through the grinder. For example, the value "8:1" corresponds to a reduction of 8 times. These figures, of course, are quite approximate, because. in fact, much depends on the type of waste, and in different cases, the indicators will also be different. For example, bulky large branches are “packed” very tightly, and soft leaves initially take up relatively little space, and for them the difference in volume before and after the chopper may be small. Nevertheless, the claimed values quite reliably describe the capabilities of the vacuum cleaner for processing the collected garbage.

Garden vacuum cleaners with a grinding ratio of 1:10 can be classified as average; lower rates are typical for relatively modest models, larger ones for advanced ones.

The volume of the garbage collector — a container for garbage — regularly supplied with a garden vacuum cleaner. The larger the bin, the more debris can fit inside and the less often you have to empty it during work. On the other hand, a capacious container has the appropriate dimensions, and when filled, it also weighs a lot, which can affect the ease of use of the vacuum cleaner (this is especially true for manual and backpack models, see "Type"). Therefore, manufacturers tend to choose bins for their products based on the overall level of the vacuum cleaner and the scale of work for which it is designed. And some units may not be equipped with complete containers at all — in the expectation that the user picks up such a container separately.

The volume of the garbage can can be approximately estimated, knowing that an ordinary household bucket holds about 10 – 12 liters. Thus, for example, a 35 liter container corresponds approximately to three standard buckets.

The type of motor provided in the design of the garden vacuum cleaner.

— Electric (mains). An electric motor powered by a stationary network is most often an ordinary household one, at 230 V. The electric motors themselves are distinguished by a relatively low noise level, the absence of exhaust gases, as well as the simplicity and low cost of both the design itself and its operation. In particular, mains power does not have the battery life limitations that are typical for batteries (see below). However, the price of unlimited battery life is limited mobility: the network cable does not allow you to go far from sockets. The situation can be partially corrected by using extension cords, however, there are certain limits for them. Another feature is that powerful electric motors would create high loads on the power grid. Therefore, in the vast majority of electric vacuum cleaners, the motor power does not exceed 3 kW (and three-phase 400 V power supply, which would allow working with high powers, is not used in them at all for a number of reasons). As a result of all this, such models are mostly intended for work in relatively small areas. At the same time, we note that low power does not mean low efficiency: due to various engineering tricks, some units of this type are able to provide a high flow rate (see above).

— Electric (battery). Electric motor powered by a built-in battery. Suc...h motors do not have fundamental design differences from mains-powered motors (see above), due to which they have the same advantages — low noise, cleanliness, simplicity and low cost. And battery power allows you to make the vacuum cleaner independent of outlets and practically unlimited in movement. But there is a downside here too: batteries significantly affect the weight and dimensions of the unit, they need to be charged from time to time (which will still require a socket), and the power restrictions for such power are even more stringent than for mains. As a result, battery power is found exclusively in low-power hand-held models (see "Type"), and many of them do not even have a suction mode and are intended exclusively for the role of a blower.

— Petrol. An internal combustion engine (ICE) that runs on gasoline. Such engines are heavier, more complex and more expensive than electric ones, they require regular purchases of fuel and oil, and the exhaust gases that occur during operation can create inconvenience during prolonged operation. However, all these shortcomings are covered by two key advantages: internal combustion engines can be used completely autonomously, because. they are completely independent of external power, while their power can be much higher than even that of "mains" electric motors, not to mention battery ones (see above). Due to this, almost all powerful garden vacuum cleaners of the middle and top classes are equipped with gasoline engines.

The type of gasoline internal combustion engine (see "Engine type") installed in the lawnmower.

— 2-stroke. With a similar volume (and, accordingly, dimensions and weight), two-stroke engines outperform four-stroke ones in terms of power. In addition, they are somewhat simpler in design, which has a positive effect on the price. On the other hand, such motors have a higher noise level and fuel consumption. In addition, not pure gasoline is used as fuel for them, but a mixture of gasoline and oil in a certain proportion, and failure to comply with this proportion leads either to the formation of fumes (if there is a lot of oil) or to increased wear (if there is little oil).

- 4-stroke. Four-stroke engines are more complex and more expensive than two-stroke ones, and also have slightly less power for the same working volume. At the same time, they produce less noise and are filled with petrol and oil separately rather than as a mixture.

The working volume of the internal combustion engine (see "Engine type") installed in the garden vacuum cleaner. With the same type of internal combustion engine (see above), more displacement usually means more power and higher fuel consumption. However, in general, the value of this parameter is more of a reference than practically significant — other indicators are more important for a garden vacuum cleaner, such as flow rate or performance (see above).