BLACK+DECKER40V Cordless Leaf Blower Leaf Vacuum Combo Kit, 120 mph Air Speed, 6-Speed Dial, Built-in Scraper, with Collection Bag, Battery and Charger Included (LSWV36)

Had a corded blower/vac years ago and hated it. Was a little nervous about spending the money for this one, but really glad I did. No, it doesn't take the place of my Shop-Vac, but I also don't have to spend the time to out the extension cord and drag the vac around and then put everything away. I find I'm willing to clean up leaves off my patio surface and between my planters more often because it only takes a few minutes. That will save me a TON of work in the spring when I really do need to get out the Shop-Vac. This doesn't have so much power that it sucks up rocks like my corded one did, so they don't jam. If it does need to be un-jammed, it's easy to do--but it has only happened once with a small plastic bag I accidentally sucked up. Also I can use it to suck leaves, etc. out of the planters themselves, as it doesn't have so much power it harms the plants. The blower is great and powerful for sweeping fast. There's also a speed control on the handle, so if the sucking is too strong for the plants, or blowing is too powerful for my gravel paths, I can turn it down. Great feature!I have a love-hate relationship with 2 liquidambar trees over my patio. They give great shade in the summer and are beautiful in the fall, but they're always dropping stuff and they discolor the tiles if I don't clean leaves up before they get wet. Then there are the stickery balls....upside, birds love them and they make great kindling. Downside, they're lethal if you step on them. So I try to keep them swept up, but can't use a regular broom because they get stuck in it. The old blower/vac would suck them up and get them jammed in the impeller and I'd have to disassemble the whole unit to get them out. The Shop-Vac sucks them up, but they tend to jam in the hose and have to be pushed out with a broomstick. This unit will suck them up, but not into the impeller. I just turn it off, and they fall out. So when they're mixed in with the leaves on the patio or between the pots, they're not a problem. The leaves get mulched, and the balls drop out. PERFECT!!!The assembly directions are less than clear, but we figured it out. Jamming the tube pieces together took some muscle, but they won't fall apart. I've used this about 6 times in the past 10 days, and I'm really happy with it. Lightweight, easy to swap from sweep mode to vac mode, and battery life is excellent---I now have two tools that use this battery, so I have a spare available. All in all, glad I got it. Does the jobs I need and makes them much easier to do. What more can I ask?Update 11/11/13: Seems as if most of the negative reviews of this unit say it doesn't have much power, which is NOT something I have experienced with my unit. Wondering if the power dial on their handles may have accidentally been pushed to a position that's less than full. It doesn't "click" into position, and I can see where someone might push it without knowing. Power levels are from 1 to 6 and I nearly always use it at 6. I've been using mine nearly every day since I got it. The only additional issues I've encountered are that long fibrous leaves that aren't completely dry will jam in the impeller, and it will NOT vacuum up persimmon leaves---but I didn't really expect it to. They're thick and retain a lot of moisture for a long time, and this works best on fairly dry leaves. Still very happy with it, and still give it 5 stars after a month of using it

After a search in our local Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, etc....I was looking for a leaf blower/vacuum that is MOSTLY made in America. All I'm looking for is a quality product. Cost isn't my thing, although this was on the more expensive side. The unit is small, compact and after charging the battery to full, as indicated on the charging LED, started to shut off after about 20 minutes of use. I purchased to clean my up my Mesquite, and Bougainvillea leaves in my Arizona yard. Two of the lightest leaves known to man kind.First: The Blower function, worked well for these two types of leaves, I would think leaves that are any heavier would be a real PITA. My first thought when turning it on was 'most people fart a stronger wind than this!' My first battery operated yard tool and maybe it's my lack of experience and my expectations were too high. None the less, after blowing my mesquite leaves into a neat area of the yard, I added the Vacuum attachment.Second: The vacuum attachment actually worked pretty well with the light weight leaves I was using it for. This unit is easy to use and very light weight. After vacuuming up the leaves for about 5 minutes, the unit shut down, my first thought is that the bag was getting full and maybe there's an override mechanism built in. I took off the battery, put it back on the charger for 20 minutes, emptied the only half full bag and then re-attached the battery. It fired right up and then after only a few more minutes it shut down again.My apologies to any of my neighbors who may have heard me cuss this unit with a 'wtf' and 'pos'.If I lived in a condo and my patio had a layer of dust, this might do the job, but if you have anything larger than a 10x10 area to clean, try another product,My search goes on. :/

Very happy....much better than I expected! I bought this to keep the patio,decks and pool area clean and the vac worked well for this! It is small, light and battery has good life. We filled it's bag 4 times with 1/2 a charge left. This a very good, convenient vac/blower for light to medium work...It isnot a unit for full scale yard work.