Reviews & Guides

How Quiet is a “Quiet” Leaf Blower

  • Date: September 10, 2021
  • Time to read: 2 min.

How Quiet is a “Quiet” Leaf Blower?

Whether you’re a professional landscaper or a homeowner, leaf blowers are some of the most efficient tools for clearing an area of debris such as leaves and grass clippings. Unfortunately, they also tend to be very loud, operating somewhere between 70 and 90 decibels (dB).

Some gas-powered models can even get all the way up to 100 decibels, which is about as loud as an airplane taking off 300 feet away from you. As you can imagine, that amount of noise isn’t just annoying to your neighbors, it can also be dangerous for you if you’re exposed to it for too long.

Luckily, in response to noise complaints and leaf blowers being banned in certain cities, many lawn tool companies have started creating quieter models. But how quiet are these, exactly?

The Decibel Levels of Quiet Leaf Blowers

To answer that question, it’s important to note that there’s no such thing as a silent leaf blower, but there are leaf blowers that produce very little sound. The quietest ones clock in at about 59 decibels, which is around the same volume as a typical conversation.

That’s much less likely to annoy your neighbors, and it’s also likely to be less harmful to your own ears.

Look Out for Sneaky Marketing

Keep in mind, though, that companies can be a little sneaky with these decibel ratings. Often, the amount that they give on the box is the measurement from 50 feet away (and if they don’t give a decibel amount at all, that’s a big red flag). To the person using the equipment, it could be much louder.

That’s why it’s a good idea to wear earplugs when using a leaf blower or other garden tools and to do independent research before making a purchase so you can be certain that the product you’re buying will work for you.