When You’re Comparing Leaf Blower Performance, Look For Newton Force
Nearly all blowers are equipped with ratings for airflow and speed (CFM). But which one is the most important? These are just two metrics. The debate over leaf blower CFM or MPH goes far beyond these two. If you’re not already familiar with it, it’s time to get to know Newton force.
Leaf Blower CFM vs MPH: Which is better?
To start, let’s dive into airspeed and volume. You’ve probably heard the claims of blowers with 225 MPH and others with 900 CFM. Which is better for work? Both. Both.
Airspeed is the speed at which an object can be moved. It’s measured in MPH. Just like the speed of your car, it’s a measure that tells us how far that air would go in an hour if it maintained its speed. It is easier for an object to move if it has a faster speed.
Cubic feet per minute (CFM) is the amount of air a leaf blower can create when it runs at wide-open throttle (WOT). This measurement indicates how much air you can fill in one minute in cubic feet. Your blower will have a greater impact on the area it covers. The higher the CFM and the more objects you can move.
Both are essential to make the most of your time. If you have high MPH and low CFM, you can get pebbles, mulch, and other large debris to move, but it won’t go very far away from the nozzle.
On the other hand, high CFM and low MPH will move dust and dried grass well, but won’t have much effect on heavier debris.
Leaf Blower CFM Vs MPH: And the Winner is… Newtons
Let’s talk about Newtons. No, we’re not talking about the fig kind, this is all about force. One Newton is the force necessary to accelerate an object of mass 1 kg 1 meter per se. OK, now that we cleared that up, let’s make some sense of it.
Newton force is a measure of speed and air volume. Another way to think about it is that Newtons represent the overall blowing force. When it comes to comparing blower performance, it’s a single number that tells you how much work you can expect the blower to accomplish.
However, you can’t just plug CFM and MPH into an equation and get Newtons out. It’s complex and involves temperature, humidity, pressure, and other factors. It’s far easier to simply measure Newtons than calculate them, and it’s something we test and report in our blower reviews.
And here’s the cool thing: more brands are beginning to include Newton force in their specifications, making it that much easier for you to compare which leaf blower is the best one for your needs.
Like the blower featured in our featured photograph? It’s the Greenworks 60V Pro 700 CFM model. It’s available to purchase here or read more.
