Comparison STIHL BR 700 vs CHAMPION GB226

The type determines primarily the way the vacuum cleaner is transported during operation and the associated application features.

— Manual. Garden vacuum cleaners designed to be carried directly in the hands — on the weight or on the shoulder strap (see below). It is inconvenient to carry a lot of weight in this way, so handheld models are quite light, relatively compact and, therefore, relatively low-power. However, this is not a disadvantage — rather, it is a specific feature of this class. But the key inconvenience when using handheld vacuum cleaners is the need to move a rather weighty structure during operation — this leads to rapid fatigue and makes it difficult to work on large areas. Therefore, most of these units belong to the entry level, designed mainly for simple work in small areas — for example, in the garden of a private house. On the other hand, hand-carrying has its advantages: a hand-held vacuum cleaner can be used in hard-to-reach places where a wheeled or communal one (see below) simply cannot go through. And to facilitate the work, special devices can be used, such as the mentioned shoulder straps or transport rollers (see below).

— Knapsack. Garden vacuum cleaners of this type in the working position are carried over the shoulders on straps, in the manner of a knapsack — hence the name. This method of...carrying is more convenient for transporting a large weight than the manual one described above: not only due to the fact that the main load falls on the straps of the backpack, but also due to the fact that during operation the vacuum cleaner hangs almost motionless behind the back, and the operator works only with pipe/hose. Thanks to this, knapsack vacuum cleaners are generally somewhat more powerful and performant than manual vacuum cleaners, while they retain such an advantage as high traffic.

— Wheeled. Garden vacuum cleaners designed for transportation on wheels. Outwardly, such models for the most part are characteristic carts resembling lawn mowers, which are complemented by vacuum hoses. This method of movement is provided for rather powerful units that are too heavy to be carried in the hands or in a knapsack way. Many wheeled vacuum cleaners are designed to be able to work while moving; most of them need to be pushed in front of the operator during operation, but there are also self-propelled models (see below).

— Communal. The most powerful and advanced variety of garden vacuum cleaners. The key features of utility models are the presence of a thick corrugated hose, as well as wheels; however, the latter, unlike the wheeled units described above, in this case are intended only for moving from one place of work to another — work on the move, usually, is not provided. The capabilities of communal vacuum cleaners are enough to clean entire streets or parks — hence the name. Note that such units, usually, do not have their own garbage bins — the garbage is supposed to be unloaded into the body of a car, trailer or other similar container.

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.

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 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).

The engine power of a garden vacuum cleaner, expressed in horsepower. This unit of power is considered somewhat obsolete and is mainly used for internal combustion engines (see "Engine type"), while in many cases the power figures in horsepower are also duplicated in watts. However, if there is no such clarification, it is quite simple to estimate the power in watts: 1 hp. approximately corresponds to 735 watts.

For more information about the value of engine power, see the paragraph of the same name below.

Power of the garden vacuum cleaner motor, expressed in watts. This unit is by far the main one, it is used for both electric and gasoline engines (see "Engine type").

The more powerful the motor — the more air the vacuum cleaner is able to pass through itself, the greater the speed it is able to give the air flow and the more efficient the chopper (if there is one at all — see "Operating mode"). At the same time, all these moments depend not only on power, but also on many other design features; and manufacturers select each motor in such a way as to provide the vacuum cleaner with certain performance characteristics. Therefore, when choosing, it is worth looking primarily at practical characteristics (flow rate, blowing and suction performance), and engine power is of secondary importance.

The volume of the fuel tank installed in a garden vacuum cleaner with a petrol engine (see "Engine type"). The more capacious the tank, the longer the unit is able to work without refueling (for more details, see "Fuel Consumption"). On the other hand, a large volume affects the dimensions and weight of the vacuum cleaner.