Comparison AL-KO Solo 442 vs STIHL BG 50

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.

Performance of the garden vacuum cleaner when working on suction (see "Operating mode").

As with blowing described above, this parameter primarily characterizes how large the area covers the vacuum cleaner when working: high performance means that the device captures more air and draws debris from a larger surface. But this indicator is weakly related to suction efficiency: the ability of a vacuum cleaner to “pull out” debris particles from cracks, thick grass, etc. depends primarily on speed characteristics, not performance.

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 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.