A leaf blower is the loudest thing on many streets, and it is one of the few appliances where the noise is regulated. Some cities cap blowers at 65 dB(A) at 50 feet, measured to an ANSI standard. So a quiet blower is not only about your own ears. It can decide whether you may use it at all.
We read the maker pages, spec sheets and manuals for eighteen leaf blowers from nine brands, plus the city rules and California's engine rules. Here is how to read the numbers, which blowers are quietest, and how to run one more quietly.
Our 7 picks are listed above, with full specifications for each.
This is the most important thing to know before comparing leaf blowers. Makers publish three different kinds of number, and they cannot be compared with each other.
The 50 ft bystander figure. This is the sound level 50 feet (15 m) away, measured to the ANSI B175.2 standard. It is roughly what your neighbor hears, and it is what city rules use. STIHL, Milwaukee, Makita and ECHO publish it, and so does EGO for its commercial models. Our ranking uses only this figure.
The operator's ear and sound power figures. Husqvarna's US pages publish these instead. They are always much higher numbers. Husqvarna's own 125B manual shows the gap: 93 dB(A) at the operator's ear against 71 dB(A) for a bystander under ANSI B175.2, for the same blower.
A bare "dB". Worx, RYOBI, DEWALT and EGO's consumer models print a number with no distance or standard. Worx's 57 dB may be excellent, but without a basis we cannot put it next to Milwaukee's 54 dB(A) at 50 ft.
Some brands publish no figure at all. We found none on Greenworks' blower pages, or for EGO's LB6003 backpack, ECHO's battery blower or DEWALT's DCBL777.
Battery against gas
On the 50 ft figures, battery blowers are clearly quieter. The quietest battery models here are rated at 54 to 60 dB(A). The quietest gas models are ECHO's low-noise line at 64 and 65 dB(A), and ECHO's standard PB-2520 and STIHL's BG 50 are both at 70 dB(A).
Gas still leads on sustained power for big properties, and ECHO's PB-760LNT shows that a gas backpack can meet a 65 dB(A) limit. But Makita's GBU04Z backpack is rated at 60 dB(A) with more air than the ECHO: 675 CFM against 535.
City rules on leaf blower noise
Two examples show how the rules work.
- Portland, Oregon. From March 1 through October 31, the city allows only blowers on its certified list of 65 dBA or quieter at 50 feet. The list includes only blowers certified by a third-party lab using the ANSI B175.2 method. Residential use is not allowed between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
- Los Altos Hills, California. Blowers cannot exceed 65 decibels at 50 feet under the ANSI standard, and residents must carry the maker's sticker certifying it. Blowers may be used from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Saturday, and not on Sundays or holidays.
If your town has a rule, check its exact wording. A blower with no stated basis, however low its number, may not satisfy it.
Gas blowers in California
The California Air Resources Board set emission standards of zero for most new small off-road engines, including leaf blowers, from model year 2024. CARB says Californians can keep using their current gas equipment, and that older models on store shelves can still be bought. If you are in California, check that a gas model is sold there before you buy it.
How to run a blower more quietly
Use the lowest speed that does the job. ECHO's manual says never to use a higher speed than a task needs, because the higher the engine speed, the louder the blower. Husqvarna says the same: run at the lowest throttle that does the work. Most battery picks here have a variable speed trigger for exactly this.
Run one machine at a time. EGO and ECHO both advise limiting the number of pieces of power equipment used at once, to reduce sound levels.
Keep to sensible hours. ECHO says to use a blower only during appropriate hours. Husqvarna suggests 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and says to obey local rules.
Protect your own hearing
A blower rated at 54 dB(A) at 50 feet is still loud where you stand. The manuals agree on this. EGO says to wear hearing protection during extended periods of operation. Husqvarna says battery products are relatively quiet, but that noise and long use together can cause damage, and recommends hearing protectors. DEWALT says to always wear hearing protection that conforms to ANSI S12.6.
Mistakes buyers make
Comparing a bare "dB" with a 50 ft ANSI figure. They are not the same measurement.
Comparing an operator's ear figure with a 50 ft figure. The operator's number will always look far louder.
Buying a tool-only blower by mistake. The Milwaukee and Makita backpack picks come without batteries or a charger.
Buying STIHL outside its dealer network. Its warranty covers only authorized US dealer purchases.
Running at full speed out of habit. The makers say a lower speed is quieter.
How we chose
We read the manufacturer's US product page, specifications and, where we could open it, the operator's manual for each blower. We recorded each noise figure in the maker's own words, with its basis: ANSI 50 ft, operator's ear, or not stated. We compared airflow and air speed as published, weight, what comes in the box and warranty, and recorded the price on the maker's own site where one was shown. We also read the city rules in Portland and Los Altos Hills and California's engine rules.
We did not measure decibels ourselves. We ranked only on the ANSI B175.2 figure at 50 feet, and we included one blower without that figure as a clearly labelled exception. Where a maker's own figures disagree, we say so. Milwaukee, Makita, EGO and DEWALT show no price on their own sites, so check the price on the day you buy.
New to the units? Read dBA explained. To decide what figure to aim for, see how quiet is quiet enough, room by room.
