Which leaf vacuum is the quietest?
ECHO's ES-250 Shred 'N' Vac has the lowest 50 ft rating of any leaf vacuum we found, 70 dB(A) under ANSI B175.2, against 72.3 dB(A) for Husqvarna's 125BVx on the same test.
Those are the only two blower vacs we could find rated at 50 feet:
- ECHO ES-250: 70 dB(A)
- Husqvarna 125BVx: 72.3 dB(A)
A 2.3 decibel gap is small. Husqvarna says its figure was taken with the blower tubes and nozzle fitted, while ECHO's manual names no setup, so the comparison is the closest these two documents allow rather than an exact one.
Both are gas handhelds of about 25 to 28 cc. The ES-250 costs $50 more and ships with every pipe needed for both modes; the 125BVx comes with a vacuum kit and mulching blades and adds figures at the operator's ear and for sound power.
How do makers rate leaf vacuum noise?
Leaf vacuum makers use three kinds of figure: a reading 50 feet away under ANSI B175.2, a reading at the operator's ear, and sound power, the machine's total output. A fourth group prints a number with no basis.
The 50 ft bystander reading
ANSI B175.2 places a meter 50 feet from the machine, roughly where a neighbor across the street would stand. ECHO and Husqvarna rate their gas blower vacs this way, and it is the only figure this guide ranks across brands.
The operator's ear and sound power
Husqvarna adds two European style figures for the 125BVx: 98.6 dB(A) at the operator's ear to ISO 22868, and sound power of 108 dB(A) measured and 111 guaranteed under directive 2000/14/EC.
The operator figure is what the person holding the tube hears, and it runs far higher than the 50 ft reading because the meter is close. Neither can be ranked against the 50 ft figures from ECHO, and the US product page for the same machine prints 94, 109 and 112 without naming a test.
A number with no basis
Troy-Bilt lists the TB272V at "74 db" in a spec row, with no distance, standard or weighting. Sun Joe lists "Sound Power Level 96 dB" for three corded models and names no test or mode.
Each of those makers is compared only with itself. Sun Joe's three models tie, and Troy-Bilt has a single model with a figure.
How loud is a leaf vacuum in vacuum mode?
A leaf vacuum's vacuum-mode loudness appears in none of the maker documents we read. Every rating either names blower tubes or names no setup, so the vacuuming figure stays unknown.
Husqvarna gives the clearest hint without settling it. Its 125BVX manual runs the engine to 8600 rpm in blow mode and 7500 rpm in vacuum mode, and says its sound power was "measured with the original attachment that gives the highest level" without naming the attachment.
The same table puts the 125BVX 6 dB above the plain 125B at the operator's ear, 98.6 dB(A) against 92.6, though both were measured with blower tubes and Husqvarna does not say why. At 50 feet the two differ by only 0.3, 72.3 against 72.
Are electric leaf vacuums quieter than gas?
No published figure settles it. Sun Joe rates its corded models in sound power, while the gas picks give 50 ft readings or a bare 74, so no electric and gas pair shares a measurement.
Sun Joe's 96 dB names no test or mode, and ECHO and Husqvarna rate their gas machines at 70 and 72.3 dB(A) from 50 feet.
Sound power describes the whole output of a machine, and a 50 ft reading is a level at one spot, so a 96 beside a 70 says nothing about which is louder. Our sound power and sound pressure explainer walks through the difference.
What a corded model does avoid is a two-stroke exhaust note, and Sun Joe's six speed settings let you turn the airflow down near beds. Neither of those comes with a number.
Is there a quiet cordless leaf vacuum?
No cordless leaf vacuum we checked has a maker noise figure. Worx's WG583, RYOBI's RY40405BTL, Greenworks' 40V 505 CFM blower vac and BLACK+DECKER's LSWV36 print none on their US pages.
BLACK+DECKER calls the LSWV36 a "low-noise design" and stops short of a number.
The Worx WG583 manual lists rated voltage, air speed, air volume, a 12:1 mulching ratio and weights for blowing and vacuuming, and stops there. Worx's corded TRIVAC pages for the WG509, WG512 and WG524 give no figure either, and their manuals print none.
So a battery leaf vacuum may well be quieter than a gas one in use, but no maker we read puts a decibel number on that. The quiet yard page sets leaf cleanup beside the mower and trimmer that share the same afternoon.
What does a quiet leaf vacuum label show in the UK?
A UK leaf vacuum label shows guaranteed sound power, LWA, the kind of figure directive 2000/14/EC asks for; Husqvarna prints that same figure, 111 dB(A), for its US 125BVx.
A lower LWA is a quieter machine, as long as both figures are guaranteed sound power. Many UK pages also print sound pressure at the operator's ear, which is a separate column and never ranks against LWA.
We do not list UK-only models here, because their model numbers differ from those sold in the US. STIHL's US site, for one, shows no vacuum shredder in its blowers and vacuum shredders section, so there was no STIHL model to include.
Do walk-behind leaf vacuums print decibels?
No plain value, only a floor: Billy Goat's walk-behind QuietVac page says "As low as 97dB LWA and 77dB LpA at full rpm", tested per ISO 11094, so it is quoted here and not ranked.
The same page adds 96 and 76 at 2800 rpm on the Honda engine, also as a floor. The QuietVac is a 33 in. hard surface machine for campuses, hospitals, parks and sidewalks, sold as the QV551H, QV551HSP and QV901HSP.
Billy Goat's KV leaf and litter vacuum, the residential model, has no noise figure on its page. The operator's manual links on that page returned errors when we tried them on October 26, 2026.
Do Toro, BLACK+DECKER and STIHL print leaf vacuum decibels?
No, Toro and BLACK+DECKER give no decibel figure for their US blower vacs, and STIHL's US site lists no shredder vac at all.
Toro's page for the 51621 UltraPlus lists air speed, both airflow figures and weight, and its English manual has no noise data. BLACK+DECKER says the BV6600 is "50% Quieter*" than its own LH4500 under EN ISO 3744, a relative claim with no number, and its US manual prints none. The BEBL7000 page gives no figure.
Do you need hearing protection with a leaf vacuum?
Yes, every maker manual we read for these leaf vacuums asks for it, including Sun Joe's for its corded models, which says "hearing protection is required".
Husqvarna's 125BVX manual tells you to "Always use approved ear protection while you operate the product", and ECHO "recommends wearing personal protective equipment whenever unit is used." Husqvarna's own 98.6 dB(A) at the operator's ear is a reason to take that seriously, since it is measured with the tube in your hands.
