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- Toro Ultra 3-in-1 blower, vacuum, and leaf shredder makes completing yard work fun and easy
- Move a substantial volume of leaves and debris with ease with air speeds up to 235 mph and air volume up to 390 cfm
- Variable speed motor for better control; rugged metal impeller creates a fine mulch
- Quick-Release Latch lets you convert your blower into a vacuum in seconds without tools
- Comes with power unit, blower tubes, vacuum tubes, and vacuum bag; 2-year warranty
51609 Features: -Infinitely variable air control.-Metal impeller for mulching.-235 Mph maximum air speed. Specifications: -3 in 1 Blower, vacuum and leaf shredder. Dimensions: -16.12″ H x 8.68″ W x 24.75″ D, 11.9 lbs. Powerful and effective, the Toro Ultra 3-in-1 blower, vacuum, and leaf shredder (model 51609) makes completing yard work fun and easy. With air speeds up to 235 mph, and airflow of up to 390 cfm, this electric blower nevertheless is lighter, quieter, and cleaner than similar gas blowers. Featuring a sleek, ergonomic design, it’s a tool that is easy to use and will grab your neighbors’ attention. Three machines in one: a powerful blower, high-speed vacuum, and leaf shredder (see larger image). Match the Power to the Task for
A great buy made even better,
I researched the following competing models (mainly by reading their Amazon reviews – I do NOT have hands-on experience with these other units):
Black & Decker LH5000 12 amp Variable Speed Electric Leaf Hog Blower/Vacuum – seems like a good unit, but more complaints re: motor longevity and quality of leaf bag.
WORX TriVac WG500 12 amp All-in-One Electric Blower/Mulcher/Vacuum – looks cool, but expensive, poor quality, terrible reviews.
Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller – well-established, highly-rated unit with >1200 Amazon reviews, 4.5 star average. Was about to buy it, noticed that Toro had just released a newer model…
Which led me to the 51609. The only detectable difference seems to be the inclusion of some new blower nozzle attachments (cord wrap, power insert, and concentrator insert). These are all quite handy and work as intended. The cord wrap is perfect for a 50ft extension cord, anything longer exceeds the capacity of the hook and makes the unit really heavy to carry around. The power insert does help with blowing leaves more easily into rows and the concentrator insert is good for clearing stuck on debris.
Switching between blower and vac is really easy. One thing I notice is that looser shorts can get sucked up against the intake cover in blower mode, but the opening isn’t big enough for anything to get stuck or tangled.
The blower speed is adjustable, but for some reason I was expecting more of a range between slow and fast – I think most people will notice that it’s more or less two speeds, and the “infinite” adjustability isn’t really a major feature.
Works very well to mulch leaves, not super fine, but certainly good enough to simplify bagging or accelerate composting. Metal impeller was a big feature for me, should last a very long time.
Overall, the differences between the 51609 and 51599 are minimal, but the addition of the two nozzle inserts and cord wrap are nice iterative improvements to an already great yard appliance.
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The power switch is somewhat touchy. When trying to select low speed, it is easy to accidentally bump it into high speed. I accidentally blasted away a bunch of bark and made a crater. Oops. During low speed use, it’s also easy to accidentally bump the power switch to off.
The power receptacle is mounted on a short cable tail on the back end. I have several other lawn tools that have the receptacle integrated into the shell with a hook to retain the cord and I prefer that arrangement. When you reach the end of the extension cord, it disconnects easily and cuts power. There’s also no strain relief so I think that eventually I will be repairing this short section of cord.
Although it looks and feels like a toy, it seems to work well on flat surfaces and bark, but struggles a little with leaves in wet grass. It just takes longer but still gets it done. I also used it to clear the gutters of leaves and it worked well. I removed the tube making it even smaller and lighter. There were a few times when the thrust nearly knocked me off the ladder.
Noise level is excellent, especially on low. Think giant hairdryer. It is much lighter, quieter and not smelly compared to the big gas blowers.
I was originally considering the Toro Ultra, but I was unsure how much vacuuming and mulching I would do and wanted something lighter, less expensive, and less cumbersome.
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