As the list of viable cordless tools has grown, so has the size of our shootouts. You might have caught wind of our recent cordless blower mega-shootout where 16 contestants went nozzle-to-nozzle in a bid to get on the podium at the OPE Reviews headquarters. It was really a sight to behold as we measured ergonomics, wind speed, power, design, battery life, and more. As we have with each of the previous shootouts, we’ll be spotlighting some of the competitors throughout the coming weeks. Today, it’s the EGO Power+ 575 CFM Cordless Blower’s turn.
EGO is a relative newcomer to Outdoor Power Equipment, really making inroads in the last decade or so. Its products have generally performed well in our reviews, so let’s see if the 575 – one of two EGO blowers in this shootout – can meet the high standard!
Top Features
Motor, Battery, and Power
The EGO Power+ 575 CFM Cordless Blower is EGO’s most powerful blower and, at least on paper, the most powerful of any cordless blower. It features a brushless motor, which is generally more efficient, lower maintenance, and longer-lived than brushed motors. A rear intake, axial fan – which reduces friction by pulling air straight through the machine – is designed to squeeze every ounce of efficiency from the 5.0 Ah battery.
Variable Speed and Cruise Control
A variable speed control allows the user to modulate between 260 and 575 CFM. With such a powerful top end, the ability to halve the power is useful as anyone who has only moved debris around rather than dispatch it can tell you! Too much power can sometimes just have you chasing the mess. Cruise control is a nice complement to the variable speed especially for big jobs where squeezing the trigger is fatiguing.
Other Notable Features
The EGO Power+ 575 CFM Cordless Blower was one of only four shootout competitors that offered a shoulder strap – a very nice touch. It seems EGO made this for heavy-duty, long workday stuff. It weighs in at just under 10 pounds with the 5.0 Ah battery. EGO backs it all up with a 5-year limited warranty.
Performance
We like to start with the “softer” side of the reviews – those things that might be more subjective like ergonomics and general feel – to familiarize ourselves with a tool. As anyone who’s ever tried on a new pair of shoes knows (that is, everyone!) sometimes different isn’t bad, but it’s unfamiliar. So we wouldn’t want that to skew our assessment. It’s only then that we break out the anemometers, scales, and stopwatches to get the hard data. Here’s what we found with the
What Seams To Be The Issue?
Nearly all of the blowers in the shootout featured the not-so-intentional feature of an overmold or tool plastic seam where the halves of the handle joined. The EGO Power+ 575 CFM Cordless Blower’s was pronounced enough that it created irritation in the hand. Hopefully there’s a simple fix in the manufacturing process that can smooth out the grip.
Hear The Decibels Ringing
There’s nothing like hearing your neighbor fire up his OPE at 7am on Saturday morning! So wouldn’t it be great if his blower was as quiet as possible? The shootout’s competitors pumped out a decibel range from 81 to 95 dB measured at the user’s ear. The EGO 575 fell in the middle of the pack at 88 dB – no bad considering that it turned out to be the most powerful of the bunch (spoiler alert!).
WOT Did You Say?
There’s a tug-o-war in the blower power debate between the MPH a blower can churn out versus the CFM it produces. But we like the Newton Force measure – a number that accounts for both MPH and CFM and gives us a way to compare blowers objectively. When we measured the EGO 575 at Wide Open Throttle (WOT), the WOT Newton Force bested the other 15 blowers. It also earned first place in Turbo Mode at 17.3 N. If you’d measured simply by MPH, the EGO would have placed 3rd, but you’d only have half the story!
A Big EGO
So the EGO Power+ 575 CFM Cordless Blower’s claim of superior power rings true. It handily beat the competition but, as so often is the case, there is a tradeoff. That tradeoff is lower battery efficiency, but there’s no surprise there.
So the big question remains: could this be a Pro level blower? By way of comparison, Pro blowers can reach about 600 CFM and 200 MPH, or 40 Newtons – well above the ability of even this shootout’s winner – although EGO’s backpack blower has that capability.
The Bottom Line
So this handheld (and shoulder-strapped if you choose) EGO Power+ 575 CFM Cordless Blower might not dig deep enough to be a commercial blower – but with a 4th place overall finish out of 16, that doesn’t mean it’s not a muscular option. In fact, if you like going big at home and you can tolerate the mediocre ergonomics, then this EGO with the highest Newton force of the bunch, a solid feature set, the second-highest kitted battery capacity, and long warranty might be your best bet.
It comes in a little pricey at $349, but remember: adopting a battery platform is a little like marriage: for better or worse, you get the whole family. And in this case, it is definitely for the better, as EGO’s family of tools is top-notch!
EGO Power+ 575 CFM Cordless Blower Features
- High-efficiency brushless motor
- Variable-speed control delivers 260-575 CFM
- 4 times quieter than gas blowers
- Weather-resistant construction
- Spread nozzle attachment and shoulder strap included
- Ergonomic design for superb balance and user comfort
- 5-year limited warranty
EGO Power+ 575 CFM Cordless Blower Specifications
- Model: Ego LB5750
- Air Speed: 142 MPH
- Air Volume: 575 CFM
- Tested Noise Rating: 88 dB(a)
- Tested Runtime: 15:48 (5.0 AH battery)
- Bare Weight: 4.88 lbs
- Battery Weight: 5.00 lbs
- Tested Battery: 5.0 AH
- Warranty: 5 years limited
- Price: $349
- Included in Kit: 5.0Ah battery, Standard Charger