We’ve tested a lot of outdoor power tools—including dozens of cordless blowers. The Toro battery blower (model 51820) is one of the strongest models we’ve ever tested. Add to that a great cruise control function and an ergonomic handle, and we can give this $139 bare tool a hearty recommendation.
Key Takeaways
- One of the strongest handheld battery blowers we’ve tested
- Turbo boost picks up tough material like wet leaves
- Cruise control saves your fingers
- Well-balanced and ergonomic handle
- Price: $139 (bare tool), $199 (kit w/2.5Ah battery and charger)
Toro Battery Blower Features
The Toro 60V line of outdoor tools has managed to impress us so far. First, the Toro 60V self-propelled lawnmower showed us both run-time and power that got the job done. The Toro battery hedge trimmer also replaced our gas model for good. We had high hopes for the Toro cordless blower and put it through its paces—both in the lab and on several properties.
Toro gives you a nice front handle on the blower, but we honestly didn’t use it much. This tool functions very well one-handed.
Cruise Control and Turbos – Not Just for Cars
When you pick up a battery-powered blower and it lacks cruise control—consider putting it back. If you only blow leaves for a few minutes at a time—fine. But when you have a decent-sized yard, holding down a trigger while blowing takes effort. The Toro 60V blower has a very functional cruise control lever.
It works in conjunction with the trigger to keep the speed where you want it. On top of the ergonomic handle sits the bright blue Turbo button. We tested the tool in both High and Turbo modes to see the maximum amount of force it could produce. In High speed with the 2.5Ah battery inserted, we measured a respectable 8.5 Newtons of force. With the 6Ah battery installed, that number increased to 8.9N.
Now, push the Turbo button and things change considerably. We felt this as well when we used it on our property. With the 2.5Ah battery installed, we measured 18.1N of force. After popping in the 6Ah battery, that number jumped to 19.0N.
These numbers represent very solid results. The highest numbers we’ve hit on handheld battery-powered blowers have been right at, or just over, 20N. In fact, up until the latest flagship models we tested earlier this year, the Toro 51820 battery blower would have been very close to the most powerful handheld we’d ever tested.
Using the 60V Toro Battery-powered Blower
While the blower certainly performs with amazing power in Turbo, High worked just fine for most jobs. It made quick work of blowing pine park off the patio, for example. I have a rather intricate yard with lots of streetside curbs and landscaped areas on the interior. Even with all that area to manage, I found I could get all my blowing done on a single 2.5Ah battery.
We also tested the Toro 51230 blower by gathering up thick leaves from underneath oak trees. Since the dense row of trees allowed little light through, the dead leaves grew fairly thick. The Toro still managed to help us gather them into a pile quickly. All-in-all we didn’t find much this handheld blower couldn’t handle.
Battery and Power
You definitely don’t get as much runtime off a battery-powered blower as you do with a gas model. That goes triple when you engage Turbo mode. Still, the noise advantages and gas-savings make a lot of sense if you don’t plan to require 45 minutes of continuous use.
The Toro 2.5 Ah Flex-Force 60V L135 battery puts out 135 watt-hours. It takes about an hour to fully charge an empty pack. Toro also makes 4.0Ah (216Wh), 6.0Ah (324Wh), and 7.5Ah (405Wh) batteries if you want to seriously extend your run-time.
60V Toro Battery Blower Specs
- Model: 51820
- Motor: Brushless DC
- Battery: 60V L135 (2.5 Ah, 135 Wh)
- Charge time (2.5Ah battery): 60 minutes
- Variable speed trigger with cruise control
- Turbo button
- Air volume (Turbo): 605 CFM
- Airspeed (Turbo): 115 MPH
- Force (High speed, 2.5/6Ah battery): 8.5N/8.9N
- Force (Turbo, 2.5/6Ah battery): 18.1N/19.0N
- Weight: 9.2 lbs.
- Warranty: 3-year full warranty (tool); 3-year full warranty (battery)
Toro 51820 Price
You can buy the Toro 51820 60V blower as either a bare tool for $139 or as a kit with 2.5Ah battery and charger for $199 . This is a good price for a tool with this level of power and run-time. The blowing performance and warranty justify the cost of entry.
Multiple retailers carry Toro 60V battery-powered tools, including Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and Acme Tools.
