The Devil's Hair Dryer: The Case Against Leaf Blowers

God I hate leaf blowers.<p>Interestingly when I went to Beijing recently I was pleasantly surprised at the absence of noisy gardening machines. The streets were much cleaner there and the landscaping noticeably better. I think I want to move there now.<p>Coming back to the US I feel like this is a poor third-world country now.

I absolutely hate raking leaves, but I just don&#x27;t get leaf-blowers. I always imagine this situation playing out: two suburban warriors, lined up toe-to-toe across from each other on opposite sides of their property line, furiously blasting away with their leaf blowers, trying to push a single oak leaf over the line in a pathetic form of tug-of-war.

How long until improved battery technology makes electric units comparable to gas-powered units? That would reduce the noise and air pollution. Not the dust, of course.

Any recent improvements in small gas engines? Can&#x27;t they be made quieter in simple ways, like a better muffler?