Top-Rated Ego Power+ 880 CFM Leaf Blower on Sale at Lowe's With Spare Battery
The Ego Power+ 880 CFM, rated the best battery-powered leaf blower in WIRED's tests, is discounted this week at US retailer Lowe's. WIRED also shows how to turn it into a toilet paper cannon for Halloween.
US technology magazine WIRED is pointing readers this week to a discount on the Ego Power+ 880 CFM battery-powered leaf blower, which it named the best in its testing. The offer is available at US retailer Lowe's and includes a spare battery. The sale ends November 4.
Why it won the test
WIRED tested all the major battery-powered leaf blowers on both fabric leaves and concrete blocks. According to the publication, the Ego delivered power comparable to gas-engine models while also being the quietest. It was also the only blower tested that knocked over a 5-pound (about 2.3 kg) brick paver without using turbo mode.
A toilet paper cannon for Halloween
WIRED contributing reviewer and leaf blower expert Sal Vaglica also demonstrates a less practical use: with a few hardware-store parts, the blower can be turned into a device that unrolls a single- or double-ply roll of toilet paper in seconds. It can be used to decorate a house.
Airflow explains how it works. Fast-moving air creates a lower-pressure stream, while the still air around the roll pushes it toward that stream. Air following the roll's curve also helps lift it, and friction carries the paper along.
Saffron Wyse, an associate principal at the international engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti who specializes in fluid dynamics, advises placing the roll underneath the nozzle. That way the paper is pulled upward into the airstream, which does most of the work.
How to build it
- Start with a mini paint roller made for standard nap rollers, not foam rollers, which are too narrow.
- Slide the toilet paper roll onto the roller's cage. If it is loose, wrap the cage in painter's tape and then duct tape until the roll grips securely.
- Position the roll beneath the nozzle, about 3 to 4 inches (7–10 cm) from the tip and centered in the airstream, and secure the roller handle to the blower with 12-inch strips of duct tape.
- Apply painter's tape to the nozzle first to protect it from adhesive residue.
- Pull a few sheets free, squeeze the trigger, and let the paper fly.
