Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been using my trusty Toro 51599 Ultra 12 amp Variable-Speed Electric Blower/Vacuum with Metal Impeller for a while now and it's been working great. But as with all corded tools... you have a cord. My concern with going cordless was that they wouldn't be powerful enough to get the job done. So let's see how the B&D LSWV36 handled the job. SETUP Out of the box you have have the sweeper itself, the battery with charger, a bag with a tube attached, and 4 separate tubes. They basically pair off and snap into each other. One is for use in Vac mode, and the other for Sweeping. Connecting them together required quite a bit of force, but fortunately this is a one-time task for initial assembly only. That's really about it for "assembly." I found that it was rather simple to figure out how it goes to together and switch between vac/sweeper mode. It also comes with plenty of instructions if you like to read, but the picture on box is probably enough. :) DESIGN The unit itself is surprisingly compact and light weight. Even with the battery and sweeper attachment, I could easily walk around using it single handed. Speaking of holding it, the air-intake is on the left side of the device. So if you have loose clothing or allow it to get too close to you, you'll find that it frequently wants to stick to you. Solution... use it with your left hand. :) I'd prefer the intake to be on the bottom as with my Toro, but it's a minor issue. When in vac mode that's also not an issue since the tube will be in the way. As expected, it does weigh a bit more when in Vac mode, but B&D was thoughtful enough to put an extra handle towards the front for when it gets full of leaves. Otherwise there is a switch on the top to turn it on/off as well as a dial towards the back to adjust power. These things are usually rather basic and this one is no exception. REAL-WORLD USE When I turned it on the first thing I noticed was that it definitely quieter... and yes, less powerful than my corded Toro. The Toro has so much power it'll give you a bit of a jolt and move back due to the motor kicking in and air pressure. Once again, that was somewhat expected given the lower power output. But how did it do in real-world use? Rather well, actually. I was able to "sweep" my garage, porch, drive-way, and back porch all on a single charge (with plenty to go). It makes up for less power by having a narrower tube to funnel the air. As a result, there is less sweeping area, but sufficient air flow to get the job done. So while I did find it took just a bit longer to accomplish this regular task vs. using my Toro, I didn't mind. Reason? The light weight combined with less noise and NO WIRES were more than enough for me to pick a winner for my sweeper of choice. As for the Vac mode, it worked as expected. Vacuuming up the pile of leaves I raked up worked just fine. It had plenty of suction to clean up all the leaves. Although when I moved onto bigger stuff, it had issues with larger twigs from bush trimming, as they ended up getting clogged. Otherwise my only other concern here is the plastic impeller that's being used. I know some more powerful wired blowers have had issues with those breaking in the past. It's possible the lower power might negate that issue, but only time will tell. PROS: + Light Weight + Compact Design + Relatively Low Noise + Fast Charging Time (1-2 hours) + Long running time (~30 min or so) + Sweeping & Vac modes CONS: + Plastic Impeller + Limited to light-duty work + Air intake on the side + Somewhat pricey CONCLUSION I think if you use this for what it's intended, which is light-duty yard work, you'll find that it works beautifully. Yes, I'd love for it to essentially be a cordless version of my more powerful Toro. But I don't think that's very practical. :) All things considered, the Pro's easily outweigh the minor "cons" enough to give it 5 stars and considered highly recommended.