blower vs. blower vac

[lindy rig]

I have heard the blower vacs don't work as good or are prone to impeller abuse. Money aside, is there any pros / cons to either?

Looking at an Echo. The vac part seems like it would useful, but not if it's going to cause me problems.

[bigdog]

I have a Sthil blower vac, model 85 I think. Have had no problems with it. The only impeller issue would be from using the vac around Oak tress, the acorns tend to wear the impeller. But in 10 years I have only replaced the impeller once. The vac is really handy for getting leaves out from under evergreen shrubs and cleaning junk out of the decorative rocks.

[LwnmwnMan2]

For the typical homeowner, as long as you're not trying to vac gravel, large sticks or anything that someone with common sense would realize they should just pick up, you'll be fine. If you have a use for the vac, get the vac.

If you have a mower with a bagger, personally I'd opt to get a smaller backpack blower if you're looking at getting debris (leaves, garbage) out of bushes.

A spring and fall cleanup can be done with blowing the leaves into the grass, rather than trying to vac them out.

[Tom7227]

My daughter has a fairly cheap Toro blower/vac and it clogged up something fierce when she used it as a vac. Took me aout 2 hours to take it apart, clean it up and put it back together. I don't think I would bother with one, but to each his own.

[jeffreyd]

i have an older toro blower/vac and do not have issues at all. i use it to move rock around, clean leaves, sticks and whatever out of the bushes, use it on dried land sharks if they are where i missed them, never a problem with clogging.