Ego Power+ 580 CFM Review

Finishing right at the top of the entire group of cordless blowers, the closest competition to the Ego's performance is the Makita XBU02PT1. The Makita can't quite compare to the power of the Power+, failing to levitate the beach ball quite as high and couldn't move sand from as far away. These blowers both are about the same when it comes to ergonomics and have comparable list prices. The Ego definitely has an edge when it comes to battery life but is a bit louder than the Makita. Basically, we would recommend the Ego over the Makita for just about anyone, with the exception of someone who already owns Makita tools and wants to keep the same battery system across the board.

Performance Comparison

To determine which cordless leaf blower is truly the best of them all, we compared a wide array of different products, then bought all the best to test out for ourselves. We subjected each leaf blower to a variety of different assessments and evaluations, grouping them into four weighted testing metrics, with the Ego's performance in each elaborated upon below.

Power

By far our most important series of tests, our power metric is wholly responsible for half of the Power+'s final score. For this rating metric, we measured how high each leaf blower could levitate a beach ball, how they handled clearing a variety of different rubbish from the pavement, and what their maximum range is — using sand as our sample debris to move. The Ego Power+ did exceptionally well, earning a 9 out of 10 for its essentially unmatched performance.

This cordless yard tool did the best at floating the beach ball, hovering it at about 5' in its highest standard mode and boosting it up to 7' when the Turbo boost was engaged.

For our maximum range test, we spread out an even layer of sand on our parking lot, then kept the Power+ in a fixed position to see how far away it can effectively clear. Using the High setting, this cordless blower was able to clear sand up to 164" away — a solidly respectable distance compared to the other products. However, this product definitely took the lead when the Turbo mode was turned on, clearing sand just shy of 20' (238 inches) away!

This blower is a total powerhouse when it comes to clearing mixed debris, sending leaves, dirt, and pine needles flying. It can even move a mound of pine needles when they start to mat together, as well as loosening packed in dirt and sending small pebbles and stones flying.

Battery

Next, we rated and compared the performance of the battery system of the Ego Power+, which constitutes 25% of its final score. To award points, we started the Power+ 580 CFM with a fully charged battery, then timed how long it lasted on its highest normal mode, as well as on its Turbo boost to determine runtime using an estimated split of 70/30 High/Turbo. We also timed how long it took a totally dead battery to recharge. The Power+ did decently well compared to the rest of the group, earning a 6 out of 10.

The Power+ 580 CFM includes a single 56-volt, 5 amp hour battery. This lasted for about 36 minutes and 53 seconds on its high power mode and 19 minutes and 17 seconds with its Turbo setting engaged. Assuming out 70/30 usage split, this comes out to an effective runtime of 24 minutes and 24 seconds.

The Power+ charges just a bit faster than average, usually taking around 90 minutes to completely refill a dead battery.

Ergonomics

Our third metric focused on how comfortable it is to hold each cordless leaf blower, how balanced it is, and its weight, as well as if the blower is prone to trying to suck in your shirt or pants. We had a group of different people try out each blower to get a more diverse opinion when it came to comfort and balance. Altogether, these evaluations account for 15% of the overall score for each cordless blower, with the Ego Power+ earning a 5 out of 10 for its average performance.

The Power+ weighs about 10 lbs. with the battery installed, which is a little heavier than the average of the group.

The intake location on the Ego is on the back of the blower but it is shielded by the battery, which we found to be quite useful. This means that it almost never caught your shirt or pants when you were using the blower or switching it between hands, as other products were prone to do.

We did like the grip on the Power+ but weren't the biggest fans of the overall balance, with this blower pointing too much at the ground when held naturally. It doesn't take a ton of effort to raise it to an optimum blowing angle, but it is still a bit more fatiguing to use than some of the other products.

The blower has a trigger control system, as well as a cruise control dial.

Noise

Our last pair of tests focused on the noise level of each blower, which comprises the residual 10% of the total score for each product. Using our SPL meter, we measured both the noise level of each blower for the person using it and for someone who is 50' away. Additionally, we also compared the tone of the noise, deducting points for any that are particularly irritating — usually ones that have a high pitch or exceptionally whiny tone. The Power+ is on par for these products when it comes to noise, earning it a 5 out of 10.

We did like that this blower doesn't have any particularly bothersome tones — no high pitch whines or squeals — but it is a bit on the loud side, measuring in at 86 dBa on High and 94.5 dBa on Turbo for the person using it.

This dropped to 83.4 dBa at a distance of 50'.

Value

While the Ego Power+ is an exceptional leaf blower, it isn't necessarily the best value option. It did deliver one of the absolute best performances we have seen to date, it is also one of the most expensive products we have seen to date, potentially putting it outside the budgets of many people. There are other products out there that aren't quite as powerful but give you a bigger bang for the buck.

Conclusion