4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent to pick up leaves, seeds, & twigs from lawn I rarely write reviews. We’ve had this machine for about a month & 1/2 & I wouldn’t write a review until I tested it for awhile. We have artificial turf in the front & back yards. The back yard is about 40’x20′ & the front yard is smaller.This machine was a life saver. In addition to leaves, palm trees drop seeds onto both front & back yards. They crush under your shoes & are difficult to remove from shoe tread (lime juice & vinegar works, but slowly).I read reviews before we bought. There were complaints that it quit after 1 or 2 times & that the chord gets tangled.1. It takes about an hour to clear the front & back. That’s NOT a long time. When I’ve tried to do it with a blower & rake, the time would double.2. We’ve used it front & back about every two weeks. It has plenty of power & hasn’t given us any trouble.3. I posted a picture because some complained that the plug would pull out. Well, that’s not the fault of the machine. We have a 50′ extension & a 25′ extension…necessary to cover the entire backyard. If you loop the extension chord around the green outside handles, you use up about 2′ of the chord, BUT, it won’t pull out.4. Also, here’s a tip. Flake out the extension chord with the part plugging into the machine on top (I used to rock climb & that’s how you flake out a rope). Also, if the outlet is on one side of your yard (i.e. the side next to the house), start on that side. Otherwise, every time you turn to come back the other way, the chord will be in front of the machine.5. Another tip. Although, the “bag” attachment that holds the leaves, etc. is large, you need to dump it several times before it’s “full” because it will start to spill out. You can help somewhat by tilting the handle down to the ground (while you’re stopped), so that the leaves will shift to the back of the attachment. Obviously, if your yard isn’t level, then going downhill will spill some of the leaves sooner.6. Another tip. You can see green attachments, 2 on each side of the handle. When putting this together, DON’T screw them in tight…leave them very loose. Then, you can spin them tighter. Otherwise, you won’t be able to collapse the top part of the handle when you put it away. (This advice probably won’t make sense until you actually put it together.)So why only 4 stars. First, I can’t speak to those who said the machine wouldn’t work a second time or only worked for 5 minutes. We had no problem. NOTE: there is a safety feature where you have to push & hold the side button in & then push the lever before it will start. Then you can release the side button & it should work as long as you keep the lever in.Also, I have 1 a pet peeve about instructions. The instructions consist of pictures & the order in which to use the pictures. However, I feel that when something has to be put together (especially if it’s made outside the USA), instructions should 1) list & identify all the parts (which it did), 2) list exactly what tools are needed (which it didn’t), & 3) someone who is native to the USA should write the instructions clearly (which it didn’t). 3 people found this helpful
