Tipping the scales at just over five pounds, Stihl’s newest handheld blower, the BGA 100, is a lightweight and surprisingly quiet (90 dB(A)) cordless blower that aims to spur a shift from gas-powered units. When you consider the power and run times already on offer from Stihl’s own fleet of petrol-powered tools, this is no easy feat. But then, consider this: a squeeze of the BGA 100’s trigger can unleash the wind speed of an F2 tornado.
The BGA 100 doesn’t carry its power — Stihl’s 36-volt, lithium ion PRO KombiSystem batteries — onboard. Instead, to maintain its lightweight ergonomics, it uses electricity cable-fed from either a battery-housing belt pouch or Stihl’s AR 900 Battery Backpack (or the forthcoming AR 3000) to enable extended use. Not that you’d need all that much time, though. With a max air speed of 75m per second and 494 CFM of leaf-clearing volume generated by its axial-turbine fan, you could make quick work of cleaning up Central Park — in late November, after a deluge — without breaking a sweat.