Leaf blowers are GREAT for pine needles on the driveway, not so good on the lawn, especially if the grass is tall and needs mowing. Which would be just when I have to get the needles off the lawn, so must get out the rake and invest an hour or two of physical labor to the project....
Ah,my friend,how you just love to bait me. I can just see the look of glee on your face when you took this picture and when you posted it. All I can say is,and, I believe I mentioned only a few days ago,you almost always see a man using one of these abominations. I have never seen a woman using one,and I do look. Note the position it is being held,and then,consider what the thing does...it's so clearly a phallic contraption,designed specifically for male use. I am finished with this topic.
I'm just sorry I didn't get a photo of the guy with the noisy core aeration machine for you...
But,see, those machines are not a constant in the environment like leafblowers are. I don't like the sound of many machines but,most are only used specifically for a brief period of time,and are generally useful.A chain saw is a good example. Oh,here I go...damn!!!.
Our neighbor "Yard Boy" dearly loves his blower, which I believe has been souped up to maximize the noise. I'll see him blowing earnestly for 45 seconds at a speck of something like a cut blade of grass that would take a moment to pick up by hand.
I heard a great leafblower story yesterday... A good friend of mine and I were discussing our disdain for the monsters. She told me how recently,she was traveling by car down a street,a small commercial strip.She saw that there was a bank robbery in progress,police were there,guns drawn,the whole deal. And there is this guy with a leafblower, head/ear phones, whatever, on,wandering right into the scene,totally oblivious to what was going on!! Kind woman that she is,got out of her car and ran over and physically pulled him away. I'd like to think I would do the same but...
My dad's best friend was killed by pine straw on the road. He rounded a curve up to the top of a hill on his motorcycle and hit wet old pine straw on the roadway. He was riding with friends, he was not speeding, he was wearing a helmet and obeying all traffic laws, and it caused him to suddenly skid out of control. He was thrown from the bike when it struck a pine tree into another tree and died before any of us could even walk down to him.
A kid in my high school class was also killed by pine straw on the roadway, or at least it was believed to be partially responsible. He was speeding home to get in before curfew, but was not going any faster than might be usual on rarely patrolled country road. It had rained earlier, but the roads had dried out due to winds. There was pine straw along the curvy road in spots and his jeep left the pavement, it was reported by a driver following him, when he lost control on the second in an S curve just as he hit the straw. The jeep rolled five times down a small embankment, across a creek, and up the other side, throwing him from the vehicle. He was wearing his seat belt when he left us and it is thought due to some of the bruising he was wearing it at the time of the accident. He made it to the hospital but did not survive surgery. He would have turned 17 the next week and was trying to get home in order not to be grounded on his birthday weekend as he guessed we were planning a surprise party for him. Our high school senior year book was dedicated to his memory.
But I agree most guys are using it just as an extension to blow things that don't really need it. And I have never seen a woman operate one, either.
Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Re: Leafblowers « Reply #47 on Oct 23, 2010, 11:23pm »
The October 25 issue of The New Yorker has an interesting piece on this topic. It's well worth a read despite the infuriating new statistics and other newly determined detrimental effects of these deplorable machines.
Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Re: Leafblowers « Reply #50 on Oct 25, 2010, 1:48pm »
Love the picture Jazz and the notion.
Yes,shredders do make an ungodly loud, loud noise. I had one once and it is f'n loud. However,they are not used very often,and as with chain saws,tend to be limited to only a few people using,rarely at the same time etc. so the noise is way less frequent. Aside from the noise factor,leafblowers,not only make an unbelievable amount of noise pollution,they are offensive on many other fronts,probably the most noxious being the particles that they cause to be dispersed into the air,"a biohazard buffet of diesel,soot,brake-lining particles,fungi,mold,spores,and animal fecal matter"
Joined: Jun 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 994 Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Re: Leafblowers « Reply #53 on Oct 25, 2010, 11:58pm »
I hate those loud leaf blowers too. Our Landscape company for the townhouse association has purchased leaf blowers that have reduced decibels. Truly. They are pretty quiet, with windows closed can hardly hear them and they blow right up against our front window, which has a huge tree and much gravel. With windows open they are a little louder, but not much.
Casimira they are about half the size of the one in your picture.
« Last Edit: Oct 25, 2010, 11:59pm by traveler63 »
When you're chewing on life's gristle Don't grumble, give a whistle And this'll help things turn out for the best... And...always look on the bright side of life... Always look on the light side of life. Monty Python's Life of Brian
Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Re: Leafblowers « Reply #54 on Oct 27, 2010, 12:00am »
I realize that many of the more recent models of these machines have been modified to a large degree with regard to how loud they are.They do remain quite a menace however,especially when 3 or 4 of them are going at the same time,not uncommon in most suburbs,accompanied by the ever lovely "weed whacker",and sometimes edgers scraping on the concrete or asphault for that "pristine" look. (I took that picture while in NY and really posted it to kind of get back at Kimby for her relentless teasing of me some time back with multiple photos of leaf blowers in various threads. I guess "you had to be there" kind of thing. I hope she caught the sarcasm.) I was pretty blown away,no pun intended when I saw this thing!! The owner of it was inside of the convenience store and saw me snapping a photo of his beloved tool ,and came running out of the store as if I was going to make off with this thing,he seemed to be that paranoid. I loathe these machines.
I took that picture while in NY and really posted it to kind of get back at Kimby for her relentless teasing of me some time back with multiple photos of leaf blowers in various threads. I guess "you had to be there" kind of thing. I hope she caught the sarcasm.
Of course I did. I'm dense, but not that dense. ;-)
I took that picture while in NY and really posted it to kind of get back at Kimby for her relentless teasing of me some time back with multiple photos of leaf blowers in various threads. I guess "you had to be there" kind of thing. I hope she caught the sarcasm.
Of course I did. I'm dense, but not that dense. ;-)
Somehow I kne wyou would!!! Too bad reply # 53, edited,modified it seems days later,,and I'm not sure WTF that was all about.
Joined: Jan 2013 Gender: Female Posts: 373 Location: NOLA,USA
Re: Leafblowers « Reply #58 on Nov 30, 2010, 4:05pm »
FOUR of these f'ers going simultaneously this morning at the house next door!!!!!!!! I was near homicidal,and,decided I had best get in the car and leave.
I also read somewhere recently that these machines are responsible for many many unresolved cases of childhood asthma. Go figure,no wonder, when you think of all the particles they stir up in the air.
![[Home]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920049/button23550481.png "[Home]")
![[New Topics]](http://images.proboards.com/menu/topics.png "[New Topics]")
![[Help]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920083/button28195714.png "[Help]")
![[Search]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920086/button25710789.png "[Search]")
![[Login]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920112/button20487816.png "[Login]")
![[Register]](http://static1.grsites.com/user/folders/nowdocking/r3920117/button97266159.png "[Register]")
![[Search This Thread]](http://images.proboards.com/search2.gif "[Search This Thread]")
![[Reply]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/reply.gif "[Reply]")
![[Share Topic]](http://images.proboards.com/new/buttons/share.png "[Share Topic]")
![[Print]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif "[Print]")
Author![[avatar]](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-geCedqtD42k/T5nyULl9CqI/AAAAAAAAWGM/1EM9HKLEDUs/s512/IMG_2160.JPG "[avatar]")
![[Quote]](http://images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif "[Quote]")
Logged
![[avatar]](http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq228/kerouac2/frog.jpg "[avatar]")
![[avatar]](http://hermitcrabpetcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/hermit_crab4.jpg "[avatar]")
![[image]](http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9665/1003814.jpg "[image]")
![[avatar]](http://images.proboards.com/avatars/paintingbird.gif "[avatar]")
![[image]](http://www.gardeningoncloud9.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/garden-rake-01.jpg "[image]")
![[image]](http://www.springfield.il.us/NewGraphics/YardWasteBags.jpg "[image]")
and the notion.
![[image]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/_9PPxoV4fFEU/TJlsWHX3-RI/AAAAAAAAQHM/FpQRWL41QXg/P9120449.JPG "[image]")
![[avatar]](http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae240/traveler63/IMG_0721_edited-1.jpg "[avatar]")
(I took that picture while in NY and really posted it to kind of get back at Kimby for her relentless teasing of me some time back with multiple photos of leaf blowers in various threads. I guess "you had to be there" kind of thing. I hope she caught the sarcasm.)