Editorial Review
Leaving nothing behind for the rake to gather, Black & Decker’s LeafHog blower snorts out a whopping 230-mph blow-speed for rooting up wet, matted leaves, heavy piles of debris, and more. That’s right. That stubborn windrow of leaves hunkered down next to the fence line is no match for the LeafHog. Like a handheld hurricane, this baby keeps the leaves blowing fast, even as they pile up high against the friction of the fence line and in those down-sloping corners of the yard. No more scooping debris into awkward garbage bags either, this blower converts to a vacuum with the push of a button. An easy-empty bag design dumps mulched leaves quickly. And, an anti-clog mechanism resists clogging during mulching operations. Knowing that most blowers are so loud they overpower earplugs and cause headaches on extended jobs, Black & Decker hushed down the LeafHog with a low-noise design that operates at a maximum of 66 decibels. Ideal for clearing lawns, driveways, sidewalks, decks, and garages of leaves, grass clippings, and other debris, this blower also features a 10-to-1 mulch ratio that, for example, reduces 10 bags of raked leaves down to 1 bag of mulch for healthier lawns and gardens. Black & Decker covers this blower with a full, 2-year warranty.
--Brian D. OlsonWhat’s in the Box
Blower, blower attachment, vacuum attachment, leaf bag, adjustable shoulder strap.
Cached date: AWS Called=true
Customer Reviews
DANGER!!! DANGER!! STAY AWAY!! 
2008-07-19
Bought this brand new from Lowes. After 10 minutes of use right out of the box it started emitting an electrical burning smell and also lost a lot of power. You can see sparks flying. This is extremely dangerous. It's a great way to burn your house down or cause you to get electrocuted. I would give zero stars and recommend that you stay away.
Complete POS 2008-05-29
I finally threw this thing in the trash this morning after it sprayed me with leaf debris and dust for the umpteenth time. The catch bag comes loose on a regular basis, spraying the operator with dirt. It's heavy and awkward to use, with the provided shoulder strap not helping to distribute the weight much at all. The vacuum nozzle is large in diameter and makes it difficult to suck up leaves from between rocks. I hated it.
Fit my needs perfectly 
2008-03-27
I had specific needs that this machine fit perfectly. I have quite a few low-lying shrubs and ground cover that get covered with leaves. You can't pull a rake through them, and the only alternative is to pull out the leaves by hand - a tedious process.
The leaf hog is great. It sucks leaves out of everywhere, and leaves the vines and shrubs intact. Mulching is just an added benefit.
I was a little concerned about things that were a little more sturdy than the leave, such as small stick and whatnot, but it appears that if it's light enough to be sucked up the tube, the mulcher can handle it. I sucked my way through some truly scrappy areas, and the sound of twigs made me wince. I'm used to the indoor vacuum, and that sound means trouble. But after quite a bit of this, I opened it up to inspect the mulcher blades, and they were still in pristine condition (albeit pretty dusty).
Like any tool, you ultimately learn its limitations and how to best utilize it. It isn't a magic wand, and you can't expect to place it on a huge pile of heavy wet leaves and have them magically disappear. But with a little pushing around, pretty much everything will be swallowed.
Best Christmas Toy!! 
2008-01-03
Just like what the other reviewers mentioned, we really liked the vacuum/blower. It made short of the time spent raking, piling and bagging the million leaves we had in our backyard!! I propose wearing a mask for other users out there because it does stir up some major dust.
THE LEAF HOG: A DOUBLE EDGE SWORD 2008-01-02
THIS ITEM WAS PURCHASED FROM AMAZON TO REPLACE AN OLDER BV1500 FOR WHITCH THE MOTOR IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM BLACK AND DECKER.THIS UNIT HAS MUCH MORE POWER AND TORK COMPARED TO THE OLDER MODEL.
AMAZON'S SERVICE IS THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS.WITH THEIR NEW WAREHOUSES,COUPLED WITH THEIR SUPER FAST PROCESSING WE WHERE ABLE TO RECIEVE THIS ITEM FROM START TO FINISH IN TWO DAYS.
BLACK AND DECKER HAS ISSUED TWO RECALLS FOR THIS UNIT.THE FIRST ONE FOR TYPE 1,WHICH IS COORDINATED WITH THE CSPC,WHERE THE PLUG IS LOOSE AND CAN START AT FIRE.THE SECOND,FOR THE TYPE 4,WHICH JIVES WITH SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS LISTED,IS VOLUNTARY HAS TO DO WITH A FIRE STARTING IN THE UNIT.BLACK AND DECKER REPLACES THE WHOLE POWER UNIT FOR THE TYPE 4 RECALL,NO QUESTIONS ASKED,BY SENDING A TYPE 3.OUR TYPE 4 UNIT STARTED FINE WITH NO MAJOR SPARKS AROUND THE BRUSHES.IT WAS THE TYPE 3 REPLACEMENT UNIT THAT STARTED SLOW AND HAD LARGE AMOUNT OF SPARKS AROUND THE BRUSHES.THIS FINALLY CLEARED UP AS THE BRUSHES WERE SEATING TO THE ARMATURE,AS STATED BY BLACK AND DECKER.IT WOULD BE RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE WHO PURCHASE NEW UNITS TO RUN THE UNIT FOR A WHILE WITHOUT LEAVES TO "BREAK IN" THE BRUSHES.THIS MAY AVOID THE FIRE PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE.
BECAUSE OF THE RECALLS,BLACK AND DECKER NO LONGER PRODUCES THIS UNIT FOR SALE NOR DO THEY SHOW ANY REPLACEMENTS OR FUTURE MODELS.AS WITH OTHER COMPANIES,BLACK AND DECKER SHOULD GET BACK TO MAKING QUALITY CONTROL THEIR FIRST PRIORITY INSTEAD OF COST CUTTING.
Black and Decker Blower Vac Model BV4000 
2007-12-29
Leaving nothing behind for the rake to gather, Black & Decker’s LeafHog blower snorts out a whopping 230-mph blow-speed for rooting up wet, matted leaves, heavy piles of debris, and more. That’s right. That stubborn windrow of leaves hunkered down next to the fence line is no match for the LeafHog. Like a handheld hurricane, this baby keeps the leaves blowing fast, even as they pile up high against the friction of the fence line and in those down-sloping corners of the yard. No more scooping debris into awkward garbage bags either, this blower converts to a vacuum with the push of a button. An easy-empty bag design dumps mulched leaves quickly. And, an anti-clog mechanism resists clogging during mulching operations. Knowing that most blowers are so loud they overpower earplugs and cause headaches on extended jobs, Black & Decker hushed down the LeafHog with a low-noise design that operates at a maximum of 66 decibels. Ideal for clearing lawns, driveways, sidewalks, decks, and garages of leaves, grass clippings, and other debris, this blower also features a 10-to-1 mulch ratio that, for example, reduces 10 bags of raked leaves down to 1 bag of mulch for healthier lawns and gardens. Black & Decker covers this blower with a full, 2-year warranty.
--Brian D. OlsonWhat’s in the Box
Blower, blower attachment, vacuum attachment, leaf bag, adjustable shoulder strap.
Third Time's the Charm? 
2007-12-18
Buyer beware.
Low rating due to Quality Control issues. Although I'm not overly fond of B&D products, this had the necessary features.
I use mine for 20-30 minutes at a time and the unit works really well. The lo/hi settings are good; "lo" for blowing small stuff away from doorways and clearing the sidewalks & driveways of leaf & lawn litter, as well as small stones, while the "hi" setting is strong enough to move heavier items farther and can move heavier items. Although the unit is a bit heavy, the handle is located so as to balance without straining your wrist too badly.
I use a power cord with the recommended length and gauge, and the power supply in my house is adequate. Within the first 15 minutes of use, the motor in first two B&D blower/vacs self-destructed in smoke & flames like instructions for the "Impossible Mission Team." I tried comparable Toro and the switch burned up in roughly the same amount of time. I noticed the return desks had a couple of each in the return/faulty piles - a good indicator that something's amiss. On my final trip, I sorted through the boxes and got the last one from a different lot. It was missing the power cord retainer. Its a minor flaw but doesn't effect performance, so I'm keeping it - for now.
I have not yet used the vacuum/mulch setting or bag, so cannot comment on those issues.
OK Blower Performance , not so good as vac 2007-12-12
I purchase this blower for the season. The blower works very well, enough power and easy to work with. The vacuum works fine when the leaves are dry, if the leaves are a little wet then it gets stuck very often.
B&D BV4000 vs Toro 51598 2007-12-09
I brought the B&D to replace a Toro 51598 that has failed twice. Toro's first failure was broken impeller. The second failure was the upper bearing on the motor (probably $2.00 part, if the motor manufacturer gives me the generic part number). Both failures occurred at 14 months.
THe B&D blows leaves as well as the Toro and is significantly better as a mulch and vac. The B&D clogs infrequently, in my case it occurred when I sucked up a porous block of snow. Unclogging the B&D is very simple. The Toro clogs often and is takes more effort to clear.
The B&D has a two year warranty which is ten months longer than the life span of my Toro.
Failed immediately 2007-12-01
Bought it at home depot, $70. Got it home. Used the vacuum for 15 minutes. Seemed great. Better than my 10 year old Toro which is falling apart. Put it on Blower. Great. But after 5 minutes of that a burning smell started, and then it looked like the motor was a little too "lit up". Seems that the motor has some sort of issue. Returning it. Will buy Toro again instead.
Did not like connections and do not especially like the unit.
