Black+Decker LSW36  40v Lithium-Ion Cordless Sweeper: Does It Work?

The Black+Decker LSW36  40v lithium ion cordless sweeper is made for blasting away debris from hard surfaces like walkways, driveways, sidewalks, decks, and patios. This Black and Decker cordless blower doesn’t have the airflow for blowing big piles of leaves, but it can still help you with other cleanup projects in the yard and around the house.

In this review, we’re going to get into the nuts and bolts of this machine, how much power it has, its drawbacks, regulations, and advantages, and who can most benefit from owning one of these tools.

Black and Decker LSW36  Pros and Cons

Black and Decker Leaf Blower Product Highlights

This cordless leaf blower arrives in a compact box containing one LSW36 40v blower with battery, fast charger, blower tube, and an instruction manual. The tube snaps onto the body in two sections without requiring tools, and the battery charges up in about two hours.

• Ultra-simple operation
• Low weight of 4.7 pounds with battery installed
• Soft-grip handle
• Long runtime
• Power command dial for airflow control
• Scraper built into the tip of nozzle for loosening debris

– Black+Decker LSW36 Review

This nominal 40v leaf blower, in fact, operates at 36 volts of power when there’s a load on the lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The battery is compatible with a range of other Black and Decker cordless yard tools like chainsaws, hedge trimmers, and pole saws you might already own or want to purchase. Having another battery on hand means you never run out of power.

Long runtime, low weight, and simple controls are the hallmarks of this Black and Decker leaf blower, designed especially for sweeping away debris from hard surfaces like concrete, asphalt, and wood decking.

It’s important to note that this tool is a blower only without a vacuum and mulch features. If you want a tool for blowing and vacuuming up debris, consider the Black+Decker Leaf Blower/Vacuum BV6000 model.

It’s also important to note that this Black+Decker LSW36 40v lithium-ion cordless sweeper is not recommended for use on lawns, flower beds, or in other soft surface garden areas. The shape of the nozzle tip, the low air volume of 90 cubic feet per minute (cfm), and the low top air speed of 120 MPH makes it unsuitable for use in dirt, mulch, compost, lawns, and other soft surfaces.

However, around many homes, the surfaces that need cleaning up the most are hard surfaces like driveways, concrete and brick walkways, stone patios, and wooden decks. And many leaf blowers that do a great job piling up leaves on an expanse of lawn don’t do as well sweeping away wet materials stuck to a walkway or twigs, acorns, and dirt trapped between deck boards or pavers. This blower is built to take on precisely these types of hard surface cleanup jobs.

The low weight of only 4.7 pounds makes it easy for almost anyone to hold and direct this blower with one hand. In addition, the control knobs are ergonomically located within easy reach of the soft-grip handle, allowing you to vary the air speed and flow with the POWERCOMMAND dial, choosing between maximum airflow and the most extended runtime.

The machine is well-balanced, so the nozzle naturally tilts toward the ground where you can reach the bottom of yard debris, littering hard surfaces around your home and blasting it away. The machine is also light enough to lift and use for blowing water off a washed car or cleaning out the trunk without the hassle of an extension cord.

The tilt of the nozzle tip lets you use the airflow like a small shovel to dig away at rotten leaves and other material stuck to the surface. At the end of the nozzle on the underside, there is a small ridge for scraping spots that won’t come clean with air alone.

The shape and angle of the nozzle are the secrets to this blower’s success for sweeping away debris on hard surfaces, but it’s also what holds it back from being a good tool for cleaning up leaves on a lawn. As a result, this Black and Decker cordless blower is most suitable for people with hard outdoor surfaces to keep clean and not for people who need a blower for lawns, flower beds, and dirt surfaces.

Black and Decker LSW36 Main Product Features

– Operation

This blower is easy to use and requires almost no maintenance. To operate the tool, insert a fully-charged battery in the battery compartment at the handle base, squeeze the trigger, and adjust the POWERCOMMAND dial to the best setting of air speed and air volume for the task. Higher power demand on the battery significantly reduces the runtime, and the POWERCOMMAND dial lets you choose whether to maximize runtime or power.

The comfortable-to-grip handle is big enough that you can hold it while wearing large work gloves, and it’s padded for maximum comfort.

– Air Speed and Air Volume

The top air speed for this blower is 120 MPH, and this is not a tremendous amount of force and not sufficient for moving anything heavy. However, when concentrated through the narrow nozzle tip, this air speed is plenty for moving leaf litter, dirt, small twigs, and other yard debris from hard-surfaced areas.

The air volume on this Black and Decker cordless blower is 90 cfm, and this is what limits this tool from sweeping up leaves on lawns and dirt. There is not enough air circulating to impact larger piles of debris. However, the lower air volume prevents blowing debris where you don’t want it to go on hard surfaces.

– Battery

Black and Decker use the newest battery storage technology in their 40V lithium-ion system. These batteries are smaller and more robust than older rechargeable batteries. The newer ones have a longer lifespan, can take more charges over time, and hold their charge for a long time after taking off the charger, allowing you to keep charged batteries on hand for when you need them without the power draining away over time.

An indicator on the battery lets you know how much charge is left so that you can plan ahead.  The battery recharges in one to two hours, depending on the ampere hour rating and the type of charger. A fast charger comes with the tool, and it takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes to recharge most batteries.

With the blower on the highest airflow setting, you can expect about 20 minutes of runtime. On the lowest settings, the runtime increases to up to an hour.

– Weight, Dimensions, and Noise Level

The blower base measures 14.6 inches long, 10.6 inches high, and 6.3 inches wide, making it very compact compared to many other cordless blowers. When the two sections of the blower tube snap on, the total length is 36 inches. This length might be somewhat short for taller people to comfortably reach the ground with the nozzle tip without bending over a bit.

This Black and Decker LSW36 blower is quiet, producing only 66dB of noise, similar to a person talking normally. So you can use this blower to tidy up the yard on a Saturday morning without disturbing the neighbors or waking your spouse.

Warranty

This Black and Decker leaf blower comes with a 3-year limited warranty described in detail in the instructions that come with the blower and on the company website. It’s crucial to retain the receipt for purchase and to register the product for warranty within a month after buying it to get the best warranty service if you need it.

Also, opening up the machine or attempting home repairs might invalidate the warranty. If anything does not work correctly with the blower, battery, or charger, follow the warranty instructions in the manual.

About 20 percent of buyers report problems with the motor in this machine failing to work or creating noise after a year or less of use and difficulty getting warranty service. Many of the same buyers also say the tool lacks power for their needs.

This tool is likely to work best for people who have light-duty, occasional cleanup of paved surfaces,and who follow all warranty instructions in case of problems.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the Black+Decker LSW36 durable?

2. Can the Black+Decker LSW36 be used to clear wet leaves?

3. Is the Black+Decker LSW36 easy to use?

Conclusion

This review of the Black+Decker LSW36 40v lithium-ion cordless sweeper has explained how this yard tool is designed for light-duty cleanup of leaves and other debris from hard surfaces outdoors. This blower is for people who occasionally need to tid

y up their driveway, parking area, deck, patio, or pool enclosure without blowing the debris all over the place.

But don’t get one to do your fall leaf cleanup, and make sure you understand the warranty and follow the instructions.