Greenworks 40V Brushless Cordless Blower/Vacuum

So I ordered this tool having read all the reviews, many of which declare the vacuum to be a failure... It's not. However, the first time out with this machine I blew through an entire 4.0ah battery trying to get through the learning curve. I'll spare you the agony and frustration and give you the scoop: 1) Do not try to vacuum wet leaves. Even "merely damp" is questionable and not advised, if the majority of your leaves are "merely damp". Moisture of any kind will cause the leaves to cling to the sides of tube and soon start a clog that will force you to turn off the machine to clear. They usually will clog the big tube; however, they also do not mulch down very well and may eventually cause a blockage in the small outlet that expels into the bag. There is a trick to knowing which end is the problem, I'll explain that one further down ;) 2) Do not try to vacuum up more than one layer of leaves in one swoop. You can get away with some "slightly damp" leaves if they are interspersed with dry leaves as long as you only suck up one layer at a time. But even if all the leaves are dry you should be careful to only skim along and suck them up in thin layers, even if you're tackling a deep pile. As long as you do that, no jams and you can continue truckin' right along. 3) Leaves that are yellow or green (and therefore still have some sap/moisture in them) will not mulch down as finely as leaves that are brown and dried out; if they are still "juicy" enough they may build up in the outlet to the bag and eventually cause a clog. 4) Speaking of the bag, be careful reaching into it--there is some kind of stiff cord with a wire end and the end is curved into a vicious little hook shape. No idea why it's there or designed that way, but it is possible to hurt yourself if you stick your hand blindly into the bag and start digging around vigorously. Know that it is there (take a look for yourself) and handle the bag (emptying, etc.) accordingly. 5) When in vac mode, you are effectively holding the machine reversed and it's surprisingly easy to bump your speed dial. Remember to check that if it seems like you are suddenly losing a bit of power--you might have accidentally lowered the speed! And, you do NOT need to have it on full speed (sucking max battery power) to get the leaves to vacuum up. Once I figured out the above rules, I spent most of my time on about speed 4 (from 1-6), vacuuming only (not blowing) and got a good 40 minutes or so on a 4.0ah battery--about the same time I get using that same size battery in my mower. 6) No matter how you try to arrange that bag, it's going to be uncomfortable (if not in the first 5 minutes...then absolutely giving you a backache by the time your battery runs out!). Be sure that uncomfortable arrangement includes keeping the bag in a position where it is not blocking the outlet from the blower--the mulched leaves need to be able to freely expel from the blower unit into the bag and it is possible to encourage a clog if you let the bag bind against that outlet chute as you move around. 7) The bag is well constructed--I filled and emptied it many times over two days (with more leaves to go...*sigh*…) and saw no signs of tearing yet. I did discover that detaching the bag was very easy...when the machine had not yet been used. Once it gets even a tiny amount of dust or mud or--? on it from actual use, I had a heck of a time getting it back off--it no longer wanted to slide so nicely requiring a fair amount of yanking (while somehow also holding down the release button keeping it latched in tight). Argh. 8) So...how can you tell if it's the big sucking tube that's clogged, or the outlet into the bag? Whelp. When you turn it on it should sound like, well, a vacuum. This includes that familiar echoing roar that a vacuum has. If that slight echoing noise flattens to a regular blower noise, you are getting a clog. When the leaves just stop getting sucked up, you are fully clogged inside the big tube. You aren't going to be able to shake it out...you need to turn of the power, tip the unit upside down so you can reach inside of the big tube, and then pull the mass clogging it back out. If instead you notice the sound flatten but leaves are actually seem to be blowing *away* from the mouth of the big tube, as if it has switched into blower-mode...that is a clog in the outlet into the bag. You'll need to turn off the power, detach the bag and dig out the blockage. Make sure you can clearly see through to the impeller inside--only pulling part of it out usually doesn't work. A stick comes in handy to help scoop it out. Oh, and if you hear a high-pitched buzzing noise on top of the normal vacuum noise...it's probably a twig or leaf stem that is caught up in the impeller...usually these work themselves out as you continue vacuuming, although it may take a few minutes. 9) Using this as a blower? You'll get WAY more air if you leave out that extra smaller nozzle piece. I initially put it in thinking it would be needed (or at least helpful) to get into some narrow areas in my yard (like behind the air conditioner unit)....plus I knew my leaves were wet and thought it might give more leverage in moving the ones directly on the ground (we had a wind storm, which knocked a lot of leaves off trees...followed immediately by a rainstorm that then drenched them all. Of course!). But ultimately, the heavier and stronger airflow using the main blower tube and leaving the extension *out* was more effective. I am not experienced in using a blower, though, so YMMV. For reference, the leaves I am faced with are: maple (from a tree next to my house that is actually *bigger* than the house--!!), several plum trees, a chestnut tree and two box elder trees (some are mine, some are neighbors' & growing right on property line). Oh, and a small amount of apple tree leaves. I'm sure there are assorted others in lesser amounts, from other trees in the 'hood (every house on the block has at least one or two trees...all deciduous, naturally). Basically, I'm swimming in leaves, both front & back. FWIW, using my (Greenworks cordless, heh) mulching mower on the leaves on the lawn yielded a much finer mulching of those leaves. That was also faster than vacuuming them. But vacuuming is (I think?) a bit easier than trying to rake all those awkward spots--in the woodchip mulching (I have several areas of it), places where tree roots break through the soil and stick out and catch the rake tines, the sidewalks and driveways, places where the grass needs re-planting and is more clumps and bumps (so the leaves settle between them and the mower doesn't fully get them), etc. And the moderate piles formed of mulched/mangled leaves I emptied from the bag after vacuuming is less overwhelming than the huge piles I had (and then bagged) last year after raking. So...I think it's a win? But it can get pretty dirty. And it's still quite a bit of work. When I finally win a lottery...I'm hiring a yard service!! ;)