Jaybird180
Final Approach
A couple weeks ago, I saw the commercial for the Worx Trivac and I thought that it was a really neat tool. I've got about 1/4 acre of suburbia terra firma and it seems that all the winds blow the leaves onto my yard. I don't have the best yard in the cul-de-sac (my adjacent neighbor does), but I don't have the worse either (it's a close race between 3 of them, one of which lies on the other side adjacent to my house).
Considering that Mr. Green "Thumb", in the middle of the night, snuck out and picked up all the leaves in his yard, I figure he or his wife is now sending mean thought-waves in the general direction of my horticultural non-masterpiece and I ought to do something about it. This commercial might be a Divine message.
A quick google search indicates that it's received fair reviews and ... Oh look! There are competing products!!!!
The Worx Trivac is a 3-in-1 Blower/ Mulcher/Vacuum that I envisioned as to be the lazy leafers dream. Perfect for me.
I decided to go with this, because after looking at the other options it seemed to be the best value and the reviewers said that it was a well made product and I agree.
A little background:
I mentioned cleaning up the leaves with this electric power tool to my wife, who then said that I should buy a rake. I said, "No". We had a similar conversation when I decided to buy the John Deere riding mower. She insisted that I will get good exercise and I thought that it wasn't the kind of exercise I wanted. No thanks I want to get the job done and enjoy the remainder of my day, not spend it doing chores. I'm going to Lowe's to check out the Worx.
She then suggested that I still buy the rake; that she'll do the raking. "Yeah, right", so I thought, "the rake will be used once and then hung in the garage never to be used by her again."
I got to the store and they didn't have the Trivac nor any of it's competitors. So I had a discussion with a wonderful young man about rakes. I tried a few and selected one. Then a young lady came by and we talked about rakes more and I changed my mind about which one, but ultimately settled on the one that a customer who represented himself as a lawn care guy had recommended.
I was disappointed that I couldn't at least see it, but she left me with enough information that I could order it and we struck a deal that I would come into the store after I got it and she would apply a discount to the price. She also informed me of other Lowe's stores that had one in stock....not-one local storer. But there was one store that showed 8 in the inventory and they were enroute to the in-law's house, which is where we were going for the Thanksgiving holiday. The thought crossed my mind about picking one up and that's just what I did on the return trip, as we literally passed right by Lowe's. I got the last one on the shelf.
Sunday morning, my wife decides to use HER rake (that I painstakingly chose for her raking comfort and enjoyment) and rake the front yard. After about an hour, I thought I'd come along as whisk away all the piles that she'd made and effortlessly bag them for pickup.
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
After easily assembling the unit, which they promised it would be easy, I had to run inside to grab the electric extension cords. I plug it in, perused the instructions and began to familiarize myself with the safe operation of the unit. It really was easy to figure out as advertised.
I began to vacuum the leaves with a satisfying grin on my face. I had to adjust the bagger a few times, until I found a comfortable position with the strap across my body, then I was really moving....or so I thought.
My wife stood there watching me pickup a pile of leaves that she'd raked. About 8-10 minutes elapsed and I am still not done; I need to dump the bag of mulched leaves. Word of Caution: Do Not wear your best Sunday going to church jeans to do this, they will get dusty and dirty. The bag easily disengages from the unit and opens with a zipper at the rear. After awhile, I think, I'd got the hang of bagging solo. But I did have to ask my wife to assist on the first one...and maybe the 3rd and 5th....
A few minutes more and I had the pile done. The mulch was pretty small and allowed the efficient use of the paper bags as required by the county for pickup. Another fulfilled promise of the advertising campaign of the Worx Trivac.
My wife somehow go the bright idea to start bagging a pile at the same time I started a new pile, just to see for comparison how much time it saved. Well, I'd like to say, "I dusted her", but I can't. She had bagged her leaves and then watched me continue to vacuum leaves with my new electric power tool, for about another 25-30 minutes.
After about another 45 minutes to clear away another pile, she asked to use my tool. I said okay, since it was starting to wear on my wrist, and perhaps she could do a faster job. However, I wouldn't relinquish the tool until I had an opportunity to try the blower mode. Not that powerful. My 2-stroke Ryobi is faster and makes more noise, blows more dust and is simply much more fun to use. I have to use earplugs and eye protection for goodness sake!
After I turned it over to her, I saw the air control knob was set to low air... and I thought that it had to be the reason for the lackluster performance. But the knob only controls blower speed not suction.
So, after several hours I finally had the front yard to near my satisfaction. I was disappointed and had expected to whiz through in 30 minutes. Next year, I'll just endure the annoyance of putting the bagger on my John Deere and do the entire lawn in about 90 minutes, including bagging.
After a shower, I finally decided I can suffer the Worx Trivac no more and it was not a good financial decision.
It was a well built product and lived up to all it advertised, but it just wasn't the right solution for me. See the picture above? I discovered later that it works very well clearing leaves from hard surfaces and not as well from grass, which is what I was working on.
If I had a larger lawn, I would invest in a standalone heavy duty mulcher. I would collect using my John Deere, which 2 years ago did a less than stellar cleanup job. Since then I have mounted a different blade, which I am hoping will do a better job. Maybe next summer I will decide on that Gator Blade.
Considering that Mr. Green "Thumb", in the middle of the night, snuck out and picked up all the leaves in his yard, I figure he or his wife is now sending mean thought-waves in the general direction of my horticultural non-masterpiece and I ought to do something about it. This commercial might be a Divine message.
A quick google search indicates that it's received fair reviews and ... Oh look! There are competing products!!!!
The Worx Trivac is a 3-in-1 Blower/ Mulcher/Vacuum that I envisioned as to be the lazy leafers dream. Perfect for me.
I decided to go with this, because after looking at the other options it seemed to be the best value and the reviewers said that it was a well made product and I agree.
A little background:
I mentioned cleaning up the leaves with this electric power tool to my wife, who then said that I should buy a rake. I said, "No". We had a similar conversation when I decided to buy the John Deere riding mower. She insisted that I will get good exercise and I thought that it wasn't the kind of exercise I wanted. No thanks I want to get the job done and enjoy the remainder of my day, not spend it doing chores. I'm going to Lowe's to check out the Worx.
She then suggested that I still buy the rake; that she'll do the raking. "Yeah, right", so I thought, "the rake will be used once and then hung in the garage never to be used by her again."
I got to the store and they didn't have the Trivac nor any of it's competitors. So I had a discussion with a wonderful young man about rakes. I tried a few and selected one. Then a young lady came by and we talked about rakes more and I changed my mind about which one, but ultimately settled on the one that a customer who represented himself as a lawn care guy had recommended.
I was disappointed that I couldn't at least see it, but she left me with enough information that I could order it and we struck a deal that I would come into the store after I got it and she would apply a discount to the price. She also informed me of other Lowe's stores that had one in stock....not-one local storer. But there was one store that showed 8 in the inventory and they were enroute to the in-law's house, which is where we were going for the Thanksgiving holiday. The thought crossed my mind about picking one up and that's just what I did on the return trip, as we literally passed right by Lowe's. I got the last one on the shelf.
Sunday morning, my wife decides to use HER rake (that I painstakingly chose for her raking comfort and enjoyment) and rake the front yard. After about an hour, I thought I'd come along as whisk away all the piles that she'd made and effortlessly bag them for pickup.
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be.
After easily assembling the unit, which they promised it would be easy, I had to run inside to grab the electric extension cords. I plug it in, perused the instructions and began to familiarize myself with the safe operation of the unit. It really was easy to figure out as advertised.
I began to vacuum the leaves with a satisfying grin on my face. I had to adjust the bagger a few times, until I found a comfortable position with the strap across my body, then I was really moving....or so I thought.
My wife stood there watching me pickup a pile of leaves that she'd raked. About 8-10 minutes elapsed and I am still not done; I need to dump the bag of mulched leaves. Word of Caution: Do Not wear your best Sunday going to church jeans to do this, they will get dusty and dirty. The bag easily disengages from the unit and opens with a zipper at the rear. After awhile, I think, I'd got the hang of bagging solo. But I did have to ask my wife to assist on the first one...and maybe the 3rd and 5th....
A few minutes more and I had the pile done. The mulch was pretty small and allowed the efficient use of the paper bags as required by the county for pickup. Another fulfilled promise of the advertising campaign of the Worx Trivac.
My wife somehow go the bright idea to start bagging a pile at the same time I started a new pile, just to see for comparison how much time it saved. Well, I'd like to say, "I dusted her", but I can't. She had bagged her leaves and then watched me continue to vacuum leaves with my new electric power tool, for about another 25-30 minutes.
After about another 45 minutes to clear away another pile, she asked to use my tool. I said okay, since it was starting to wear on my wrist, and perhaps she could do a faster job. However, I wouldn't relinquish the tool until I had an opportunity to try the blower mode. Not that powerful. My 2-stroke Ryobi is faster and makes more noise, blows more dust and is simply much more fun to use. I have to use earplugs and eye protection for goodness sake!
After I turned it over to her, I saw the air control knob was set to low air... and I thought that it had to be the reason for the lackluster performance. But the knob only controls blower speed not suction.
So, after several hours I finally had the front yard to near my satisfaction. I was disappointed and had expected to whiz through in 30 minutes. Next year, I'll just endure the annoyance of putting the bagger on my John Deere and do the entire lawn in about 90 minutes, including bagging.
After a shower, I finally decided I can suffer the Worx Trivac no more and it was not a good financial decision.
It was a well built product and lived up to all it advertised, but it just wasn't the right solution for me. See the picture above? I discovered later that it works very well clearing leaves from hard surfaces and not as well from grass, which is what I was working on.
If I had a larger lawn, I would invest in a standalone heavy duty mulcher. I would collect using my John Deere, which 2 years ago did a less than stellar cleanup job. Since then I have mounted a different blade, which I am hoping will do a better job. Maybe next summer I will decide on that Gator Blade.
