Gardeners have until midnight on Wednesday, September 30, to take advantage of a double discount on a gadget designed to make clearing autumn leaves easier. The Drew & Cole Leaf Chief – Push Leaf and Grass Collector is available at Yimbly, an online marketplace owned by Reach Plc, for £81 instead of £99.99 when shoppers apply the code AUTUMN10.
How the Leaf Chief works
The Leaf Chief uses 291 specially designed bristles to gather leaves and sweep them into an attached 100-litre collection bag, which can be detached and carried to a compost or garden waste bin when full. Its extra-wide 53cm collection path covers larger areas more quickly, and the sweeping height can be adjusted depending on the terrain and the amount of leaves being cleared.
Completely manual, the gadget requires no petrol or electricity and costs nothing to run. It can also collect grass clippings, flower petals, cherry blossom and pine needles, making it useful beyond autumn. Weighing 6.7kg, the Leaf Chief can be stored upright when not in use and comes with an optional wall-mounted storage bracket to save shed or garage floor space.
Alternatives and customer reviews
Another option is the Pelle & Sol Lawn Sweeper for £89.98, down from £179.99, at Amazon. This one clears larger areas with a 535mm working width and collects more garden waste with a larger 103-litre collection bag. B&Q has a Long-Handled Foam Grip Leaf Collecting Grabber at £15.98, said to be ideal for collecting autumn leaves and grass cuttings, with foam grip handles for comfortable use.
The Leaf Chief has been rated highly by shoppers. One Yimbly customer said: "What a brilliant piece of kit for anyone who has a lawn with trees and shrubs nearby. Takes all the hard work out of clearing the lawn."
Another reviewer at QVC said: "I bought this because I have a huge oak tree overlooking my property, which sheds an enormous amount of leaves and conkers every year. Having injured my back, the thought of raking them all up this autumn filled me with dread. I'll admit I had fairly low expectations, particularly as I have a gravel driveway and assumed it would simply pick up the gravel along with the leaves."
"I was very pleasantly surprised - it worked brilliantly! The adjustable height meant I could set it to pick up the leaves and conkers without disturbing the gravel. I had the entire driveway cleared in minutes. It's incredibly easy to zip around, collect everything quickly, and then empty it straight into the bin using the removable basket. It has made a job I was dreading so much easier. Absolutely worth every penny! Knocked one star off as the instruction pictures were confusing and too dark to see clearly what it was showing."
An Amazon shopper added: "What a wonderful product. I have a very large back garden, surrounded by multiple trees which all lose their leaves in the autumn season. We're in the thick of leaves falling, and this product does a wonderful job. It doesn't necessarily collect every single leaf, but it does a great job collecting about 85-90% of them. It works best when the leaves are dry. It has a large collection basket which is great, and the whole unit is large, but it's easy to push and manoeuvre. My only fault is the manual to build it."
Some reviewers noted issues with the build instructions, but one said: "Great product - saves my back!" Another said: "Good product, but it is a shame it is not a lot smaller for smaller gardens."
