I like my leaf blow. It does a good job and it's fun to use. Mine is actually a 'Shop Vac' that can work in reverse. I can blow a giant rain puddle out of town, yey!

I have, for my church.
On the down side, they are noisy beasts, and you need to keep your pets inside while you use one--it frightens them, and may hurt their ears. For the same reason, it is a good idea to use ear and eye protection while you use the blower. It also takes a little while to learn how to use it, especially if the patio has walls or hedges around it.
On the up side, once you have the skills, it can clear a large patio in minutes--though you still have to pick up the leaves.
Just remember that you could cause hate and discontent by blowing your leaves into the street, or your neighbors' yards! Better to blow them IN, to a spot where you can bag them easily, or shred them and spread them on your shrubbery.

Hi Bathgate

Thanks for that.

I think they would be good fun to use too; I'm much more likely to go and give the garden a good hovering as opposed to doing inside the house! (I'm not a huge fan of cleaning......)

Hi Tugbrethil

Thank you for your advice; the one I am considering blows and vacuums and then shreds the leaves up and bags them. So they can go straight onto the compost heap and no neighbours wrath incurred.

They are handy for a lot of things you'd never thought you'd need it for - like when my hot water tank ruptured and flooded my basement - Shop Vac/Leaf Blower to the rescue. I sucked up the entire flood in about 30 minutes.

Good feature! When I got mine, the blower/vacuum option was pretty weak, so I skipped it, but that was more than 10 years ago.

Test it out well in the shop for "fit" before choosing. I found I wasn't tall enough to handle it properly. Ours had a vacuum and shredding option but when I tried to use it the bag caught on the ground and came adrift. Some have wheels which might make it easier. But for just a small patio area it's more trouble than its worth and a stiff brush is quicker and cheaper. Tip the leaves onto the lawn and shred them with the mower, which is simple and quick. If you have been picking up your leaves by hand there are definitely not enough to justify the effort and expense of a blower/vacuum.

Tugbrethil: Here is the one I have and feel comfortable recommending to you. I had it for over 10 years and still works like new. It sounds like a jet plane but it's powerful. They aren't too expensive considering it's capacity, power and capabilities.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-14-Gal-6-0-Peak-HP-Wet-Dry-Vac-WD1450/100081216

we had one and after 2 years OH sold it and thought it was a waste of money. The shredding wasn't brilliant but he found it was better to sweep them up and then run the mower over them.

if you only have a small area then sweep them with a rubber/ stiff brush and scoop up. or brush onto the grass if its possible and mow then into small bits.

Snap Seaburngirl!