Worx Trivac All in One – Review

If you’re like me and hate the spring and fall leaf pick up, you might want to keep reading this review of the Worx Trivac 3 in 1 system.  My kids aren’t old enough to pick up the leaves and do yard work for me why I sit around, but one day they will be.  Until then I guess I have to tough it out.  One tool we came across, which I am sure you have seen on TV is the Worx Trivac which makes this hassle a lot easier.

Specifications of the Worx Trivac

• All in one – Mulch, Blow, Vac
• Power – 120V, 12 Amp
• Blow Speed – 210 MPH
• Vacuum Capacity – 350 CFM
• Bag Capacity – 1.5 bushels
• Mulch Ratio 10:1
• Weight 8.4 lbs
• Warranty – 2 year

If you’re not familiar with the Worx Trivac, here is a basic overview of the system.  The Worx Trivac is an all in one system.  First it has a blower to blow your leaves into piles.  Then with a flick of a switch, you can suck them up.  While the Trivac is sucking up the leaves, it will mulch them into a bag.  Pretty simple and straight forward.

Features

The Trivac is electric powered which is a plus for some and a minus for others, I am stuck in between.  I hate pulling around a cord, but I hate having to mess with a gas powered system and always trying to get them to start.  The mulch ratio is pretty good coming in at 10:1.  With dry leaves we were able to pick up a lot of leaves before we had to empty the bag.  When looking at the system and comparing it to individual systems like having just a blower or just a vacuum, the three in one is competitive.

The blower has some good speed to it and will blow up to 210 MPH.  There is a small knob that allows the user to adjust the speed setting, which is a nice feature to have.  In the areas where you have mulch or small flowers, it’s nice to be able to lower the power or speed level.  The vacuum is also pretty competitive with a rating of 350 CFM.

One item to note is that this comes with a 2 year warranty, so we like seeing a manufacturer who is willing to backup their products in case something happens.

Operation & Handling

When operating these machines, the two biggest things to consider is balance and how easy it is to clean out a clogged nozzle.  Operating one of these tools can be a pain, not the actual process of using it, but cleaning it.  The Trivac has three main sections, the motor housing, the bag and the nozzle.  The Trivac comes apart very easy with the push of a button.  This lets the user easily access any areas where there might be a clog.  Putting it back together was just as easy.  This is a huge plus and this is where we feel Worx has an advantage over its competitors.

The Trivac only weighs 8.4lbs which makes carrying it around, not a big deal.  The shoulder strap for the bag helps balance the tool and also takes the bulk of the weight, so your arm doesn’t get fatigued.  When it comes time to empty the bag, it’s a snap.  A user just turns where the bag meets the chute and the bag comes right off.

Changing from blowing to vacuum is just as easy.  Just turn a lever and you are good to go.  You don’t even have to set the tool down to make the change over and it only takes a second.  It’s a pretty simple concept.  When you move the lever, it just redirects the airflow, so nothing in the motor actually changes, just the direction of air.

Performance

When we see a product advertised through an infomercial, it always throws up a red flag and we would rather not waste our time.  That’s how we felt about the Trivac for a long time.  When we did receive the vacuum and took it apart, we felt this might be another one of those gimmicks.  The first thing we saw was plastic impellers and thought well these should last about two minutes before they break.   So we had to put it to the test.  We made our pile, which contained leaves, pine cones and actually a bunch of rocks, not on purpose, but we were too lazy to sort through and take them out.  On the dry leaves it was very quick at picking up the leaves, it even picked up the pine cones and the rocks.  While it didn’t mulch the rocks, it did chop away the pine cones after a little work.  When we moved to wet leaves that were laying under a tree, it did pick them up, but was more of a hassle than if we just raked them and threw them out in a trash can.

The blower works great and has some good power and speed.  On the low setting we were able to be careful when working around landscaping items such as where the mulch meets the cement on the walkway.

As with any system like this, we did get it to clog a couple of times, but with the push of a button we could clean it out very easily, just make sure you unplug the power cord.  When we used it on wet leaves was when we experienced the clogs.  We never had a problem with dry leaves.

One note to mention was we saw some people complain about the impellers being plastic instead of metal.  When we first saw the impellers that was our initial response, but after using it, we understand why they went with a hard plastic.  With metal and picking up rocks, you would bend the impellers not to mention how loud it would be.  Plastic does not dent and is a lot quieter.  The hardened plastic will last and we are not worried about them breaking.

Conclusion

Anything that makes yard work easier has to be good.  The Worx Trivac is a pretty good system.  We like how the system is easy to take apart and clean out any clogs.  The mulching is great and emptying the contents are even easier.  While it was great for dry leaf pick up, it did take a lot more time with wet leaves as would any system.  The system seems to be well built and the blades or propellers seemed to hold up.  Overall the design and ease of use is great.

We always like to hear back from our readers on their experience with these tools – good or bad.  Do you have experience with these tools?  How has the long term use been?  What applications have you used the tool for?  Is this a DIY or professional grade tool?  Let us and other readers know.