Leaf Gulp: Product Review

When fall arrives, the leaf-gathering chores begin. And it is a chore to rake up, and especially to bag, all those leaves. The Leaf Gulp makes the chore a little easier, and even fun, if that’s possible. Raking is not so bad, but when it comes time to put the leaves in a trash bag, you either need two more hands to hold the bag open or you need to drag a garbage can around with you as you work. The Leaf Gulp serves as your second pair of hands, enabling you to rake or sweep leaves right into the bag.

See how the Leaf Gulp works in this video:

Assembly

Putting together the Leaf Gulp and the Leaf Gulp II was a very simple process. The only tool you will need is a Phillips-head screwdriver.

The Leaf Gulp and Leaf Gulp II were a breeze to assemble

The Leaf Gulp design is clever, with a “foot” that holds the bag open and a spike that holds it to the ground. You only need a screwdriver to put it together.

How the Leaf Gulp Works

The product is a made of heavy plastic, shaped in a half circle. The circle holds your bag open so you can rake or sweep leaves in. And each half circle hoop has two metal pointed ends that easily push into the ground to hold the entire bag in place. No more spending time re-opening or chasing a half-full bag in the wind. Small feet stick inside the bag to help secure it. The leaves are now quickly “gulped up” when you rake or sweep them into the bag.

The Leaf Gulp holds a large trash bag open for easy filling

Testing the Leaf Gulp

I tested both sizes of Leaf Gulps. The Leaf Gulp holds a 39-gallon plastic bag, and the Leaf Gulp II is designed to hold paper lawn and leaf bags (about 11 by 16 inches). I first used the larger Leaf Gulp to hold a plastic bag for fall garden bed clean-up – to see how it handled bigger items.

I laid the bag out, pushed the metal spikes through the bottom corners and into the ground, and then wrapped the other side of the bag over the hoop and secured it with the included plastic clip. Even on a really windy day, the bag stayed in place on the ground and stayed open. I was able to fit fairly large stems from green beans and other frost-bitten vegetables through the hoop and into the garbage bag.

I was able to rake plant material into the Leaf Gulp for fall garden clean-up

Next, I used the Leaf Gulp II to rake up leaves from under our apricot tree. The large paper bag held firmly in the ground. For the best results, I would recommend using a rake that is no wider than the mouth of the bag. But even using wider rake, no more leaves missed the bag than would have dropped from my hands or a dustpan with picking up a pile to drop into a bag or can.

The Leaf Gulp II holds large paper bags open for easier leaf clearing

The Leaf Gulp II also worked well at the edge of my patio, where I could sweep the leaves right into the bag. Although the Leaf Gulp needs ground to secure the small spikes, every patio has an edge. I set mine up on the steps, secured into a gap by the patio edge.

I easily secured the Leaf Gulp at the edge of my patio to tackle this pile of leaves

Using a broom on the patio with the Leaf Gulp attached to the edge worked just as well as when it was flat on the ground. In fact, I started thinking about how I felt like a kid at an arcade game, and how maybe this tool could make fall chores more fun for the family.

I was able to sweep the entire pile of leaves into the bag using the Leaf Gulp II before needing to shake up the bag to redistribute the leaves

How The Leaf Gulp and Leaf Gulf II Performed

Both the Leaf Gulp and the Leaf Gulf II performed as touted. The pierced corners of the bags held securely to the ground, even on a windy fall day. I found them easy to pierce into the ground and the instructions and setup are simple. The only drawback for me was getting the leaves to move into the back of the bag. That’s not a flaw in the products, just their flat position on the ground.

However, unless you are working in an area with heavily compacted soil, it just takes a few seconds to pick up the bag from time to time, shake it out to move the leaves to the bottom, and move it closer to your next raking location. Even though you pierce the corner of the bags to hold them in place, the bags stayed intact for me after moving them.

The back label on the product shows how to put the Leaf Gulp II together

Warranty

According to Leaf Gulp, “We stand behind our product. Leaf Gulp will repair or replace at its discretion any manufacturing defect in its product free of charge within 30 days of purchase made from LeafGulp.com”.

Made In The USA

The Leaf Gulp is proudly made in the USA.

Recommendation

I would recommend Leaf Gulp for people who have problems bending over, but it also is a time saver for anyone who has plenty of leaves to rake up each fall. The hoops store easily, hanging on a wall between seasons. To make it work best, I would suggest using a medium or small rake. If you get the kids involved in cleaning, be sure to keep the tiny plastic cover that comes on the tips of the spikes for safer setup and storage.

The Leaf Gulp and Leaf Gulp II would also work well for cleaning out plant material from gardening beds or for gathering pine cones and needles.

Where to Buy

The Leaf Gulp and Leaf Gulp II are available from Amazon.

You also can buy the Leaf Gulp and Leaf Gulp II directly from the company’s website for $24.99 (plus $7.95 shipping) & $24.49 (plus $7.95 shipping) respectively.

Leaf Gulp

Hold 39-gallon trash bags open for filling with leaves or weeds

$27.95

See it on Amazon

Price Reduction

Leaf Gulp II

Use for paper lawn and leaf bags

$32.95 −$9.00 $23.95

See it on Amazon

Last update on 2024-04-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API