WORX TriVac leaf blower/vac has many adjustable features Reviews

WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Leaf Blower / Mulcher / Vacuum Review

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GPR Recommendation

Ease of Use
Quality
Blower Performance
Vacuum Performance
Final Thoughts

Works well as a blower, less well as a vacuum

Overall Score 3

Fall means falling leaves – lots of them. And, for many homeowners, that means raking, blowing, vacuuming, bagging, mulching, or otherwise disposing of those leaves. If you’re looking to lighten the load, the WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Leaf Blower/Mulcher/Vacuum is a reasonable choice, particularly for those with limited storage space.

WORX TriVac leaf blower/vac has many adjustable features

The WORX TRIVAC leaf blower/vac has a lot of nice features and adjustment options.

Advantages of the WORX TriVac Leaf Blower / Vac

At first glance, the blower looks a little strange; it has a wide, flat nozzle that’s angled up at the end and a long, slender main body. This unusual design has several advantages:

  • It’s easy to use with only one hand. Because of the way the blower/vac is balanced, as well as the angled nozzle, you can comfortably hold it in one hand without the nozzle nose-diving straight into the ground. In fact, the blower is perfectly positioned without any extra effort on your part. Note that if you’re particularly petite or very tall, you may have to adjust your stance a little to get the nozzle at the correct height and angle.
  • It changes between a blower and a vacuum just by moving a lever. Most blower/vacs have separate parts that are attached to use it as either a leaf blower or a vacuum. There are no separate parts on the TriVac. The blower nozzle is positioned directly underneath the vacuum tube. Simply move the lever on the main body, and it converts from a blower to a mulching vacuum and back again.
  • It’s easy to carry. The WORX TRIVAC is nicely balanced, making it easy to swing from side-to-side with only one hand.
  • Requires less bending. Because the vacuum tube is angled upwards, it’s easier to get it under decks, shrubs, tables, etc. without having to bend down. That’s a nice feature if you’ve got a bad back like me!
WORX TriVac has a metal impeller

A metal impeller is a nice upgrade and should keep your leaf vacuum working longer.

The WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Leaf Blower/Mulcher/Vacuum also has some other nice features that I enjoyed using.

  • Adjustable blower speed. This feature isn’t unique to the WORX TriVac leaf blower, but the airflow regulator has been well-designed, making it easy to increase or decrease blower speed while you’re using it. At top speed, it blows air at 210 mph – enough to move wet leaves, mulch, small branches, and gravel. If you’re going to be using it on any surface other than a lawn or paved walk/driveway, I recommend lowering the airflow so that you don’t inadvertently end up blowing all the gravel off your patio or mulch off your flower beds!
  • Metal impeller. This may not seem that important, but impellers (the fan-like part inside the main body that chops up leaves as you vacuum them) are a major point of failure in many mulching leaf vacuums. Most are made of impact-resistant plastic or nylon which, although it does stand up to high impact fairly well, is still likely to crack when hit at high speed with small rocks or other hard debris. And, let’s face it, no matter how careful you are, you’ll probably suck up more than just leaves with your leaf vacuum! So a metal impeller is a nice upgrade.
  • Mulch ratio of 18:1.  A higher ratio means that leaves are chopped into smaller pieces so you end up with a smaller volume of debris.
  • Debris collection bag. This bag attaches to the bottom of the TriVac body and is slung over your shoulder. It’s comfortable to wear and has reinforced straps (so they’re unlikely to easily pull away from the bag). It holds 1.5 bushels so it does become quite heavy when it’s full. However, it’s easy to empty – simply open the zipper on the bottom and all the debris easily slips out.

Drawbacks to the WORX TRIVAC WG502

WORX WG502 attachments get stuck

Vacuum attachments are difficult to put on and take off, especially when dusty.

In spite of these features, the WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Leaf Blower/Mulcher/Vacuum has some drawbacks.

  • Vacuum attachments get stuck easily. The vacuum attachments (the hose for the Leaf Pro leaf collection system (WA4054) or the opening to the debris collection bag) slide over a tube on the underside of the TRIVAC body. The locking mechanism must be lined up properly (see image to right) and the attachment is then twisted to engage the lock. That’s where the problem comes in – if there is any debris, dirt, sand, or even dust on the tube or on the inside of the attachment, it becomes very difficult to slide the attachment on or off the tube. I had a lot of difficulty getting the debris collection bag off after use and the leaf collection system hose got completely stuck; it took a lot of tapping, twisting, and a few choice words before it finally came off. I won’t be putting it back on…
  • Vacuum is not particularly effective. Although the vacuum produces 350 cfm, the design of the nozzle causes a few problems. Because it’s angled upwards, it tends to suck up debris that’s positioned in front of it, rather than what’s under the nozzle. This means that you have to put the nozzle down on the ground, which gets tricky on uneven ground. And if you’re on the taller side, you have to bend down to make that work. I’m 5’10” and I found it uncomfortable to work with. Finally, the bend in the tube seems to cause more clogging than you’d typically find in straight tubes; leaves don’t seem to flow into the tube as easily, and I found myself constantly unplugging it.
  • The downside to having both the blower and vacuum integrated into one unit is that it’s a little heavier than other blower/vacs. Weighing in at 8.6 lbs, it’s 1 to 2 lbs heavier than other models that have separate blower and vacuum tubes. And, over time, that extra pound or two becomes quite noticeable.
WORX TriVac with optional leaf collection system

The optional Leaf Pro High Capacity Universal Leaf Collection System (WA4054) attaches to most brands of leaf vacuum using one of a series of factory fit connectors. The 8-foot hose extends up to 16 feet and can be attached to a trash can or other receptacle.

Recommendation

 

The WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Leaf Blower/Mulcher/Vacuum works very well as a leaf blower but the vacuum is less effective and the machine is rather heavy overall. If you have limited storage space, the fact that this is a 3-in-1 tool will be attractive; you only have to find room for one piece of equipment, rather than separate blower and vacuum components. However, if you have ample storage space, the convenience of a 3-in-1 tool doesn’t make up for the drawbacks.

Where to Buy It

The model we reviewed here (the WG502) is no longer available. Instead, WORX has released a newer model (the WG509) that appears to be pretty much the same thing, although it weighs more (11 lbs). The TRIVAC leaf blower/vac can be purchased directly through the WORX website, in many home improvement stores, and you can also buy it on Amazon. Be sure that you’re looking at the WG509 model, not the earlier WG500, WG502 or WG505.

Now over to you – Have you tried this blower/mulcher/vac? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Last update on 2024-03-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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Disclaimer – GPReview would like to thank WORX for giving us a free sample to review. There was no expectation that it would be a positive review and we received no compensation for writing it. All opinions expressed here are those of the author based on personal experience using the product.

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17 Comments on WORX TRIVAC 3-in-1 Leaf Blower / Mulcher / Vacuum Review

  1. Bill Gruener

    Great review! I returned a second time for my second Gardening Products review. I concluded: Monica is head-on. I have a WORX WG500 Leaf Blower / Mulcher / Vacuum (Monica reviewed the WG502 a higher priced model), and everything Monica writes mirrors my experience.

    My major complaint with the WG500 is the plastic/nylon impeller (the fan inside). The impeller fails to stand-up against twigs and small sticks, and the impeller wraps daylilly leaves (long and stringy) around the shaft; both events require stopping and cleaning the cartridge.

    Therefore, I rake dry leaves into a pile, check for sticks, remove sticks. Then I vacuum up the leaves. I put leaves through twice: the result is nice small stack ready for my compost pile.

    • Thank you so much for the kind words, Bill, and for sharing your experience with the WG500. The metal impeller in the WG502 is definitely an improvement over the older model. I like your approach of putting leaves through the vacuum twice – perfect for composting!

  2. Mike Hall

    I have a Worx WG500. Purchased it last fall, had a great fall season vacuuming and chopping up leaves. Stored it in an outdoor enclosed shed last winter, got it out this fall and couldn’t vacuum anything. Blower works just fine but not vacuum power at all. Any suggestions?

    • Well that’s a really frustrating problem, Mike! All I can think is that somehow when you move the lever to turn it from blower to vacuum mode, it’s not “connecting”. Have you tried taking it apart (to the extent possible) and putting it back together? I’m not sure what else to suggest, other than contacting WORX directly. Good luck with it and please let us know what you find out from WORX.

  3. John Mercer

    Good machine but the bags don’t last and are hard to find. The zippers fail after only a few months which make the vac function useless. Kind of useless now. Gone through a couple of bags now.

  4. Kevin Pedersen

    I have bought two of the worx trivac blower/vac and both times the bag has broken at the zipper – it comes unsewn and the teeth in the zipper becomes unzippable (very disappointed). Tried giving this a second chance and the same thing happened!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Well that’s really disappointing, Kevin, although not that uncommon with leaf vacs in general – we’ve found that it’s often the zipper that’s the first point of failure, probably because of all the dust and debris that gets caught in the zipper teeth. Of course that doesn’t help you … Have you tried contacting WORX to see if it falls under their warranty?

  5. Ray Brown

    Have had my TriVac for over two years now. Have gone thru two bags as they do seem to wear out along the zipper and seams. Got it out this fall to vacuum leaves into mulch and the mulch is not as fine as it was the first year. I checked the impeller and it seems fine. The blower still works like the day it arrived. Just wondering if anyone else has found the same problem and if there is a fix to the vacuum not working like new?

  6. Ester Hanson

    This machine was a Christmas gift for my husband it never worked and the company refused to refund my money so it sits in storage collecting dust my husband has passed away he really was disappointed with his gift and so was I . But after reading all the bad reviews I know now it’s wasn’t never meant to work this company is a straight RIP off and something needs to be done I spent over a 100.00 dollars and just got ripped off

  7. Dan Hazen

    I like the machine but it has its pros and cons. I am 6’1″ and it puts my body in a precarious position of bending to get the best effect on the suction. It never allows the bag to be filled before I lose suction and I only get about 1/4 of the bag filled before it stops picking up leaves so I am constantly having to empty the bag which is a nuisance. I am trying to find out why the suction drops so rapidly before it stops working.

  8. John Matthews

    I have 2 worx blower munchers and both power cords on the handle are failing! I want to have them repaired / replaced and can’t find anywhere to get it done. WHY ???? It’s ridiculous to be able to get that repaired. NO info on your site. Help me please !
    Thanks john
    Cell 206-399-1348

    • Jack Hemingway

      Hi John,
      I hope you might find some help from their customer service department. You can reach them at this phone number: 1-866-354-WORX

  9. Bobbi tischuk

    Worst piece of crap I ever bought. Went to vacuum clippings from a Bush and got no results at all. Wish I could get a refund.

  10. Karen

    I have used mine for the first time. Worked well at first but by end of afternoon the vacuum not picking up. Is it possible to get to the grinders to clear out? I have tried getting as many leaves as possible out with a stick.

Comments are closed.