don't overload it
I have had the unit for about 2+ years. It is a very good 'blower'. For the first time in the 2 years I've owned it I decided to vacuum some leaves. There must have been a clump of wet ones that got sucked up into it. Within seconds the motor began to burn up. I noticed one of the blades had broken too. With the broken blade it caused it to be unbalanced and consequently did not function well. Conclusion: good blower but be wary of using it as a vacuum.