My electric leaf blower is actually not very loud - I stopped bothering with ear protection even. The 2-stroke models the professional crews use are a bane.
Yeah, I'm a fan of my electric blower too. I don't generally use it in situations where I'd use a rake, but it's great for things like blowing debris out of the garage or cleaning off a patio. Also drying cars after washing, if you want to avoid water spots.
