Summary
- I swapped my bulky blower for the Hedgehog JET. It features 162mph, 700g, 45-minute battery, and is insanely powerful.
- It’s small but versatile: dries gear, clears seeds and dirt, lights charcoal, and fits in my car or daypack.
- The Hedgehog JET is Pricey at $300, but it features zero-maintenance, compressor-level power in a 700g, pocket-ready package.
If your house is anything like mine, there are probably certain things that drive you up the wall. My fiancée swears by only putting sunflower seeds in our bird feeder, and I work at local racetracks just about every weekend, so between the two of those things, there’s always a mess somewhere that needs to be taken care of. Usually, I’d take my large leaf blower off the garage shelf, put the end nozzle on, plug in the battery, and take care of the job.
Then, I disassemble the blower, put the battery back on the charger, and refill my shelf with this plastic monstrosity yet again. In case you haven’t noticed from some of my other gadget deepdives, maximizing space is becoming a bit of an obsession, and Hedehog Dryer’s new gadget has come through in the clutch yet again. I’ve already talked about the handiest gadget for keeping your car clean ever made by the same company, but if I thought that was impressive, this jet blower blew my mind.
Why would I need a replacement blower
This is 2025, and everything can be made simpler
Would you believe that the design of the leaf blower hasn’t changed since the 1950s? I didn’t even know that until I looked it up, to be fair, but for three-quarters of a century now, we’ve handled our blowable debris the same way. Sure, small steps have been made, and there are even “compact” models available now, but they’re not really all that compact when they’re taken apart and put on a shelf. Plus, those options still have very little functional use outside their intent — moving stuff that you don’t want to an area where it officially becomes not your problem.
This little blower packs all the power of compressed air in an easy, rechargeable way…
The Hedgehog JET, though, takes care of each of those issues. It’s compact enough to throw in its complimentary carrying bag on a shelf and not take up much room at all. Its battery lasts up to 45 minutes on a single charge, which is just about long enough for me in this West Texas heat, and its impressive 163 miles per hour jet speed is powerful enough to clear just about any mess and even dry off wet boots or clothes. It makes the perfect road trip companion to the TurboVAC I mentioned earlier, too, as that system lacks just the last oomph of air power to clean out small interior plastic cracks or crevices. This little blower packs all the power of compressed air in an easy, rechargeable way, except when I’m finished with it, I throw it in the glove box of my Volkswagen Taos until I need it again.
What exactly did I use it for
As far as household gadgets go, this is my new favorite
Lately, we’ve been seeing a lot of birds begin coming through the Plains region of the U.S. Most outdoors folk will know that dove season is almost upon us, and when that happens, my fiancée always likes to make sure our bird feeder is well-stocked for any avian creatures that might cruise our way. She swears by sunflower seeds, saying they’re better for the birds’ stomachs than anything else. I’m all good with that, of course, but what I’m not good with is the fact that birds have a bad habit of not picking up after themselves.
As a result, my back patio grilling area becomes littered with sunflower seed hulls.
Today, though, the JET fixed that in less than five minutes. I set the speed to high, pointed the nozzle at the ground, and blew each hull back into my yard to break down over time. The way I see it, if it helps keep my yard green in the end, it’s a win for me, her, and the birds. Additionally, I had knocked my boots off in our garage the last time I came home from the racetrack, and there were dirt clumps scattered throughout the concreted surface. Again, in less than five minutes, the JET made light work of the debris, and when I was done, I threw it back in the bag with the few attachments that came with the packaging (a couple of brushes and a USB-C charger cord, which plugs in above where your hand goes), and that was something else checked off my list.
I didn’t have the opportunity to try the JET on debris larger than a golf ball, but with the highest speed setting reaching over 160 miles per hour, anything that isn’t bolted down will most likely be affected by the air blast.
How does this thing even work
You get a great view of exactly that as the user
When I took the JET out of its box, I thought the back fan looked like a turbocharger for a car more than anything else. Then, come to find out, it works the exact same way as one, too. Just like a turbocharger pulls from the air to send forced induction to your engine, the JET functions the same way to send air to wherever the nozzle is pointing. With a powerful, metal multi-blade fan, the JET pulls air through its top tubing and forces it out of the tapered exit, which multiplies the force further.
It’s truly a simple design, but that allows it to be light, too. The JET weighs in at a whopping 700g or just over 1.5lb. For comparison, my leaf blower weighs just under 10lb. That’s not a lot for just a few minutes of work, but over time, the difference becomes more noticeable, and I was thankful to have so much air power in such a small package with the JET.
It’s expensive, so what else can I use it for
The only price reflects its versatility
When I first saw the $300 price tag of the JET, I admit that I was a bit skeptical at first. However, after living with it for a few days, I’ve realized just how handy it is. A leaf blower can really only do one job, as we’ve already covered. This little guy, though, can do everything from helping to light your charcoal grill, drying off wet clothes, blowing away debris, and helping you clean your car to clearing off camp sites before setting up.
That last one is a personal favorite of mine, as the JET is small enough to throw in my daypack, then take out before I set up a tent somewhere on a trail, or even just quickly clear off a concrete campsite. An air compressor is one of the first purchases anyone makes when they decide to build a home shop, whether it’s in a shed or a full-sized garage. However, full-size air compressors need to be drained, are even more expensive and cost a fair amount to upkeep if you’re on the unlucky side. The JET requires none of that, and still provides all the air speed I need to complete any household task. And for that, it earns a glowing review from yours truly.
