When they say, “You get what you pay for”….they aren't kidding. To begin with, if you have any sort of hand issues or nerve damage in your arms, this is not for you. Yes, it is lightweight, but you have to hold the trigger on it down at all times. There is no locking mechanism to hold it on “go”. I put the handle on and it's still no help. As far as the noise? It's a high pitched whine, that is annoying. As far as using it long term, forget it. With the smaller volt battery it lasts approximately 15 minutes. The higher volt battery about 25 minutes, if you're lucky. Don't plan on blowing leaves either, because the minute one leaf gets sucked into the back of the blower, it loses power. It's probably great for just blowing off a small patio, but if you have actual yard work to do, forget it. I'm going back to my Black %26 Decker. Lesson learned.