I use a rake, which works faster for my consumer-level yard than a mid to high-range blower, to get the leaves all in once place. Then, I use the blower in reverse to chop the leaves for compost. Not the intended purpose at all, but it works for me.
1: As I read your post more, it seems that your blower does not officially have a reverse - you just rig it that way. That is pretty cool though any bit of debris in the leaf pile might break up the impeller if the latter is plastic.
Hamilton Beach is an example of an early 20th C manufacturer that made a lot of consumer products which used similar motors, for example a now-classic catering-grade blender for milkshakes. That seems like a clear example of a market being created by the development of the device, which itself existed to apply a technology (the motor).
But do the leaves actually change and drop in Florida?!? Yes, yes they do but leaf blowers aren't really for leaves here...
They're used to blow grass clippings and dirt back on to your yard!
You see, if you don't use a leaf blower all those grass clippings will end up washing down into the storm drains (Note: Not the sewers) or pile up at the end of your driveway where they ultimately decay into dirt. This causes two problems:
* The dirt that slowly builds over time will completely screw up drainage and create flooding problems.
* The fertilizer-enriched grass clippings will ultimately make their way to our ridiculously important fresh water systems (rivers, lakes, streams, etc) resulting in nasty algae blooms and similar environmental problems.