Well, fact is they're very, very useful. I spent a solid couple of decades poo pooing them. Finally tried one, and was instantly sold. It's not just the time savings either, blowers allow doing jobs that just aren't very feasible otherwise. I can get rid of leaves and debris from stony/leafy surfaces and structures that can't be raked. I can clear snow from rough whole rock paths all winter, and it will completely clear the rocks and get between them unlike snow shoveling, which prevents the snow from getting compacted and turning to ice. I eliminated like 99% of the need to ever apply any sand or ice melt when I switched to clearing with a blower. Feet of snow on cars, my solar panels, etc can be blasted off quickly and effectively with zero risk of surface scratching. The ROI has been high, even though I don't actually use them for leaves on my lawn those I just mulch. But getting acorns and such off the lawn and blowing leaves onto it from driveway and walkways for mulching is helpful.

However mixed fuel ones really do suck, but happily electric ones are finally getting really solid too. I got an Ego 600 CFM as soon as it became available and while air velocity and total volume are somewhat lower than my Stihl it was able to take over a good 70% of the work. For this fall and winter season (about a month ago) I got an upgraded 800 CFM Ego Commercial one that takes double battery packs and look forward to putting it through its full paces, but so far I'd estimate that has closed the gap to something like 90-95%. Maybe even enough to completely get rid of the gas though the winter will be the real proof. But the pace of advancement has been pretty solid. They're far far quieter, they don't produce all the awful fumes, they're incredibly reliable and convenient in terms of instant start.

The remaining flies in the ointment are just lack of standardization in batteries and interfaces and upfront battery cost (when used a decent amount I think the value vs cost of fuel and oil is often positive over lifetime, but that doesn't change the fact that it's hard for many people to plunk down hundreds/thousands upfront vs as opex buying fuel). Both hopefully will get addressed over time. But I think at least the capabilities to match/exceed 2-stroke in raw performance is there for nearly everyone which is a good change and makes it politically much easier for governments to step in and start accelerating the transition.