After reading all comments, not rushing to the comments, I have to say, I have a quiet leaf blower to, it is, as mentioned in this thread somewhere else, a rake and I would appreciate if more people would use one.
Why rake at all? Mulch them instead. Raking them into a bag to have removed from your property to add to a landfill just seems like a very strange decision to me.
Depends on the state of the property. On a low water and au naturel yard, sure. Manicured lawns and sterility are all about anthropocentrism while expending concealed absurd treasure and effort without much concern for the soil losing nutrients. Or it's the middle class still clinging onto disappearing symbols American dream of how "rich" they are like the French aristocracy once did. You should've seen how deep green with a tint of blue my dad's 30' x 40' front lawn of Bolero dwarf fescue was, which required mowing twice a week in the summer by you know who, tens of thousands of gallons of water, and regular fertilizing.