We have a corded, single-stage snow-blower given to me by my FIL, and it’s fine if snow is less than a foot, but if (for example 20 minutes ago) I wait to the end of the football game and go out when it’s drifting to more like 18" at the end of the driveway, I end up switching eventually to the shovel. Which we just did.
I’d like to switch to something uncorded, more powerful, and still electric… /subscribe!
I’ve used them for decades. Gas doesn’t work for me since I don’t have a garage and need to keep it in the basement. The first lasted for several years (once I rewired it: someone had rewired it so the male plug was live. Dangerous as hell)..I replaced that and used it for years, and bought a new one about three years ago.
It’s fine for most uses. It does clog with slushy snow, but it’s a simple matter to clear it and easy to stop and restart. It’s also light enough so it’s easy to bring it upstairs.and to maneuver it. A nice feature is a light, making using it at night more convenient. Mine has a cord, but I suppose a cordless one might work fine.
I remember trying to plow my parents’ driveway when I was a kid. Depending on how wet the snow was, it could be difficult to move, even with a good snowblower. And yes, the berm at the end of the driveway left by the plow that cleared the road was particularly difficult. One year, a couple of us were trying to break that into smaller chunks that the snowblower could handle.
Throughout most of my childhood, my father had a combination snowblower/lawn mower. The part with the gas engine and handle was detachable and could be moved between the snowblower and the lawnmower.
This video is five years old so I can only assume electric snow blowers have gotten better.
It does describe two-stage and other issues so, despite its age, it is probably worth a watch if you are in the market for one of these. Mostly their utility seems to depend on how much driveway/sidewalks need clearing and how much snow has fallen (which can vary a lot depending on where you live).
You might want to peruse my thread from 15 years ago, Ask the professional snow removal guy.
Electric snowblowers have apparently gotten much better in the last few years.
I used a fairly cheap (corded) electric blower for years. It was slow, but otherwise fine.
Much happier with the ATV with snow plow that I replaced it with, though…
I’ve been using a corded electric 24” single-stage electric snow blower for more than 20 years. It has a heavy-duty motor, so much that I don’t want to plug it into a circuit where there’s any other load more demanding than a light bulb. I use a 100’ 12-gauge extension cord that’s a pain in the ass when it stiffens up in cold weather.
Yeah, the output can clog when the snow is wet, but it can also throw snow six feet, and this afternoon it took care of the berm left by the snow plow. It’s never needed any maintenance and I’ll use it until either the auger breaks or the motor burns out.
Six feet isn’t enough for me. The driveway is more than 12 feet wide, AND, it has to throw up hill. But I see the virtues of a simple corded machine.
I have an EGO. It takes 2, 56volt batteries. It will run approx 40-45 minutes depending on weight of snow. Mine isn’t self propel - I got it before they brought out self propel models. For battery powered it’s pretty impressive. Tosses light snow a good distance. Heavy wet snow not as much obviously.
They have different models/sizes to select from now. My 56 volt batteries are 5 amp. If you require longer run time there are higher amp batteries. Suggest looking at their web site if interested.
Gas is still more powerful but not by a huge amount, depending on model, cost etc. I’d buy again, except I’d get powered wheels (self propel).
Since I already owned the batteries, when my gas chainsaw gave up I replaced it with an EGO 14” saw. Also very impressive for what I need it for.
I just bought a battery powered snowblower last month – a RYOBI 18V brushless single-stage blower ($529 at Home Depot). Having researched it, I knew it would be barely adequate for my property but I didn’t feel like spending $1000+ on a snowblower.
For a storm in December with 3 inches of accumulation, using the snowblower was a breeze. Pushing a 35 pound device on wheels through light fluffy snow was no problem.
For today’s storm it was more challenging. The first round went fairly well except my batteries died with only half of the two car driveway shoveled. (My house needs a lot of shoveling since it is situated on a corner with sidewalks all around.) The batteries took about 4 hours to recharge. The second round was much harder with the snow densely packed in. While the blower is moving the snow, it’s up to you to manually push it through the snow. At times it felt like I doing sets bench pressing 150 pounds for 30 minutes. No strain on the back but a fairly intense upper body workout. There is no way my wife could have managed it and, at my age, it was not super easy.
You don’t need a blower that throws snow more than 12 feet to clear a two car driveway. You make multiple passes expanding the cleared area each time.
It needs to get up 3 feet of height on one side. Just shoving the snow over isn’t an option.
So, is this easier than using a shovel? I feel like with 3 inches of snow, shoveling is a breeze. In fact, if it’s going to be sunny, I don’t even need to move all the snow, just scrape a couple of lines into it. We had 3 or 4 inches the other day, and my husband finished before I ate breakfast. Its when there’s heavy packed snow, or a foot of snow, that I actually need help. I think I don’t understand something about the use-case of the smaller snow throwers.
Yes.
Know that shoveling snow is very good way to have a heart attack if you are older (above 45 or so). YMMV but worth being aware of.
The American Heart Association’s 2020 scientific statement, Exercise-Related Acute Cardiovascular Events and Potential Deleterious Adaptations Following Long-Term Exercise Training: Placing the Risks Into Perspective–An Update, notes snow shoveling among the physical activities that may place extra stress on the heart, especially among people who aren’t used to regular exercise. Numerous scientific research studies over the years have identified the dangers of shoveling snow for people with and without previously known heart disease.
You might need a two-stage blower if you must blow it over a 3 foot wall. I don’t think mine could do that reliably.
It is much easier than using a shovel. I would have definitely thrown out my back if I attempted to do what I did today with a shovel. But mine is not self-propelled so I was pushing hard to get it through the snow. Also it can only handle 4-5 inches of snow at a time, so on days like today, you have to do multiple passes.
I also don’t see the value in the smaller snow throwers. Maybe if you just need to shovel a single walkway?
I bought a cheapo corded snowblower years ago. If there’s a major amount of snow, it works very poorly. If there’s a minor amount of snow, then using a shovel is just as quick and easy as using the snowblower. So in both cases the snowblower is kind of useless.
Sure. But
honestly sounds harder than I usually work clearing snow. And with a shovel, it’s trivial to put it down and take a break. I feel like once you’ve dragged out the snowblower there’s a significant incentive to keep going until you are done.
That is, I get that shoveling snow can be very hard work, it just doesn’t sound any easier to use some of these devices.
Yeah, it was not a picnic for sure but I can’t imagine clearing the amount of snow I did today (two car driveway, two long sidewalks, and a walkway to the front door) with just a shovel. I don’t think it becomes truly easy unless you have a self-propelled snow blower but I wasn’t interested in making that kind of investment.
Storms this bad are pretty rare, so I can understand not wanting to invest too much in a powerful snow blower that’s needed so infrequently. (Ideally, you’d have a neighbor with a teenager who would be willing to use their snow blower to clear your driveway for a reasonable amount, but I know my mother hasn’t found one. So she has a small contractor on standby to clear her driveway after storms.)
Reviews suggest that Ego is the leading brand of battery powered snow blowers.
I have an EGO electric two stage. This is my first season with it buts it’s great. A real work horse.
I like the controls as well. My brother and I had a big Toro snow blower about 30 years ago, and the controls where an absolute pain.