A company called MTD makes Craftsman, Cub Cadet, and Troy-Bilt models. 13 Amp Corded Electric Snow Blower, Snow Joe Ultra SJ623E Electric Snow Blower, Craftsman Quiet 208cc Dual-Stage Zero-Turn Snowblower (88694), Tools and Emergency Supplies to Keep in the Car for Winter Driving, True Temper 18-Inch Ergonomic Mountain Mover, Essential Tools to Ride Out a Winter Storm. Another side benefit is no fuel/oil exhaust fumes! Ryobi’s RY34440 4-cycle string trimmer promises, among other things, quieter operation and greater fuel efficiency. The snow blowers in the Ariens Platinum series are simply too pricey, ranging from $1,800 to well over $2,000 depending on the width and features. This Troy-Bilt blower comes with a three-year limited warranty (PDF). We also looked at the Ryobi RYAC803 20 in. Or, you could go with a snow shovel, pusher, or sleigh we recommend in our guide to those tools. You simply fire up the engine and direct the blower through the area that needs clearing, aiming the blown snow off to the side and out of your way. This feature is a directional control lever that you push forward and pull back to swing the chute left to right. I loved everything about this blower except it was hard to get through the snow both times. Read our full review for more information. Weâve tested cordless models from Ego (SNT2102) and Snow Joe ION24SB-XRP, and neither of them had the performance to justify the high price. As on the SnowMaster 824 QXE, you can make adjustments while the blower is moving, but doing so with these controls is not as easy as using a four-way joystick. EGO Power+ SNT2102 Review â 21-Inch 56-Volt Cordless Snow Blower EGO Power+ SNT2102 is a 56-Volt battery powered snow blower with brushless motor. It also has power steering, large tires, and a durable metal chute. Ryobi Hammer Drill Head to Head - OLD vs NEW - Which is Better? Pro Tool Reviews is a successful online publication that has been providing tool reviews and industry news since 2008. The EGO 21 in snow blower is one of only a handful of cordless battery-powered snow blowers. Ariens makes Ariens and Sno-Tek models. Here is why I think this is a fair price. Cub Cadet covers the blower with a three-year limited warranty and a five-year limited warranty on the auger gearbox. It was quieter and easier to maneuver than the three other light-duty blowers we tested it against. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning. Some of you look at Amazonâs best-selling snowblowers, while others read every word of Consumer Reports Recommended Snow Blowers list. EGO 56V 2-Stage Snow Blower Review February 5, 2021 OPE Reviews publishes in-depth reviews and industry tool news centering around the outdoor power equipment industry. Hondaâs snow blowers are highly regarded, but they come with an extremely high price tag. It clears 18 inches wide and eight inches deep, which isnât the best capacity in this guide, but more than enough for what most people will realistically need. Assembly consisted of installing two hex head bolts with an Allen wrench for the chute. As Sikkema told us, â30-inch is the practical limit of residential snow blowers.â. You can read his detailed walkthrough for even more info. But letâs put the companyâs details aside and take a detailed look at what kind of snow blower we have here. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Each machine could throw the snow quite far, but we found it a challenge to maneuver the shovels in a way that put the snow where we wanted it (and not in the neighborâs yard). Larger models, with a width of 28 to 30 inches, are good for consistent snows of 15 to 20 inches or more, on driveways up to 150 to 200 feet. Weâre currently doing another round of research on the latest cordless snow blowers. Itâs not as fast or intuitive as the 824 QXE, but this 26-inch model is a well-done version of a standard two-stage blower, and it stands out for offering nice features at an excellent price. Perhaps you only have a shovel or maybe you have a gas powered snow blower and you are ready for a change. The Toro SnowMaster 724 QXE, a slightly smaller version of the 824 QXE, was our previous top pick. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home. That type of work strains the body and lands you on your chiropractor’s Christmas card list. Cub Cadet 524 SWE Snow Blower Review 4. These models are like regular two-stage machines but with tank tracks instead of wheels. I bought the ego December 13th 2019 right before a 8″ snow here in st louis. Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. For this review specifically, we have picked one of the snow blowers made by this company for our review. While being affordable, the machine is very efficient and, have no doubt, it will perfectly do its job. It can toss snow to about 40 feet, and itâs the ideal machine for a paved two-car driveway (up to about 80 feet in length) and for snowfalls that are consistently in the range of 6 to 18 inches. Ego has released the SNT2405 2-Stage Self Propelled Snow Blower. YouTube Video VVVuaFZUNTRHOWtOcXV3VDFfZDJaR1F3LnBYX2JKZF9pWDZr, Our site uses cookies. As we head into winter 2020/21 weâre looking to test the new Ego Cordless 2-Stage Self-Propelled Snow Blower. That piqued our interest. Shovels work for snowy stairs and walkways, but on a wide-open driveway or patio, you canât beat a fast, effective, easy-to-use snow blower. The crusty, crunchy next-day plow mess at the end of the driveway sometimes needed a little busting up with a shovel before the SnowMaster (or any other two-stage blower) could blow it away. We also wish the chute could turn a wee bit further. A good snow blower will clear your driveway in about a quarter of the time it would take you to shovel it. Sometimes the snow is heavy, making it difficult to lift. As Sikkema said, âPeople buy single-stage snow throwers because of the price, not because it is the right snow blower for them.â He said single-stage blowers âwill only work on a hard surface like blacktop, cement, or a patio.â A single-stage blower has one front paddle that, as Toroâs Christine Cheng told us, âscoops up the snow and throws it out the chute in one motion.â The paddle is also designed to hit the ground so that it propels the blower forward as itâs moving snow. As we found in our tests, the Ryobi RYAC803-S has solid snow-moving ability, but itâs important not to stress the machine too much. The Troy-Bilt Arctic Storm 30 has a big, 357 cc engine that according to Sikkema âwill easily handle 16 inches or more snow on a three-car drive 150 feet long.â In January 2015, with nearly 32 inches of snow on the ground, we used an earlier model of Troy-Biltâs machine to clear two driveways (totalling 250 feet), including the plow mess at the ends. The Ego usually costs around $650 and does not have any kind of self-propulsion. We avoided any blowers priced under about $700, so we didnât spend much time on lesser brands like Murray, Poulan Pro, and Yard Machines. When reading the rave reviews of other EGO products, I had to see how if EGO’s snow blower lived up to the hype! When youâre shopping for a snow blower, itâs important to know that there are only a few manufacturers. We recommend getting it if you canât find the 824 QXEâas is widely the case at this writing in December 2019. The Toro 21â³ Power Clear 60V Battery Snow Blower 39901 is not self-propelled but apparently has some kind of auger design that âpullsâ the machine through the snow. And a four-way chute control lets you change both the direction and distance of the thrown snow without stopping the machine. One of those, bred from years working as a sales manager for big rigs and trailers, is his ability to accurately guide a trailer into a tiny space on the first try. With its 20-inch clearing width, it had no problem with light snows of up to about 4 to 6 inches deep. Youâll be able to make the most of this winter thanks to the efficient work the EGO Power+ SNT2100 electric snow blower will provide. âToday, we are comparing this new Ego battery-powered snow blower to this high-end Ariens 24-inch snow blower. We like that the same joystick controls both the chute and deflector; many other models have two separate controls. Prepare with standout tools thatâll save your backâand your pipes. Iâm a lifelong New Englander, and Iâve spent countless hours operating snow blowersâboth in clearing my own rural property and in cleaning up construction sites during my 10 years as a general contractor. Most blowers have only a single light in the center, which does more to illuminate the back of the chute than the driveway. I will never go back to the gas blowers. Cordless, Toro, Ego, single stage & two stage electric snow blowers reviewed here. This 21-inch 56V snow blower is the cream of the top. Would love your thoughts, please comment. This larger two-stage machine is ideal for anyone who regularly experiences snows of 15 or more inches, has a driveway (paved or gravel) thatâs roughly 70 feet or longer, and wants full confidence that their snow blower will be powerful enough. It also has heated handles and a metal chute. The SnowMaster 824 QXE does not have power steering like most two-stage blowers do, but that isnât a problem thanks to this hybrid machineâs light weight. Once we got past 6 inches or started dealing with dense, wet snow, the blower struggled and occasionally clogged up. After having experienced the reliability and usability of our picks over multiple winters, we donât see the need to invest that much in a snow blower. That said, if we ever met, you would know that I like outdoor activity. The blower will likely come with a few extras, but we recommend checking the owner manual for a part number so that you can order more. Of course, planning to charge/change your batteries is really no different than remembering to refuel like you would with traditional gas powered snow blowers. I bought the 7.5. Last, the Snapper is quite heavy to use for any extended period of time, due to the battery. Maintenance and storage. 56V Lithium-Ion Cordless Electric Single-Stage Snow Blower, Two 5.0 Ah Batteries and Charger Included SNT2102 The truth is, after using the SnowMaster, we have completely changed the way we view snow clearing. After 70 hours of research (and 40 hours of shoveling), the best snow shovel is the True Temper 18-Inch Ergonomic Mountain Mover, our pick since 2013. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Although itâs mostly made of plastic and steel parts, the snowblower has a durable build. Anything under $800, even in the smaller 24-inch size, doesnât have power steering. We put this kind of claim in the âWeâll believe it when we see itâ category; weâre interested in learning how this model maneuvers. Weâll stick with the Cub Cadet. Paul Sikkema, MovingSnow.com, email interviews annually since 2014, Christine Cheng, marketing manager, Toro, phone interview, 2015, Derek Duchscherer, senior design engineer, Toro, phone interview, 2015, Megan Peth, brand marketing director, Troy-Bilt, email interview, 2014. Our other picks all go further, allowing you to throw the snow a little to the rear of the blower. Wirecutter is reader-supported. Like most electric blowers, the Ryobi RYAC803-S is light on features, but it does have a nice chute control that you can operate on the fly. Next, you just press the safety button and then squeeze the bail switch to the handle. The new Ego Power+ Snow Blower is the only cordless snow blower that delivers the power and performance of gas without the noise, fuss and fumes. The EGO POWER+ Snow Blower is the only cordless snow blower that's as powerful as gas.