In reality, I do not know which snow blowers are the best for you. There are simply too many brands and models on the market for me to sort through. Therefore, I will stick to making a few suggestions about which gas-powered, corded electric, and cordless snow blowers might be the best for clearing snow from a yard or driveway at home.
Gasoline vs. Electric vs. Cordless Snow Blowers
While a gas-powered snow blower has greater power than an electric one, it also weighs more and is more expensive to buy and maintain. An electric snow blower will often save you a significant amount of money on the original purchase price, in addition to saving you money on fuel and maintenance expenses in the long run.
Compared to gas-powered equipment, an electric snow blower is quieter, simpler to use, and needs less storage space. However, a corded electric snow thrower is less effective and requires an extension cable and an outdoor power outlet to operate.
If you don’t enjoy using an outdoor extension cable in the snow, you may opt for a cordless snow blower that is powered by a rechargeable battery.
A cordless electric snow blower powered by batteries will lose power more quickly than a gas snow blower will deplete its fuel. Therefore, if you need to clear off a particularly broad area, you might need to run back and recharge the batteries before you can complete flinging all the snow.
Best Gas-Powered Snow Blowers
You have three basic choices when it comes to buying a gas-powered snow blower: get a single-stage, two-stage, or three-stage model. There are a few features that you should watch out for when thinking about buying a gas snow blower. These are features such as an electric starter, multiple forward and reverse speeds, remote chute controls, assisted turning, headlights and heated hand grips.
Single-Stage Snow Thrower With Electric Start
To get you started, you might look at the Husqvarna ST131, which is a 208cc single-stage gas snow blower with an electric starter. You can connect the electric starter to an electrical outlet, and then press the starter button to get it running in no time. Of course, the engine still has a recoil starter handle, should you choose to start the machine that way.
The Husqvarna ST131 has a 4-cycle gasoline engine, so you do not have to mix the oil and gas together. You add oil to the oil pan and add gasoline into its fuel tank.
The Husqvarna ST131 has a 21-inch snow clearing width and an 8-inch auger with rubber blades which throw the snow out of the chute. The chute and deflector are both rotated by hand, because this model does not offer you remotely controlled levers on the control panel.
Moreover, the Husqvarna ST131 does not have a headlight, but the ST151 model does have an LED headlight. However, the Husqvarna ST151 costs about 100 dollars more due to the addition of the headlight. You have to decide whether the headlight is worth the extra money.
In brief, the Husqvarna ST131 has an electric starter, so you do not have to worry about an internal battery losing charge. Instead, you use an extension cord (not included) and plug it into the starter box and a 110V wall outlet. Push the button to start up the engine. This Husqvarna snow blower also has a pull-start recoil cord if you want to start it manually. Keep in mind that this is a single-stage model that is not self-propelled, thus the actual pushing and moving while throwing snow is done by the operator.
Two-Stage Snow Blower With Power Steering
The Husqvarna ST224P is a popular choice for a two-stage gas-powered snow blower with power steering. This model has a 24-inch clearing width, and is able to clear snow up to a depth of 12 inches. The discharge chute and deflector of the ST224P can be remotely controlled from behind the handle bars. The snow blower is powered by a 208cc 4-cycle gasoline engine, which has both a recoil and an electric starter.
The Husqvarna ST224P can be started by plugging it into an AC outlet. This provides power for the electric starter to start the engine. Still, you can always use the recoil pull-start to get the engine going.
The Husqvarna ST224P has heated grips. However, do not expect to use this snow blower without wearing gloves. The grips do not become very warm. You still need to wear gloves even when you turn on the heating with the switch.
The Husqvarna ST224P is a heavy machine that weighs almost 200 pounds, and yet the power steering definitely makes it easier to turn this snow blower. In fact, I think that it is worth paying extra money for a model that has power steering.
Three-Stage Self-Propelled Gas Snow Blower
On its website, the Cub Cadet brand appears to offer six different three-stage snow blower models. The smallest unit measures 26 inches broad, while the biggest measures 34 inches wide. Compared to Cub Cadet two-stage snow blowers, these three-stage snow blowers can remove heavy snowfall up to 50% quicker. The three-stage technology is comparable to the two-stage system, but it also includes an induction accelerator that acts like a turbocharger, pulling slush through the system and removing dense snowfall considerably faster.
If you live in an area prone to winter snowstorms, you’ll need snow removal equipment that’s just as tenacious. For example, the Cub Cadet 3X 26-inch TRAC snow blower is one of the models that uses track drive rather than wheels, which gives it more grip on slopes, inclines, and gravel.
However, I believe a 3-stage gas snow blower may be too pricey for residential use. Therefore, it is unlikely that you need to spend hours hunting for a three-stage snow blower for your driveway. A two-stage model ought to have enough force to clear your property of snow.
Best Electric Snow Blowers
The greatest amperage and voltage electric snow blowers are often the best. You may use electric snow throwers to remove fluffy, light snow from the driveways, pathways, and paths that surround your home without having to use a shovel. However, it is ineffective on snow that has been compacted and is saturated.
Oil changes, filter cleanings, and engine part replacements are no longer necessary when using an electric snow blower. By avoiding extensive maintenance, more time and money may be saved. An electric snow blower is lighter and simpler to store and transport due to the removal of the bulky gasoline engine and fuel tank.
An electric snow blower is not the greatest option if you require a large machine that can work in any weather.
In general, electric snow blowers are excellent tools for smaller spaces. The benefits seem to be that they are often less expensive, need less care, and are lightweight. Then again, a gas snow blower will be a better choice if you need to clear a fairly large area and the snow is quite heavy.
I am not going to discuss electric snow shovels in this buying guide, given that I already wrote about it elsewhere: go here to read my electric snow shovel buying guide.
Single-Stage Corded Electric Snow Thrower
I choose the Snow Joe SJ625E as one of the best corded electric snow throwers, due to its powerful 15-amp electric motor and 21-inch snow clearing width. Its steel auger has two rubber blades that might handle light snow up to 12 inches deep. Its adjustable snow chute rotates 180 degrees. It also has a small 3-watt LED light if you need a light in the darkness.
The Snow Joe SJ625E is recommended for removing snow from driveways and walking paths. It weighs only 35 pounds, which makes it one of the best lightweight electric snow blowers on the market. It has a maximum snow throwing distance of 20 feet under perfect conditions. However, this distance is changed by the moisture content of the snow. The chute also throws the snow farther when it is facing directly forward instead of to one side.
Of course, you will need to get an outdoor extension cord that is suitable for extreme weather conditions. The cord needs to stay flexible in low temperatures, so that it is easy to use outside in the snow. A 12-gauge, 15-amp extension cord should be robust enough for up to 100 feet. You can read my Snow Joe SJ625E review to learn more about it.
Single-Stage Cordless Snow Thrower
A 21-inch cordless snow blower called the EGO Power+ SNT2100 appears to be quite popular right now. This rechargeable snow blower is compact, easy to use, easy to deploy, and very maneuverable. It works well when there is between 6 and 8 inches of snowfall. The tool should be able to clear a sidewalk and a driveway if you use two batteries to operate it.
You won’t have to worry with gasoline fuel, oil maintenance, or a recoil pull starter, but a 56V cordless snow thrower won’t ever be as forceful as a gas-powered snow blower. Nevertheless, the EGO Power+ SNT2100 performs adequately for clearing a few inches of light snow. You may read my review of the EGO Power+ SNT2100 by clicking here.
Dual-Stage Battery-Powered Snow Blower
At the present time, there are few cordless two-stage snow blowers on the market. It seems like single-stage cordless snow throwers are still the most popular and widely available models out there. Anyway, here are a few examples for you to look at.
First, there is the EGO SNT2400: it has a 24-inch clearing width and a 20-inch intake height. It runs on two EGO 56V ARC Lithium batteries, which also provides power for the wheels, thus it is a self-propelled snow blower. In addition, it has four LED lights: two on the handlebars and two on top of the auger housing.
The EGO SNT2400 seems to work pretty good for a cordless snow blower, even though most people wish that the batteries would last a few minutes longer before needing to be recharged. Obviously, you will need to spend money on an extra set of batteries if you have a large driveway (check price on Amazon).
Second, Powersmart has its own version of a two-stage cordless snow blower: it is a 24-inch, 80V unit with 13-inch self-propelled wheels. Similar to the EGO, it also has LED lights. Unlike the EGO, it is powered by a single 6.0 Ah lithium-ion battery pack, which should last for 30 or 40 minutes per charge. The chute rotation and chute deflector can both be remotely controlled from behind the control panel with buttons and a lever (get more details on Amazon).
Third, Snow Joe has also tested the water with two-stage cordless units, but I do not know if it was worth the trouble. The single-stage cordless snow throwers are simply easier to find and purchase. Be that as it may, I did write a review for the Snow Joe iON8024-XR a few years ago, and yet only a small percentage of consumers have actually bought and used these units. I guess that two-stage cordless snow blowers are not yet powerful or reliable enough to replace gas-powered models.
Conclusion
It is somewhat frustrating to find and buy a snow blower online, because the models that are in stock changes year after year, even from month to month in certain cases.
To conclude, the best gas snow blower for your property might be a two-stage self-propelled model, such as the Ariens ST24LE (view this item on Amazon). I forgot to mention it in the review above.
The Briggs & Stratton gas-powered snow blowers are also worth considering, even though it might be difficult to find sellers that still have it in stock. You can read my Briggs and Stratton snow blower review for more information.
If I had to suggest the best electric snow blower for residential use, then I would point you towards one of the Snow Joe products, such as the SJ625E (buy on Amazon).
I hope that the examples above help you find the best snow blower for removing fallen snow from your deck, patio, pathway or driveway.
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash