Greenworks 40V 12-Inch Cordless Snow Shovel Review

The Greenworks 40V 12-inch cordless snow shovel is portable, lightweight, and doesn’t need gas, oil, or routine engine maintenance. It may be used to swiftly clean your patio, steps, walkways, and driveway. It can handle up to 6 inches of newly fallen snow and has a 12-inch clearance path. Back pain is eliminated by its ergonomic design, which also provides quick push button starting functionality.

What comes with it, and how much assembly is required?

A 4.0 Ah battery, a battery charger, and an owner’s handbook are often included with the delivery of the Greenworks 40V 12-inch cordless snow shovel. You should also find an extra handle in the package, which you must fasten to the snow shovel’s upper shaft.

Customers might already own batteries and chargers that work with this 40V cordless snow shovel, if they currently own other Greenworks 40V outdoor items. They might simply wish to purchase the battery-free snow shovel, leaving the charger and batteries behind. The basic tool, without batteries, may still be available at Amazon.

It will only take you around 10 minutes to put the Greenworks 40V 12-inch cordless snow shovel together because there are only three steps involved.

  1. Align the pin on the handle shaft with the hole on the lower shaft to join the two shafts. Then, tighten the lock knob completely by twisting it clockwise.
  2. Insert the battery pack by sliding it down, locking it into place, and listening for a click.
  3. After comfortably positioning the additional handle on the higher shaft, tighten the handle until there is no longer any movement.

A little word on removing the inserted battery pack. First, disengage the trigger switch, allowing the lock-out button to pop out, and wait for the snow shovel to come to a halt. The battery latch button at the top of the battery pack should then be pressed and held. The snow shovel’s battery pack may now be removed.

How do you start the Greenworks 40V 12-inch cordless snow shovel?

There is a safety start up feature on the snow shovel. The unit will only start if the right sequence of steps are followed. Start by making sure the battery pack is placed within the battery compartment. Press and hold the lock-out button after that. Press and hold the trigger switch while maintaining pressure on the lock-out button.

In other words, if the lock-out button is not held down until the trigger switch is raised, the cordless snow shovel won’t turn on. Release the lock-out button after the trigger has been pulled, and the device has started. By simply releasing the trigger switch, the snow shovel may be stopped. The lock-out button will then pop out, and the snow shovel will come to a halt. Anyway, that’s how I understand the starting procedure.

Is there a chute on this cordless snow shovel?

The snow shovel lacks a discharge chute, since it is a light-duty electric model that is best used in light to moderate snowfall. The forward speed and throwing distance will depend on the thickness and weight of the snow.

Greenworks advises moving the snow shovel forward so that it rides on the scraper to deflect snow to the front: when the user rotates the shovel, the snow flies in a new direction.

What is the maximum depth of snow that it can move?

This machine can remove snow up to 6 inches deep, although it works best with snow between 4 and 5 inches deep. I would only use it to remove snowfalls that were considerably less than a foot in depth.

If it is not too deep and heavy, it ought to throw icy snow. However, it requires a lot of effort to move through heavy snow. In fact, this cordless snow shovel appears to be heavier than I imagined, and because it lacks skids or wheels, it needs some physical force to move about.

Therefore, this unit is acceptable for snowfall of 6 inches or fewer. It works well for decks and sidewalks, but don’t anticipate finishing a lengthy driveway in a decent period of time. Although the batteries do charge quickly, if you have a lot of work to do, I advise buying an extra battery.

Is this cordless snow shovel safe to use on gravel or rough pavement?

Greenworks advises against using this cordless snow shovel on uneven or unpaved surfaces. It might potentially be harmed by uneven surfaces because it is intended to be used on smooth, level surface areas. The snow thrower may pick up and hurl gravel, pebbles, or any other loose surface debris. The manufacturer advises against using a cordless snow shovel on gravel surfaces since doing so might harm the tool and perhaps adjacent persons and property.

Cobblestones or other uneven surfaces might harm the machine. Of course, it depends on how uneven the surface is, because certain cobblestone surfaces are tighter together and make a smooth surface, while others do not. Nonetheless, this 12-inch cordless snow shovel works best on flat terrain. The scraper will snag on any lip or uneven surface. There is definitely a chance that damage may occur if the impeller were to strike a large stone.

The majority of Greenworks impellers are constructed of polyethylene plastic. For instance, the 20-inch single-stage snow thrower (such as this 20-inch 80V cordless model) and 12-inch snow shovel both have plastic augers. In contrast, the 22-inch single-stage snow throwers from Greenworks have hybrid augers that are constructed of rubber and metal.

Greenworks 40V Cordless Snow Shovel: Benefits And Drawbacks

This item is fantastic for removing snow in spots where a bigger snow blower would be unable to go. Even some firm packed snow up to 6 inches deep may be handled by it. Although the battery life is adequate, you should keep a backup battery if you want to clear a large amount of snow.

One disadvantage could be its weight. The majority of the weight is at the bottom of the unit, making it difficult to lift and carry. Even so, it’s not a huge problem because you’re just pushing it on the ground. In the end, this device outperforms manual shoveling.

Although it operates well, there are certain shortcomings. As long as the ground is level and smooth, it shoots the snow amazingly far and travels very smoothly. However, it is annoying to use on uneven rough terrain: because the shovel glides against the ground, you must pick it up to avoid ridges and cracks.

There are certain drawbacks to operating a cordless snow shovel. For instance, it is impossible to guide the snow. I wish they had constructed it with snow directing capabilities, like the Greenworks 26022 16-inch corded electric snow shovel, which has four directional snow vanes (read my full review here).

The Greenworks 40V cordless snow shovel may launch the snow too high, making it quite difficult to control where the snow lands. This is particularly true in the presence of light snow or any wind. Overall, it’s a decent cordless snow shovel, however I wish you could adjust the height and direction of the snow throwing.

Greenworks 40V 12-Inch Cordless Snow Shovel: Verdict

This cordless, green, and functional snow shovel from Greenworks is indeed not flawless. The primary problem is a lack of control over direction while throwing snow. Even though it can throw snow up to 20 feet away, you can only discharge snow directly in front of you. You must be cautious not to dump the snow onto your neighbor’s property. Nevertheless, it’s far better than shoveling snow!

This 40V cordless electric snow shovel works nicely and has a good battery life of around 30 minutes while throwing roughly 5 inches of snow. Even with heavier wet snow, the snow shovel can throw it at least ten feet away. Of course, it only throws snow in one direction, which is directly ahead. It is a fantastic tool for limited spaces, but don’t count on using it to clean your sidewalks and a big driveway with one charge.

Overall, the Greenworks 40V 12-inch cordless snow shovel is a good tool. Similar to the 40V leaf blowers and lawn mowers from Greenworks, it utilizes a 40V battery. Compared to a full-size electric snow blower, a cordless snow shovel is more affordable and simpler to store. You won’t have to worry about your back becoming sore from repeatedly scooping the snow. It appears to be well-made and quite strong. It can operate for up to 30 minutes on a single battery, which is a fairly respectable battery life (shop now on Amazon).