There are many cordless power tools available, but only a few cordless snow blowers. The Snow Joe iON18SB cordless snow thrower was released in 2014. My review considers its carbon footprint, its battery and its performance in the snow. It answers a few questions about its assembly, battery charge and ideal snowfall depth before reaching a conclusion.
Snow Joe iON18SB Says No To Carbon And Noise Pollution
People are attracted to the vision of clearing snow without making a lot of noise or releasing dirty exhaust fumes. The Snow Joe iON18SB does not leave dirty carbon footprints in the snow. It works well in a city environment that has smaller outdoor spaces and limited indoor storage space.
This snow thrower is a clean and quiet neighbor. It is not a gas guzzling, chain-smoking, overweight, noisy next door neighbor. The Snow Joe iON18SB is not as loud as a gas snow blower. Its noise levels are similar to a blow-dryer, food processor or a kitchen blender. Its 3-watt LED headlight provides light when you want to clear snow at night or very early in the morning.
Many owners of the Snow Joe iON18SB fall into the do-it-yourself category. The rest were new to snow throwing and did not want a gas snow blower or even a corded electric snow thrower. People are used to cordless devices that work with batteries and do not mind recharging it. There is no outdoor power cord that needs unrolling and plugging in.
Lithium-Ion Battery Technology
The Snow Joe iON18SB is powered by a 40-volt rechargeable lithium-ion battery which keeps the rubber snow blades turning and the snow flying for almost an hour. Then it is time to recharge the battery which takes about 2 to 3 hours. You might see why it is not made for large driveways or heavy snowfalls. You need to clear the snow in less than an hour before the battery runs out of power. If that happens you need to wait a few hours for the battery to recharge before you can finish clearing the snowfall.
Snow Throwing Performance
The rubber blades throw light, powdery snow between ten and twenty feet away. It performs well with snowfalls of around 4 to 8 inches deep. More than 8 inches of snow might be too much for this cordless snow thrower. It also struggles to throw wet, slushy snow more than a few feet away.
Do not try to force the Snow Joe iON18SB through the snowbank piled onto the sidewalk by the snow plow. This snow thrower is not big or powerful enough to chew its way through the snowbank. You might want to keep the snow shovel around to help the snow thrower with bigger snow piles.
Most owners are satisfied with the performance of the Snow Joe iON18SB cordless snow thrower. They believe it is easy to operate and not heavy to handle. It is compact and does not need much storage space. They think it has enough power for its size. They often use it to clear snowfalls from pathways and small yards. A few people also use it for clearing driveways and sidewalks.
What items are included in the box?
The carton contains the following things:
- Carriage bolts
- Deflector knobs
- EcoSharp 40-volt battery
- EcoSharp battery charger
- Handle knobs
- Manual and registration card
- Rubber washers
- Safety key
- Square J-bolts
- The Snow Joe iON18SB snow thrower with its handle
Do a quick check to see if all the parts are present when you unpack the box. Inspect the cordless snow blower for any damage which might have occurred during the shipping process.
How much assembly does the Snow Joe iON18SB require?
The snow thrower needs some assembly before it is ready to use. Follow the assembly instructions in Snow Joe iON18SB manual to adjust the handle and the discharge chute. You should also check the battery and recharge it. Replace the fully charged battery in the battery compartment.
How long to recharge the battery?
It usually takes about 2 to 3 hours to fully charge the iBAT40 lithium-ion battery with the included EcoSharp battery charger. Do not drain the battery completely before recharging it. If the snow thrower starts to lose significant snow throwing power, it is probably time to recharge. Completely draining the battery charge might damage the battery.
How long can it run before recharging?
It might power the cordless snow thrower for up to 50 minutes. The condition and depth of the snow might influence the amount of power used and the maximum operating time.
What is the ideal snowfall depth for the Snow Joe iON18SB?
You get the best snow throwing results with fluffy snowfalls that are between 4 inches and 8 inches deep. You should push the snow thrower faster when dealing with snowfalls less than 4 inches deep to feed enough snow into the auger blades and out of the snow chute. Reduce your speed for deep snowfalls.
Conclusion
The Snow Joe iON18SB makes saying goodbye to 18-inch wide gas powered or corded electric snow blowers a reality. You can avoid working with smelly gasoline or dirty oil. A cordless snow thrower also has the advantage of not being constrained by the length of an outdoor power cord or a suitable outdoor power socket. Its noise levels are lower than gas blowers of similar size. Nevertheless, a battery powered snow thrower might never be as powerful as a gas-powered snow blower.
Its operating time is limited by its battery charge. If you regularly need to clear snow for more than one hour at a time, then you might have to settle for a corded snow thrower such as the Snow Joe SJ620.
An alternative option is to buy an extra EcoSharp 40-volt battery, which would double the amount of operating time. You can recharge the first battery while using the second battery.
The Snow Joe iON18SB seems powerful enough to efficiently clear fluffy snowfalls of around 6 inches deep. It will slow down in deeper and heavier snowfalls. If you want the Snow Joe iON18SB cordless snow thrower, then you may view its price on Amazon.