SalsaShark42 wrote:
It's also single stage, which means if you get anything more than, say, four inches of snow, this thing will clog.

I have a similar Toro electric. Usually it's good but it wasn't enough for the recent MA blizzard- I had to break the snow up with my shovel and then use the blower on the rubble.

However, I've found that giving the chute a good coat of PAM kept it from clogging. Before I sprayed it, it was clogging up every couple of minutes, but afterwards I had no clogs for three hours. Some suggest WD-40 but I think it's not good for the plastic.

WOW, in for one!!! OH that's right I live in South Florida. 80 and clear right now SUCK IT!

Yzzim wrote:Obviously you've never used one of these. I'm also in Minnesota and my father owns one of these as well as a bigger two stage blower. I'd say he uses this electric blower 75% of the time for those measly snowfalls of less than 4 inches or so. It works great for him.

I've got a gas powered single stage blower and use it much more than my larger two stage.

Not everyone needs a 12hp 28" two stage blower.

well going back to my initial comment I was basically stating that I prefer to shovel the short stuff, but I suppose maybe some people are uncapable or lazy or have medical conditions or whatever...

Im the guy thats out shoveling my driveway when all of my weenie neighbors are running their blowers, I get the exercise and Im almost always done before they are, but I still contend that in the wet,heavy, deep snow my gas powered 2 stage ariens is a beast and will move anything!

I also have one of these. I bought it 3 years ago and it has been a god-send for my bad back!
Easy to run by myself (no mixing gas, spark plugs, etc). I keep it on on a hook on the garage wall and can easily lift and move it by myself.
As long as you let the machine do the work (don't force it into deep snow), the Toro will happily eat the snow at it's own pace). We have a huge driveway and I can get it cleared down to the pavement in under an hour.
Be aware that the outer shell is plastic, so I do not recommend this if you are on gravel (make sure big rocks are off the pavement before the first snowfall too).
No, it's not a multi-stage snow blower, but it's ALOT cheaper, easy to use and I would not give mine up for anything! I love it!

Electric chain saws work great if you have someplace to plug in. Same with these snow blowers. If you only have a foot or two of snow and an extension cord that reaches to the end of your driveway and you are not in too much of a hurry, then you are golden. Depending on where you live and considering that the climate is getting warmer every year, you may not need it at all.

The one I got in Dec. 2010 ("I still haven't repaired the broken gas blower - oh look, I can Prime one of these before the snow gets here") dealt just fine with a driveway and a half of the latest New England snow. It's more like using a vacuum cleaner than a gas monstrosity - and I get to keep my hearing and my lower back :-) For the bigger drifts and berms, chopping down with a shovel just to carve off snow "boulders" avoids having to do risky lifting, and once they're broken off, the toro chews them up just fine. At this price, in for one just to have a spare... though the 2-year-old one isn't showing any particular signs of wear.

eichin wrote:The one I got in Dec. 2010 ("I still haven't repaired the broken gas blower - oh look, I can Prime one of these before the snow gets here") dealt just fine with a driveway and a half of the latest New England snow. It's more like using a vacuum cleaner than a gas monstrosity - and I get to keep my hearing and my lower back :-) For the bigger drifts and berms, chopping down with a shovel just to carve off snow "boulders" avoids having to do risky lifting, and once they're broken off, the toro chews them up just fine. At this price, in for one just to have a spare... though the 2-year-old one isn't showing any particular signs of wear.

Not what I would on a driveway.....Unless you get a little snow.....(have my John Deera attachment for my mower for that).....

But for a wood deck......This is a great little unit.....

Plastic blade won't scratch.....and perferct for cleaning the deck out to the hot tub.....Just saying....

How does this work on really rough surfaces like a dirt driveway?

gooseygoose wrote:Its crazy there is actually places that get enough snow to blow around. Tell me oh people who actually get a winter, where do you blow the snow to?

Snow plow trucks come and push it from the middle of the street and block in your car/driveway. shoveling that stuff manually is like lifting boulders.
that said, this machine wont do anything. I have a single stage gas, which is better than electric, and it still sucks!

2 stage or nothing. look at Poulan Pro on Amazon or box stores.

jpsyche wrote:I've had mine for nine years, and it's pretty great. This model has the one improvement mine lacks - the directional chute locks now, mine tends to throw the snow too low if the snowfall is too wet or sparse. Otherwise, it's abfab. You'll be glad you got this next season when it fires right up without have to go back to the shop for a tuneup. It easily handles snowfall up to about 6-7 inches, but it's light enough to pick up by the handle and do two passes if needed. I usually just stay ahead of the snowfall by doing a pass once it's close to six inches, because it's just not a big deal to do so. If you haven't had electric before, you'll want to make sure you have a power cord that's long enough and flexible in cold weather.

I definitely agree with the need for a flexible extension cord. I did not have one and using an electric snow thrower was a miserable experience.

As a side note I have electric chainsaw and I actually like it. But I only use it for small jobs, plus it is lighter and easier for me to use as a woman.

What can I do with this in Texas?

Cardio doc said no more snow shoveling nor polar bear plunges after the surgery. Hopefully this will be sturdy enough to handle some mid-Atlantic, just below the Mason-Dixon line, occasional snows. Thanks to all you Wooters for your informational Woots.

I bought an older version of the 1800 Power Curve in 2005. I've used it many times on my 100 foot driveway in Boston in all types of snow and it's still running reliably. It may not be the most powerful snow thrower (it'll only throw wet snow that's deeper than about 6 inches a few feet), but it's a hell of a lot better than shoveling. I paid $300 for it at the time, and think it was a wonderful investment.

Whenever I plug one cord into another I always tie them together. Start to tie them then plug them together. They wil not come unplugged

hushpuppy20 wrote:I'm 32 but I have asthma so this little thrower helps out a lot!

I had the problem with the cord coming unplugged on me, getting wet in the snow, and then I'd be afraid to plug it back in. It might not be the safest thing to do but I've started duct taping the cord to the connector.

With these types of throwers the cord is the most annoying part. Just keep it to your left or right, make sure it unwinds right and get a good color like red that will be visible above the snow.

With a little practice you'll be fine. Don't try it out for the first time with all your neighbors out shoveling and watching/judging you if possible!

gooseygoose wrote:Its crazy there is actually places that get enough snow to blow around. Tell me oh people who actually get a winter, where do you blow the snow to?

I usually sell the snow as landfill to the people in my neighboring city that have a problem with low-land areas. They are so thankful because I give such a low price compared to other fillers...

jedispork wrote:If you do a little extra work and break up the plowed snow with a regular shovel can these electric throwers handle that at least?

My left arm is paralyzed, which makes actual shoveling a pain (albeit doable, by way of a sling). I have two decks plus around 40' of driveway. I use a Toro electric power shovel; a lighter weight version of this but without the directional chute.

We just had eight inches of snow which I attacked around three times, clearing 3 - 4 inches at a time. The only problem was the plow mound. They didn't come till after the storm, leaving a mound about two feet high at the top. Carving it off in slices would be the best way to go, but that requires two working arms. Cutting vertical slices off with a shovel and then clearing the rubble with the blower worked very well, though it was a bit slow.

I also have a 4x4 with a plow, but I find that using the power shovel is simply more convenient - and better exercise as well!

jmkiii wrote:What can I do with this in Texas?

Plug in, switch on, toss cascarones into it and watch the paper blizzard.

hushpuppy20 wrote:I'm 32 but I have asthma so this little thrower helps out a lot!

I had the problem with the cord coming unplugged on me, getting wet in the snow, and then I'd be afraid to plug it back in. It might not be the safest thing to do but I've started duct taping the cord to the connector.

With these types of throwers the cord is the most annoying part. Just keep it to your left or right, make sure it unwinds right and get a good color like red that will be visible above the snow.

With a little practice you'll be fine. Don't try it out for the first time with all your neighbors out shoveling and watching/judging you if possible!

This demonstrates a great way to prevent cords from coming out (at least from the unit, but unfortunately may not help from the wall)

http://homerepair.about.com/od/exteriorhomerepair/ss/extension_cords_5.htm

I do this for my leaf blower, looks like it would work well for this unit as well.

L2 wrote:well going back to my initial comment I was basically stating that I prefer to shovel the short stuff, but I suppose maybe some people are uncapable or lazy or have medical conditions or whatever...

Im the guy thats out shoveling my driveway when all of my weenie neighbors are running their blowers, I get the exercise and Im almost always done before they are, but I still contend that in the wet,heavy, deep snow my gas powered 2 stage ariens is a beast and will move anything!

LOL I bet your weenie "uncapable" neighbors think the world of you! You're the badest shoveler in MN and you have the best snow blower money can buy the Ariens Beast! Kind of like John Henry but snow blower vs the shovel and you beat them everytime.Boy oh boy what a yarn... Baaahaaaa !
This lazy "uncapable" guy is in for one for I'm no match for The Magic Shovel

Look at the sales distribution map. LOL. Nobody down South bought these things.

So, what's it like not to have to own a warm coat and snow boots? I'm jealous.

Not sure if HD has any more of these but this looks to be a good extention cord for this snowblower. In store pick up only.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=203479114&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&PID=3668349&cm_mmc=CJ%2d%5f%2d3668349%2d%5f%2d10368321&AID=10368321&cj=true

chrismcclure wrote:Also note the puny little sissy wheels...it's likely you'll have to shovel a spot to start so you can get it going. Definetely not for places like South Dakota. $120 is nice, but just not useful up here

The wheels have no effect on the operation of the machine. AS I said in an earlier comment, if you're running it with the wheels on the ground you're doing it wrong. YOU push the blower into the snow with the wheels about 1 - 2" above the ground so that the blade gets under the snow.

This is not self propelled so you need to push it to get it to work. Considering that, the wheels are only for moving it around when not in use.

jsdplh wrote:How long is the cord?

It doesn't come with one. You have to get one as the cord on this is only about 6 - 10" long.

johnt007871 wrote:Because according to your picture at least one of those is an infant with dubious shoveling capabilities at best.

He'll be 4 in April.

I was at Home Depot this morning and snow blowers are on display outside the entrance. There was a Toro that looked just like this for $279.

Wow, not many selling in California, Arizona, or Hawaii. Can I use this to blow sand too?

I live in Rochester, NY (lake effect snow). Bought one of these in 1998 for $300. That winter a blizzard left 42" of snow in my 20'x80' driveway and the Power Curve made it easier to clear out. 14 years later it took care of Nemo's leavings easily. I'm a mechanical engineer that grew up using Gravely Tractors and snowblowers. Buying another Power Curve for this price because the old one is pretty much worn out and I want a backup.

PemberDucky wrote:ha! that's hilarious. it's true, you don't have to worry about snow there.
instead, you have to worry about rogue snakes eating children & deer, gators, deranged face-eating-zombie-people, gut-wrenching heat, hurricanes, the highest accident fraud rates in the nation, giant slugs, an aberrantly high number of animal cruelty charges, mass voter confusion, shark attacks, tsunamis, and really just a daily scourge of humanity that's conglomerated in this one state because, hey, it doesn't snow there, so why not?

ENJOY YOUR WEATHER.

Yup, a great place to visit but I don't want to live there.

Don't know exactly, for sure, but if a long electric cord is required, it may cost almost as much as the electric blower.

I have this exact model and it works just fine on wet snow up to 4 inches or so. The only thing I dislike is the damn power cord gets in the way. Once you learn to work away from the cord, it does a great job.

mevande wrote:Only a dunderhead would go out and try to clear 18 inches of snow with this. How about a sane approach, go out there twice !

You'd be surprised what I saw ...

KSCajun wrote:Would I like to buy a snow blower for next year? You bet! But an electric one? C'mon Woot, how good is that on a long driveway??

My driveway is 150 ft long and 14 ft wide... it works marvelousely and I love it!!! I have 2 100' extention cords, the yellow ones, with the correct amps for the distance.

skeller3 wrote:WOW, in for one!!! OH that's right I live in South Florida. 80 and clear right now SUCK IT!

The only snow you guys deal with you can shovel with a spoon.

lotspeichc wrote:How does this work on really rough surfaces like a dirt driveway?

Dirt itself is not a problem but debries specially a hard stone in size of tenis ball can totally destroy this by causing axis and blades bend. I have one with this problem. It viberates so badly due to malalignment that is not usable anymore.
Pin cones are my usual problem that fall all over yard everywhere and hids under stone but because these are relatively soft, they usually wont bend or break the blades only may stuck in and you have to remove it manually.
At any cost, avoid contact with stone and hard debries.

orubin wrote:Wow, not many selling in California, Arizona, or Hawaii. Can I use this to blow sand too?

I am in California and have three of these in garge.

jamina1 wrote:It doesn't come with one. You have to get one as the cord on this is only about 6 - 10" long.

Make sure to buy large caliber cable. Thin ones, cold and high amp won't work together.

jmkiii wrote:What can I do with this in Texas?

Buy one at this price and once deal is over, before winter is over, sell it on ebay for a small profit!

I am amazed at all the naysayers here. Even the manufacturer does not claim it to be a substitute for a two stage blower (they make those as well, but it is great for getting into tight spaces near the house where the behemoth is a pain. I have four decks-two of which are only reachable from inside and it is a godsend for those. Try dragging your two stage through the bedroom! As for the driveway, my plow guy is very reliable.

It's too bad that this can't ship to Hawaii.....


Shipping Note: Shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, PO Boxes and APO addresses not available for this item