Snow Joe 22" Walk-Behind Snow Blower

I bought this back in October, because last year by the time the snow was falling this 15A version was sold out everywhere. A few days ago here on Long Island, NY we had a few inches of snow followed by rain. The snow didn't melt, but just got soaked so it was very heavy. I gave the Snow Joe a try, and was very impressed with its ability to handle it. It didn't throw the wet snow all that far, but far enough to get it off of my one-car driveway. It even ate right through a ~1 ft pile that I'd pushed off of my car. Today was the real test. While the "great blizzard of 2015" didn't really manifest here, we still got about 14" of snow. Unluckily my driveway had a big drift running right down the middle which was about 2.5 to 3 feet high. This was a light, powdery snow. The Snow Joe worked just as well as advertised. The motor didn't struggle at all, even when I shoved it right into the 3 foot pile of somewhat packed plowed snow at the foot of my driveway. It threw snow a good 15-20 feet away. Can't ask for anything better. There are only 2 downsides to this machine, neither of which detracts from my review because they're both obvious: - Managing the cord. I got a nice 100 ft. cold weather 12 AWG cord to use with it. Of course, keeping the cord out of the way can be a pain, especially when it's dragging through big snow drifts. It wasn't terrible, but something to keep in mind. - It's not self-driven. It took a LOT of effort to push it through a foot of snow. Any more than that and I had to take bites out, pushing forward and then pulling back, etc. It's still a heck of a lot easier than shoveling though. The only other possible concern is the amount of power this thing draws. Excepting new construction, most residential branch circuits with receptacles are rated and have overcurrent protection at 15A. Let's say you plug this into an outlet in your garage, but that outlet is on the same circuit as some other lights and miscellaneous stuff. It's quite probable you'll trip the breaker (or fuse). If that's a worry, consider the 13.5A version which will give you some leeway. I'm fortunate to have a subpanel in my garage with multiple, dedicated 20A receptacles for other tools. Why buy this instead of a gas snow blower? For me it came down to 2 things: Maintenance and size. This does not require regular maintenance. No oil, spark plugs or filters to change. It's not that I mind doing that kind of thing, but I don't want to have to remember to do it. The Snow Joe (as with any electric snow blower) is ready to go anytime. When folded up, the Snow Joe is really rather small. I don't have room in my garage for a full-sized gas snow blower. It's also light weight, so I can throw it up on a shelf and keep it out of the way for summer. Yes, a gas blower would (generally speaking) be more powerful and more effective. But we only get a good snowfall around here a few times a year. Since I only have a small driveway and about 80ft of sidewalk and walkway to clear, it's enough for me.