Snow blowers: Faster and friendlier
Some of the most capable snow blowers (also called snow throwers) are easier to start and use. Most larger gas models now have electric starting, multiple speeds, and turn-on-a dime steering. You'll also find smaller machines that can make relatively short work of the plow pile that inevitably appears in front of your driveway. Best of all, prices are dropping as manufacturers and retailers compete for sales; some of our top-scoring machines cost hundreds less than comparable models only a few years ago.
Two-stage gas-powered snow blowers are the largest of these machines. Unlike smaller, single-stage models—which rely solely on a rubber-edged auger to move and throw snow, and provide some pulling power—two-stage snow blowers have drive wheels and a fanlike impeller to help throw snow faster and farther.
Some single-stage gas models rival two-stage machines, yet typically weigh well under 100 pounds and take about the same storage space as a walk-behind lawnmower. More have electric starting, along with a cleaner-burning, four-stroke engine that doesn't require the fuel mixing of two-stroke designs. You'll also find plug-in electric versions aimed at decks, porches, and small driveways that get only a few inches of snow. Just don't expect them to lift large quantities or make a serious dent in plow piles.
Our tests in snowy upstate New York also dug up other trends that can save you hundreds on your next snow blower. The right safety features can also save you a trip to the emergency room. Indeed, cuts, fractures, and even amputations accounted to more than 6,000 snow-thrower injuries in 2008, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Here are the details:
More muscle for plow piles. Our new plow-pile test uses packed, icy snow and dense wet sawdust to gauge which models are likeliest to clear the one at the foot of your driveway. More weight and driven wheels helped two-stage snow throwers clear this hurdle best overall. But the best single-stage models also handled our plow piles, albeit more slowly with more pushing.
Easier steering. Most two-stage snow blowers drive both wheels, maximizing traction at the expense of handling, since the wheels aren't free to roll at different speeds while turning. More two-stage models now include handle-mounted trigger releases, which let you disengage and reapply power to either drive wheel from the operator's position. Squeezing both triggers also makes those models easier to move with the engine off, as you would in a closed garage, by disengaging the transmission.
Simpler one-handed controls. More two-stage snow blowers now let you control the auger and the drive wheels with one hand while turning and angling the discharge chute with the other. You'll also find more single-stage models with easier-to-reach chute controls.
Added safety. Many dual-stage snow blowers now include a clearing tool for clogged chutes—a source of injuries as owners get fingers caught between the auger and housing. And nearly all have deadman controls that stop the auger when you release them. One single-stage gas model still lacks that feature and received our Don't Buy: Safety Risk judgment as a result.
