​The Best Snow Blowers

We’ve been testing snow blowers for multiple winters in New Hampshire, the Hudson Valley, and Buffalo, New York. I’m a lifelong New Englander, and I’ve spent countless hours operating snow blowers—both in clearing my own rural property and in cleaning up construction sites during my 10 years as a general contractor.

Snow blowers are complicated, feature-laden machines, so to wade through the technicalities, we spoke with Paul Sikkema of MovingSnow.com, an independent website dedicated to all things snow blower. Sikkema has been using snow blowers for the past 50 years and has been kind enough to share his expertise on numerous occasions since we first published this guide. Since founding MovingSnow.com in 2008, Sikkema has written more than 350 snow blower reviews. Here’s more info about how he operates his site and about his interest in snow blowers.

To get technical details on a few models, we also interviewed Toro marketing manager Christine Cheng and senior design engineer Derek Duchscherer, as well as Troy-Bilt brand marketing director Megan Peth.

Plus, we read everything we could about snow blowers, spending hours scouring the reviews of current models at MovingSnow.com as well as many owner reviews on the Home Depot website. We also found the website of retailer Snow Blowers Direct useful for researching and comparing models.

Unless you look forward to a heavy snowfall as a way of getting a good workout with your trusty snow shovel, you’ll likely welcome the convenience of a good snow blower. With a blower, you can clear a large area and deeper snow much faster, which is especially important if it’s frigid out or you have to drive somewhere quickly. Using a snow blower is also much easier on your body, minimizing muscle and back strain. Everyone has heard stories of people ending up in the emergency room after a session of strenuous shoveling.

With a good snow blower, clearing your driveway and walking paths is almost like, well, mowing your lawn. (Okay, clearing heavy snows might be more akin to mowing a field.) You simply fire up the engine and direct the blower through the area that needs clearing, aiming the blown snow off to the side and out of your way. The better models are equipped with electric start, so getting the machine going takes only the push of a button (and plugging an extension cord into a nearby outlet). Thanks to power steering, you can move the blower through the snow with minimal effort—no pushing, pulling, leaning, or tugging. And a four-way chute control lets you change both the direction and distance of the thrown snow without stopping the machine.

But a full-size snow blower is a big investment that not everyone needs to make. If you need to clear only a walkway, a few front steps, or a single parking space, a snow shovel might be a better fit.

Another consideration: As expensive as a full-size snow blower is, over time owning one is likely cheaper than hiring a plow—in New England, we’ve seen local plow services charge $50 to $75 each time they show up, and sometimes it’s more than once during a big storm. With even six or eight snowfalls per winter, it doesn’t take long to add up to the cost of a nice snow blower that should last at least 10 years.

The downsides? Maintenance and storage. Maintenance for gas models involves oil changes, belt tightening, and off-season storage. Many may not want to deal with that, and ignoring it will reduce the machine’s lifespan. As for storage, a full-size snow blower takes up as much space as a particularly bulky lawn mower, so plan for it to occupy a big corner of the garage.

Snow blowers have traditionally fallen into two categories: single-stage models for places with minimal snowfall—up to about 6 inches at a time—and two-stage models for heavier-snow areas. As a guideline, MovingSnow.com’s Paul Sikkema writes, “if you live North of Interstate 70 you should not consider a single-stage snow blower for your primary snow removal tool.”

Two-stage blowers are the type that most people who truly need a snow blower have traditionally owned. These designs have both a front auger (the first stage) that feeds snow into the machine and an impeller (the second stage) that tosses it out of the chute. Two-stage blowers are heavy, and as Troy-Bilt’s Megan Peth told us, they have “engine-driven wheels that can handle uneven terrain and reduce the amount of effort it takes to remove snow.” We looked for models with power steering to assist with maneuvering these heavy machines.

Quality 24- to 26-inch two-stage models start around $1100, and they tend to include features we think are worth the investment: easily adjustable throwing chutes, larger wheels that can gain traction, intuitive controls, an effortless electric start, a reverse gear, and good service support, in addition to power steering. Of course, you can skip that stuff and pay less. But as Sikkema told us, “You can’t imagine all of the people who write me and the first thing they say is, ‘I don’t want to spend more than $500, but I also want it to last 20 years like my old one.’” Unfortunately, that’s not realistic.

A two-stage blower that’s 24 to 26 inches wide is typically best for handling about 6 to 18 inches of snow on an area that Sikkema says maxes out at roughly an 80-foot-long, two-car driveway. Larger models, with a width of 28 to 30 inches, are good for consistent snows of 15 to 20 inches or more, on driveways up to 150 to 200 feet. We didn’t look at anything over 30 inches. As Sikkema told us, “30-inch is the practical limit of residential snow blowers.” Recently a number of companies have released cordless electric two-stage snow blowers. They’re not as strong as gas-powered blowers and usually only come in a 24-inch width.

Single-stage gas blowers are less expensive but not as powerful, and they have other limitations. As Sikkema said, “People buy single-stage snow throwers because of the price, not because it is the right snow blower for them.” He said single-stage blowers “will only work on a hard surface like blacktop, cement, or a patio.” A single-stage blower has one front paddle that, as Toro’s Christine Cheng told us, “scoops up the snow and throws it out the chute in one motion.” The paddle is typically designed to hit the ground so that it propels the blower forward as it’s moving snow. This design eliminates the need for engine-driven wheels, but as Cheng warned, they’re not recommended for gravel driveways (unless you want to pick up and launch every loose rock you come across). These smaller blowers start to lose their effectiveness at around 6 to 8 inches of snow.

Corded and cordless electric single-stage blowers are similar to gas models but tend not to have any kind of propulsion and reach their limit around 5 inches of snow. The paddle typically doesn’t hit the ground, so moving the blower is all up to you. But for small, flat, paved areas, electric models can work as long as you can get everything cleared while the machine is tethered to an outlet. Cordless models have the limitation of run time and a fairly high cost, but we’re always on the lookout for a good, balanced cordless alternative.

Last, the unclassifiable Toro SnowMaster design, introduced in 2015, combines elements of single- and two-stage models; we’ve found it to be extremely successful, and you can read more about it in the next section.

Also know that gas snow blowers require ongoing maintenance, including oil and filter changes. The owner manual will have a maintenance schedule (not following it can void your warranty), and you can find more advice from Repair Clinic and Jack’s Small Engines. If things do go wrong, you should know how you’ll get parts and service. All quality blowers have at least two-year warranties, and some companies and retailers sell extended service plans for in-home service and coverage of wear and tear. We recommend purchasing from a service-oriented store such as Home Depot or a local power-equipment retailer.

When you’re shopping for a snow blower, it’s important to know that there are only a few manufacturers. A company called MTD makes Craftsman, Cub Cadet, and Troy-Bilt models. The Husqvarna company makes units under the Husqvarna, Jonsered, and Poulan Pro brands. Ariens makes Ariens and Sno-Tek models. In many cases, these brands indicate quality differences (Ariens, for example, represents a step up over the budget Sno-Tek). But in other instances, the distinctions are less clear: Troy-Bilt and Craftsman, for example, have many blowers that are nearly identical and simply sold at different retailers. In contrast, Toro makes only Toro blowers.

For our hands-on testing, we’ve spent the past seven winters using a number of snow blowers in Buffalo, New York, and in rural New Hampshire. Most of this testing time has consisted of simply using the snow blowers in a normal fashion: clearing the driveway, the walkway, and the frozen plow mess out by the mailbox. This extended testing has allowed us to use the snow blowers in everything from deep, fluffy drifts to slushy, sloppy, day-after melts. Having several of the best-rated machines on hand for multiple seasons has allowed us to do thorough side-by-side comparisons, a process that has revealed key distinctions in performance and has helped us determine the best snow blowers for multiple situations.

After all of our research and years of testing, we’ve found that the Toro SnowMaster 824 QXE 24-inch snow blower is the best fit for most snow-covered driveways, and without question the fastest snow blower of all the models we looked at. The SnowMaster design is a unique hybrid style, combining elements of single-stage and two-stage models. We’ve used a SnowMaster through four New Hampshire winters, and we continue to be impressed with its snow-clearing abilities. We even put it head-to-head against a 30-inch two-stage Troy-Bilt behemoth, and in each test the smaller SnowMaster got the upper hand. In fact, with this machine in the shed, we haven’t seriously considered using any of our bigger, pricier snow blowers.

What makes the SnowMaster so fast is the combination of a distinctive single-auger design and Toro’s Personal Pace drive system. The auger, while technically a single-stage design, is atypical of those smaller machines in two ways: speed and shape. According to Toro marketing manager Christine Cheng, the SnowMaster’s auger spins 10 times faster than that of the company’s compact two-stage snow blower. It has the same turning speed as a regular single-stage version, but “it has a 25 percent higher tip speed due to the larger-diameter rotor, which provides greater throw distance versus the single stage.” That means it throws snow faster and farther. As for the shape, the sides are designed to pull snow toward the center portion, which then throws the snow. A regular single-stage design has a more “gentle curve,” which results in “a portion of the snow that does not go up the chute,” Cheng said.

Toro’s Personal Pace drive system, popularized in the company’s mowers, is the other part of the speed equation. The speed of the wheels reacts to the amount of pressure you put on the handlebar—the faster you walk, the harder you press, and the faster the SnowMaster goes. If you slow down, reducing the pressure on the grip area, the speed of the wheels slows as well. The entire time, the machine is matching your pace, and because of the fast-spinning auger, the SnowMaster is clearing snow as quickly as you can walk.

In testing the SnowMaster, we were always very comfortable at the higher speeds, because we knew we could slow down in an instant. We could also fly over lightly snowed areas and promptly slow down when the snow got thick. With a regular two-stage machine, we usually defaulted to a moderate speed and kept it there because the manual shift to slow down or speed up was too tedious to bother with for a short stretch.

We tested the SnowMaster 824 QXE head-to-head against the 30-inch Troy-Bilt Storm 3090 XP, using each machine to clear a 100-foot-long, 4-foot-wide path through 8 inches of snow. The SnowMaster did the work in half the time of the Storm even though it’s 6 inches (20 percent) narrower. Not only was it quicker, but it also cleared down to the ground better.

We also ran the two blowers on 4 inches of soaking-wet driveway slush (the kind that’s more water than snow), and again the SnowMaster 824 QXE did a better job. The lumbering two-stage Troy-Bilt Storm 3090 XP constantly clogged up at the chute, so we had to keep stopping and shutting it down to clear it. The auger of the SnowMaster, in contrast, was fast enough to keep the slush flying through the chute, prohibiting any blockage.

The SnowMaster 824 QXE does not have power steering like most two-stage blowers do, but due to the hybrid machine’s light weight, it is still a maneuverable snow blower. The SnowMaster weighs only 131 pounds, nearly a hundred pounds less than a comparable two-stage machine like the 215-pound Cub Cadet 2X 24. Because the SnowMaster maneuvers like a lawn mower, you don’t have to shift constantly between forward and reverse when clearing a tight spot—you just pull the unit backward. Doing so is impractical with heavier two-stage units, which need power steering and a reverse gear in order to be maneuverable; we didn’t miss those features at all on the SnowMaster.

The SnowMaster also has a nice joystick-style chute control that you can operate on the fly as the blower is moving—an invaluable feature when you’re blowing, say, the area between a house and garage, or any other tight space where you have to continually move the chute and deflector to drop the snow right where you want it. We like that the same joystick controls both the chute and deflector; many other models have two separate controls.

We looked for the ceiling of the SnowMaster 824 QXE’s capabilities and discovered that at about 16 inches of heavy, wet snow, the engine starts to bog down. It’s a clear sound, and once we recognized it, we simply eased off a little and started taking smaller passes or going a bit slower. As this video shows, the machine still clears the snow, but with the deeper drifts it goes at a normal pace rather than at the race-car speed you might be used to. The most difficult part with this kind of snow is making the first pass, when the machine is dealing with a full load of snow. After that, it’s much easier because it’s only taking off as much snow as the blower can handle.

We’ve relied on a SnowMaster through five New Hampshire winters, and in that time we haven’t had any real issues with its capabilities, even with the frozen plow mess at the end of the driveway. In a heavy snowfall in early 2023, we again had great results with a SnowMaster we’ve been testing for two years. As with any snowblower, it’s about being aware of what the machine can handle and moderating what goes into the chute.

The truth is, after using the SnowMaster, we have completely changed the way we view snow clearing. In the past, moving snow was something we had to do after a storm, maybe even the next morning. It took hours, and it was drudgery we didn’t look forward to at all. But because of the SnowMaster’s sheer speed and ease of use, the task is now something we can dash through in less than an hour. Because the SnowMaster is so fast, we also have the option to do a quick mid-storm pass with larger snowfalls, when the snow is still fluffy, rather than waiting until the next day. By taking this approach, we’re hardly spending any more time snow blowing, and we’re also not stressing the SnowMaster with an inordinate amount of snow.

We’re not alone in our high opinion of the SnowMaster design. Paul Sikkema thoroughly tested the SnowMaster 824 QXE and came away impressed. You can read his detailed walkthrough for even more info.

Finally, Toro covers the SnowMaster machines with a three-year limited warranty (PDF); the chute is guaranteed for life.

Toro recommends that the SnowMaster be used only on paved surfaces, because the speed at which the auger moves leaves the possibility of launching a rock. “We’re being cautious,” Toro marketing manager Christine Cheng told us. We did much of our testing on a smooth gravel driveway and didn’t notice any more rock ejections with this model than we did with any two-stage blower. The machine comes with adjustable skid shoes that raise the scraper bar off the ground and make it harder for loose gravel to get caught in with the snow. If you adjust these pieces higher, there’s less likelihood that stones will get jettisoned, but it also means a thin layer of snow will remain on the driveway, which is par for the course no matter what kind of snow blower you’re using.

But we did find other reasons to stick to a flat surface (even if it’s a flat gravel driveway). The Personal Pace system can have difficulty on uneven ground such as a bumpy lawn. If the front of the snow blower jams on something, you naturally end up pressing in the Personal Pace handle, which gives the wheels a burst of juice—and that causes the SnowMaster to be a bit herky-jerky. If you’re just clearing a quick path to the woodshed or a dog run, it’s something you’ll likely learn to deal with, as we did. Still, if you have a lot of lawn clearing to do, we suggest considering the Cub Cadet 2X 26 HP.

Also, while the lack of a reverse gear wasn’t a problem for our testers, it does take some strength to maneuver the machine. We think that anyone in moderate physical condition should be able to handle the SnowMaster, but if you’re concerned about your strength, the Cub Cadet will be a less strenuous option.

Steeper inclines can pose a problem for the SnowMaster 824 QXE, as the combination of the small tires and the light weight can lead to a loss of traction. The driveway we used for testing has a 5.5 percent slope throughout much of it, and we never had any problems, but if you have notably steep areas to clear, you may end up putting more push into the machine than you’re used to. The heavier Cub Cadet 2X 26 HP is a better option for steep inclines.

Although the SnowMaster 824 QXE is a fast snow mover, its weight and size impose some limitations. Because it’s so light, we found that the machine sometimes rode up over packed snow rather than knifing under it. In one instance, 5 inches of especially heavy snow didn’t cause issues for the SnowMaster, but it struggled on the tire lines where a car had driven out—those took a few passes to break up and remove. The crusty, crunchy next-day plow mess at the end of the driveway sometimes needed a little busting up with a shovel before the SnowMaster (or any other two-stage blower) could blow it away. At around a foot of heavy, wet snow, the SnowMaster starts to bog down.

We also wish the chute could turn a wee bit further. Up at the end of the driveway by the road, it’s nice to be able to toss the snow to the side and a little behind. The SnowMaster 824 QXE can go a few degrees more than 90, but hardly enough to make a real difference in that regard. Our other picks all go further, allowing you to throw the snow a little to the rear of the blower.

Finally, this model has no headlight. Although that’s a relatively minor feature, we appreciate any added illumination, even if it’s just so that passing cars can see us better at the end of the driveway. But the lack of a headlight in no way offsets all of the benefits of the Toro SnowMaster 824 QXE. And over the years, we’ve actually found that wearing a good headlamp is much better for snow blowing than depending on a machine’s headlight, because a headlamp lets you put light anywhere you want, not just in front of the blower.

The Toro SnowMaster 724 QXE, a slightly smaller version of the 824 QXE, was our previous pick. We recommend getting it if you can’t find the 824 QXE—as is often the case once December hits.

The 724 QXE is a great machine, and the only difference between it and the 824 QXE is that it has a 212 cc engine instead of a 252 cc engine. In our tests, the 724 QXE could easily handle up to 12 inches of wet snow with little issue, so it should fit the needs of many people.

With only about $100 to $150 separating the two models, all other things being equal, we think most people would be happier over the long term with the more powerful version. But when the slightly more powerful 824 QXE is not an option, look at the 724 QXE before any alternatives, because it shares so many of the unique snow-clearing abilities—the same chute control, Personal Pace system, and electric start, as well as the 24-inch clearance width of the auger itself—that make the entire SnowMaster design so effective.

If the Toro SnowMaster 824 QXE is not available or if you have a gravel driveway (or you clear a lot of lawn area), we recommend the Cub Cadet 2X 26 IntelliPower Snow Blower. This model is good for regular snowfalls of roughly 6 inches to 1 foot on a two-car driveway that’s up to about 80 feet long. The Cub Cadet is a reliable machine with a well-rounded feature set. Like all good-quality two-stage blowers, it has an electric start and no-mar skid shoes—these features make the machine easy to get running and make it safe to use on a deck or patio without leaving scratches. It also has power steering, large tires, and a durable metal chute. This is an upgraded version of our previous pick. The major improvement is the addition of a digital throttle which regulates the power based on the task at hand. This works to prevent the engine from bogging down.

Because it’s a two-stage model, the Cub Cadet 2X 26 IntelliPower Snow Blower is much heavier than the SnowMaster 824 QXE, so the power steering is crucial. A small trigger at each handle stops the corresponding wheel, which causes the blower to turn on a dime (or a slow arc, if you’re just intermittently tapping the trigger). After having gotten used to a two-stage blower with power steering, we can’t imagine going back to the days of wrestling one around at the ends of the driveway. (Although the trigger system is an essential feature for a two-stage blower, at the same time it feels tedious compared with the far more maneuverable design of the SnowMaster.)

In fact, power steering is a major reason this Cub Cadet is special: Many other high-end two-stage blowers have power steering, but most of them cost hundreds more. In fact, most blowers in this price range don’t have power steering.

Two other features distinguish the Cub Cadet 2X 26 IntelliPower Snow Blower from other 26-inch machines. First, it has two headlights, one on each side of the control area, facing forward. Many blowers have only a single light in the center, which does more to illuminate the back of the chute than the driveway. Although we recommend wearing a headlamp if you’re clearing snow in the evening, the Cub Cadet’s two lights do offer increased visibility and a better chance that passing drivers will see you if you’re cleaning up the end of the driveway.

Second, the Cub Cadet has 15-inch tires, which are at least an inch larger and provide better traction than those on many 24- and 26-inch blowers.

A hand crank below the dashboard controls the side-to-side movement of the chute, and a joystick at the controls operates the up-and-down movement of the deflector cap. As on the SnowMaster 824 QXE, you can make adjustments while the blower is moving, but doing so with these controls is not as easy as using a four-way joystick.

Being a traditional two-stage blower, the Cub Cadet uses shear pins. These pieces hold the auger blades to the auger axle, and they’re designed to break if the auger gets jammed, preventing damage to the blades or engine. The blower will likely come with a few extras, but we recommend checking the owner manual for a part number so that you can order more.

Cub Cadet covers the blower with a three-year limited warranty and a five-year limited warranty on the auger gearbox.

For a snow-blowing experience that is free of exhaust, gas, maintenance, and the noise of a small engine, we recommend the cordless Ego Power+ SNT2405 24-inch Self-Propelled 2-Stage Snow Blower. Although it does not match the Snow Master 824 QXE—or any of our other recommended gas models—in clearing ability, speed, or overall power, it does perform well with lighter snowfalls and has the run time to handle a decent-size driveway. Just know that it might not be strong enough to handle the crusty plow mush at the end of the driveway, so you may need to do some shovel work there.

We tested the Ego SNT2405 on 6 inches of light, fluffy snow—basically, the easiest kind of snow to clear. Under these circumstances, it worked great with about 26 minutes of run time, but we would expect more of a struggle and a shorter battery life with heavier snows. Under these conditions, it cleared the plow mess at the end of the driveway but still struggled a little, and we expect that with denser snows it would have much more of a problem or simply wouldn’t be able to do the job. We performed our testing in New Hampshire, and for areas that get snows at the northern New England level, we recommend either sticking with a gas snow blower or understanding that a big, wet, heavy snow might outmatch the Ego SNT2405—and with many snows, you’re likely to end up clearing the end of the driveway by hand.

In our nearly half hour of battery time, we were able to clear a 150-foot driveway and a three-car parking area. We even had enough juice left to blaze a 75-foot path to a chicken coop. This experience amounted to about eight minutes more run time than we got from the Ryobi RY40870 40V HP Brushless 2-Stage Snow Blower, which we also tested. The Ego SNT2405’s charge time is about two hours, less than that of any competitors.

The Ego SNT2405 runs on two 56-volt 7.5 Ah batteries. We like that it comes with a dual-port charger, which reduces downtime by requiring only one charging session to get the snow blower back up to full capacity. The Ryobi RY40870, in contrast, comes with four batteries but only a two-port charger, so in order to get that model to full capacity, charging is a two-step process that, if efficiently done, takes four hours (two hours for each pair). The SNT2405’s batteries are compatible with the rest of Ego’s lawn and garden tools, but keep in mind that the 7.5 Ah batteries are pretty large and will add weight to a handheld tool such as a leaf blower or a string trimmer. Ego is also in the process of releasing a version of the snow blower that comes with two 10 Ah batteries, which will likely have an even longer run time but be even heavier.

The controls on the Ego SNT2405 differ from those on a gas snow blower, but they’re familiar enough that we didn’t take long to get accustomed to them. The biggest change is that you can control the auger speed as well as the drive speed. In our tests, this meant we could dial down the auger speed (saving battery life) to match the snow conditions and the speed we were moving. For safety reasons, starting the auger is a two-handed process, which is awkward at first, but eventually we were doing it without much thought.

This snow blower has no power steering, so it does need to be muscled around a little. The self-propelled drive can go in reverse, though, which helps with turning it around at the end of a driveway.

You control the SNT2405’s chute with two joysticks, one to adjust the rotation of the chute and the other to raise and lower the hood. This arrangement is a little tedious and made us appreciate the smooth, single joystick of the SnowMaster 824 QXE.

We found other minor touches that we liked about the SNT2405, such as the handle height adjustment. Because this Ego model is so easy to use, you might distribute snow-blowing duties among multiple people in a household, and raising and lowering the handle is a relatively simple process that does not require removing the entire handle, as it does on the Ryobi.

One downside of the Ego SNT2405, aside from its general limitations on power and run time, is that it doesn’t have much in the way of a battery-indicator light. You can sort of look in the battery compartment and see the indicator lights on the individual batteries, but the lid of the compartment quickly gets covered with snow. Because we succumbed to the trance-like nature of snow blowing, we ended up with a dead snow blower positioned pretty far from our garage. Instead of muscling it back, we ended up deserting it for a night while we charged up the batteries.

We are currently testing the new Ego SNT2807 Power+ 28 in. 2-Stage Cordless Snow Blower and Ego SNT2416 Power+ 24 in. 2-Stage Cordless Snow Blower. Both have features similar to the recommended Ego SNT2405, but with the addition of power steering triggers and a single chute control (rather than the two controls found on the SNT2405). We’re also testing the new Toro 60V Max 24” SnowMaster, which is the cordless version of our SnowMaster pick, sharing key features such as Toro's personal pace system and the single auger design.

The winter of 2023/2024 was uncooperative with snow, so we only had minimal opportunity for testing. The model we handled the most was the Toro 60V and, for the amount we used it, we were impressed. Like the gas SnowMasters, it’s fast and intuitive to use. It’s smaller than the gas versions and lighter, so it cuts a narrower path, but it is easier to maneuver around. We don’t have a full sense of its capabilities and limitations yet, so we’re holding our final judgment on it, but many signs point to it being another successful snow blower in the Toro line-up.

The other cordless model we tested in our latest round, the Ryobi RY40870 40V HP Brushless 2-Stage Snow Blower, is priced on a par with the Ego SNT2405 but has a shorter run time and lacks some of the finer touches. In fact it wasn’t until we used the Ego that we realized how frustrating some aspects of the Ryobi are.

The Ryobi RY40870 needs two batteries to operate, but it has room for four and comes with four. With all of them engaged in the snow blower, you get increased run time. But the battery life with all four batteries still falls short of what we saw from the Ego’s two batteries. In our tests, we got close to 20 minutes with the Ryobi, short of the Ego’s 25 to 26 minutes. That 20-minute stretch was enough for us to do quite a bit of clearing, but the real difficulty lay in the charging. Like the Ego SNT2405, the Ryobi RY40870 comes with a two-port charger, but with four batteries, this means that you need to swap out the first two once they’re full. We found this step easy to forget, and during one snow we realized that we had only two fully charged batteries because we hadn’t put the other ones on the charger. It’s unfortunate that Ryobi offers no onboard charging system that would allow you to just plug the snow blower in and know that the next time you need it all four batteries would be filled.

We found a number of other inconveniences in the RY40870, too. First, the handles were uncomfortable to hold, as the ends of the drive and auger levers flare slightly outward, and that’s right where we naturally placed our hands. Even with gloves on, we felt the odd shape of the levers press into our palms, and they wore our hands right out. Had the batteries not died, we probably would have had to take a break just to rest our hands. We started the process of lowering the handles to see if that would remedy the situation, but to do that, we discovered, we needed to remove and readjust the entire control console, a time-consuming and awkward process (on the Ego SNT2405, the control console can slide up and down while remaining attached). In trying to disengage the Ryobi control panel, we realized that we were unable to remove one of the holding bolts because it was blocked by the wiring harness. Frustrated, we gave up.

Another inconvenience of the RY40870 is that the lid to the battery compartment is spring-loaded to the closed position. This design choice is understandable considering the amount of snow that is likely to be around when you’re moving the batteries in and out, but it also creates a true annoyance while you’re dealing with the batteries. The batteries click into the snow blower with some force, so getting them out can take two hands—not an easy task while you’re also trying to prop the spring-loaded door open.

While trying to assemble the RY40870, we realized that a bolt had not been shipped with the snow blower. We read some reviews on the Home Depot site indicating that other people had had the same experience.

Previously, we tested the Ego Power+ SNT2102 Snow Blower which usually costs around $650 and does not have any kind of self-propulsion. This omission is something we would be willing to forgive with a $200 snow blower, but it’s a lot more difficult with a model that is priced well over $500.

The Troy-Bilt Arctic Storm 30 was our previous upgrade pick, but because of a production delay, it will not be available for the winter of 2021/22. It looks to be back in stock for winter 2022/23, and is a good choice for someone dealing with a lot of snow. It’s a great snow blower and we’re going to watch for any stocking issues this season before fully recommending it again.

We tested two power shovels, the electric Toro PowerShovel 38361 and the cordless Snapper XD 82-Volt Max Snow Shovel. These models had no problems clearing 5 to 6 inches of snow in our tests, but the issue is that they offer no way to direct the snow; it just flies forward. Each machine could throw the snow quite far, but we found it a challenge to maneuver the shovels in a way that put the snow where we wanted it (and not in the neighbor’s yard). Also due to their minimal width, 12 inches, both power shovels required a lot more passes than a regular single-stage blower. Last, the Snapper is quite heavy to use for any extended period of time, due to the battery.

The Ryobi RYAC803 20 in. 13 Amp Corded Electric Snow Blower, is another blower we recommended, but that is no longer available. The similar Snow Joe Ultra SJ623E Electric Snow Blower will be available, but it has a much shorter warranty compared with that of the Ryobi (five years versus two years).

We researched Cub Cadet, Troy-Bilt, and Craftsman blowers, all made by MTD Products, and for the most part found similar builds and warranties. The feature sets vary from model to model, as does availability. Although they’re priced on the more affordable side of the snow blower spectrum, we’ve never had any issues with their performance or reliability. Of the MTD-made 26-inch, two-stage models we researched, the Troy-Bilt Storm 2665 typically costs $100 less than the Cub Cadet 2X 26 HP but doesn’t have power steering. We’ll stick with the Cub Cadet.

Cub Cadet and Troy-Bilt offer models (manufactured by MTD) that they refer to as “three-stage” blowers. In this design, a third impeller located at the center of the front auger feeds snow rapidly into the throwing impeller. These machines are great for moving massive amounts of snow quickly, but with smaller snowfalls, Sikkema told us, they “throw snow out the front all over the place.” The Home Depot customer feedback on these models isn’t as good as on traditional two-stage blowers.

At this time, we don’t feel confident recommending any Craftsman blowers. Previously, the Craftsman Quiet 208cc Dual-Stage Zero-Turn Snowblower (88694) was a pick of ours, but with the recent purchase of the Craftsman name by Stanley Black & Decker, plus the continued financial troubles of Sears, we think the brand is in too much transition for us to recommend such a big-ticket item. We don’t know what will happen in the future, and Craftsman representatives have told us that the blower will continue to be supported, but in thinking of the large investment required for a snow blower, we feel more comfortable steering you toward a more stable company, especially when you can find other brands offering similar models.

Ariens is a highly regarded manufacturer of blowers. Their Deluxe 30 is usually a little more expensive than our previous pick, the 30-inch Troy-Bilt, and the engine is not as big.

The less-expensive Ariens Compact line lacks power steering, a feature we see as essential for a two-stage blower. The snow blowers in the Ariens Platinum series are simply too pricey, $2,000 for a 24-inch snow blower is asking a lot. These machines are designed for professionals, and given the impressive performance of the less-expensive models we’ve tested, we don’t think it’s necessary to invest this kind of money into a residential snow blower.

Toro blowers are typically more expensive than MTD-made blowers. Some Toro models have trigger power steering as the MTD blowers do, but others have a system similar to Ariens’s Auto-Turn, where the machine responds to your movements (if you tug the handles, the wheels react accordingly). Smaller Toro models, such as the Power Max 826 OAE, don’t beat out the Cub Cadet 26-inch blower in terms of value and features.

The 24-inch Husqvarna ST224P comes with hand warmers and an adjustable-height handlebar. It costs roughly the same as the 26-inch Cub Cadet and has a less powerful engine and smaller tires. The company’s 27-inch version splits the difference in size between the smaller 24- to 26-inch models and the larger 28- to 30-inch models, but it still has only 15-inch tires. Sikkema specifically does not recommend the Husqvarna ST230P, writing, “I feel there are better value 30 inch machines.”

Honda’s snow blowers are highly regarded, but they come with an extremely high price tag. The 24-inch model, the HSS724AW, typically costs $2,500, about twice the cost of the Toro SnowMaster 824 QXE. After having experienced the reliability and usability of our picks over multiple winters, we don’t see the need to invest that much in a snow blower.

We avoided any blowers priced under about $700, so we didn’t spend much time on lesser brands like Murray, Poulan Pro, and Yard Machines. Sikkema, for his part, has given Power Smart and Snow Devil a “Do Not Buy” designation, writing, “If you want the cheapest snow blower, if you don’t care if you can easily get it repaired, if you don’t care how long it will last. This is the snow blower for you.”

Tracked blowers such as the Troy-Bilt Storm 2690 XP are also available. These models are like regular two-stage machines but with tank tracks instead of wheels. Tracked machines sit on the periphery of the snow-blowing world—as Sikkema told us, they’re helpful for steep driveways or “large areas of gravel or turf,” but in the end “most people don’t need tracks.”