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The 6 Best Electric Snowblowers Make Clearing Snow Quick and Easy
Why dig out with a shovel when an electric snowblower can clear paths and parking spaces with ease.
With winter getting underway (as we've seen with recent storms in the Northeast), it’s time to prepare for snowfall. To minimize the time and effort you have to spend clearing paths, driveways and parking spaces, consider trading in that old fashioned snow shovel for an electric snowblower, which can take a lot of the hassle out of snow removal.
Unlike gas-powered models, which are powerful but high-maintenance, most electric snowblowers are light and easy to start. Plus they don’t fill the air with exhaust fumes. They make it relatively painless to carve out paths and small-to-medium sized driveways after getting a few inches of powder.
Get Ready for Winter: Best Snow Boots ● Best Sidewalk Scrapers ● Best Salt Spreaders
Best Electric Snowblowers
- Best Overall: EGO Power+ SNT2405 Self-Propelled Two-Stage Snowblower
- Best Value: Greenworks 40V 20-Inch Cordless Single-Stage Snowblower
- Best One-Stage Snow Thrower: EGO Power+ SNT2112 Cordless Snowblower
- Best Two-Stage: Ryobi 40V Brushless Whisper Series Two-Stage Cordless Snowblower
- Best Battery Life: EGO Power+ SNT2103 21-Inch 56-Volt Cordless Snowblower
The Expert: I’m a freelance writer who has written about landscaping, home improvement, gardening, and home security for publications like Bob Vila, U.S. News and World Report, Popular Science, Pro Tool Reviews, and Futurism. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where I became very well-acquainted with blizzards and the backbreaking labor of digging out after them. When the snow was piled high, snowblowers have spared my back more than once.
What to Look for in an Electric Snowblower
Picking an electric snowblower, by and large, is an exercise in choosing between convenience and power. They do not have as much snow-moving power as a gas-powered model: They’re easy to start and easy to charge, but generally offer short runtimes and limited power.
Given that, you should start your snowblower search by taking stock of the areas you’ll need to clear, and how much snow you expect to see. If you usually see snows under a foot and only need to free up a few walking paths and a short driveway, electric is the way to go. If you need to clear a long, multi-car drive, or expect to get more than a foot of snow in a single storm, you may need a more powerful gas-powered option.
Single-Stage Vs. Dual-Stage
There are two types of snowblowers for the homeowners, based on the number of “stages” in the mechanical process they use to collect and distribute snow.
Single-stage snowblowers have an auger that pulls the snow into a large “intake” opening at the front of the snowblower, and propels it out of a chute mounted to the top of the machine. Single-stage blowers, also frequently referred to as “snow throwers,” are small, lightweight and easy to maneuver, making them ideal for clearing light snowfall and smaller driveways and walks.
Most electric snowblowers feature a single-stage mechanism. The process requires less energy, and allows battery-powered models to run long enough so you can work through larger tasks without recharging.
Dual-stage snowblowers, as the name suggests, have a two-stage process for collecting and expelling snow. Like single-stage models, they have an auger that pulls snow into the intake. The dual-stage snowblower follows up by running that snow through an impeller, mashing it up before it goes out through the chute.
The one-two punch of auger and impeller allows a two-stage snowblower to remove more snow quicker, and throw it a longer distance. That makes them perfect for large driveways. That said, they are also larger and heavier than single-stage machines, so they may not be able to maneuver around narrow walking paths.
Clearing Width and Depth
The width and depth of a snowblower’s intake determines how much snow it can move with each pass and, thus, how long it takes you to get the job done. Most single-stage electric snowblowers have a clearing width of around 20 inches wide, and a clearing depth of around 8 inches. That’s good for carving out walks and medium-sized areas. Some heavy-duty two-stage electric snowblowers can remove a 24-inch wide and 20-inch deep swath of snow, which will make quick work of a long road or wide driveway.
Throwing Distance
Throwing distance refers to how far a snowblower can launch snow out of the chute. This gives you a sense of how to plan when and how you’ll dispose of the snow in your path. The average single-stage snowblowers typically have a short throwing distance–around 25 feet. Unsurprisingly, a two-stage snowblower can send its snow as far as 50 feet.
Snowblowers typically have a throttle that allows you to change its mechanical speed, which will adjust how far it throws your snow. There are also controls that allow you to rotate the chute to change the direction of the flow of snow. If you can map out your snowblowing route, check and make sure your snowblower throws the snow far enough to keep it out of your way until it melts.
Power Source
Most electric snowblowers receive power from multiple large rechargeable batteries, which allows them to produce nearly as much power as a gas snowblower. Even with multiple batteries, though, they generally don’t run for a very long time before needing a charge. On average, you should expect a battery-powered snowblower to run for about 45 minutes on a single charge.
Though we largely consider them to be obsolete, some manufacturers also still produce corded electric snowblowers, which plug into a standard electrical outlet. Corded models are often much cheaper than battery-powered models and can run for as long as you need them to. However, plugging substantially reduces their range: You will likely need to purchase an extension cord as long (or realistically slightly longer) than the length of the area you need to clear, which makes them awkward to work with.
"Cordless snowblowers are easier better, easier, and safer to use," says Popular Mechanics test editor Brad Ford. "Corded is old, out of date tech in most cases."
They’re also limited to smaller, 15-amp motors that run on the power an outlet can provide. That usually translates to narrower clearing widths, shallower clearing depths, and shorter throw distances. Unless you have a very tight budget, we highly recommend going with a battery-powered electric snowblower, rather than a corded one.
How We Picked the Best Electric Snowblowers
I selected the best electric snowblowers based on recommendations from the Popular Mechanics test team, which has evaluated many electric snowblowers over the years. I also leveraged my own personal testing and expertise, as well as recommendations and feedback from dozens of customer reviews. When finalizing the list, I paid particular attention to the clearing depth, width and runtime, while picking a wide range of machines for varying amounts of snow removal.
Tony Carrick is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in technology, home improvement, DIY, home security, and outdoor recreation. He’s tested and written about everything from home security systems to power tools to gas grills. His product guides, how-to articles, and feature stories can be found in such publications as Bob Vila, Angi, U.S. News and World Report, Field & Stream, Futurism, and Switchful. When Tony isn’t writing, he can be found working on his latest home improvement effort at his home in North Carolina.
Brad Ford has spent most of his life using tools to fix, build, or make things. Growing up he worked on a farm, where he learned to weld, repair, and paint equipment. From the farm he went to work at a classic car dealer, repairing and servicing Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and Jaguars. Today, when he's not testing tools or writing for Popular Mechanics, he's busy keeping up with the projects at his old farmhouse in eastern Pennsylvania.
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