2009-09-27

Cheap Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025


Purchased in October and used three times already in the Denver area. It does what it's supposed to with no fuss, little noise and after 15 minutes my drive and pathways are clear and my back doesn't ache.
I notice my neighbor this morning also had a new snow blower only he had opted for the gas machine, I chuckled as he struggled to throw the snow more than a couple of feet while this little beauty plowed through with no trouble.
Money well spent, I just hope I never have that belt problem others have had.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

Buying Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025


PROS: lightweight and compact. Easy to store and move. Easy to start and operate (just plug in and squeeze the handlebar to run). Does an excellent job of removing snow.

CONS: handlebar assembly was difficult. Sliding upper piece onto lower bars chewed up the power cord and required two people to assemble.


We recently relocated from Hawaii to Colorado Springs and are learning the ins and outs of winter weather. After a nearly foot and a half snowfall at the end of November, I decided to get this blower. My husband is good about shoveling the driveway which is not very long but is very steep. However one good snowfall was all I needed to convince myself that a blower is a good idea. Neighbors with worse driveways employ gas-powered blowers. I selected the Toro 1800 because of it's compact size and felt it was adequate for our needs. So far, we have not been disappointed.

It arrived about 5 days after the big snowfall. We also had some additional snow the night before it got here and tested it out. The accumulation was wet, but the Toro took care of it with no problems. It blew the snow at least 8 feet and did a good job getting down to the driveway itself.

This morning we pulled it out again to tackle the 9 or so inches from last night. It worked as well as the first time - and we got some serious throwing distance, probably because the snow was light and fluffy.

So far so good, and I feel we made a good choice in selecting the Toro 1800. Coupled with free FedEx shipping from Amazon - this was a sweet deal.

Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

Buy Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025


The Toro 1800 Power Curve snow blower was pretty simple to assemble, but there are two points that need attention.

First, and VERY IMPORTANT is when putting the handle together. There are two bolts that hold the top and bottom part of the handle together. The wire from the switch to the motor is fed through one of the handle bars. It's way too easy to damage the wire with the bolt. I tore the outside insulation, but the interior wires are still protected.

The other problem with assembly is the chute that directs the snow. There are a couple of bolts with self locking nuts that need to be tightened tight enough to hold the chute in position yet loose enough to allow the chute to stay in place. The bolt heads are held in position by a square hole in the plastic. When I tried to tighten the self locking nut, it was tight enough that the bolt was spinning in the plastic wearing out the square hole. I ended up replacing the locking nuts with a regular nut and lock washer. I'll have to watch them so they don't come loose.

Last night there was about 5 inches of fairly wet and heavy snow. I first used a shovel to roll up about the first 10 feet of my driveway (2 car wide / 4 car long) and then tried the blower to move the piled up snow. The pile was about 12-15 inches deep and pretty well packed. The blower did just fine sucking up about a 10 inch wide swath and blowing it into the yard. I did the rest of the 5 inch deep driveway from side-to-side blowing the snow all the way across the driveway and into the yard. It worked just fine. The snow chute worked pretty good allowing to me change the direction on the move. The up-and-down part was pretty good and allowed some aiming of the snow, but not as much as I would have liked.

The main points for me is quietness and ease of use. Just plug in and go. I haven't had a problem with the extension cord. I have a 100 foot 16/3 cord I use for my weed eater that seems to work just fine. I can also pick it up with one hand and move it around the garage - try that with a 3hp snow blower. If we get a foot or so, I may regret it (maybe not) but those don't happen very often. By the way, I bought this at a local hardware store - it cost me $30 more but I like to support local stores. Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

Purchase Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025


Just had a nasty snowstorm in Iowa, has around 5-6 inches of wet snow, this little machine passed the test. It even did the end of the driveway with some chunks of ice. It took a little bit to get used to the cord, but in the end for a small driveway or for some short runs of sidewalk this is a nice little machine. My only concern is the scraper which seems a little thin. Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.