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

I bought this product becuase I have back problems and was planning to use it to clear our patio and front walkway. I subsequently canceled our plowing service for the driveway figuring I might try to do it myself (driveway is about 100 ft. long).

So far I've met with mixed success. I've used the Toro twice so far on very different types of snow (two weeks ago was powder on a windy day; this morning was really wet snow during a light sleet). Both times took me about an hour from start to finish.

The snowthrower 'broke' on the first use just as I was finishing up (could have been my fault since I ran over the cord about 30 min into using it). Turned out to be a loose bolt that holds the rotor shaft. One trip to the hardware store to get a 3/8" hex wrench and 15 min. of simple repair and it was working fine. For those fix-it-yourself types this thing is about as simple as you can imagine and the scraper, rotor and belts all seem very easy to replace.

Cons:

(-) Dealing with an extension cord while snowblowing is a pain; make sure to get a very heavy-duty, weather-resistant, brightly-colored extension cord; has a cord-minder on the handle which is nice but the main problem is avoiding running over the cord

(-) Bogs down somewhat when dealing with heavier snow

(-) Fairly limited clearing path

(-) Less distance when throwing to the sides than straight ahead (which makes sense when you look at how it's designed)

(-) Handle could be a little higher (I'm 6 ft.)

Pros:

(+) Very quiet relative to gas powered throwers

(+) Lightweight and easy to handle

(+) Easy to maintain / repair

(+) Overall does a nice job; seems to get down to the pavement fine; when I was done my driveway looked better than I ever remembered it after it was plowed.

(+) Reasonable price; don't get me wrong, you're not getting a marvel of modern engineering -- more like something well designed and made very cheaply overseas, but if it snows 7-8 times this year I'll have paid for it by avoiding paying someone to plow.

For what it's worth, on my way to work this morning, I passed a guy just down the street using a huge gas-powered monster and it looked like he was having a tougher time than I did with the electric Toro. Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.