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

I purchased this machine autumn 2007. We received 5 meters (15 foot) of snow last winter in Québec, useless to say that the snow thrower has to work hard! It performed well to clear the driveway (15x20) and pathway. Since we received that much snow, I found the machine to be limited when having to push the snow high enough to reach the top of the snowdrift. And when the snow is more dense, it's sometimes hard to push the machine through snow because of the large sidewalls (each side of the blade). This is more a problem because of the flimsy handle. The main problem I had with the machine is when snow gets in the case, condensation and humidity make the strap slip so the blade won't turn... When that happens, you have to let the machine dry in a warm dry place and it comes back to normal. That's the main problem with the Toro 1800.
Richard
UPDATE, february 2009:
I bought this machine because I don't like noise and I don't like to use gas. The machine broke a few times this winter for the same reasons : the strap. Well, no, a bearing too. But the problems are always, as others have decribed here, with the strap or what is around it.
This product could be great. It's light, silent, does not pollute air, takes little footprint.
But after 2 straps and a bearing in the month, I began to ask myself if it was a strong enough product for my use. And worse, the strap started to fall off the pulley each time I used the snowblower. It was enough for me. The machine is now in the recycle bin.
If you have a few inches of snow from time to time, it may be ok for you. But if you have snow like I do here in Quebec (more than 10 feet/year), don't buy this machine. It's made for light work only. And I hope the engineers at Toro will beef up the "drivetrain" if they want to keep customers for this type of product.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.