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I bought this snow thrower almost a month ago, and have used it 4 times since. I live in a north west suburb of Minneapolis, and we have had a snowier than normal December. So the purchase was right in time. Being that this was my first snow thrower, which I bought for the first winter in my first house, I wanted something that would work well enough, but not be too much for my situation. I have a 2 car wide, ~55 foot driveway which can be shoveled in about 25 minutes if it is just an inch of light snow. With this little power horse, I can clear the same space with even more snow (only done up 6 inches so far) in about 15-20 minutes. And I expect to get my time down even farther than that now that I have had a little bit of practice.
The snow thrower seems well built, and is extremely simple to operate. I liken the use as to using a vacuum. If you can use a vacuum, you can use this device. A lot of people will list the cord has a Con, but using the vacuum metaphor again, it is a lot like using a vacuum in that you just need to be aware of where the cord is, and move it as needed.
It is also light enough that I can lift it (if needed) to get it around our cars to get it out of the back of our garage. That is something I would not be able to do with gas throwers. In calm winds, I can throw about 20 feet (30 if you are pointing straight ahead.
If there is any real fault of this device, it is that it will not really chew up the densely packed snow/ice that the plows leave at the bottom of my driveway. I have actually picked at that stuff with a shovel before I take the thrower to move it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. That is the real reason it gets a 4 starts instead of 5.
Pros:
-Although it is all plastic, it is very well built.
-Great throwing distance.
-Quieter than gas throwers.
-Light enough to lift above your head.
-Crank control for chute (which most single stage gas throwers do not have).
-It is Electric!
Cons:
-Cords can get in the way. Once you are used to using it, this becomes less of an issue.
-Cannot handle dense snow/ice.
Tips if you decide to buy this:
1. Get a really good cord that is long enough for what you need. The cord must be able to handle 12 amps, which means you will probably need to get a 15 amp cord. Also get a cold weather cord, so that it does not become too stiff in the cold weather.
2. Take it especially slow the first few times you use it as this thrower will find every little crack and seam in your driveway. Once you know where these are, you can "float" the thrower over them to avoid the sudden stops.
3. Figure out a good pattern for your driveway. This is actually more important for cord management. I find for me it works really well to do mine in 3rds. I will do the top 3rd all the way across, the move down and do the next 3rd. This away I avoid most possible problems with my cord.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.
