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

I have previously reviewed this product last month with a 5-star review, but felt compelled to write another review based on the OUTSTANDING performance of this little wonder during one of Boston's largest snowfalls in history this weekend. I live just north of Boston, where we got 36" of snow. I again admit that when I first took the Toro out and the machine sank in the snow so I could no longer see it that I wished I had bought a gas powered snowblower. Was I wrong...again!!! This little machine was able to completely remove all the snow from my 6-car driveway and all walkways. Granted, this machine is not designed for three feet of snow, and I often had to break the piles down with a shovel first. Still, this machine did 90% of the effort. What would have taken me 4+ hours before took 1 hour with this machine. It was funny to watch all my neighbors with their big gas beasts laughing at me when I first took out my plastic snow savior. In the end, I was the one that was laughing since I was done way before they were, and didn't have to deal with the countless stalls my neighbors did (and they have smaller driveways!). I also had a few people walking by asking me about the machine as they have never seen it before. Many people want an electric alternative but think the little Toro can't handle it. Hopefully I was able to change a few minds as well! If this machine can handle 3' of snow, it can do anything. I can't say enough about this machine, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

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After seeing a neighbor use this machine last winter I knew I had to have one. Unfortunately, I couldn't get one at that time since Amazon and other retailers were sold out. Luckily, Amazon re-stocked for the new winter season and I snapped one up.

Let me tell you this thing is money well spent. It cut my snow removal time by about two thirds. What used to take 3 hours I got done in 1 hour. I'll probably get faster with experience. While my other, manual shoveling neighbors were still going at it, I was relaxing in my sweats drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

It handled a 14" inch storm admirably. While rated for 10" it can be pushed into deeper amounts to 'cut' into the snow. For deeper drifts it's light enough to pick up and skim off the top until it's low enough to go at normally. One reviewer said it's not good for taller people because the handle is too low to the ground. I'm the same height as him (6ft) and had no problem with the handle height. The unit is not meant to be used with the handle at the same height as when at rest. It's designed for the handle be held up at such angle so the skid plate underneath glides across the pavement. When used properly, it eats down to the pavement. The wheels on the rear of the unit are only used when backing up the unit...not while going forward. This is all explained in the manual which Amazon links to as a .pdf file (don't you just love Amazon?).

The next storm here in Philly (late Feb, 2005) was a wetter, heavier snow of about 7 inches. I did my front driveway before I went to work - something I would not have considered before since it's at least an hour task. The Toro once again proved its value as I was finished in about 30 minutes. Whole driveway and sidewalk. Threw snow easily across width of my driveway onto garden (about 15 ft).

One minor gripe is that I wish the handle were collapsible for easy storage. The other thing that is a bit of a hassle is electric cord management. 100ft of cord can be cumbersome but, in my opinion, less of a hassle than dealing with oil and gas and maintenance of a gas powered unit. Do yourself a favor and get a cord reel. I picked up a hand reel locally at Wally World for about five bucks. Makes cord management much easier.

Update: January 2010
After 5 years the rotor gave out. Sypmtoms were motor would run but rotor would stop turning when it hit snow. Result = no snow being thrown. On exam, the rotor looked okay but I was able to turn it independent of the rotor shaft which should not be possible. I took the side plates off and removed the rotor. The left side, it is supposed to have 3 bosses (protrusions) that engage the coupler --they were stripped bare. It's easy to see why this would happen: the rotor is plastic and the coupler is metal...metal won out. Unit was easily fixed however with a $25 rotor (delivered price) ordered from Toro's parts website. Note: you will need a 5/16" or 3/8" allen wrench (depending on model year of your 1800) to remove the rotor shaft...that cost about $3 at my local Harbor Freight Tools. My total cost to repair for parts and tools was $28! After 5 years I got off cheap. From stories I've heard I know a gas unit would have set me back at least $150 to repair.

Still 5 ***** stars.

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I just got finished doing 3 houses with this machine. More than 18 inches of snow. Not only that, I was also able to get through the snow piled up by the plow at the end of the driveway. Because the machine is so light I just picked it up and placed on the top of the plowed in pile. The blower cut through the pile from the top down.

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Used this for the first time today: dug my 50' driveway out from 12"-16"of snow (mostly dry, powdery stuff). Am surprised at how strong the motor is. Saved me at least 2 hours of hard shoveling and no strain on my back either. My only nitpick is that it's tricky to tighten down the hood on the exhaust chute to just the right tension, and you have to use tools to make adjustments. The force of the snow kept pushing the hood up so that snow went out at a higher angle than I would have liked. Will need to tighten it down some more after the thrower has dried out. Other than that, the thrower works great: plug it in and go.

Update 12/20/2009: Took it out for the first time this season. It went 10' down the drive and then stopped. Outlet was fine, cord was fine, blower not. I shoveled the drive by hand, ordered a replacement off Amazon, then figured "what the heck, I got nothing to lose at this point" and opened it up. (Note to self: next time, just take off one of the black side panels rather than immediately unscrewing everything holding the big, shiny red cowling on...) I didn't smell or see any melted plastic and all the belts were intact. Then I noticed that the ends of the black wire that connect the motor to the on/off switch in the handle had come unclamped. (smacks head!) I hooked them back up with a new electrical connector, put all the screws and bolts back on, and the thrower fired up just like new and I was able to clear the pile of snow the plows had just deposited at the end of my drive. Lesson learned - sometimes appliances _can_ be fixed by the user.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

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For the size and weight, this is a great snow thrower. It'd take a little longer than the gas type because of the path width. Just used it yesterday with ~6-8 inches of snow with no problem. Great maneuverability, especially if you have walkway with steps.

Just need to learn how to drag the electric cord along. Can use it as though it is a vacuum cleaner.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

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I was skeptical at first but ended up being pleasantly surprised. This little machine does wonders. It plows right through six inches of snow, with no problem. Sure wish I would've had it last month when we received 20 inches. Do yourself a favor and buy this.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

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I bought this machine from Amazon.com and it was delivered just as expected. With free shipping and no tax, Amazon just can't be beat. Assembly wasn't too challenging if you're careful and read the instructions. That took less than an hour. On the first two snowfalls I dealt with both heavy and dry snow less than 4 inches and it worked great. It would be good if the directional crank was higher and easier to reach. Direction is very important as you are also dealing with a cord which takes getting used to. I learned the hard way-DON'T let the cord get caught up in the blades!! It will damage your cord and the cord is very difficult to get off without taking off the blade. That can easily happen in low visiblity situations such as at night and when you try to hurry. Also make sure your driveway is smooth and free of sticks and small obsticles.
The best way to deal with the cord is to go back and forth, continually working away from where the cord is plugged in. On the next snowfall, about 4 inches of dry powder, it was working well until I hit a stick and then a rut where my driveway goes into the street. Well it stopped blowing snow even though the motor still whined.
Upon examination in my garage(with it UNPLUGGED of course)I noticed that the blade was spinning free of the shaft some of the time. The manual was no help at first. With a little thinking I realized that I could fix it by taking off the right side panel and tightening the left handed hex nut so that the shaft would tighten and engage a coupler. This is part of the process to replace the blade. I suspect that the shaft, upon getting an obsticle stuck in the blades, spins, loosing the blade and allowing it to spin free, the design being to protect the components in such a situation. If this is true, it is a very good design, but it should be explained in the manual along with how to retighten it. I'm sure many people wouldn't bother or wouldn't be able to figure it out and would send it right back for a refund or warrenty service and write a bad review. If the problem happens again, I'm sure I can fix it in less than 10 minutes, so I would rate this 4 and a half stars for mechanically-minded people, but only one and a half stars for those who are not. Of course, now that you've read this you know how to quickly fix it and need not to be warned away.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.