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

I have never had a snow blower before and did not want anything too complicated maintenance-wise(i.e. gas-powered). The previous reviews on this item were on the mark, this is a good snow thrower for most snowfalls as long as it is not too deep, I would say 6-8 inches is the max of what it can handle on 1 pass, after which you'd have to do a 2nd pass. Very satisfied!Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

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

I had purchased the Toro power snow shovel last year and it worked fine for the light snows we had. This year I purchased this electric Toro because there were no snow throwers left to buy in town and the Toro factory is out of the gas powered big boys until next fall. We have been hammered with major snow accumulation for a month now and I needed somthing to prevent my back from going out. This little thrower has been great and throws even the wet snow. I use it on my one car driveway and my sidewalks. Have to watch the electric cord so as to not run over it, but aside from that, I am so glad I bought it. It has saved my back and neck from lifting and tossing the heavy snow over the growing snowbanks. If I take small swaths there's not much I can't tackle - even the dreaded snow plow wall at the end of the driveway. Toro makes great products. I am buying the Toro gas powered thrower next fall so I'll be ready for anything, but this electric thrower will get me thru this season for sure.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

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

I am glad that I purchased this Toro 1800 electric snow thrower. I read alot of the Amazon.com reviews on it before buying it so that I knew what and what not to expect and what it will and will not do, and as a result it has actually exceeded my expectations. I have done my 50-foot uneven driveway and 75 feet of sidewalk here in Salt Lake City a dozen times now with 3" to 5" of snow and it performed well with zero problems. It really will throw snow well (maybe as far as 30' in ideal conditions, though normal distance is more like 20' --- far enough for my needs). It is lightweight and easy to manipulate and control - and of course it starts every time! - and I have not had any problems with the "small" wheels. I can easily put it on the back seat of my 1993 Toyota Camry. I use a basic 100' orange outdoor extension cord and have quickly learned how to work with it .... and although it does get in the way and I have to keep moving it, I got used to it quickly and it's a small inconvenience compared to maintaining a gas-powered one. Granted, it doesn't have the power to handle bigger depths of snow or heavy wet snow that well, but I didn't expect that. So I am pleased with how it performs, no hassles getting it started or buying gas, no problems with parts (yet), and the money I saved over buying a good quality gas-powered snow-thrower. Also, being smaller and lighter weight, it's easier to store for next winter!
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Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025 Review

Works OK but tends to blow up snow rather than directed where the chute is pointing. Makes for a cold experience as compared to a Honda or similar blower. This seems due to the lack of a secondary blower behind the primary scraper/blower. Very light weight, which is a plus, but the weight of the cord can unbalance the blower.Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

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

I live outside of Chicago and this Winter has been the worst one in recent memory (save one in the 70s where the snow was taller than me). I have been shoveling the snow manually since I have owned my home and often considered a snowblower,but did not want to spend the $700 for a piece of equipment that was bulky (I have back problems) and take up space in the garage that I would probably use 1-2 times per year. But after this year, I relented and decided that I needed to get a snowblower, but was not comfortable with the girth of a gas blower and the responsibility of removing the fuel at the end of the season. So I began to think about an electric one. I did my homework and read some reviews and settled on this one pretty quickly. So I ordered the snowblower and had it delivered to my father's home so that he could deal with the minor assembly. Well he and my sister snickered at the "flimsy" snowblower and when he brought it to me in the backseat of his Nissan Maxima, I was a bit concerned - as it was very light-weight (can easily lift with one hand). I pushed it aside and thought, well I probably just wasted a few hundred dollars. This morning I arose to the reminants of our 20th or 30th snow storm this season. I looked out and thought, I will just drive over it. But once I got to the garage, I realized there was about 4 inches of snow and over a foot at the base of the drive way from the snowplow. I considered shoveling it because quite honestly I was a bit embarrased to bring this little blower out of the garage - given that the cord (I bought a Rigid 12-gauge extreme weather cord from Home Depot) weighs more than the snowblower. But I said well I will try it - even though the snow was on the wet and heavy side. After plugging it in, I was able to do my driveway (24' x 30') in about 10 minutes. It took a little longer to do the mound of snow at the base of my driveway, but another 10 minutes or so and this to was gone. It used to take me nearly 2 hours to do this manually. I cannot say how amazed I am by this thing. It took some getting used to dealing with the cord, but I am so glad that I purchased it! IMPRESSIVE!!!Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.

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

I've had this for two winters now.

I purchased this unit for a couple of different reasons.
1. I don't particularly like gas engine tools.
2. In my neighborhood, the usual snowfall is 1-6 inches.
3. It was cheap. I paid $225 for it here on Amazon in November 2006.

And I would imagine that if you are considering this unit, you don't already own a snowblower, and you are currently shoveling. Let me give you some insight into not only this unit, but making the break into snowblowers in general.

Snowblowers come in two main varieties: Single stage and two stage. A two stage unit has blades to chop up the snow and then an auger to throw it. These units are generally bigger, more expensive, but work in deeper snow and are "heavy duty"

Single stage snowblowers occupy the lower end of the market. They chop and blow the snow at the same time. Their front blades move much faster to do so.

Keep in mind folks, that this is a single-stage snowblower. It is not a self-propelled monster that chops and eats snow for breakfast. And most of the time, it is entirely feasible for me to shovel my driveway, just with more effort and time.

And if I only get 1" of snow on my driveway, you could just leave that and let the sun take care of it, but my wife likes it clean. And with 1" of snow? yep, shoveling is faster than snowblowing with this unit.

On one hand, snowblowing is good in any circumstance because it throws the snow OVER the banks on the side of the driveway, that means they won't be as big, but the banks on the grass will be wider and deeper.

On the other hand, snowblowing makes a big mess, especially if it is breezy. You can't snowblow into the wind. It just makes a cloud and recoats the driveway. But you can always shovel in the wind. I always snowblow first, then come back later and clean up with my shovel.

Also, consider the job you are trying to do. If it is a warm snow, you are going to have an inch or two of slush under the snow. No snowblower is going to do well in that environment. While this Toro unit will throw cold fluffy stuff up to the claimed 30 feet, the slushy stuff is less than 10 feet, if you are lucky! And wet slushy snow will cause the chute to clog a lot.

It does clear my typical snowfall no problem. And I have a 32 foot wide driveway, so I start in the middle and work out. Not all of the snow from the middle makes it to the edge of the driveway and has to be picked up again as I work my way out.

It does have a plastic scrape plate on the bottom and this blower does clean all of the way down to the concrete, which is nice. I guess because it is a single-stage electric, the blade spins really fast and makes quick work of the snow.

I like that it is light. My neighbor has a self-propelled two stage and in a lot of cases, I clear my driveway in half the time he does. I push it around quickly and it doesn't take a lot of work for me.

The worst area of your driveway to clean is at the street where the nice snowplow man has left you an area of thick, slushy, nasty stuff. It is back-breaking labor with a shovel, because it is so heavy and dense. It is also a lot of work for a snowblower. This unit will throw mine okay, but we are only talking about 5-10 feet throw distance for most of it. So, it has to be thrown twice. Sometimes I still shovel some of this because it is faster than slogging away at it with this unit.

So, what do you do when the snow is too deep or too dense to practically get with this machine? I do two things. One, I can "aim high" and not get all of the way to the pavement in one pass, just ride up on top of the lower layer, then come back for the rest. Also, once I have a path, I can nibble at the side, and say, only take half of the width of the mouth or less and it will be okay. But this is only for small areas. If this was the norm, I'd need a bigger unit.

But consider where you live. They say up to 10 inches with this unit, but at 8 inches, it is really working hard. But consider where you live, if you get a 10 inch snowfall once a year, then maybe this unit is for you. You don't need to buy a huge unit for that once a year big snowfall. Get the unit for your normal snowfall and get good value and usage out of it. Don't go buy an SUV because you want to take the kids on vacation in it once a year.

If you live in a place that regularly gets 10 inches or more, this is not the unit for you.

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

PROS: Light and very easy to use ... plug and plow =)
CONS:
- For anything over 5"inches of snow, need to do a 2nd pass ...which is what you expect from this ...
- The only thing that might be bothersome with this is the cord, which most of the time is a lot heavier than the machine. Going back and forth, you always need to adjust where the cord is so that it won't get in your way ...Get more detail about Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025.