by "Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
Published 12/30/2017 at 17:44
by "Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
Published 12/30/2017 at 17:44
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STARS: 0
Full disclosure: the manufacturer wanted me to review this so badly they sold it to my wife for my birthday last year with Amazon as the middle-man. After not getting a review last year they summoned the devil’s dandruff, oh wait that’s a different white powder. Well it snowed yesterday anyway.
The contender: Snow-Joe 40v electric snow thrower.
Hey look; It almost matches my other electrical (partially) contraption.
The battlefield: a slightly over one car wide but fairly long driveway (est about 90-100ft long) a two car parking pad, and a standard width section of sidewalk.
Also showing my non-ecofriendly vehicle to show I’m not electrically biased.
The enemy: About 3.5” of light fluffy snow and a heavy slushy mess left at the end of the drive by the snowplow. Oh, and a decent size pile of leaves I forgot were on a section of drive I don’t typically use.
I was honestly surprised by how well it did especially when faced with the slushy mess at the end of the drive. Even the surprise leaves were cleared no problem.
You have to find a decent pushing speed where the throat stays full for maximum snow throwing ability which took a bit to get used to. Once I did it actually threw snow and slush much further than expected. When trying to clear the last really narrow section the snow barely came out.
It’ll never compete with a gas snow blower, but it sure beats a shovel followed by an hour on a heating pad to soothe my back. Plus, it was bought when I worked an odd shift, and electric was nicer to the two neighbors I like than firing up a gas motor at 2am.
My only complaint is with the battery compartment. It was harder than it needed to be to get the battery in properly and the cover snapped in place for it to operate. If you don’t get it in just right the door won’t close and the battery will come off it’s connection and shut-off the machine.
One positive though is that a single battery was enough to do the whole area.
In conclusion: I’m glad I have it, and I hope I never get enough snow to use it again.
"Little Black Coupe Turned Silver" (littleblackcoupe)
12/30/2017 at 18:39, STARS: 1
My parents got me this for a Christmas present. Hopefully it won’t snow again. I’m on a corner lot, so have approx 100 feet of sidewalk and a driveway to deal with. And about half the sidewalk is literally next to the street (no grass terrace) so it gets a lot of snow plow junk from when the city does the street.
"Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
12/30/2017 at 18:43, STARS: 0
I spent 12 hours driving a plow truck yesterday. I find myself cursing under my breath whenever I see a snowflake.
"Tekamul" (tekamulburner)
12/30/2017 at 19:51, STARS: 0
I bought an 80V/2500W Snow Joe 2 stage this Winter. So far so good. It’s definitely not powerful like my old 9hp Ariens, but it’s also not a loud, dirty, pain in the ass like the Ariens either.
It’s done an 8 inch storm and a couple 3-4 inch falls just fine.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
12/30/2017 at 20:07, STARS: 0
I’ve got a Honda single stage with the 160 engine, surprisingly competent and reliable. It’s good to about 8” after that you can’t take a full swath.
"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
12/30/2017 at 22:08, STARS: 0
Nice Volt. How do you like it?
"Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
12/30/2017 at 22:37, STARS: 1
It’s been great. I initially bought it because I got a job with an almost 100 mile daily commute, and the truck would’ve killed me at the gas pump. Now, I commute 15 miles a day and only use gas when my wife and I take little day trips.
I love how quiet it is. I recently added a cargo mat and somehow it seems to have absorbed some of the road noise.
I do wish it had a backup camera because the rear visibility isn’t great. I may add one this spring.
"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
12/31/2017 at 01:38, STARS: 1
Anyone I have talked to who owns one really likes it. I’m thinking when my car eventually dies, I would like to replace it with a first-gen Volt.
"Kiltedpadre" (kiltedpadre)
12/31/2017 at 16:04, STARS: 0
If mine were to get totaled at some point I’d replace it with another for sure.
I already plan to look at a Gen 2 when it’s time for a replacement. That won’t be for at least 4 more years though. I like the design of the Gen 1 more, but the added electric range would be nice.