Snow Joe 18 Inch Electric Single Stage Snow Blower, 15 Amp Motor with Headlight - SJ623E

Reviews

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Review AI Summary

Customers find the snow blower performs well for deck and sidewalk work. It can throw snow effectively, especially fresh snow. They find it easy to use and assemble with no tools needed. Many consider it a good value for the money. The weight is also appreciated, making it easy to maneuver.

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  Abacus

  

  Feb 27, 2015

  Boston suburbs in February 2015 and no snow blowers to be found for at least a 200 mile radius, so off to Amazon and discovery of this little worker bee. Prime shipping and its off and running just in time for our second ridiculous storm of the month (about 12"). Driveway is about 150 feet to end, and yes, with a pass during the storm and another two to clean up after this did just fine, in fact so much better than I could have imagined. Yes I admit it was a fun novelty initially, but this thing is so light and easy to use that despite the cold temperatures I really didn't mind clearing the driveway....and the mailbox......and the walkways.... and carrying it through the house to cut a path for the dog in the back yard (crazy pet owners!). So like most folks given the price and the weight the results far exceeded my expectations, and it certainly beat out using a hand shovel. What I loved: - Easy to assemble and use (about 5 minutes from unpacking) - Light enough to move around - This thing can really throw snow, especially when its fresh - You can pick this up and position it into any spot or area you want to clear - It doesn't have a problem clearing a path even if I go on the grass or concrete walkways or pavers - It doesn't get clogged, although I did spray WD-40 on the chute and it does come with a clean-out tool - Get the version with the light - thought this was a "nice to have", but proved invaluable as the sun went down. Really. What I didn't love: - Cords do stink. It takes time to get used to them. Get the winter-rated 15-amp cords. You'll figure out how to efficiently use with cords after some practice. Leaving them to the plowed side after each run seemed to be best, and the heavier cords seem to be more practical in this case. - Doesn't love the wet, brown, heavy mushy muck - seems to create a layer underneath and gurgle out the rest sporadically. Luckily this only occurs where they've over-salted at the end of the driveway. It does ultimately get it, but kinda like sucking the last bit of a drink with a straw..... - It works on ice chunks, but be gentle. I actually had a 5' berm at the end of my driveway at one point thanks to the town plow - mostly ice. This thing ate through it with a little maneuvering, but it is a plastic housing and I'd probably been a lot more aggressive if it was metal. Patience has its virtues. - Not sure how long this will continuously run in one usage - I could actually see the sparks/light from the motor brushes through the blue plastic housing for a large part of my usage. So far so good and we've had a few snows since then. Conclusion: - Great price-value - Light weight (which means transportable if necessary - its about 35 lbs) - Seems to attack everything I've thrown at it this season, and so far here in Boston that's an awful lot.... - It's already paid for itself verses having my driveway plowed. - So, I highly recommend if you don't want to go the way of a two-stage gas powered snow blower

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• 

  ScottoR

  

  Jan 27, 2015

  I bought this back in October, because last year by the time the snow was falling this 15A version was sold out everywhere. A few days ago here on Long Island, NY we had a few inches of snow followed by rain. The snow didn't melt, but just got soaked so it was very heavy. I gave the Snow Joe a try, and was very impressed with its ability to handle it. It didn't throw the wet snow all that far, but far enough to get it off of my one-car driveway. It even ate right through a ~1 ft pile that I'd pushed off of my car. Today was the real test. While the "great blizzard of 2015" didn't really manifest here, we still got about 14" of snow. Unluckily my driveway had a big drift running right down the middle which was about 2.5 to 3 feet high. This was a light, powdery snow. The Snow Joe worked just as well as advertised. The motor didn't struggle at all, even when I shoved it right into the 3 foot pile of somewhat packed plowed snow at the foot of my driveway. It threw snow a good 15-20 feet away. Can't ask for anything better. There are only 2 downsides to this machine, neither of which detracts from my review because they're both obvious: - Managing the cord. I got a nice 100 ft. cold weather 12 AWG cord to use with it. Of course, keeping the cord out of the way can be a pain, especially when it's dragging through big snow drifts. It wasn't terrible, but something to keep in mind. - It's not self-driven. It took a LOT of effort to push it through a foot of snow. Any more than that and I had to take bites out, pushing forward and then pulling back, etc. It's still a heck of a lot easier than shoveling though. The only other possible concern is the amount of power this thing draws. Excepting new construction, most residential branch circuits with receptacles are rated and have overcurrent protection at 15A. Let's say you plug this into an outlet in your garage, but that outlet is on the same circuit as some other lights and miscellaneous stuff. It's quite probable you'll trip the breaker (or fuse). If that's a worry, consider the 13.5A version which will give you some leeway. I'm fortunate to have a subpanel in my garage with multiple, dedicated 20A receptacles for other tools. Why buy this instead of a gas snow blower? For me it came down to 2 things: Maintenance and size. This does not require regular maintenance. No oil, spark plugs or filters to change. It's not that I mind doing that kind of thing, but I don't want to have to remember to do it. The Snow Joe (as with any electric snow blower) is ready to go anytime. When folded up, the Snow Joe is really rather small. I don't have room in my garage for a full-sized gas snow blower. It's also light weight, so I can throw it up on a shelf and keep it out of the way for summer. Yes, a gas blower would (generally speaking) be more powerful and more effective. But we only get a good snowfall around here a few times a year. Since I only have a small driveway and about 80ft of sidewalk and walkway to clear, it's enough for me.

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