Joe's Buying Guide for Snow Blowers
Whether you’ve just moved into your first home, or are seeking to update your old equipment to the latest and greatest in snow removal technology, Snow Joe’s complete line of electric and cordless electric snow blowers, snow throwers and shovels will help you quickly clear driveways, walkways and more. Our electric and cordless electric snow throwers offer many excellent advantages over their gas powered rivals. Two of the best reasons to switch from a gas to an electric unit are noise level and carbon emissions. Electric snow blowers run virtually silent, compared to gas powered snow blowers which are incredible noisy. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, gas powered snow blowers produce around 1 pound of carbon emissions for each hour of use. Switching to power equipment that runs off electricity or lithium ion batteries can make a large impact on reducing your household’s carbon footprint. We’re here to debunk the myth that gas powered snow blowers produce more power and performance than electric and battery powered blowers. All Snow Joe throwers have motors that are 13 amps or higher, and support augers that can clear widths of up to 24 inches and cut depths up to 13 inches. These dimensions allow our units to quickly and efficiently clear average suburban driveways and walkways without any hesitation. Choose a snow blower that best fits your needs by finding out the yearly average of snowfall by city here, then #GoWithJoe!
Types of Snow Blowers
Electric, Cordless + Hybrid Snow Shovels Compact and lightweight, electric and electric cordless snow shovels are the perfect solution to avoiding a sore back and shoulders. They clear light snow fall quickly from decks and walkways, while efficiently moving up to 400 pounds of snow per minute. Snow Joe offers corded, cordless and hybrid models. You can see the iON13SS, one of our popular cordless snow shovels, in action here.
Specs:
- Price range – corded (electric): $99.99 - $299.99
- Price range – cordless (lithium ion battery powered): $129.99 - $299.99
- Price range – hybrid (electric and or battery powered): $269.99 - $299.99
- Average Depth of Snow Cut: 6 inches
- Average Clearing Width: 13 inches
Best For:
- Smaller properties to clear sidewalks and decks
- Light, fluffy snowfall 6 inches or under
- Those looking to avoid the tiring job of manual shoveling
Highlights:
- Compact and lightweight for simple storage
- Ergonomic design to reduce back and shoulder pain
- Comfortable handle that makes clearing snow enjoyable
- Does not incur expensive fuel costs of its gas rivals
- Quiet operation
- Environmentally friendly
- Electric models require a compatible extension cord
- Works best on smooth, paved surfaces
- Should not be used on gravel
Single-Stage Electric, Cordless + Hybrid Snow Blowers Our single stage electric, cordless and hybrid snow blowers are endowed with all the advantages offered by a similar gas powered blower, but with none of the drawbacks! Snow Joe blowers are quiet, environmentally friendly, and start reliably every time without having to fuss with fumes, a cold engine or a finicky starter cord.
Single-stage snow blowers’ augers make contact with the ground of which they are clearing, and therefore should not be used on unpaved or gravel driveways, as they will pick up rocks and fling them through the chute – causing damage to the machine and posing a safety hazard to others. If you live in a suburban area with a one or two car paved driveway, walkway and a patio or deck, a single-stage snow blower should fit your needs. Snow Joe offers corded, cordless and hybrid models. Specs:
- Price range – corded (electric): $129.99 – $299.99
- Price range – cordless (lithium ion battery powered): $329.99 - $499.99
- Price range – hybrid (electric and or battery powered): $399.99
- Average Depth of Snow Cut: 8-12 inches
- Average Clearing Width: 18-21 inches
Best for:
- Medium-sized paved driveways, walkways, decks and patios
- Smaller models thrive in light to moderate snowfall up to 8 inches deep
- Larger models work better in dry or wet snow up to 12 inches deep
Highlights:
- Does not incur expensive fuel costs of its gas rivals
- Hybrid models provide best of both worlds (supporting both corded and cordless use)
- Quiet operation
- Environmentally friendly
- Corded models require a compatible extension cord
- Works best on smooth, paved surfaces
- Should not be used on gravel
Two-stage / Dual-stage Cordless Snow Blowers Two-stage (also known as dual-stage) snow blowers’ augers do not make contact with the surface from which they are clearing snow, unlike their single-stage counterparts, which means two-stage are preferred for use on driveways and walkways that are unpaved or covered in gravel. They are also the most heavy duty snow throwers available, which support wider augers and a higher intake than others, and handle wetter, heavy snow with ease. You can check out the preformance of our iON24SB unit, one of our dual stage cordless blowers, in this video. Specs:
- Price range – cordless (lithium ion battery powered): $599.99 - $899.99
- Average Depth of Snow Cut: 13 inches
- Average Clearing Width: 24 inches
Best for:
- Large driveways
- Snowfall in excess of 8 inches deep
- Wetter, heavy snow
- Unpaved and gravel driveways
Highlights:
- Engine driven wheels to handle uneven terrain
- Moves snow faster and farther than single-stage snow blowers
- Self-propelled
- Greater range of features (explained in next section)
- Does not incur expensive fuel costs of its gas rivals
- Quiet operation
- Environmentally friendly
Snow Blower Features
Look for Snow Joe blowers with the below features to personalize your machine for your exact snow removal needs. 
- Headlights: Snow Joe models with headlights make it easy to see where you are clearing when it begins to get dark earlier
- Electric Start: All Snow Joe models have electric start mechanisms, which replace heavy pull cords found on gas-powered snow blowers, and enable you to get to work with the touch of a button
- Chute Control: All Snow Joe models allow you to rotate the direction of the chute 180 degrees, permitting precise and direct snow throwing when maneuvering curves
- Speed Control:Snow Joe two-stage models with this feature allow for 3 speeds ( 2 forward and 1 reverse) for comfortable use.
Choosing a Snow Blower
Snow cut depth: The intake height of your snow shovel or blower will determine how deep snow accumulation can get before you will not be able to clear it effectively. A smaller intake height may mean that you have to clear your areas multiple times while snow is still accumulating if you experience greater than expected snowfall. Clearing capacity: Electric snow shovels and blowers that are equipped with a wider clearing width will be able to cover the same amount of ground in fewer passes. That translates to less time spent going back and forth on your patio, deck or driveway. However, you should be careful that you are not purchasing a machine whose clearing width may be too wide for you to easily maneuver. Drive system: Snow Joe offers shovels and blowers with two types of drive systems:
- A self-propelled drive system, which requires little to no force from the user to maneuver the unit, aids in propelling the machine forward.
- A manual system, which requires the user to supply some the power needed to keep the machine moving forward, is auger assisted to help push the snow out of the throwing chute.
Purchasing Accessories
Lithium Ion Battery and Charger: Power your cordless tools with our complete line of 40 volt lithium ion batteries that may feature no-fade power for maximum job performance of up to 65 minutes on a single full charge. Universal Protective Cover: Provide all-season protection for your new investment. Our covers are made of heavy duty fabric that won’t shrink or stretch and is water resistant, and shield against dirt, ice, snow, rain, sun damage, tree sap and bird droppings. Extension Cord: Our extension cords are designed to withstand the toughest elements. Each cord’s outer jacket provides superior resistance to oil, grease, moisture and abrasion is extremely flexible. Made from PVC, our ETL and OSHA rated cords can weather temperatures from a below freezing -40°F to 140°F. Multiple choices of vibrant colors makes them easy to identify during use. Clean Out Tool: Keep your chute clean and your hands clear! The Snow Joe Universal Clean Out Tool is designed to help remove snow build-up in your electric snow thrower’s chute. It also comes with a universal mount specially designed to fit most gas and electric snow throwers. Download a PDF version here
