A snow blower can help you minimize your time and effort shoveling snow in the blistering cold. Snow blowers easily cut through packed snow and ice, even the tough stuff the plow leaves at the end of your driveway. If you’ve never purchased or used a snow blower before, then buying one can be challenging. To help find the best snow blower for you, we’ve assembled this snow blower buying guide filled with useful advice and tips to keep in mind. We recommend familiarizing yourself with common snow blower terms first, then checking out our tips for choosing a snow blower.
Common Snow Blower Terms
- Auger – Blades, usually metal, on snow blowers that spin and allow it to cut through snow and ice.
- Chute deflector – Found on the top section of the chute, the deflector controls how far you will throw your snow. The deflector can be adjusted up to throw snow farther away or down to throw snow nearby.
- Dual Stage – These snow blowers throw snow twice. This means the auger blades cut through snow and pull it into the impeller, which throws it through the chute.
- Electric Start – No pulling to start. Electric Start means you just need to use the included electric cord to plug the engine into an outlet, then push the button to start the engine.
- Impeller – Located behind the auger, the impeller is a high speed blade system that throws snow up and out of the chute.
- Push Button Chute Control – By pushing a button located close to the hand grips, the operator can easily rotate the chute from left to right.
