Snow Blower Equipment

Review by Thomas W. Everett : Toro Power shovel disappointing

first of all, let me say it works just fine; throws the snow a good ways. it's a truly "plug and play" product. BUT-for me there are 2 things that i was disappointed with: 1. you have to hold the top button down constantly to keep the power on-it really needs a lock like many other appliances have so you can lock it on to "on" and just pull the trigger to make it go. that gets very tiring on your hand 2. it is non directional. it throws the snow-straight ahead. no way to turn it like on a regular snow blower. this made it so i have to retrace my steps and always head in the same direction. finally, i'd love to see it come in a rechargeable battery format. Like the small vacuum cleaners do. it would be great not to have the wire to deal with.

Review by Linda Claussen : Toro Power Shovel

This product was purchased for my 82 yr. old mother who has back problems and can't shovel snow. Living in Indiana shoveling snow is a part of the winter season. She has used the shovel several times since receiving it and has only good things to say about it. She is most impressed with the ease of use and the thorough cleaning the shovel does and that she does not have to lift and toss the snow after it is on the shovel as in past years. We would recommend this Toro Power Shovel to anyone with back problems and a willingness to shovel when there is not more than 2" on the walk.

Review by Grandpa Dallas : Time saver, back saver.

This great tool reduced the time it takes to clear our deck after a heavy snow from 1 1/2 hour to 10 minutes. Wonderful time saver and especially wonderful for elderly who have decreased endurance.

Review by Sky : Dig It

If you go to Target, Home Depot or any of the other big chains that sell the Toro Electric Shovel you will probably find the same thing that I did...that it is SOLD OUT. Why? Because this is one of the most helpful tools to have ever been placed on the market. It works fairly well on small driveways; don't forget to pick up a nice long outdoor-use electric extension cord. And use this only on paved surfaces...no loose gravel! But the real benefit of this tool comes with walkways and DECKS. If you've got a large driveway, pass on this and go for something with a little more power. If you've got a decent size walkway, you'll love this. It clears the snow with ease and it will last forever; my father-in-law has had his since the early 90s. If you have a deck with a railing, and your deck isn't covered so it builds up with snow, the Toro Electric Shovel will become your best winter friend. The snow is propelled a good 25 feet and easily clears deck railings. Just don't shoot the snow into the wind (duh). No more throwing out your back from lifting heavy snow over railings with this baby. No matter where you use this...a word of advice: Try not to let the snow get deeper than about 6". Yes, that means you might have to go out a couple of times. But c'mon...it's fun! The Toro still works in deep snow, but it really isn't designed for it. Any deeper than about 6" and you'll need to "shave the top of the snow accumulation," and you might as well not have the electric shovel for the effort that takes. Happy snow season!

Review by csciguy : Handy little thrower

Ready to go out of the box. The unit can be a bit misleading with how to properly operate it. From the primary picture here at amazon (look at the second picture, this is the position in which the unit should be operated) and the lack of a picture in the owners manual, you can easily (as I experienced) have the unit upside down when trying to operate it. If you do this, you'll experience what the 1 star review says happened to them. Snow everywhere. Once I figured that out and flipped the unit right side up, this little thrower has plenty of power and chews right through the snow on my deck. It doesn't appear to scratch the deck either. I'm very pleased with this purchase.

Review by Joshua Mortenson "shuamort" : Shovel enhancer and not always a replacement

This is a great product that I've used for the last 4 heavy Minnesota snowfalls. Here are some basic notes: 1)It works best in wetter snow. That snow that is heavy to lift and push with a traditional shovel is where this product shines. 2)It works OK in drier snow. Make sure you know which way the wind is blowing as even a tiny breeze can blow it right back into your face as this only shoots the snow in the direction it's pointed (vs a tradional snowblower). 3)You'll need a good extension cord. This unit has a snag which holds the cord in place and actually is quite good. However, dealing with an extension cord means that you'll have to do a little bit of pre-planning as for a route. You don't want to shovel over the cord, nor do you want to face the wind, nor do you want the cord dragging through the snow and causing more of a mess. After a couple uses, I got the hang of it. 4)This is a kid friendly product (with supervision, of course). Our 7 year old girl and 9 year old boy wanted to try it out and they had little problem holding both buttons and cleaning the sidewalk. 5)The best way I've found to use this product is to use it as a vacuum cleaner. Short strokes forward and then side to side due to the fact that it shoots the snow forward. 6)Best of both worlds when it comes to stairs, an easy lift and blow. 7)I called this a shovel enhancer as there's one part where it just doesn't work that well. You know when you've just been dumped upon by the snow gods and you have lots of foot or car traffic? That part of the snow where it's compacted and becomes that horrible ice? That's where you'll still need an ol' fashioned shovel as this one doesn't do much. All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase. We live on a corner lot and it has a lot of sidewalk and a smallish driveway. Last year, my back was aching after shoveling, but this power shovel has helped in getting the job done without that pain. If there were a wider version sold by Toro (let's say 2 feet) that didn't signifcantly increase weight, I would upgrade immediately. Other than that, this is a great, surprisingly solid, device.