That is something I had not considered; though the auger designs are slightly different as well -- the Toro is a smooth arcing helix, while the Snow Joe has the flat section. They may be a bit different size? The base of the Snow Joe chute appears to be hinged for clearing?
Can you link to any review comparisons, please?
[Edit: found one!
http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Joe-622U1...R3BLOJAWECUYN1 ]
The Toro 1800 appears to be revised a bit now. Here's the new version:
(click on image for link)
Here's the older version, which is the one my neighbor owns:
The motor is up from 12A to 15A (which is definitely good!), the handle, cord, chute crank and angle, wheel size, etc. are all revised. I like the lower handle, and it may be that the Toro is much lighter weight. The older part number was 38025, and the new one is 38381.
[Edit: do we know how the Toro connects the motor to the auger? The Snow Joe uses a belt, and several folks mention it as a problem point...
Also, someone mentions that on the SJ you have to push a button and then grab the lever on the handle to start it -- this sounds like an extra step that would be irksome in the long run?]