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hamsterpower · 03-07-15, 09:49 AM

So I received my new Snow Joe 18 inch, 15 amp electric snow thrower. And just like I had hoped, we have not gotten any snow since. The "bought a new snow blower" insurance plan worked perfectly.
My first impressions of the Snow Joe is I can see why it was so much less costly. The overall design is not as nice as the Toro I have. The handle has two folding joints that seem a bit too flexable and there is no lifting handle. The Toro has a handle behind the throwing chute that is at the balance point so I could easily pick up the whole unit and make passes through larger banks of snow, working top to bottom. I will really miss that on the Snoe Joe. The Toro felt like high quality fiber reinforced (strong) plastic, where the Snoe Joe feels soft. Much softer plastic with thin metal wear plates at certain rub points. The Toro was activated by a long button across most of the handle and was easy to operate with either hand. The Snow Joe has a lever with a safety button on only the right side. You need to depress the button and then pull the lever. I'm sure this will be a challenge with gloves on in the cold and with it only on one side it limits the angles the user can work. Last ly, the Toro had a strong plastic auger the slowly wore away but always made good contact with the pavement. After 5+ years it had certainly worn down but not to where it was a problem by any stretch. The Snoe Joe has a metal auger with a rubber "squeegee" that looks like scrap tire sidewall. I'm not sure how long this will work well. That's all for now, I'll update this when I get to actually use the Snow Joe.

03-07-15, 09:49 AM	#35
hamsterpower Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 142 Thanks: 0 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts	First impression of the Snow Joe. So I received my new Snow Joe 18 inch, 15 amp electric snow thrower. And just like I had hoped, we have not gotten any snow since. The "bought a new snow blower" insurance plan worked perfectly. My first impressions of the Snow Joe is I can see why it was so much less costly. The overall design is not as nice as the Toro I have. The handle has two folding joints that seem a bit too flexable and there is no lifting handle. The Toro has a handle behind the throwing chute that is at the balance point so I could easily pick up the whole unit and make passes through larger banks of snow, working top to bottom. I will really miss that on the Snoe Joe. The Toro felt like high quality fiber reinforced (strong) plastic, where the Snoe Joe feels soft. Much softer plastic with thin metal wear plates at certain rub points. The Toro was activated by a long button across most of the handle and was easy to operate with either hand. The Snow Joe has a lever with a safety button on only the right side. You need to depress the button and then pull the lever. I'm sure this will be a challenge with gloves on in the cold and with it only on one side it limits the angles the user can work. Last ly, the Toro had a strong plastic auger the slowly wore away but always made good contact with the pavement. After 5+ years it had certainly worn down but not to where it was a problem by any stretch. The Snoe Joe has a metal auger with a rubber "squeegee" that looks like scrap tire sidewall. I'm not sure how long this will work well. That's all for now, I'll update this when I get to actually use the Snow Joe.