Snow Joe SJ627E Electric Walk-Behind Snow Blower

This is the second time I've had to use this snow thrower. The first was a big snow storm in NYC, that delivered about 10-12 inches of snow. This easily handled that snowfall. I own a Toro 1800, that Is over 15 years old and still works great. However, it's about 12 Amps, 10 inches depth with 18 inch width. During that December snowfall, I started with the Toro to see how it's fare. It was tough going, barely making a dent in the snow, especially with snow drifts. Then I switched to this Snow Joe, and it handled the snow much more easily. Man, was I glad I purchased this just before the snow fell. (Talk about luck, it actually arrived the night before the storm.) So, I was very happy with every aspect of this snow thrower. Fast forward to the Nor'easter that brought massive snowfall to NYC again. Started Sunday and ended Tuesday morning. In my neighborhood, it measured 18.5 inches. Plus some rain/sleet that fell on top of that level of snow. So the snow was that heavy wet kind. I won't lie and say this was as easy as the December snow clearing. I would clear about a foot or two, then go back and clip off snow, about 1/4 - 1/3 from the side of the snow thrower opening. This would break the snow 'wall' and the blades would funnel the wet snow into the output tube. It handled the job. It certainly saved my back. I did have to use more effort pushing the thrower, since the snow was not fluffy, and offered considerable resistance. Before I purchased this machine, I considered a gas powered snow blower. The cost was significantly more, which was expected. I was considering a 2 stage unit, so that I could avoid the gas/oil mixture, and just use gas. it's louder, heavier and takes more space. Since I had reasonable success with my older Toro, I figured that a more powerful version should suffice. For this snow, would the Toro have been useful? Not really, because it struggled with the December snowstorm. Would the gas powered machine have handled this snowstorm? Of course. A neighbor has one, and he slowly progressed without hesitation. This Snow Joe snow thrower, with some strategic tactics, ably handled the job. It might have done the job in 1/2 the time, possibly even more. In previous years, for a storm like this (maybe 8 inches or more, that would tax the Toro), I'd use a shovel to clear the snow. I recall one storm where it took over 6 hours to complete the job (Besides clearing my own driveway,sidewalk and walkway, I clear 3 of my neighbors' sidewalks and walkways, and one elderly couples driveway, just in case of emergency). I've attached some photos of the Snow Joe against the backdrop of the snow, some shots of sidewalks that I cleared. There's also a side by side photo of the Snow Joe and my trusty old Toro. Overall, this is a great machine. I was actually surprised how well it handled these two snowstorms. Again, today's use was no walk in the park. It required effort and took time. However, tonite my back feels normal, no aches or pains. I'm sure the job was completed in much less time that manually shoveling. For a price that is about 1/3 the cost of the gas powered machine, it's a considerable value/cost effective. If I thought we were going to have snowstorms in excess of 20 inches with regularity, I would consider purchasing a 2 stage gas powered snow blower. But, realistically, this Snow Joe snow thrower should ve a very credible and capable performer for the majority of snow events. I feel this machines merits a solid 4.75 star rating, with a very high level recommendation.