Testing out the difference between a battery powered 2 stage snowblower and a gas powered 2 stage snowblower Link to Powersmart 80v 24” Snowblower bit.ly/3YmH688
Apparently this company is sending this battery powered toy out to all the outdoor channels. Just saw a review of one the other day in several inches of wet snow it was about helpless. We use our snowblower in deep heavy snow and need the power to move it. Other than hand tools battery power has a way to go before it's going to be practical for those who actually depend on their equipment. Turn the fuel shutoff to off and run the snowblower out of gas and you'll have no problem starting next year. I wouldn't be too sure about that battery being ready to go after sitting for a year and get your checkbook out if you need a new one.
On the plus side, if you also get a mower that takes the same battery, then you have batteries for both units to use in summer and winter. I did that with Toro, had the FedEx delivery guy asking me why I got a snow thrower in September... for the second battery needed to mow my whole yard at my new house. Barely used the snow thrower yet, it is their single stage, but was impressed with the wet 2-3" of snow. My driveway just fits 2 cars down it, and have a small walk to the house, it had no problem. I'm in Northeast Ohio.
A couple weeks ago, we received a 10 inch snow that basically consisted what I call typical snow, not real heavy. The neighbor behind me purchased a so called bad ass battery powered unit. Well, It handled the 10 inches, but it was not able to clear all of his drive and walkway. His driveway is 30 feet wide and 70 feet to the road. He has two walkways that are 3 feet wide and total 20 feet in length. That is 2280 sq feet. He started with the sidewalks and ran out of power about a little less than half the driveway. I helped him to finish it. 2 Days later we got 8 inches. I cleared my area of 3600 square feet and his 2280 with one tank of gas (3 quarts) and 2.5 hours of running time. So, I'll keep my gas powered. By the way, my unit has 13.5 HP 30 inch width. Throws the snow 50 feet.
Hey Adam you did a great job on that review. No BS, no bashing, Just supplying all of your viewers with good helpful information. Two big thumbs up for me bud.
Hey Adam - love the channel. I got my first electric snowblower last year (Ego) brand. We just love it. For all the reasons you mentioned about battery devices. The two that really stand out is the instant start and the noise. SO often I have fought with our gas snowblowers at the beginning of or during the season to get them started after sitting - NEVER an issue with electric. We have the smaller series blower and with a single charge I can do 4 driveways in our neighborhood. And because I use other EGO gear (blower,, chainsaw, mower), I have many batteries so I could basically run all day...we have been moving away from all things gas, and could not be happier.
The truth is in consumer demand. Most people cannot or don’t maintain power equipment. You and Doug and me can keep a gas powered snowblower going for 25 years (that’s only about 200-300 hours.) Most suburban consumers run it the first year fine. Year two it acts funny and they run it on half choke. Year 3 it doesn’t work and the box store they bought it from doesn’t do service. They can’t get it to a repair shop in their Prius, so the repair shop has to transport and repair at $60-$90 per hour plus parts. Hundreds of dollars later they are back on the same 2 season cycle. “This thing is a piece of junk,” they say, and get another one. Electric is the answer for the suburban consumer in a development. And there are a lot more of those type of consumer than there are the mechanically inclined consumer. The manufacturers know this and market to it. Electric is the future. There will still be strong, higher end gas powered units for the mechanically inclined with larger, rural properties. But the bulk of sales will be in electric within 10 years.
Great presentation. I appreciate your honesty, thoroughness, and for touching all of the bases that really matter. More companies should be sending you their products. Even though the strengths are shared along with any weaknesses, the accuracy of your appraisal drives you to really want one anyhow. Great job.
Great video! I have the battery operated Toro and love it! I considered getting the Power Smart blower, but I wanted to support my local dealer. The two batteries for the Toro last around 45 minutes or so, which is plenty of time to clear my driveway and sidewalks (including the plow berms). Charging takes about 4 hours. The main reason I went with the battery operated is the maintenance, which is literally one thing. I have to take the wheels off at the end of the season and grease the axles.
Another great video I love this channel - the addition of Doug was a nice bonus - maybe not for him as he was doing the hard work of shoveling... I sold my near new Yardmachine 26 inch snow blower in November and went out and purchased an EGO two stage snow blower. The $1,650 price tag was tough to swallow but selling my old machine for $500 helped. I live just outside of Minneapolis Minnesota and we get bitter cold and some good amount of both wet snow and powder. My battery powered machine does a better job than my old ICE snowblower. It is quieter (sounds a bit let a jet engine but quieter than the ICE machines) and so much easier to run and operate that I felt comfortable giving some lessons to my 11 year old son on the EGO. The added bonus for me is the EGO battery fits the rest of the EGO family -my lawn mower, my Chainsaw, my weed whipper - a second weed whipper I converted over to a brush removal BEAST, my hedge trimmer and my leaf blower all use the same battery design. So the $1,650 with two 7.5AH batteries and the rapid charger suddenly looks like a more favorable purchase.
Good video, but I wonder about you commenting that the gas machine has higher torque. Here is my experience... I built an electric VW Rabbit for highway use. There is no clutch. I don't usually use first gear, but just to see if I could burn rubber, I put it in first, and floored it. There was so much torque that the aluminum wheels spun inside of the rubber tires. Tires were inflated to 40 psi. They spun, broke the bead, and went flat. No real harm done. Just needed to reinflate.
I have a corded Toro electric snow blower and I have to say it is a tiger! Even handles the heavy wet snow that the plow puts into the driveway when the roads are cleared. I buried it in snow that was 2 feet deep, and it just keeps going. Its light enough to be operated on the side and do stairs. Great video thumbs up.
This winter stinks! Only got one session on my pond in the woods this December and I haven’t even hit the slopes yet! Might have to fly out west with my squad this spring if it keeps up like this! Snowblower…who needs one!
That’s what I like about my Ariens snowblower…. When the drive is not engaged… it freewheels beautifully… but my 20 year old Craftsman (sold it) was a pain because the wheels would lock like yours did. I really think the battery units are okay for light snow but not heavy snow… like when the plow leaves a huge berm in front of your driveway
Nice comparison, I had a Gas Powered 5 HP Dual Stage Snowblower. I found that Tire Chains made a huge difference in the traction which made handling it a lot easier. It would walk through snow on its own or with very little effort. So Tire Chains might help either one propel through the snow especially if it’s deeper.
I have a 24" 60v toro 2 stage blower and it has handled several historic blizzards in Buffalo. The only thing holding it back was traction when the dense packed snow was higher than the 20" auger opening. Over 3 feet in some areas. It'll chew up practically solid ice, never stalls. Cannot understate the torque. It will run for about 45 minutes with 3 6AH batteries.
Regardless of which you own, both need a snow canopy. It means the difference from just being cold to totally sucking. Ever since I installed the plastic snow canopy, I haven’t dreaded snow blowing.
I had an Ego single stage blower and it worked great for my residential driveway. Only reason I don't still use it is because I moved and I have a tractor now. Interchangeable batteries are great, too. Power everything from a little 150 watt inverter to the zero turn with the same batteries.
I've got the PowerSmart. It has its pluses and minuses. We got about 8" to 10" of Sierra snow yesterday and I have a 3,300+sqft funnel shape driveway. It took me about four hours to clean with 6 battery changes. I also have four batteries and two chargers. I don't have a gas so I can't compare it to that, but I think I am satisfied with the cordless.
This is the third electric snowblower review in the past week I have seen from other homestead channels. I guess with the snow nationwide it is the theme of the week. Last week everyone was doing portable battery stations.
Very thoughtful comparison. I think with our Maine winters I would stick with the gasoline power, however, I see where the electric could have its place with lighter snowfalls. Also may be good for people who care about weight and convenience features. I guess I am old school. Plus I already have too many battery powered tools to charge. Haha. I fear too many battery replacements down the road. 👍
10:38 I think we have a winner, I have one of those "snow plow" shovels too... LOL you should have reviewed that shovel. These days when there is only a few inches of snow, I just use that shovel or push the snow into piles and use my snow blower to move the piles. They make the snow plow in various widths up to 4 FT .
also with dry fluffy snow an inch or less it's also not a fair comparison for battery endurance time wise. I'd bet with 5 or 6 inches of regular wet snow you wouldn't get anywhere near the time or distance length of the battery
The only non-electric yard tool I have left is my three year old Toro gas snowblower. I have an urban lot in Minneapolis, MN, and the electric stuff more than handles it. I want to with the snowblower and go electric. Next year for sure.
I liked the comparison. I would still prefer a gas job. One you can fix them and you don't have to wait for a charge. Electric definitely has its place. Don't mind the haters here today. Perhaps they just got their periods. Keep doing what your doing buddy.
Wow sounds like a few folks must have had fish hooks and razor blades in their oatmeal. Personally I find all of Adams videos helpful and informative. Keep in mind it was a simple comparison put out there so we can make our own decisions. Let’s face it a Tesla or and electric pickup truck isn’t going to win any distance races. As a country, we have a long way to go technically speaking to get a car that can go 1500 on a single charge. It going to be quite a while before the combustion engine is gone. Personally I think battery powered stuff is pretty cool. We have an Ego mower, not self propelled that can just about so our 15,000 square foot yard on one charge. The nice thing is, if you want to go out on a Saturday morning without waking anybody up at 6 o’clock to mow you can do it. Keep the blade sharp and your good to go. When the battery dies we just plug it in and do other things in the yard or go in and take a break if it’s hot. See you in the next installment.
Thanks Jim, yeah I wasn’t trying to sell anybody anything. I know people out there want to see the difference between the 2 and thought it would be an interesting video. Glad you saw it that way
Thank you for taking the time to review that option for your viewers. It definitely seems to be application specific in terms of where the battery option would do well.
As a x rescue diver and certified ice rescue person I would like to see some safety equipment around your pond A life ring with rope to throw to somebody in case they should go through the ice they make a cross that you can lay on the ice to spread your weight out to help rescue somebody I watch a lot of your videos so I know you are about safety specially with your kids i’m not criticizing I’m just pointing out some things you may not have given a thought to we never want anything bad to happen to our kids
Interesting comparison. You have 2 dark strips that represents the gas powered which appears to have scraped the snow off the ice better. Also you included the 2 passes of the gas blower in with the amount of time the EV unit lasted.
The weight of the gas machine leaves a cleaner swath on the ice. The other issue with a battery one is battery longevity. Batteries don't like to sit idle for 9 months of the year, so you hopefully they have a lawn mower which will work with it...
When I was a kid we always hand shoveled off the pond. One time when we had about 18" of heavy snow. A proud neighbor used his snow blower. He went to close to the outflow and his heavy blower went through the ice That was the only time a machine was used.
I thought the bonus footage would have Doug getting blasted with some snow in the face! It is good to see you getting some use out of the pond this winter, with this mild winter we’re having.
Totally agree, but what has happened for us is now that we have a number of devices that use the same battery platform, I am able to do any job continuously (snowblowing, chainsawing, mowing) as by the time I drain my last battery, at least one of my others is charged again...and round and round I go.
When batteries useful life are long over an old 1970's Airens is still out throwin' snow. Energy density and usefull life span is seemingly overlooked, yet our government intervention ie: mandates in California is skewing technology driven advances, if there is mandated money, what will drive change? You need a free market imho. If and when the free market dictates that battery electric is the best option consumer purchasing will obsolete gas driven technology. Untill that crossover point innovation will have to improve based on cost and lifecycle. Imho we have a long ways too go yet and have several unexplored ways to get to a better life.
Same as my neighbor's battery Ryobi lawnmower 1/2 a lawn. Not a big fan of ice you can't hear the ice with blowers running. Stay safe. 👊👍 Swap gas motor with the electric features.
I have an ego 2 stage blower and would not go back to gas. Granted I am just cleaning around the house and car but it has handled 12" snow no problem. My bigger areas get the snow plow or tractor.
I have the Toro 60v with three 7.5ah batteries it shines in powder, even up to 6 inches. Wet heavy snow and Gas all the way. Battery is tough to beat for early clean ups before work. Heavy and deep is tractor time
To find what ones impeller spins faster you can spin the impeller and see how many times the impeller has to spin for one auger rotation.... like the gear ratio in a truck....
I have a Ryobi electric lawnmower. Absolutely love it, for several reasons. It carries two 40v batteries. When one dies, the mower quits and I just switch to the other one. I can put the dead one on the charger for 40-45 minutes while I run the second one out (not long enough for a full charge but gives an additional 15 minutes runtime if I need it to finish up.) For that reason, I recommend a 2-battery set-up. (Also recommend paying attention to the battery warranty. Two new 40v batteries with a charger is $350 last I looked. Ryobi's is 5 years.) But I hesitate to get an electric snow blower. What happens when the battery runs out? Does the blower just quit like a mower, with a load of snow packed in the augur, or does it force a clean out somehow before shutting down? If it's heavy, wet stuff, it could be dangerous if it takes awhile to recharge and is too heavy/frozen to clear out on its own when re-started. I appreciate your review but, as you mentioned, not an adequate test for significant inches of heavy snow. It only happens a handful of times a year where I live but when it does, I need the power and duration that my 8hp Tecumseh gives me. (Btw, I bought that blower in 1985, never have done any engine or carburetor work, not even taking the bowl off. Starts first or second pull every time. Treating the gas after winter, and shutting the gas off after every use to let the engine kill seems to be the key. The wheels roll forward in neutral, too.)
I asked the same thing… apparently there was a pretty good wind coming across the dam of the pond which carried the snow. So blowing it the other direction… would have caused it to blow back the other direction.
Electric is cool and quiet is nice, but it wouldn’t do all my property on a charge. My guess is battery life would be less if the snow was deeper or wetter due to more load on the machine. How does the impeller diameter compare? RPM is one thing, but snow leaves the impeller with linear velocity, and is directed by the chute. Larger diameter = higher “tip speed” even if the RPM are the same. That means higher velocity for the snow, and could equate to the larger throw distance. That gas unit is also low grade. My Ariens operates like the electric. You can fully control the chute at the dash, and can keep everything engaged with one hand. I’d like to see the electric up against a big name top performing machine like Ariens. Finally, machine weight is an advantage in deep heavy snow. Gives it more traction and ooomph. The downside of course is ease of maneuverability, as you pointed out. Great assessment overall. Perfect for a small residential driveway application, but not for everyone.
Your gas snowblower could likely benefit from an impeller kit. This will close up the gap between the impeller and the housing. It really helps through the snow farther and prevent the chute from clogging when blowing wet snow.
One thing to consider is that lithium batteries don’t like single digit temperatures and they really dislike below zero temperatures and that makes a huge difference in run time.
@@robk1310 you clearly don't know what you're talking about. The batteries go right into the blower and while in use stay at a very ideal temperature. If they are worked particularly hard they will actually be warm when done with the job.
It looks like the gas powered blower picked a little more snow than the electric - you could see the two passes separately - and could see your steps in them. Was that the case or did it just seem that way on the camera?
Sorry, bud. But engine maintenance isn't the only thing to do on a snow blower. What about the augers and axles? Battery blowers do not need their augers and axles greased/lubed?? What about rust-proofing? Are not the handle bars, bucket and augers on your battery machine made of metal? And yeah, the battery units can chuck some powder. (As you fairly mention). But try living in a place that gets 12-20" of wet snow, and then taking your toy battery unit into a 3-1/2 foot end-of-the-drive berm created by snowplows. (You mentioned this as well, but briefly.). Myself? I want a machine that handle it all. Just like I want a car or truck that can drive 400-500 miles until I hit another gas station. All of that said, your video was informative and well done, and may help some people who are bent on the "Greenery". :)
GAS for now! Living in Michigan i'm not able to blow 4+ inches of snow with the electric when it's thick wet snow. But i use a Honda on tracks and it rocks
what's the cost of the units and the costs of the batteries and how long to charge if you don't have more than 1 battery and what are the cost of the battery?
The cost is listed on their site as 949.99 with a special for 749.99 and comes with 2 year warranty also replacement batteries will cost you 270.00 each.
But when the electric one runs out of juice you are done and have to charge the battery. When the gas burner runs out, of juice, you pour some in the tank and keep working. 😛
I got my electric powered snow thrower last year it's an E60 vote I got it for clearing my wheelchair ramp which is 75' long it's not a self propelled machine you'll have to push it along but I've had clear A foot of snow just as well as I need to know half a snow the big difference that I find if it's slushy wet snow then yes it doesn't throw it as fire but yet enabled To get to the plow truck during snowstorms without having someone come and trouble my 75' of wheelchair ramp
At the end of the day, if a battery operated snow-blower can't finish the job - without having to stop half way through to recharge, it's useless to me! My time is precious! I have a JD x748: with a 47" 2-stage snow-blower; that doubles as a 54" lawnmower, in summer. I bought this unit, with a trade off of a similar specced x540. The x748 has a 3-cylinder water-cooled Yanmar diesel (WITH hydraulic 4wd) and the x540 was a 2 cylinder, water cooled Kawasaki, with 2-wheel drive. The gas engined tractor could do (nearly) as much work as the diesel, on TWICE(?) the fuel consumption. I'm just shy of 12,000ft2 that I clear in winter. With the gas, or diesel engined variant, I could clear that on less than a tank full of fuel... And, even if I had to fuel, it took me all of 5 minutes to fill their fuel tanks. I'm not opposed to 'alternative' fuel usage, but it HAS to be cost effective!!! I'm not opposed to an electric vehicle: actually, for the most part, I'd be a perfect candidate; because I live 6/10ths of a mile from where I work HOWEVER; sometimes, we go on road trips to surrounding cities, for some reason or other. In petroleum powered vehicles: I never worry ('cuz it takes 5 minutes to refuel and refuelling stations are handy!) but; in EV's I'd be charging nearly as much as I was working!
It's clear that you do not like the gas-powered machine but you neglected to point out the negatives of electric. It looked as if you had a spare 80 volt battery, how much was that thing? Also you mentioned that they only get used to handful of times and sit the rest of the time which means that battery probably isn't going to last very long before it will no longer take a charge. You also made it seem like every snowblower has a clogged carburetor but that's a maintenance issue that is 100% on the owner if they don't know how to maintain their machine. Will that battery-powered snowblower be around in 20 years and will you be able to get batteries for it that are probably only going to last a few years, I doubt it but I guarantee that gas-powered one will still be working perfect in 20 years.
Curious what the battery charge time is and price? You're right, in certain smaller task applications most battery operated property maintenance items will be a good option.
HAHAHAHAH Chris in the Wood Yard just did the same Comparison. He was not impressed in the Least. Took it home to see if His Wife would Use it around his house. Thanks Adam.. Mike M.
engineering explained, the ultra nerd, did a video on energy density of chemical batteries vs hydrocarbon fuels like gasoline. its not even close. i like electric stuff, i have an electric chain saw, but its not even comparable to a 2 cycle gas one ;) i have a gas one which is the go-to for heavy work. trimming branches, cutting up pallets etc the electric one is great. its just energy density of the power source
What electric saw? Greenworks now has a 3.4kW electric saw(almost 5HP equivalent), I have their first Gen 80V pro that is better than a stihl MS170(sold it a while after I got the greenworks).
I'm certain my next mower and snowblower will be electric models that share a battery. That said, gas power equipment can last for decades when maintained properly. The electric equipment can too as long as the batteries can be replaced.
The gas powered blower cleared better than the electric one. I can still see where you used the gas powered blower in the background at 12.05 minutes into the video. You did a 2 way with the electric, a 2 way with the gas powered and than, ran down the battery on the electric. The darker line produced by the gas powered blower is still visible. Darker means less snow left, more snow cleared. Maybe the height is adjustable in the blowers, I do not know. For the question that remains could you have cleared the pond on a single tank of fuel vs. the electric. The electric clearly could not clear the pond, and without an extra battery you would need to recharge. I am sure that recharging a single battery takes longer than refilling a single tank tank of fuel.
It sounds to me like you only had the throttle half way on the gas powerd snowblower, that's why it was only blowing the snow half as far as the electic was.Try testing both gas,and electric in deep wet slush and see what the results are,and also open the throttle full on the gas blower LOL
I appreciate the review. However you didn't mention how that battery will be flat-out useless in a few years if you don't maintain it properly. Just like a gas powered engine can have challenges if also not maintained well. However that battery is $299 which is half the cost of an equivalent gas-powered snow thrower and you already paid $1000 for the electric snow thrower originally! If not for free, and buying for your home as a single unit, you would never buy that thing.
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Apparently this company is sending this battery powered toy out to all the outdoor channels. Just saw a review of one the other day in several inches of wet snow it was about helpless. We use our snowblower in deep heavy snow and need the power to move it. Other than hand tools battery power has a way to go before it's going to be practical for those who actually depend on their equipment. Turn the fuel shutoff to off and run the snowblower out of gas and you'll have no problem starting next year. I wouldn't be too sure about that battery being ready to go after sitting for a year and get your checkbook out if you need a new one.
On the plus side, if you also get a mower that takes the same battery, then you have batteries for both units to use in summer and winter. I did that with Toro, had the FedEx delivery guy asking me why I got a snow thrower in September... for the second battery needed to mow my whole yard at my new house. Barely used the snow thrower yet, it is their single stage, but was impressed with the wet 2-3" of snow. My driveway just fits 2 cars down it, and have a small walk to the house, it had no problem. I'm in Northeast Ohio.
I think this was a great comparison video! I'm so glad you gave us the bonus footage! 💞👍 God bless y'all!
A couple weeks ago, we received a 10 inch snow that basically consisted what I call typical snow, not real heavy. The neighbor behind me purchased a so called bad ass battery powered unit. Well, It handled the 10 inches, but it was not able to clear all of his drive and walkway. His driveway is 30 feet wide and 70 feet to the road. He has two walkways that are 3 feet wide and total 20 feet in length. That is 2280 sq feet. He started with the sidewalks and ran out of power about a little less than half the driveway. I helped him to finish it. 2 Days later we got 8 inches. I cleared my area of 3600 square feet and his 2280 with one tank of gas (3 quarts) and 2.5 hours of running time. So, I'll keep my gas powered. By the way, my unit has 13.5 HP 30 inch width. Throws the snow 50 feet.
what gas powered unit do you have? i am looking for one and want to get a good one, thanks
@@toddborron6239 DR Power Pro 30XL.
Hey Adam you did a great job on that review. No BS, no bashing, Just supplying all of your viewers with good helpful information. Two big thumbs up for me bud.
I agree!! 👍
Always fun watching you and Doug doing things together ❤😊
Hey Adam - love the channel. I got my first electric snowblower last year (Ego) brand. We just love it. For all the reasons you mentioned about battery devices. The two that really stand out is the instant start and the noise. SO often I have fought with our gas snowblowers at the beginning of or during the season to get them started after sitting - NEVER an issue with electric. We have the smaller series blower and with a single charge I can do 4 driveways in our neighborhood. And because I use other EGO gear (blower,, chainsaw, mower), I have many batteries so I could basically run all day...we have been moving away from all things gas, and could not be happier.
The truth is in consumer demand. Most people cannot or don’t maintain power equipment. You and Doug and me can keep a gas powered snowblower going for 25 years (that’s only about 200-300 hours.) Most suburban consumers run it the first year fine. Year two it acts funny and they run it on half choke. Year 3 it doesn’t work and the box store they bought it from doesn’t do service. They can’t get it to a repair shop in their Prius, so the repair shop has to transport and repair at $60-$90 per hour plus parts. Hundreds of dollars later they are back on the same 2 season cycle. “This thing is a piece of junk,” they say, and get another one. Electric is the answer for the suburban consumer in a development. And there are a lot more of those type of consumer than there are the mechanically inclined consumer. The manufacturers know this and market to it. Electric is the future. There will still be strong, higher end gas powered units for the mechanically inclined with larger, rural properties. But the bulk of sales will be in electric within 10 years.
That is both the funniest and most accurate story ever told about small lawn equipment.
Great presentation. I appreciate your honesty, thoroughness, and for touching all of the bases that really matter. More companies should be sending you their products. Even though the strengths are shared along with any weaknesses, the accuracy of your appraisal drives you to really want one anyhow. Great job.
Great video! I have the battery operated Toro and love it! I considered getting the Power Smart blower, but I wanted to support my local dealer.
The two batteries for the Toro last around 45 minutes or so, which is plenty of time to clear my driveway and sidewalks (including the plow berms). Charging takes about 4 hours.
The main reason I went with the battery operated is the maintenance, which is literally one thing. I have to take the wheels off at the end of the season and grease the axles.
I was surprised at the power of the battery model. Thanks for the video
Another great video I love this channel - the addition of Doug was a nice bonus - maybe not for him as he was doing the hard work of shoveling...
I sold my near new Yardmachine 26 inch snow blower in November and went out and purchased an EGO two stage snow blower. The $1,650 price tag was tough to swallow but selling my old machine for $500 helped. I live just outside of Minneapolis Minnesota and we get bitter cold and some good amount of both wet snow and powder. My battery powered machine does a better job than my old ICE snowblower. It is quieter (sounds a bit let a jet engine but quieter than the ICE machines) and so much easier to run and operate that I felt comfortable giving some lessons to my 11 year old son on the EGO. The added bonus for me is the EGO battery fits the rest of the EGO family -my lawn mower, my Chainsaw, my weed whipper - a second weed whipper I converted over to a brush removal BEAST, my hedge trimmer and my leaf blower all use the same battery design. So the $1,650 with two 7.5AH batteries and the rapid charger suddenly looks like a more favorable purchase.
Good video, but I wonder about you commenting that the gas machine has higher torque. Here is my experience... I built an electric VW Rabbit for highway use. There is no clutch. I don't usually use first gear, but just to see if I could burn rubber, I put it in first, and floored it. There was so much torque that the aluminum wheels spun inside of the rubber tires. Tires were inflated to 40 psi. They spun, broke the bead, and went flat. No real harm done. Just needed to reinflate.
I have a corded Toro electric snow blower and I have to say it is a tiger! Even handles the heavy wet snow that the plow puts into the driveway when the roads are cleared. I buried it in snow that was 2 feet deep, and it just keeps going. Its light enough to be operated on the side and do stairs. Great video thumbs up.
I'll let you stand in water with something running on 110. Snow IS water.
You are a young man.... ear protection with that gas blower!
This winter stinks! Only got one session on my pond in the woods this December and I haven’t even hit the slopes yet! Might have to fly out west with my squad this spring if it keeps up like this! Snowblower…who needs one!
That’s what I like about my Ariens snowblower…. When the drive is not engaged… it freewheels beautifully… but my 20 year old Craftsman (sold it) was a pain because the wheels would lock like yours did. I really think the battery units are okay for light snow but not heavy snow… like when the plow leaves a huge berm in front of your driveway
Nice comparison, I had a Gas Powered 5 HP Dual Stage Snowblower. I found that Tire Chains made a huge difference in the traction which made handling it a lot easier. It would walk through snow on its own or with very little effort. So Tire Chains might help either one propel through the snow especially if it’s deeper.
9:00 you look like Bigfoot pushing a snow blower.😂😂😂
I have a 24" 60v toro 2 stage blower and it has handled several historic blizzards in Buffalo. The only thing holding it back was traction when the dense packed snow was higher than the 20" auger opening. Over 3 feet in some areas. It'll chew up practically solid ice, never stalls. Cannot understate the torque.
It will run for about 45 minutes with 3 6AH batteries.
Regardless of which you own, both need a snow canopy. It means the difference from just being cold to totally sucking. Ever since I installed the plastic snow canopy, I haven’t dreaded snow blowing.
I had an Ego single stage blower and it worked great for my residential driveway. Only reason I don't still use it is because I moved and I have a tractor now. Interchangeable batteries are great, too. Power everything from a little 150 watt inverter to the zero turn with the same batteries.
Good video.
I've got the PowerSmart. It has its pluses and minuses. We got about 8" to 10" of Sierra snow yesterday and I have a 3,300+sqft funnel shape driveway. It took me about four hours to clean with 6 battery changes. I also have four batteries and two chargers. I don't have a gas so I can't compare it to that, but I think I am satisfied with the cordless.
Wise to cast the snow up hill so you get ever drop back into the pond when it melts!😊
This is the third electric snowblower review in the past week I have seen from other homestead channels. I guess with the snow nationwide it is the theme of the week. Last week everyone was doing portable battery stations.
Well I posted this video a year ago soooooo… lol
Very thoughtful comparison. I think with our Maine winters I would stick with the gasoline power, however, I see where the electric could have its place with lighter snowfalls. Also may be good for people who care about weight and convenience features. I guess I am old school. Plus I already have too many battery powered tools to charge. Haha. I fear too many battery replacements down the road. 👍
10:38 I think we have a winner, I have one of those "snow plow" shovels too... LOL you should have reviewed that shovel. These days when there is only a few inches of snow, I just use that shovel or push the snow into piles and use my snow blower to move the piles. They make the snow plow in various widths up to 4 FT .
also with dry fluffy snow an inch or less it's also not a fair comparison for battery endurance time wise. I'd bet with 5 or 6 inches of regular wet snow you wouldn't get anywhere near the time or distance length of the battery
No kidding? It's almost like this review was a paid commercial
The only non-electric yard tool I have left is my three year old Toro gas snowblower. I have an urban lot in Minneapolis, MN, and the electric stuff more than handles it. I want to with the snowblower and go electric. Next year for sure.
Curious do you keep a box out there that has like an emergency rope just in case? Loving your pond!
I liked the comparison. I would still prefer a gas job. One you can fix them and you don't have to wait for a charge. Electric definitely has its place. Don't mind the haters here today. Perhaps they just got their periods. Keep doing what your doing buddy.
Wow sounds like a few folks must have had fish hooks and razor blades in their oatmeal. Personally I find all of Adams videos helpful and informative. Keep in mind it was a simple comparison put out there so we can make our own decisions. Let’s face it a Tesla or and electric pickup truck isn’t going to win any distance races. As a country, we have a long way to go technically speaking to get a car that can go 1500 on a single charge. It going to be quite a while before the combustion engine is gone. Personally I think battery powered stuff is pretty cool. We have an Ego mower, not self propelled that can just about so our 15,000 square foot yard on one charge. The nice thing is, if you want to go out on a Saturday morning without waking anybody up at 6 o’clock to mow you can do it. Keep the blade sharp and your good to go. When the battery dies we just plug it in and do other things in the yard or go in and take a break if it’s hot. See you in the next installment.
Thanks Jim, yeah I wasn’t trying to sell anybody anything. I know people out there want to see the difference between the 2 and thought it would be an interesting video. Glad you saw it that way
I have a craftsman snowblower and it works just fine
Thank you for taking the time to review that option for your viewers. It definitely seems to be application specific in terms of where the battery option would do well.
As a x rescue diver and certified ice rescue person I would like to see some safety equipment around your pond A life ring with rope to throw to somebody in case they should go through the ice they make a cross that you can lay on the ice to spread your weight out to help rescue somebody I watch a lot of your videos so I know you are about safety specially with your kids i’m not criticizing I’m just pointing out some things you may not have given a thought to we never want anything bad to happen to our kids
Nice video! How much battery power remained after you finished the pond? Thanks, be well and be safe!
Interesting comparison. You have 2 dark strips that represents the gas powered which appears to have scraped the snow off the ice better. Also you included the 2 passes of the gas blower in with the amount of time the EV unit lasted.
The weight of the gas machine leaves a cleaner swath on the ice. The other issue with a battery one is battery longevity. Batteries don't like to sit idle for 9 months of the year, so you hopefully they have a lawn mower which will work with it...
👍Good review. You forgot to show the charger for the battery though. Is it a wall mounted style or table top?
When I was a kid we always hand shoveled off the pond.
One time when we had about 18" of heavy snow. A proud neighbor used his snow blower.
He went to close to the outflow and his heavy blower went through the ice
That was the only time a machine was used.
Good Morning Adam!
I thought the bonus footage would have Doug getting blasted with some snow in the face! It is good to see you getting some use out of the pond this winter, with this mild winter we’re having.
Only if he has his safety glasses on. Then, I still wouldn’t t do it.
Duration plays a major role in Gas vs Battery. Batteries work for small jobs.
Totally agree, but what has happened for us is now that we have a number of devices that use the same battery platform, I am able to do any job continuously (snowblowing, chainsawing, mowing) as by the time I drain my last battery, at least one of my others is charged again...and round and round I go.
Have you thought of placing a Screened Cap on your "Vent Pipe" to deter anything from getting in?
Would it work better if you start in the middle; circle outward, and always blow snow outward?
How long does it take to fully charge the battery?
Compare newer, year for year blowers.. but we appreciate the comparison regardless
Just curious, not knowing anything about ponds is there a reason or reasons you built such a large pond ?
When batteries useful life are long over an old 1970's Airens is still out throwin' snow. Energy density and usefull life span is seemingly overlooked, yet our government intervention ie: mandates in California is skewing technology driven advances, if there is mandated money, what will drive change? You need a free market imho.
If and when the free market dictates that battery electric is the best option consumer purchasing will obsolete gas driven technology. Untill that crossover point innovation will have to improve based on cost and lifecycle. Imho we have a long ways too go yet and have several unexplored ways to get to a better life.
Same as my neighbor's battery Ryobi lawnmower 1/2 a lawn. Not a big fan of ice you can't hear the ice with blowers running. Stay safe. 👊👍 Swap gas motor with the electric features.
I have an ego 2 stage blower and would not go back to gas. Granted I am just cleaning around the house and car but it has handled 12" snow no problem. My bigger areas get the snow plow or tractor.
Is this the same unit sold as the Ego 2 stage?
I have the Toro 60v with three 7.5ah batteries it shines in powder, even up to 6 inches. Wet heavy snow and Gas all the way. Battery is tough to beat for early clean ups before work. Heavy and deep is tractor time
The augers on the electric were also rotating faster.
Well, this video sure does blow. :) :) :)
I think if you had the same depth of snow but it was wet snow your area you could clear would be quite a bit less.
To find what ones impeller spins faster you can spin the impeller and see how many times the impeller has to spin for one auger rotation.... like the gear ratio in a truck....
I prefer a blower with my JD X500 with the option of a blade. By the way, how's the cost of the battery.
I have a Ryobi electric lawnmower. Absolutely love it, for several reasons. It carries two 40v batteries. When one dies, the mower quits and I just switch to the other one. I can put the dead one on the charger for 40-45 minutes while I run the second one out (not long enough for a full charge but gives an additional 15 minutes runtime if I need it to finish up.) For that reason, I recommend a 2-battery set-up. (Also recommend paying attention to the battery warranty. Two new 40v batteries with a charger is $350 last I looked. Ryobi's is 5 years.)
But I hesitate to get an electric snow blower. What happens when the battery runs out? Does the blower just quit like a mower, with a load of snow packed in the augur, or does it force a clean out somehow before shutting down? If it's heavy, wet stuff, it could be dangerous if it takes awhile to recharge and is too heavy/frozen to clear out on its own when re-started.
I appreciate your review but, as you mentioned, not an adequate test for significant inches of heavy snow. It only happens a handful of times a year where I live but when it does, I need the power and duration that my 8hp Tecumseh gives me. (Btw, I bought that blower in 1985, never have done any engine or carburetor work, not even taking the bowl off. Starts first or second pull every time. Treating the gas after winter, and shutting the gas off after every use to let the engine kill seems to be the key. The wheels roll forward in neutral, too.)
An advantage if you start in the middle and throw the snow outwards instead of towards the middle, the electric one looks really good.
I asked the same thing… apparently there was a pretty good wind coming across the dam of the pond which carried the snow. So blowing it the other direction… would have caused it to blow back the other direction.
Electric is cool and quiet is nice, but it wouldn’t do all my property on a charge. My guess is battery life would be less if the snow was deeper or wetter due to more load on the machine. How does the impeller diameter compare? RPM is one thing, but snow leaves the impeller with linear velocity, and is directed by the chute. Larger diameter = higher “tip speed” even if the RPM are the same. That means higher velocity for the snow, and could equate to the larger throw distance. That gas unit is also low grade. My Ariens operates like the electric. You can fully control the chute at the dash, and can keep everything engaged with one hand. I’d like to see the electric up against a big name top performing machine like Ariens. Finally, machine weight is an advantage in deep heavy snow. Gives it more traction and ooomph. The downside of course is ease of maneuverability, as you pointed out. Great assessment overall. Perfect for a small residential driveway application, but not for everyone.
Your gas snowblower could likely benefit from an impeller kit. This will close up the gap between the impeller and the housing. It really helps through the snow farther and prevent the chute from clogging when blowing wet snow.
The one thing I did see, is that the gas power seems to clean the ice a little better
how much does a battery cost and how long does it take to charge a dead battery ??
How new are the belts on the gas blower ? The Battery blower is all new . My Toro will blow snow 40 ft.
Glad I don’t need either!!
Is the water on the ice from the spring or ice melting??😮
Thanks for the videos!
Ice melting
I wondered that, too, Mark. Not having been around ice like that, I was nervous!! 😬
@@HometownAcres 😵💫
Under water hockey?
One thing to consider is that lithium batteries don’t like single digit temperatures and they really dislike below zero temperatures and that makes a huge difference in run time.
That's why you keep them indoors prior to use..
@@WatsitTooyah you can keep them indoors for ten BBC weeks. One minute out in negative temps and it don’t matter how long you had it inside.
@@robk1310 you clearly don't know what you're talking about. The batteries go right into the blower and while in use stay at a very ideal temperature. If they are worked particularly hard they will actually be warm when done with the job.
It looks like the gas powered blower picked a little more snow than the electric - you could see the two passes separately - and could see your steps in them. Was that the case or did it just seem that way on the camera?
It may have been a skid shoe adjustment needed made on the electric one to get it closer to the ice
Sorry, bud. But engine maintenance isn't the only thing to do on a snow blower. What about the augers and axles? Battery blowers do not need their augers and axles greased/lubed??
What about rust-proofing? Are not the handle bars, bucket and augers on your battery machine made of metal?
And yeah, the battery units can chuck some powder. (As you fairly mention). But try living in a place that gets 12-20" of wet snow, and then taking your toy battery unit into a 3-1/2 foot
end-of-the-drive berm created by snowplows. (You mentioned this as well, but briefly.).
Myself? I want a machine that handle it all. Just like I want a car or truck that can drive 400-500 miles until I hit another gas station.
All of that said, your video was informative and well done, and may help some people who are bent on the "Greenery". :)
GAS for now! Living in Michigan i'm not able to blow 4+ inches of snow with the electric when it's thick wet snow. But i use a Honda on tracks and it rocks
what's the cost of the units and the costs of the batteries and how long to charge if you don't have more than 1 battery and what are the cost of the battery?
The cost is listed on their site as 949.99 with a special for 749.99 and comes with 2 year warranty also replacement batteries will cost you 270.00 each.
how much did you pay for the battery blower
Yea I've seen a couple people use the electric blower not impressed
But when the electric one runs out of juice you are done and have to charge the battery. When the gas burner runs out, of juice, you pour some in the tank and keep working. 😛
The gas powered blower cleared down deeper than the battery powered blower.
How thick does it need to be for ice-skating?
4 inches for ice skating, 10 inches for an automobile
I got my electric powered snow thrower last year it's an E60 vote I got it for clearing my wheelchair ramp which is 75' long it's not a self propelled machine you'll have to push it along but I've had clear A foot of snow just as well as I need to know half a snow the big difference that I find if it's slushy wet snow then yes it doesn't throw it as fire but yet enabled To get to the plow truck during snowstorms without having someone come and trouble my 75' of wheelchair ramp
They are different beasts for different uses. I’d argue the electric is for consume, the gas the pro version.
At the end of the day, if a battery operated snow-blower can't finish the job - without having to stop half way through to recharge, it's useless to me! My time is precious! I have a JD x748: with a 47" 2-stage snow-blower; that doubles as a 54" lawnmower, in summer. I bought this unit, with a trade off of a similar specced x540. The x748 has a 3-cylinder water-cooled Yanmar diesel (WITH hydraulic 4wd) and the x540 was a 2 cylinder, water cooled Kawasaki, with 2-wheel drive. The gas engined tractor could do (nearly) as much work as the diesel, on TWICE(?) the fuel consumption. I'm just shy of 12,000ft2 that I clear in winter. With the gas, or diesel engined variant, I could clear that on less than a tank full of fuel... And, even if I had to fuel, it took me all of 5 minutes to fill their fuel tanks.
I'm not opposed to 'alternative' fuel usage, but it HAS to be cost effective!!!
I'm not opposed to an electric vehicle: actually, for the most part, I'd be a perfect candidate; because I live 6/10ths of a mile from where I work HOWEVER; sometimes, we go on road trips to surrounding cities, for some reason or other. In petroleum powered vehicles: I never worry ('cuz it takes 5 minutes to refuel and refuelling stations are handy!) but; in EV's I'd be charging nearly as much as I was working!
Why not start in the middle and blow to each side? Wouldn't it make it easier?
It's clear that you do not like the gas-powered machine but you neglected to point out the negatives of electric. It looked as if you had a spare 80 volt battery, how much was that thing? Also you mentioned that they only get used to handful of times and sit the rest of the time which means that battery probably isn't going to last very long before it will no longer take a charge.
You also made it seem like every snowblower has a clogged carburetor but that's a maintenance issue that is 100% on the owner if they don't know how to maintain their machine.
Will that battery-powered snowblower be around in 20 years and will you be able to get batteries for it that are probably only going to last a few years, I doubt it but I guarantee that gas-powered one will still be working perfect in 20 years.
Looks like the gas blower gives a "closer shave" than the electric, but I can't tell by how much in the video.
Curious what the battery charge time is and price? You're right, in certain smaller task applications most battery operated property maintenance items will be a good option.
HAHAHAHAH Chris in the Wood Yard just did the same Comparison. He was not impressed in the Least.
Took it home to see if His Wife would Use it around his house.
Thanks Adam..
Mike M.
Yolo
Wow. I would need 20 or more fully charged batteries to clear my small driveway.
Might be perfect for sidewalks or decks.
For the light stuff you did there, I use a corded power shovel.
engineering explained, the ultra nerd, did a video on energy density of chemical batteries vs hydrocarbon fuels like gasoline. its not even close. i like electric stuff, i have an electric chain saw, but its not even comparable to a 2 cycle gas one ;) i have a gas one which is the go-to for heavy work. trimming branches, cutting up pallets etc the electric one is great. its just energy density of the power source
What electric saw? Greenworks now has a 3.4kW electric saw(almost 5HP equivalent), I have their first Gen 80V pro that is better than a stihl MS170(sold it a while after I got the greenworks).
With my battery tools, I recommend 2 batteries so one can be charging while using the other.
I will never buy another gas engine....
I'm certain my next mower and snowblower will be electric models that share a battery. That said, gas power equipment can last for decades when maintained properly. The electric equipment can too as long as the batteries can be replaced.
The gas powered blower cleared better than the electric one. I can still see where you used the gas powered blower in the background at 12.05 minutes into the video. You did a 2 way with the electric, a 2 way with the gas powered and than, ran down the battery on the electric. The darker line produced by the gas powered blower is still visible. Darker means less snow left, more snow cleared. Maybe the height is adjustable in the blowers, I do not know. For the question that remains could you have cleared the pond on a single tank of fuel vs. the electric. The electric clearly could not clear the pond, and without an extra battery you would need to recharge. I am sure that recharging a single battery takes longer than refilling a single tank tank of fuel.
Try them at 10 or 15 below.
If you get a lot of light snowfalls a single stage will be quicker.
It sounds to me like you only had the throttle half way on the gas powerd snowblower, that's why it was only blowing the snow half as far as the electic was.Try testing both gas,and electric in deep wet slush and see what the results are,and also open the throttle full on the gas blower LOL
5400 ft².
splitting wood ? still enjoy
Thanks, you've shown me that I don't want one.
What makes you think that the ice in the middle is the same as the outside?
You lost me. Have you ever been around a frozen pond? The ice is pretty uniform all across the diameter.
I appreciate the review. However you didn't mention how that battery will be flat-out useless in a few years if you don't maintain it properly. Just like a gas powered engine can have challenges if also not maintained well.
However that battery is $299 which is half the cost of an equivalent gas-powered snow thrower and you already paid $1000 for the electric snow thrower originally! If not for free, and buying for your home as a single unit, you would never buy that thing.
That is a dusting.