If you live where you get any amount of snow, have you ever thought of an electric snow broom or small blower? Lets look at the difference and see if one will fit your needs.
If all you are looking to clear of snow is a small area, an electric snow broom or electric snow shovel should do you good. These will go around 12 pounds or so heavy. Most will clear a 12 inch wide path. The depth will be around 6 inches of snow. But the snow will have to be light in weight.
To use one of these, you can push it along the path that you want to clear. Alternatively, you can use it like you would use a shovel. This way it will throw the snow out the front for you. This would be good to do if you have any snow deeper than the mouth of the snow shovel.
An electric snow shovel is really good for tight spaces like steps and open porches or decks. You can use them too to clear sidewalks and really small driveways. They will only throw the snow out the front for the most part. Some do have direction fins on them, but will only throw the snow a very short distance using them. You are better off just letting the snow go out the front with these.
Small to medium sized snow blowers will do a better job at removing snow from a larger area. You can get these machines powered by electricity or gasoline. The electric versions have less maintenance, but you have an electric cord to watch for when using.
They will have an eighteen-inch to twenty-one inch wide clearing path. You will be able to go from six to ten inches in depth of snow. All the smaller to medium machines will not throw wet snow very well. The bigger and more powerful ones will be able to throw wet snow only to a curtain degree.
When buying a gasoline-powered machine, make sure that you get one with a 4 stoke engine. This way you will not have to mix oil with your gasoline. Forget to do this one time, or you do not add enough oil, you will have a ruined engine not covered by warranty.
These small to medium sized snow blowers are single stage units. This means that they use only one auger to throw the snow with. It is made of rubber and is what gives the unit help in going through the snow. The auger will run tight on the surface that you are cleaning. The electric ones weigh less than the gas powered ones also.
You can only use this type of auger on a finished type surface, like concrete or blacktop. If you try to use it on a gravel driveway, you will throw all the loose gravel with the snow. This will also wear out your auger prematurely.
No matter if you get a snow broom or a medium sized snow blower. They will make removing your snow easier. They will also make the task go a lot faster and save your back from shoveling by hand.
