Six more weeks (+ 60 more years) of winter? Snow blower time

On the fence about buying a snow blower—or snow thrower—as some people I’ve never met call them? I can see why. They’re not cheap. And some are not worth the trouble. So there’s risk. But man, oh, man, some are sooooo tooootally worth it that once you hook on, you’ll have to find another use for your snow shovel (which is probably a piece of crap anyway*).

*Standard snow shovels are so poorly designed that it’s an insult to snow to be picked up with one. See link below to one that works.

OK, back to it: Snow blower. Because I lead the enviable life of a home improvement and tool expert, companies send me things to try out, which Troy-Bilt did with their Vortex 2490 snow blower and the first question I set out to answer for myself: Is it worth it?

Because I can buy thirty—30—of the best snow shovel ever for the price of a single Vortex, I answer this question carefully. And, in short, it’s yes.

A lot goes into that little word yes, but the feature that makes all the other features worth it is maneuverability.

A snow blower, to me, needs to do more than mow the driveway in straight, wide-turned back and forth passes. I also need to get the walks, sidewalk and follow the radius of a curved driveway or pivot-turn in a tight space. I’ve had snow throwers that can really only do back and forth and, well, I spent the energy I saved not digging wrestling them around corners and curves.

So while the Vortex is about $1100 (mid-range for Troy-Bilt’s line) the agility is worth the up-charge from a basic model for me.

Now power. Troy-Bilt put a pile of it in the Vortex. Holy crap. This thing—with it’s forward facing auger—ripped into snow. The deeper it got, the more the unit sunk in and sent it flying. Yes, I said WOOHOO several times when it did this. It almost feels like a screw-tip drill bit threading into wood fiber. The Vortex also chewed up crusty, icy snow, and chunks left over from the plow spray onto the sidewalk. It even spit out slush.

It also sipped gas. I used it for hours and barely saw the level in the tank sink. It started easily making the over-sized pull handle (which I like) a little redundant (but I like it too much so I hope they don’t remove it).

If there’s one weak point, hard core snow thrower types and people clearing lots and lots of driveway might not like the chute adjustment. It worked for me, but it’s not the most solid-felling thing in the world. The handle heaters were hard to feel through insulated gloves, but were great for the work gloves I always wear.

Beyond that, I think the Vortex price hits a sweet spot of the uber needed for intense snow removal and a price someone not doing this work professionally is able to spend—and see a return on with saved time and hassle in several snowy seasons.

It saved me time. And fatigue. For a driveway/sidewalk combo that would have taken 2-hours—from a modest storm—and would have shredded me physically, I was done in about 20-minutes. For other driveways and walks, I could move in and out and get work done quickly with minimal effort. If you have a truck or trailer and can load it safely, you can use that time saved to dig out neighbors and friends and the old lady down the street who is nice to your kids.

I’m now checking the forecast, hoping the remaining six weeks of winter send us some more snow to throw.

Mark

A licensed contractor, tool expert, wood and outdoor enthusiast, and elite Spartan Race competitor, he writes about home improvement and tools for national magazines and websites, and teaches hands-on clinics for other remodeling professionals. Check out his book, The Carpenter's Notebook.

See Full Bio