Toro 38361 Power Shovel 7.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower
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List Price: Our Price: $79.00 You Save: $70.99 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $48.95 (click here) Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Toro 38361 Power Shovel 7.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower
Customer Review: Powerful little devil
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a two car driveway with a small stretch of sidewalk in a subdivision.
Shoveling more than 3-4 inches can be tiring especially when moving snow from the middle of the driveway to the edges.
I thought that the Toro Power shovel would be a more appropriate tool rather than having a full blown snow blower.
When I tested this for the first time in about 1 inch of snow, I was amazed at the power and how far the snow was thrown. It took seconds to clear a 12" strip of snow.
Last night, it snowed 4". The power shovel cut through the snow like a hot knife through butter. People driving past were intrigued to see such a unique tool. This morning I opened the garage door to see another 4". Cut through it in 7 minutes, and headed off to work.
The noise is not a concern. it makes a nice low rumbling sound and nothing ear piercing.
Now, some points to consider:
1) The snow is only thrown ahead of you. Therefore you really need to check the wind direction so you can effectively plan how to clear the snow so that the wind will take it away and out of your direction.
2) If you have neighbors that are physically very close to you, consider that the snow may be blown over to their side. Together with the wind direction, this must also be taken into account.
3) Its not as easy as using a snow blower - some effort is required. My wrist does ache a little after using it, but its still much faster and less torture on the back. The key advantage of this device is the speed at which you can clear snow and also the less strain on your back.
4) I've never used this on anything above 6" of snow. I'll update this review when I have a chance to do this.
If you just put some thought into planning how to clear the snow with a particular wind direction, you will quickly begin to appreciate the power, speed and ease at which you can get the job done. For just over a hundred bucks, this is a definite must have for those who prefer not to go all out with a full size snow blower for small areas of driveways and sidewalks.
Update: 03/02/2010
We had a few drifts in our driveway that exceeded 2ft. Although it was a little tough, the power shovel needed around 2-3 passes to clear it completely. naturally, this involved lifting the tool. I can understand why this would be a tough tool to use with snow exceeding 6 inches however, I prefer to lift this device a little than have to bend my back to clear the snow with a regular shovel. So still, its a thumbs up from me!
Customer Review: first impressions of snow shovel used on gravel
Summary: 3 Stars
Just got the shovel today. No assembly needed. Turn a knob to adjust the length of the handle, and it is ready to plug in. The manual is not clear about whether it can be used over gravel. At one place it says "Do not attempt to clear snow from gravel or crushed rock surface" while at a different place it says "If you need to clear snow from crushed rock or gravel, push down on the handle to raise the scraper clear of loose material that the rotor blades could throw." So, I decided to try. Beats me what the "push down on the handle" part means, but I did find you can angle the shovel so it does not pick up much gravel. However, this requires holding the handle in a position not very comfortable (too small an angle with the ground). Of course, when held this way, it does not clear down to bare gravel. So, I would suggest clearing small areas over gravel might be OK, but that the shovel is not good for larger areas of gravel.
It throws a fairly fluffy snow about seven to ten feet. I would not want to use it to clear an area any farther across than twice that amount or re-shoveling would have to occur. It does throw the snow straight in front of the shovel. The manual indicates that you should push the shovel at an angle, left or right, so the snow is thrown away from you. This will likely work fine if you are clearing a larger area, but I had intended to just clear two tracks down my driveway to drive in and out on. I ended up covered with snow, head to foot. I could live with this if it saved my back. However..
My main complaint is the amount of lifting of the shovel that is required (on gravel). It may slip back and forth fairly well on a paved surface, but I either had to keep the handle close to the ground or I had to pick the shovel up to move it over. This is almost as bad on my back as just shoveling the snow to start with, and for a fluffy snow it is harder than using the leaf blower; however it is a bit faster than the leaf blower. Lifting it might not bother a husky guy, though.
I will try it again in the next day or so, and I will see how much postage it is going to cost me to return it before I decide whether to keep it. The information about it needs to be more clear about whether it can be used on gravel or not so customers can tell before we purchase. I am considering whether a small plate could be added to the bottom of it to raise it without having to keep the handle in an uncomfortable position, as I do not care if it clears to bare gravel, just don't like the weight of lifting it around.
Customer Review: Amazing For Its Size
Summary: 5 Stars
Hard to believe this little shovel can move so much snow. When there is less than 6 or 8 ", you just push through. When the snow is deep, you make several passes. In deep snow, I found that making one stripe down to the pavement down one side of the driveway, and then going back and taking bites of less width worked well. This way, you don't have to lift the shovel as much. So, for a 12" snow, it worked like this:
Lift the shovel, take off the first 6" deep x 12" wide for as far as I could reach. Then take the next 6" x 12". Now it's down to the pavement. Clear one whole length of the driveway like this. Then, go back to the top of the driveway, and instead of taking another 6 x 12 bite, take a 6 x 6 or 6 x 4 bite. This allows you to keep moving down the driveway without having to lift the shovel. The 4 or 6 " wide snow falls into the path of the shovel. It takes more passes this way, but there is very little lifting of the shovel, and it goes very quickly. Of course, you are better off going out during the storm and clearing 4 - 6" deep at a time, but if you can't the above method worked very well. It also is faster if you have a helper to work the cord for you as you clear.
As others have mentioned, you really need to consider the wind direction as you clear the snow, as the shovel only blows the snow forward.
One note- be sure to get a proper extension cord. Get one that is rated for cold weather, and is the proper gauge (the instructions tell you what to get).
2011 Update: We've had this for the better part of two seasons, and it continues to work well. As others have mentioned, the trick is to be careful when it is windy so the snow doesn't blow back on you. Keep in mind that you can always go crosswise or diagonally on the driveway- you don't have to go lengthwise. Just adjust your technique to the wind.
This does not replace a full-sized snowblower. It is perfect for those, who, like me, do not have a large enough area to justify the purchase of a 'real" snow blower. It would also be good for clearing long sidewalks or large decks. The biggest benefits to this device are that it saves your back, as you don't need to lift the snow, and it takes about half the time of shoveling. And it takes up about the space of a shovel in your garage. I would definitely buy this again.
Customer Review: Shovel enhancer and not always a replacement
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great product that I've used for the last 4 heavy Minnesota snowfalls. Here are some basic notes:
1)It works best in wetter snow. That snow that is heavy to lift and push with a traditional shovel is where this product shines.
2)It works OK in drier snow. Make sure you know which way the wind is blowing as even a tiny breeze can blow it right back into your face as this only shoots the snow in the direction it's pointed (vs a tradional snowblower).
3)You'll need a good extension cord. This unit has a snag which holds the cord in place and actually is quite good. However, dealing with an extension cord means that you'll have to do a little bit of pre-planning as for a route. You don't want to shovel over the cord, nor do you want to face the wind, nor do you want the cord dragging through the snow and causing more of a mess. After a couple uses, I got the hang of it.
4)This is a kid friendly product (with supervision, of course). Our 7 year old girl and 9 year old boy wanted to try it out and they had little problem holding both buttons and cleaning the sidewalk.
5)The best way I've found to use this product is to use it as a vacuum cleaner. Short strokes forward and then side to side due to the fact that it shoots the snow forward.
6)Best of both worlds when it comes to stairs, an easy lift and blow.
7)I called this a shovel enhancer as there's one part where it just doesn't work that well. You know when you've just been dumped upon by the snow gods and you have lots of foot or car traffic? That part of the snow where it's compacted and becomes that horrible ice? That's where you'll still need an ol' fashioned shovel as this one doesn't do much.
All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase. We live on a corner lot and it has a lot of sidewalk and a smallish driveway. Last year, my back was aching after shoveling, but this power shovel has helped in getting the job done without that pain. If there were a wider version sold by Toro (let's say 2 feet) that didn't signifcantly increase weight, I would upgrade immediately. Other than that, this is a great, surprisingly solid, device.
Customer Review: Toro Power shovel
Summary: 3 Stars
My husband really likes this blower; I don't really. He really had no problem taking the blower out the other day with only a few inches on the ground. He had "clean" sweeps and did it rather quickly. The times I've used it, thus far, I've taken on the "brunt" of the snow. I'm in a place where the average snow by this time of year is 11", but we've had 28" as of today - 5.6" yesterday alone- and there's a couple weeks left in January. I felt like the shovel was "difficult" b/c, unlike a regular snow-blower, you cannot direct the snow where to blow. So, you have to be very methodical in the direction and pattern to which you push the blower - careful not to take a "back and forth" pattern when the wind is blowing or you'll get a face full of snow. The chord was somewhat a pain as well... I'd either step backwards on it or find it in my clearing path. It took some practice and effort to get a "clean" path - like you'd get using a shovel - actually seeing concrete.
Don't get me wrong, it did the job - well enough. By the time I was done, I would take the shovel and just run over everything again to "clean" it up. AND, it did save me some time and a lot of back ache since I wasn't bending and lifting. But I was picking up the shovel to walk backwards in order to stay with the wind and removal pattern at times. Also, I ended up putting a couple pieces of duct tape over the lock button b/c I couldn't hold the lock button and the trigger at the same time, the whole time I was shoveling; my hand would cramp.
I wonder if my height and weight have anything to do with it. I am 5'4" and an average weight, but I didn't feel like I could comfortably carry and handle the shovel properly. The height and handle on the shovel ARE adjustable; I may not have found my comfort zone yet. My husband, on the other hand, is 5' 10" and he just LOVED the machine. He had no problems and the driveway looked a heck of a lot cleaner than when I did it.
So, I gave the blower only 3 stars b/c between my husband and me, it's really a split. I will admit, for the price, I really couldn't beat it or pass it up. Like I said, it has saved me from, at least, the back aches.