Snow Removal Blows. Our Favorite Snow Blower Makes It Much Easier.

What really sets the SnowMaster apart is how fast and maneuverable it is. Due to the unique drive system, the SnowMaster matches your walking speed. When you press the handle in toward the body of the snow blower, it speeds up. When you reduce that pressure, it slows down. The machine’s responsiveness is nearly immediate, so changing speed, even if over a short distance, takes no effort at all.

Other snow blowers either have no self-propulsion and need to be pushed around like a 100-pound block of cement on wheels or they require you to control them with a clunky and tedious manual gear shift, which delivers only set speeds. Both designs are considerably more effort to use and don’t allow for the kind of quick-twitch speed control that the SnowMaster offers.

Because of how fast the SnowMaster can go and how quickly it reacts to my walking pace, I’m completely comfortable clearing snow at higher speeds because I know I can stop on a dime if I have to. This means I can fly around the flat parts of the driveway but slide right into the slow speed delicacy necessary for the mailbox area in an instant. The SnowMaster goes so fast, I don’t even mind hitting a spot twice if it needs that.

Compared with the performance of a traditional snow blower, this zippiness and instant speed control makes a huge difference. Through my work at Wirecutter, I’ve spent years trying to challenge the abilities of the SnowMaster. But in every test I’ve done comparing it against a larger, wider snow blower with a more powerful engine, the SnowMaster has come out on top. I’ve driven the competing machines through fluffy snow, wet snow, and even sopping slush—the SnowMaster clears faster and better every time, and in some cases, twice as fast.

Thanks to the SnowMaster, I don’t dread snow clearing by January anymore. I actually kind of enjoy it. I know the job will be over quickly, and things will be nicely cleared. I’ve noticed that the SnowMaster starts to bog down a bit when it gets to about 16 inches of wet snow. That’s a lot, but during big snowstorms—some of which dump north of 2 feet—I don’t even mind breaking out the SnowMaster for a midstorm clearing in order to make things easier for the final cleanup. Why not? It’s a fun tool to use.

After researching and testing snow blowers for seven years and speaking to Paul Sikkema of MovingSnow.com, a man who has personally written well over 350 snow blower reviews, we’ve found that the Toro SnowMaster 824 QXE is the best snow blower. This is why we love it:

• In every test we’ve done, the SnowMaster has been the fastest, most efficient snow blower.
• We tested it against the 30-inch Troy-Bilt Storm 3090 XP, using each machine to clear a 100-foot-long, 4-foot-wide path through 8 inches of snow. The SnowMaster finished in half the time of the Storm.
• The SnowMaster does not have power steering like most two-stage blowers do, but that isn’t a problem thanks to this hybrid machine’s light weight.

The 824QXE tends to sell out quickly and can be hard to locate by January. If you can’t find it, our previous top pick, the Toro SnowMaster 724 QXE, is another good option. It’s a slightly smaller version of the 824 QXE, with a 212 cc engine instead of a 252 cc engine. In our tests it could easily handle up to 12 inches of wet snow with little issue. It can fit the needs of many, and costs a little less than the 824 QXE.

Neither the 824 nor the 724 is the best pick for unpaved surfaces. If you have a gravel driveway or a large lawn area to clear, Wirecutter recommends the Cub Cadet 2X 26 HP. Any snowblower is a big investment, so if you only need to clear some steps, or a walkway, or even a single parking spot, a good old snow shovel might be the better choice.

A snowblower is a serious machine that needs upkeep, so make sure to follow the maintenance schedule that the manufacturer includes with the snow blower. This schedule typically covers seasonal oil and spark plug changes, as well as how to prepare it for off-season storage. We also recommend stabilizing the gas with a product like Sta-Bil to prevent it from going bad and causing problems with the engine.

This article was edited by Rachelle Bergstein.