Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025
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List Price: Our Price: $328.99 You Save: $0.01 (0%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $199.00 (click here) Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Toro 1800 18-Inch 12 Amp Electric Curve Snow Thrower #38025
Customer Review: A back saver!
Summary: 5 Stars
My snow blower arrived just before a huge snowstorm hit northern Virginia. Although a few parts had to be attached, it was very easy to assemble. I didn't wait for the end of the storm to try it out, and it handled 6-8 inches well each time. In fact it made the formerly backbreaking job of clearing the driveway almost fun.Customer Review: A bit shoddy but works well for light snow
Summary: 4 Stars
If you are a senior citizen or have a disability, note that assembly requires some real strength -- you may want to line up some help. At least on my unit, it took all I could muster to push the tube assemblies together.
Works great for a few inches of snow. With a shovel, my driveway takes 30-40 minutes to clear. With this, it is less than 10 minutes, and I am not sore afterwards. More than 8-10 inches will be difficult for it.
Really happy with it, but here are some cons for you to consider:
1. The "blade" and scraper are plastic. I am sure these will need to get replaced over time.
2. "Key" system is annoying -- it falls out when the unit is turned off and placed against a wall for storage.
3. Carriage bolt that holds chute deflector has a square shoulder that is too big to fit into the square slot on the discharge chute, requiring creative hack during assembly.
All that said, I am happy with the short time this makes of clearing my driveway and sidewalk. If I have to replace the blade every couple of years, that will be worth it.
Customer Review: A decent product
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this after our 4 ft of snow just before Christmas here in the mountains of southern California... Then it turned summer for a month.. then February hit.. Winter returns!... I finally got to break it out.
My first task was a 12" light fluffy snow. It worked great! Fast, down to pavement, and threw a long distance. My neighbor with his big gas machine was in awe and had to come over to investigate!
Second snow was trying to keep up with the dumping snow... so I went out 3 times in a day and blew off about 5" each time, started heavy, then light. Again, worked pretty well..
...last time was about 6" of moderately heavy snow. still worked good, but then something broke with the rotor shaft I believe, and it stopped throwing and began making a loud noise. The shaft was still spinning, but once snow hit it, it had no power and stopped.
I'm not the most mechanical person, but I took it apart, however I could not find out what was wrong, so I took it into a Toro dealer.
Being near LA, I took it to a place where, to no surprise, they spoke very little english. Anyway, $10 later and 3 explanations later and still not understanding what they did to it, it works fine again. Must have not been a big deal. :P
Bottom line, this thing so far has impressed me. With light snow, it throws very good.. but as would be expected, the heavier it gets, the less distance it throws. It goes down to pavement well. I wouldn't recommend to use it off pavement. I do worry about its longevity, but it seems like its a simple design so reapiring shouldn't cost a fortune. The wheels suck, but so far have not been a big issue. well worth the money for all but large jobs and huge amounts of snow.
Watch out for the power cord!
Customer Review: A fragile machine
Summary: 2 Stars
I used Toto 1800 for two snow days so far. The first was 6" snow and the second is 3" snow. I was very careful not to over load the machine by running it in V pattern on the driveway and each path load only 1/3 to 1/2 of the snow.
The first snow day, the driving belt slipped off on the first start after I stopped the machine to clean the snow on my cars (strang isn't it). I have to reinstall the belt. The second snow day, the machine lost its power. Upon opening the cover, I saw part of the driving belt is torned and stuck between the wheel and the casing. The timing belf is visibly torned but still functional.
I don't mind fixing it every time I use it since I am handy. But at that rate how long can it last ?
I am ordering the belts in anticipation of the day the belts break.
Customer Review: A functional tool
Summary: 4 Stars
Bought this tool based on reviews from here - would have gotten it from Amazon and saved the tax but when I came home to NY from AC there was 5 inches of snow and slush in my two car driveway. The wife does not appreciate putting not being able to garage her 'Audi', so off I went to local the HD to get the this blower.
It works well. Putting together was easy, however the way the plastic parts came together took a little extra effort and had me worried about the durability - time will tell. The snow-ice mix was a day old - the Toro went right through it. I had no problems whatsoever. The outlet port only got full once, when I was tackling the plow buildup at the apron of the driveway. Speaking of the plow buildup (about 2 feet high), I then appreciated the plastic construction, because the initial breakthrough required picking it up and shaving it from the top down. Once through, I attacked the pile laterally, and it went quickly.
I give it four stars because I don't know how long it will last, and I did need to break up the plow drift with a shovel in order to make it quicker to get through. The difference between using this and using a shovel is the same as going from NY to BOS by car versus by bike. It is a great tool and makes quick work of reasonable amounts of snow. Now I can sleep because someone will stop telling nightmares of her car being sideswiped on the street.