My neighbor and I went in 50/50 on one of these when I moved here. Gets used about 7- 8 times a winter and is very clutch. Kiddies start cruising our sidewalks at 725 AM to get to school and you have to get the snow off before it gets compacted, lest it turn to death ice that will break someone's hip. I love firing this thing up at 7AM (the first legal moment) to piss off some of my pussy neighbors. Just changed the oil for the first time after 4 season. @1to392831weretaken would be proud of me.
I'll agree the noise is annoying, but most of these have noise anyway.
A snowblower would be a once per decade use here, but with the sidewalk on the other side of the street and my house facing south with the driveway angled upwards I get a lot of melting support, plus I am good to shovel.
All about the batteries. I never want to own another thing with a tiny carburetor on it. String trimmer, snow blower, lawn tractor, leaf blower, chainsaw: all batteries.
It's nearly impossible for anyone here to have more Dewalt tools than me (not a fan, just locked into the battery system like said above), but their early string trimmer sucked dick. Died in three uses, then the replacement died in two. The EGO string trimmer is superior in every way. I ended up going EGO for yard tools and DeWalt for everything else.
I have a Honda mower (160 CC) that I bought used from that store on Aurora across from 7-11 back in like 2015. Finally changed its oil too…ha, ha. Runs like a fucking champ. When it dies, I'll consider and electric mower but until then…nah.
I don't see electric ever being a solution to heavy duty snow blowing. I have some neighbors with an electric snow "thrower" and that thing it worthless as tits on a boar for any decent amount of snow.
My father in law has the same unit and did the same. Actually he bought it and his neighbors pay their part by cleaning his driveway with it. It's very easy and nice to use. He can actually handle it fine himself and this is an 84 y/o guy who takes a couple of minutes to climb a short flight of stairs
perfect lines from the edger give my OCD mind a hard on. It’s also instant gratification and the details of the details when it comes to proper lawn maintenance.
If they can get a 5000 pound car to 60 mph in two seconds with electric, I think they'll eventually crack the snow throwing code… For what it's worth, I don't even have the most powerful EGO snow blower, and it kicked ass clearing my 2500 square foot driveway when it was buried under 6" of wet snow last winter. I share it with my brother, and he clears his whole road with it so he can get out.
In theory, something like this guy could have enough charge to work for our couple of driveways, back alley and sidewalks. But damn they are spendy at $1400 with batteries. And you gotta promise me those batteries won't catch on fire.
I get more done with the backpack blower than anything else, but you just can't beat what a chain saw gets done. I love the way a saw with a sharp chain buzzes through a tree. I should have been a logger.
My chainsaws are trash but they do the job. Slicing through wood is cathartic. I have an extension for one that is great for pruning. I have a long pruner I love as well. Fortunate part of living in the PNW, its pretty difficult to kill shrubs or trees.
The first draft of my post got a bit too technical into motor torque and horsepower (the blower you pictured above is only 5.5hp, which can be matched by an electric motor that would fit in a thermos), but it ended with something like "the only thing keeping gas powered yard tools in existence is the cost of batteries."
So, you're absolutely right at the moment. Getting a cordless tool that is the match of gas-powered for certain applications is still very hard. My main critique was your assertion that you don't see electric ever replacing gas. It is inevitable. Cheap enough batteries, and it doesn't matter how long they last: pop in a fresh one and keep on going.
As for the EGO batteries starting on fire, I've actually had one fail on me. Didn't start on fire at all, just probably got charge imbalance due to a failed BMS. I took it apart to attempt to test and replace the failed cell, but those fuckers pot the circuit board end in epoxy! These aren't LiPo, they're much safer chemistry. The batteries have thermal protection circuitry, which is actually one of the things that keeps them out of prime time at the current level of the tech. A battery that theoretically could clear an aircraft carrier deck of snow comes to a screeching halt after 100 feet of blowing because it overheats. Then you can't put it on the charger until it cools down.
After my drunk concrete guy poured my shop foundation, I checked it with a transit laser, finding it to be 3/4" off between the highest and lowest spot on the wall, and no way was I going to frame on that. Luckily, the DeWalt 60V (actually 54, but marketing) grinder is a BEAST. Traced that transit laser's line on the wall at the height of the lowest spot, then spent three days with a cheap HF diamond wheel and a square to check my work. Had that thing flat and level to 1/16". It would have only taken a day if it weren't for the batteries not being rated for that kind of continuous horsepower. The battery would overheat after about 20 minutes of holding the trigger down, then refuse to charge until cooled off. I had to buy a third battery ("look, Honey: it came with a sawzall!…") and get a system going: One battery on the grinder, one battery on the charger, one battery in the freezer getting ready to charge.
I've been hearing "solid state is just around the corner!" for like ten years at this point, but that would put an end to the thermal management concerns.
I like my Stihl Magnum back pack blower, it weighs 157lb and sounds like a big block Chevy @chuck on those cool, crisp fall mornings. If you’re not careful it can take the paint off your house, ask my neighbor how I know this
Comments
My neighbor and I went in 50/50 on one of these when I moved here. Gets used about 7- 8 times a winter and is very clutch. Kiddies start cruising our sidewalks at 725 AM to get to school and you have to get the snow off before it gets compacted, lest it turn to death ice that will break someone's hip. I love firing this thing up at 7AM (the first legal moment) to piss off some of my pussy neighbors. Just changed the oil for the first time after 4 season. @1to392831weretaken would be proud of me.
I'll agree the noise is annoying, but most of these have noise anyway.
A snowblower would be a once per decade use here, but with the sidewalk on the other side of the street and my house facing south with the driveway angled upwards I get a lot of melting support, plus I am good to shovel.
All about the batteries. I never want to own another thing with a tiny carburetor on it. String trimmer, snow blower, lawn tractor, leaf blower, chainsaw: all batteries.
It's nearly impossible for anyone here to have more Dewalt tools than me (not a fan, just locked into the battery system like said above), but their early string trimmer sucked dick. Died in three uses, then the replacement died in two. The EGO string trimmer is superior in every way. I ended up going EGO for yard tools and DeWalt for everything else.
I have a Honda mower (160 CC) that I bought used from that store on Aurora across from 7-11 back in like 2015. Finally changed its oil too…ha, ha. Runs like a fucking champ. When it dies, I'll consider and electric mower but until then…nah.
I don't see electric ever being a solution to heavy duty snow blowing. I have some neighbors with an electric snow "thrower" and that thing it worthless as tits on a boar for any decent amount of snow.
My father in law has the same unit and did the same. Actually he bought it and his neighbors pay their part by cleaning his driveway with it. It's very easy and nice to use. He can actually handle it fine himself and this is an 84 y/o guy who takes a couple of minutes to climb a short flight of stairs
perfect lines from the edger give my OCD mind a hard on. It’s also instant gratification and the details of the details when it comes to proper lawn maintenance.
If they can get a 5000 pound car to 60 mph in two seconds with electric, I think they'll eventually crack the snow throwing code… For what it's worth, I don't even have the most powerful EGO snow blower, and it kicked ass clearing my 2500 square foot driveway when it was buried under 6" of wet snow last winter. I share it with my brother, and he clears his whole road with it so he can get out.
Exactly
In theory, something like this guy could have enough charge to work for our couple of driveways, back alley and sidewalks. But damn they are spendy at $1400 with batteries. And you gotta promise me those batteries won't catch on fire.
https://egopowerplus.com/two-stage-snow-blower-snt2400/
Just store it in one of your Duck neighbors' garages.
My snow blower co-op is with a Duck, but his garage is smaller than mine so the blower usually lives with me.
I get more done with the backpack blower than anything else, but you just can't beat what a chain saw gets done. I love the way a saw with a sharp chain buzzes through a tree. I should have been a logger.
My chainsaws are trash but they do the job. Slicing through wood is cathartic. I have an extension for one that is great for pruning. I have a long pruner I love as well. Fortunate part of living in the PNW, its pretty difficult to kill shrubs or trees.
The first draft of my post got a bit too technical into motor torque and horsepower (the blower you pictured above is only 5.5hp, which can be matched by an electric motor that would fit in a thermos), but it ended with something like "the only thing keeping gas powered yard tools in existence is the cost of batteries."
So, you're absolutely right at the moment. Getting a cordless tool that is the match of gas-powered for certain applications is still very hard. My main critique was your assertion that you don't see electric ever replacing gas. It is inevitable. Cheap enough batteries, and it doesn't matter how long they last: pop in a fresh one and keep on going.
As for the EGO batteries starting on fire, I've actually had one fail on me. Didn't start on fire at all, just probably got charge imbalance due to a failed BMS. I took it apart to attempt to test and replace the failed cell, but those fuckers pot the circuit board end in epoxy! These aren't LiPo, they're much safer chemistry. The batteries have thermal protection circuitry, which is actually one of the things that keeps them out of prime time at the current level of the tech. A battery that theoretically could clear an aircraft carrier deck of snow comes to a screeching halt after 100 feet of blowing because it overheats. Then you can't put it on the charger until it cools down.
After my drunk concrete guy poured my shop foundation, I checked it with a transit laser, finding it to be 3/4" off between the highest and lowest spot on the wall, and no way was I going to frame on that. Luckily, the DeWalt 60V (actually 54, but marketing) grinder is a BEAST. Traced that transit laser's line on the wall at the height of the lowest spot, then spent three days with a cheap HF diamond wheel and a square to check my work. Had that thing flat and level to 1/16". It would have only taken a day if it weren't for the batteries not being rated for that kind of continuous horsepower. The battery would overheat after about 20 minutes of holding the trigger down, then refuse to charge until cooled off. I had to buy a third battery ("look, Honey: it came with a sawzall!…") and get a system going: One battery on the grinder, one battery on the charger, one battery in the freezer getting ready to charge.
I've been hearing "solid state is just around the corner!" for like ten years at this point, but that would put an end to the thermal management concerns.
since moving into the trailer trash life - all of the above suck and are not necessary to trailer trash.
I do jump out and tell the park attendants to turn that shit off
I like my Stihl Magnum back pack blower, it weighs 157lb and sounds like a big block Chevy @chuck on those cool, crisp fall mornings. If you’re not careful it can take the paint off your house, ask my neighbor how I know this
I need to change my vote