Now, in terms of getting a machine sufficiently powered to clear the snow around your home, gas power vs battery power is going to be a major point to consider. But I’ll talk about that in more detail later.

So before that, there’s something else you need to keep in mind as you shop around:

Price.

I know, I know, you want the best quality for the price. And you should!

The thing is, though, snow blowers are the type of machine for which quality scales very proportionately to price. In other words, an expensive snow blower is more likely to be good for tougher jobs, and a cheaper snow blower is more likely to be good for lighter jobs.

Of course this isn’t true for every single snow blower, but it is a pretty consistent trend overall. Note that even in this list of the best snow blowers, price is roughly proportional to power.

In terms of how that’s relevant to you:

If you need to clear a lot of snow fairly regularly, you should be prepared to buy a pricier snow blower. You can still get one that gives you good value for the money, but the starting range may be higher.

Conversely, if your snow clearing needs are less substantial, you can often get away with a more affordable snow blower. In that case, you should still make sure the machine is high-quality, and ideally has a warranty.

Again, to be clear, it’s not that the best snow blowers NECESSARILY are expensive. It’s just that the powerful ones, which may or may not be what you need, TEND to be.

Now, let’s talk about the other major point to consider, which is similar:

Gas-powered snow blowers and battery-powered snow blowers each have pros and cons. It’s not as simple as the best snow blowers being gas or battery-powered. And of course, it depends on your needs.

To generalize, gas models are the best snow blowers for heavy-duty jobs:

They can handle deep snowfall a lot better than electric models, and many models often allow for much greater snow intake. We’re not just talking a few inches more or less of snow here; some gas models can take another foot of snow, or more, than electric counter-parts.

Not only that, but they often get the job done quicker.

So if you live in an area with very heavy snowfall, gas-powered snow blowers are more likely to be the best snow blowers.

That being said, electric models are getting better and you should check out the specifics for whichever machine you’re interested in.

Now, the drawbacks of a gas-powered snow blower, are a larger set of responsibilities for the customer/user. A gas snowblower requires oil changes, a steady flow of gas, spark plug replacement (sometimes), filter cleaning, and all that on top of general machine cleaning.

Plus, a couple basic facts of gas-powered machines will be cons to many: the smell and environmental issues.

The main advantages of electric snow blowers is that they are much easier to maintain.

It’s true that you have to recharge and replace batteries for battery-powered electric snow blowers. The thing is, though, that can still often be cheaper AND easier than oil and gas changes.

Aside from ease and cost of maintenance, there are some additional ease of use benefits with electric snow blowers:

They usually start quickly. However, it’s important to note that many gas-powered snow blowers have an electric start option, so you shouldn’t choose your power type based on that alone.

But, overall, battery-powered snow blowers are the best snow blowers for ease of use.

Now, in terms of price—overall, gas-powered snow blowers are more expensive than electric.

Despite that, there’s also a HUGE price range for gas snow blowers. Some can cost thousands of dollars, not including any costs of maintenance.

So you could still buy a cheaper gas-powered snow blower than a battery-powered one. It’d be better to choose based on the quality of the machine and which power method is best for your home.

First, what stage model do you want?

A single-stage snow blower has one auger that scrapes snow off the ground and throws it into the discharge chute. A single-stage snow blower should be fine for snow up to 6 inches.

A two stage snow blower uses a differently shaped auger (in a corkscrew shape). Usually two-stage snow blowers are self-propelled with different speeds, so it’s easier to move around, especially uphill.

Also, two-stage snow blowers are better for larger amounts of snow. They can usually accommodate snowfall up to a foot deep and work faster at turning out larger amounts of snow than single-stage machines.

Lastly, a three-stage snow blower has an auger similar to a two-stage auger. But, it’s faster and stronger, so a three-stage machine can usually cut down snow much faster than a two-stage snow blower even if the sizes are the same.

As you can imagine, the higher your stage, the more expensive the snow blower, generally. But exceptions exist.

Second, do you think you’ll be using a heavy snow blower, or do you experience fatigue or back problems?

If so, you should probably look into features that make maneuvering physically easier on your body.

One example is power steering: some snow blowers have one-hand controls that can quickly turn the machine without much exertion.

Another example is chute rotation controls. These let you quickly turn the direction of the chute in case the wind changes or you want to direct the snow output to a new place.

Also, like I mentioned, electric start is a lot easier than the old-school pull-start mechanism…but it’s also easier on your body too, and it involves less hunching.