We can pretty much agree that 2020 was one of the strangest years we have ever seen and like most people, we are probably glad it’s coming to an end. With it coming to an end, that means we have winter and snow coming around the corner, which brings me to the Ego 2-stage Snow Blower.
EGO 2-Stage Snow Blower Overview
When it comes to Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE), EGO is one of the best on the market. They make high quality and powerful OPE products. A couple of years ago they came out with one of the best performing snow blowers, the single-stage Ego Snowblower. As of today, it’s still one of the best single-stage snow blowers in the market place. However, Ego being Ego, they are always pushing the envelope with new battery-powered OPE products. So they are taking the snowblower one step further with a two-stage snowblower.
For those who may not be familiar with a single and two-stage snow blower, here is how they work.
- Single Stage – A single-stage has one paddle that turns extremely fast. This paddle pulls snow into the machine and shoots it out of the chute. Great for smaller areas and for smaller snowfalls.
- Two-Stage – A two-stage has an auger and a paddle. The auger is in the front. The auger breaks up snow and pulls it into to the machine where the faster paddle shoots it out the chute. A two-stage is for heavier snowfalls and works great at the end of driveways where the plow packs the snow.
EGO 2-Stage Snow Blower Features
The Ego two-stage (SNT2405) can throw snow up to 50′ which is farther than some gas-powered snowblowers. The snowblower also features a variable speed auger along with a variable speed self propelled feature. Get this, it even has a reverse.
The snowblower is powered by 2 EGO 7.5Ah batteries that sit under a hard plastic cover. One of the best features is the dual charger that comes with the snowblower. No more charging one battery at a time. Just put both batteries in the charger and when you are ready for the next snowfall, both batteries will have a charge.
The machine uses a steel auger that pulls snow into the metal paddle that will shoot the snow out the chute. The snowblower has a 24″ clearing path with a 20″ intake height.
Everything a user needs is located on the top dashboard. On the left, you can engage the drive (Self Propelled) and you can also adjust the speed. On the right, you can engage the auger, which you can also adjust the speed. In the center of the dashboard, there is a green button to start the machine along with a small black button for the LED lights. Just above the start button, you can adjust the chute left or right. Right next to the chute degree adjustment is where you can adjust how low or high the snow will shoot.
The chute will rotate 200 degrees which will allow you to throw snow wherever you want.
The snow blower features a total of 12 bright LED lights. While the lights may be small, they shine a lot of light which is perfect, even for the nights the moon is hidden.
The unit is equipped with two large air-filled tires on the back, which makes it great for moving around.
On the bottom of the machine, you can adjust the height in case you have a rocky driveway or other areas you want higher up. One point to mention is the snowblower features a metal scraper in the front to get a clean finish.
On top of the snowblower, there is a clean out stick in case the chute gets clogged with wet snow.
If you break a shear pin, there are two spares on top.
EGO 2-Stage Snow Blower Performance
As you would expect, we don’t have snow right now in Chicago but we will soon. Follow us on Instagram and you will see this first hand. We did have a chance to test it at their facility and as you would expect, this rocks, and will throw snow extremely far. But yes, we want to test it in our conditions.
In regards to the performance of the snowblower, this is easily one of the best we have tested. The startup is a snap and you can just feel the quality in the snowblower. All the levers and switches are nice. They don’t feel cheap, they have that nice feedback feeling you would expect from a higher-end machine.
EGO 2-Stage Snow Blower Value
You can pick this up at Lowe’s for $1,299. Normally I would think this is high priced especially because I can get a gas two-stage for about $900. Here is why I think this is a fair price.
- The build quality is better than most of the gas snowblowers we have seen.
- Easy starting in the winter. No messing around trying to start a cold engine with gas.
- Just as powerful as a gas two-stage snowblower.
- Quiet and easy to use which means you can use this any time of the night and not worry about bothering neighbors or dealing with the city noise ordinance.
- You have two 7.5Ah batteries which means you can get into the other Ego tools and just buy the bare tools, which will save you money.
- Not worrying about bad gas or dealing with flooded engines.
- Savings on gas over the years, plus you don’t have to run to the gas station in the middle of the night because you forgot to get gas.
So for me, these are just some of the reasons I think this is a great value. Sure, an extra $400 is a chunk of change but what I get for the extra $400 is well worth the extra cost.
If you already have batteries, you can pick up a bare tool at Amazon for $800, which is just under the average cost for a two-stage snowblower.
EGO 2-Stage Snow Blower Final Thoughts
When it comes to Ego, I have been using them since 2014 and they have never let me down. I have never had a bad battery or bad tools from them. I have been using them for all my OPE needs and even still have my first mower from 2014, which is going strong. So I know when Ego releases a product, I know it has been tested and is quality. They don’t release products just to get them out of the door.
I love how smooth and quiet this machine is. I love the build quality. I am excited about the snow and excited to use this machine. Follow us on Instagram for more in actions and reviews on this machine.
Is the speed of the drive infinitely variable? One thing that sucks with most gas is they are either too fast or toO slow for the snow load.
It does have limits but yes, you can fine-tune it to slow it down or speed it up. From what we have seen, the speed has a wide range.
Looks like a nice machine, with lots of features. Besides Snowjoe do you think any other companies will decide to build one. Ryobi, Toro, etc. I know ariens made one years ago but that one never got any traction in the market.
Great question. I think other companies will follow. My question is how long will it take. I don’t think they have the battery capacity that Ego has, at least not right now. I would think by next year we might see a few get into the game, but I always question power and run time with a tool like this that is a high demand tool.
This is exactly what i have been waiting for, I have an ego push mower as and also the Ego back pack leaf blower and both are great. What I was wondering is what is the run time with a moderate amount of snow? My driveway is 45 feet long by 16 feet wide so I assume that this snow blower could easily deal with that amount, I’m just north of NYC.
What i am also wondering is how this will deal with the snow plow driven snow at the end of the driveway?
I would think it would be more than enough for that driveway and snow. I am still waiting for our first snow fall here but I am confident it will work great at the end of the driveway.
I’ve had a Honda 28″ two stage for 20+ years, and it’s been an incredible workhorse. Granted the current 928’s with tank tread (instead of wheels) will run you about $2,600 or more these days (it was about half that when I got mine) – so I understand that it’s in a different class. But the reason I’m mentioning this is that even with lower end “pro” grade like this, it can take quite a while and a lot of power to clear a long and wide driveway, and especially the ice banks that the township snow plows create (so thoughtfully) at the foot of the driveway, and the extension of those ice banks that wind up in front of my mailbox, etc.
I’m become a big fan of cordless tools in recent years – especially happy with my Makita impact driver, wrench, drills, sanders, 10″ 36v miter (brilliant!), and most recently the XCU07 chain saw. But I’m also aware of battery limits as these tools take the place corded and gas tools. Love the new chain saw, but I also have to keep a pair of LXT batteries on the charger while I’m using it, or I’ll hit a forced rest period after an hour of fairly intense cutting. Similar situation with my Shark cordless vacuum — love it when the battery is charged, but except for small clean up jobs I’ve got to be mindful and keep another battery charging as backup.
I’m wondering how long the battery pack in the Ego snowblower will last when you’re working on something like a 10″ snow (both light and fluffy, and damp / heavy), and how much power will get consumed when you hit that ice bank at the foot of the driveway. I’m happy to be gradually retiring all my gas tools — but trying to be cautiously optimistic. Runtime under load is the biggest question for me — and the related topics: how much is a second battery (or set of batteries if it needs more than one) and an external charger, and how long does it take to charge?
I am curious how many square feet an 18 car driveway approximates. I have a single stage Honda snowblower and have found it to be woefully inadequate for wet snow, anything above 10″, and the snow dam from road plow at the end of the driveway. It is not self-propelled so pushing it up the driveway in icy conditions is a challenge. Suspect even self-propelled will find that a challenge. After our last 4″ of wet slop I spent 4 hours total clearing where the Honda rode on top of the slush that I ended up having to manually shovel I am looking for a better snow blower.
I too have become a fan of cordless tools. When my gas trim line and leaf blower quit simultaneously 4 years ago I bought GreenWorks battery powered replacements and have been quite happy. Thinking this battery powered snowblower may be the answer but am concerned with run time. If I have to buy a second set of batteries it would be north of $2k and could get a very nice gas powered for the price.
I have this snow blower and overall am very happy with it. My second EGO tool. We just had a snowfall of 12″ of soft but reasonably dense snow. I have a long, wide driveway and also 200 feet of sidewalk to clear. I found the snowblower to be powerful enough to clear it, but needed to stop and recharge the batteries once to complete the job, and needed to use a shovel to help clear the deeper hard-packed snow at the front of the driveway left by the street plows. I am finding that it runs continuously at the maximum auger speed setting for 45-50 minutes before running out of charge.
Would this snowblower fit in a 5×3 storage shed?