Snowblowers - as in I need one

I htink it is time for us to buy a snowblower.  But they have always scared me - liek a large Cuisinart with no protection.  Any recommendations of what to buy?  How much to spend for decent quality and longevity?  safety tips?  Thanks

check out P and P over by Parkwood diner.  They are swamped right now, but nice folks who will answer questions, and you can look at different sizes.

FilmCarp said:

check out P and P over by Parkwood diner.  They are swamped right now, but nice folks who will answer questions, and you can look at different sizes.

This as above, got mine there two years ago, they are great.

All I can say as the person who doesn't operate the snow blower but observes, get a blower not a thrower.Two of our neighbors have throwers. The one that goes out constantly during the kinds of storms we've been having lately doesn't have too many issues clearing but is out all the time. The one who is like us and waits for the end often finds the thrower won't handle the 12+ inches. It struggles once we're over 6".

ETA: And P and P is great. Once you have the blower, they will pick up and drop off for maintenance. We have an Ariens two-stage with the gas/electric backup start. It rocks.

It is also well worth reading what Consumer Reports has to say.  You have to pay for access to the website but it is worth the price.  

http://web.consumerreports.org

Safety Tip: Do not stick you hand in the snowblower even if it comes to a complete stop. About 20 years ago my father's snowblower stalled, he put his hand in to remove some of the snow and there was enough pressure built up to take his fingers off.   

Also, I have heard horror stories where someone's scarf got caught in the snowblower and . . . well, i think you can figure that one out. Lesson. . . don't wear a scarf while snow blowing.

I strongly recommend a paddle-type, self-propelling snowblower.  It helps to move itself forward, which was extremely helpful to me when we lived in S. Orange and had a steep driveway.  I'm not the strongest woman in the world, and yet I happily used our Toro paddle blower, and enjoyed using it so much that when I finished our driveway, I'd often go plow away some neighbors entrances that the town plowed back in.  It was one of the best purchases we made back then.  I also strongly recommend buying one with an electric start, because it was super tough for me to pull-start!

I must have used that blower for 4 or 5 winters and after we moved 8 years ago, we gave that blower to good friends and they still are happily using it!

As I recall, it was something like this 

https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/snow-blowers/power-clear-721-qzr-38743

I bought it online somewhere for about $650 delivered.

(Had it serviced by McManus who picked up and delivered.)

Thanks all for your recommendations and warnings....I truly appreciate it.

FWIW, many people recommend a two-stage machine rather than single-stage.

One point to consider is that the very powerful machines can be harder to maneuver for smaller people or those with less strength.  I sometimes get a little nervous using ours because it is pretty powerful. But, it certainly can clear deeper, heavier snow.

sac said:

FWIW, many people recommend a two-stage machine rather than single-stage.

One point to consider is that the very powerful machines can be harder to maneuver for smaller people or those with less strength.  I sometimes get a little nervous using ours because it is pretty powerful. But, it certainly can clear deeper, heavier snow.

This is an excellent point.  Using a snow thrower to clear deep snow is still a bit like work - nothing like shoveling, but still work.  And you do need a two-stage thrower for storms such as the most recent one.