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Corded snow blowers are incredibly useful tools for gardeners and non-gardeners alike during the cold and snowy winter months.
Whether you need to clear and maintain your driveway, or a path to and from your greenhouse or cold frame, a corded snow blower could be exactly what you need.
That said, if you need to blow snow that is more than 50 to 100 feet away from the nearest power outlet, you may want to look into battery-powered snow blowers or gasoline-powered snow blowers instead of corded ones.
Read on below for everything you need to know about starting, operating, stopping, caring for, and storing corded snow blowers!
About Corded Snow Blowers
A corded snow blower is an electronic snow-blowing machine that is powered by electric outlets in or outside of your home or garage. Corded snow blowers also work well in tandem with portable power generators.
How to Operate a Corded Snow Blower
- Push the start button to fire up the machine’s electric brushless motor. The corded snow blower needs to remain plugged in the entire time you are operating it.
- Position the snow blower for a pass, and then engage the drive forward gear. Once engaged, the machine propels itself forward either by the auger, a self-propulsion system, or via you pushing it. As you move forward with a corded snow blower, the cord trails behind you, which you need to keep an eye on for safety purposes.
- Adjust the direction and angle of the chute to throw snow where you want it to go. While operating the machine, and making passes, the snow in front of the machine gets sucked in by the auger blade, chewed up, and blown out of the chute.
- Adjust the snow shield or deflector. Many snow blowers also include a snow chute deflector to help protect your hands and face from sleet and snow spray. make the adjustments if possible.
- Stop and reposition the snow blower and then start another pass. At the end of each pass, stop the auger, then stop the machine and reposition it before starting the auger again and making another pass going back in the direction you just came from.
- Sweep the excess snow from the cord before winding it up and storing the machine. Use a broom and a dustpan. Wipe the machine itself down, but wait until you’ve cleaned the chute or you’ll need to clean it twice.
Pros and Cons of Corded Snow Blowers
As with any other costly piece of landscaping equipment, like a lawn mower, or tiller, there are certain pros and cons that come with corded snow blowers:
Pros
Because they never run out of fuel, so long as they are plugged in, corded snow blowers are among the most preferred by gardeners and homeowners with little property to remove snow from each winter.
Further, because they are electric, and normally run on powerful brushless motors, they never need maintenance. All you need to do is keep them clean and stored properly when it isn’t a snowy season.
Cons
However, the corded snow blower type has one flaw that a lot of people don’t like fussing with, and that is the cord itself.
No other snow blower type has a cord to worry about. If you accidentally suck the cord up with the auger it is game over for your machine, so it is a major drawback.
The good thing is that people rarely ever accidentally damage their power cords on corded snow throwers.
Who Should and Shouldn’t Use a Corded Snow Blower
All things considered, corded snow blowers are an excellent tool for many gardeners who want to clear their flower beds, garden rows, and paths around their gardens, including sidewalks, and driveways too of course.
Unless you have more than half an acre to snow blow or an extra long driveway, a corded snow blower is a cheaper and just as effective snow removal tool as battery-powered machines or gasoline-powered units.
Even in the case of having a long driveway, or a larger property, a corded snow blower may still be a viable option so long as you have a few utility-style extension cords to plug it into and extend the distance it can be from the power source.
Those who have commercial properties and estates should skip the corded snow blowers, however, as the cord costs you more time and headache than it is worth when you need to unwind and wind it up several times per day (day after day).
How to Pick the Best Corded Snow Blower for You
There are several important factors you need to take into consideration while picking the best-corded snow blower for you and your garden, paths, sidewalks, and driveway.
Before choosing a snow blower, ask yourself the following questions about each machine you are interested in:
- What type of motor does it have (brushless or brushed)
- How long is the cord (and where can you plug it in)
- How wide is the mouth of the intake
- What is the auger made of (plastic, steel, or aluminum)
- What depth does the intake work at
- How many degrees does the chute adjust
- How loud is the machine
Our Picks for Current Best Corded Snow Blowers
Once you’ve decided that a corded snow blower is right for you, you need to select the right make and model.
Below, we list our top picks for the best snow blowers with cords currently available for purchasing online:
Best Overall: Snow Joe SJ627E 22-Inch
Our pick for the best overall corded snow blower is the Snow Joe SJ627E. The unit has a 22-inch wide intake, an adjustable chute, and a deflector, as well as two bright LED headlights.
It runs on a powerful brushless 15 amp motor and a 40 Volt power supply. That means you can use most outdoor extension cords (and don’t need the most expensive heavy-duty cords that other units need).
This Snow Joe model is perfect for most gardeners and homeowners that have up to medium-sized driveways, sidewalks, and garden beds or paths that need snow blown off of them regularly.
Specs:
- 15 Amp motor
- 22-inch wide and 13-inch deep intake
- 1.5 Watt bright LED headlights
- Moves as much as 833.3 pounds per minute
- All steel auger
- A heavy-duty frame of steel and rubber
- Lightweight design weighs under 40 pounds
- Throws snow around 25 feet away
- 100+ foot long cord
- Includes two-year warranty coverage
Why we like it: the big wide intake is also deeper than most (13 inches) cordless snow blowers in the same class and the Snow Joe SJ627E, allows you to move deeper and heavier snow. The headlights let you work no matter the time or day or severity of the snowstorm.
What is it best for: This Snow Joe model is perfect for most gardeners and homeowners that have up to medium-sized driveways, sidewalks, and garden beds or paths that need snow blown off of them regularly.
Best for Gravel Driveways: Goplus 18-Inch Snow Thrower
When it comes to clearing snow from small to medium-sized driveways, few corded snow-blowing machines are better suited than the Goplus 18-inch single-stage snow thrower.
A high-end and sturdy frame with hard PVC, steel parts, and rubber makes the machine extremely durable. The safe switch makes operating the machine and cutting it on and off, safer than similar units.
In addition to being great for gravel driveways, if we had chosen the best budget snow blower this year, it would be this one.
Specs:
- 15 Amp motor
- 18-inch wide and 10-inch deep intake
- 180-degree adjustable chute
- 90-degree adjustable snow deflector
- Throws snow up to 30 feet
- Moves up to 720 pounds of snow per minute
- Steel Auger
- Easy setup and operation
Why we like it: this unit is everything you really need in a snow blower, corded or not; it has a decently wide intake, throws feet far enough away, has a steel auger that breaks up ice and slush, and is easy to operate.
What is it best for: this Goplus snow-throwing machine is best for gravel driveways and slightly uneven ground such as garden paths, rows, or beds.
Best for Big Driveways and Sidewalks: PowerSmart 21-Inch Snow Blower
The PowerSmart 21-Inch machine is a snow-blowing beast on a cord. If ever there were a snow thrower on a leash (power cord) perfect for medium and small driveways, sidewalks, and gardens, it’s this one.
The wide mouth and powerful motor make it a great option, as it easily chews through snow and ice and flings it dozens of feet away. Even more, the large study wheels and heavy-duty frame make it durable and easy to move.
Adjustable components and a high-end auger make the machine more rugged and reliable than similar snow blowers in the same class.
Specs:
- 15 Amp motor
- 120 Volts
- 21-inch intake width and 12.5-inch depth
- 8-inch steel auger
- 180-degree rotating snow chute
- Throws snow up to 35 feet
- Moves as much as 800 pounds of snow per minute
- Big 8-inch by 2-inch tires
- Lightweight design only weighs 40 pounds
Why we like it: the large 21-inch wide intake and big 8-inch all-steel auger make a powerful combination typically reserved for gasoline-powered snow blowers or two-stage and three-stage machines.
What is it best for: this PowerSmart snow thrower is the perfect tool for quickly and efficiently removing even the wettest and heaviest snow from sidewalks, garden paths (and beds), and medium-sized driveways.
Best for Small Driveways and Sidewalks: Earthwise SN71018 18-Inch
For those who want a simple snow blower, with a cord, the Earthwise SN71018 18-inch snow thrower is just such a machine.
This little cutie moves hundreds of pounds of snow per minute, not much less than larger machines (only around 100 pounds less per minute), and even throws snow up to 5 or 10 feet further than some bigger machines.
Even more, this corded snow blower has all the same great components as larger machines, such as adjustable chutes and a steel auger.
Specs:
- 13.5 Amp motor
- 18-inch wide and 12-inch deep intake
- Heavy-duty frame and components
- Steel auger
- Throws snow up to 30 feet away
- Adjustable chute
- Big 6-inch wheels
- Moves up to 700 pounds of snow per minute
Why we like it: this machine is easy to use, easy to clean, and takes very little space to store when you’re not using it.
What is it best for: this 18-inch snow blower is perfect for keeping sidewalks and garden paths clear, as well as small to medium-sized driveways (even gravel ones).
How We Picked and Reviewed These Corded Snow Blowers
Our final choices for the best corded snow blowers included factors like price, warranty options, quality of components, frame construction, auger blade dimensions, and material, intake width and depth, whether the chute is adjustable or not, how large the wheels are, how long the cord is, what size the motor is, and more.
Garden boss prides itself on unbiased non-sponsored content, including our picks for best-corded snow blowers. As an Amazon affiliate, we may earn a commission if you do happen to buy a snow blower after clicking through one of our links, but we are not otherwise affiliated with or sponsored by any of the snow blower brands reviewed in this article (or on our site, period).
These particular “best” snow blowers were selected by gardenboss.org staff after careful researching and comparing of dozens of corded single-stage and two-stage snow blowers. We did not include three-stage corded snow blowers in our research as they are not realistic for the average gardener.
We accumulated over a dozen picks for best corded snow blowers, and whittled the list down to the four you see above. In our opinion, these are genuinely the very best options for the common gardener with paths, beds, sidewalks, and/or a driveway to keep clear of snow this winter.
Final Thoughts About the Corded Snow Blowers
Corded snow blowers are amazing tools to have when the snow starts falling… especially when it starts accumulating on your garden paths, flower beds, sidewalks, and driveway.
Any of the four best options listed above will easily help you keep snow removed around the yard and garden. The best part is, you need no experience to learn to use these machines safely and efficiently in no time.
We like the Snow Joe 22-Inch more than any of the others, as it digs in just as deep as any and a few inches wider than the rest. It is heavy-duty, has large wheels, and LED lights, and is generally a step above the rest.
Are all of these options too big for you? But you still want a snow blower, not just an automatic shovel? Checking out the Greenworks 16-Inch single-Stage Snow Blower may be a good move.
CTA.
Suggested Reading: How to Use a Single-Stage Snow Blower
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