Comprehensive Review of the EGO Two Stage 28" Snow Blower
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- Опубликовано: 7 янв 2024
- Finally got a blizzard. This is a comprehensive review of the EGO 2 stage 28" snow blower that came out just this year (2023) It will answer all the questions with no holds barred. You many or may not want one, and it is for some but may not be for you. Find out here.
EGO 28" 2 stage snow blower overview
• Ego SNT-2800 Snow Blow... 
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Thanks for doing the science experiment for the rest of us. I've been fighting my mower for a while and looking at those but a compatible blower is a big consideration for me with the battery cost.
Glad to help
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I've been waiting for this video! Absolutely phenomenal review and great video to share to interested buyers
My gas blower (Simplicity) died after many years of reliable service and I bought this one because I have other Ego tools and wanted to not have to maintain any gas engines. I only used it once so far and was impressed by build quality, power, and battery life. My only complaint is that the electric chute control is fidgety (a little too sensitive). It is a more expensive option than a comparable gas unit, but it is worth it to me. Oh, one other benefit is that it is lighter than a gas blower, so I found that I wasn’t struggling as much when turning, etc.
Wow THAT is a review done right! Thanks for making it, and thanks for the precise numbers
About battery lifetime, I have an electric lawnmower since 11 years, everything is still fine
That's a great review. I bought the EGO 24", 2 stage. This is my first snow blower. I've always shoveled but since I just turned 68 I thought it was time to get a snow blower. I bought an electric blower because here in New Jersey we only need to clear snow a couple times a year. I've been transitioning all my seasonal power tools to electric because the gas engines are becoming too difficult to start and maintain with the new gas that contains alcohol. The electric tools don't mind sitting idle for half the year and this snow blower will probably be idle 10 months a year. So far it works well but I've only used it twice in two years.
Same here. Only a couple of storms in Maine. Right now the ground is pretty barren of snow again. 69, this blower is as big as my 10hp Ariens gas but weighs about 100 lbs less. I can still handle the gas one but I do notice the difference over the years.
I've been looking at battery snowblowers since my 23 year old Sears (MTD) is showing it's age. I've seen a bunch of review videos, but yous is the best because you do actual real life scenarios. I have a dirt (hard pack) drive, a rough walk. and several lawn paths that I have to do. Truly relatable to my situation. Also since you're right next door in Maine I actually think you understand snow. Good job discussing the potential pitfalls, the honest talk about costs, and the real world performance. I'm sure I'll end up electric, I'm retired and can wait if I have to, and I would like a little quiet in my life. Thanks so much.
Thnx. I also have a video about adding wheels to the front skids to assist on rough ground. It would sure be nice to get a bit more snow though!
Extremely helpful video! We moved to Maine from the Midwest about 14 months ago, so it was nice to see that you were testing it in Maine. 😊 I may give it one more year before I buy, but the Ego that you reviewed is probably the one I would ultimately go for as I no longer want to deal with gasoline or the maintenance. Thanks again for such a detailed video. By the way, I have about 3,500 ft² of typical Maine packed gravel driveway.
i used to own a Honda track 24” snow blower, and sold it
Ego has keep getting better and better, i know a guy who fix many many tools and equipments
He said Ego does a very good job with design with less issue
I enjoyed this segment of your science experiment. I have a 25+ year old Honda that I bought used. This fall it received a needed $500 repair. I have an Ego mower and have been toying with the idea of an Ego blower. My driveway is a postage stamp compared to yours and though our winters are getting milder we live on Lake Ontario so the potential of an "Old Fashioned Snow Storm" is a reality. Next winter I will be 70 so I have been thinking about an Ego blower, but after watching your video I will keep my old gas powered one and if necessary buy another used one. Thanks Dan you brought up points I would have never considered.
Your post verifies that I post videos that aren't just fan boy for something. Glad it worked. Thnx for the comment. I have an ego push mower that has been good for 3 yrs. My lawns are postage stamp. It takes me 17 minutes to mow it. So it's perfect for my situation.
@CraftsmanontheLake are you gonna keep the ego snowblower?
@@snoopysrc Oh yes, it's performance is really good. I'm hoping that it will be somewhat long term as far as lasting. If it does it may turn out to be a great blower. It's as good or better performance wise than my 10hp Ariens. Fingers crossed.
I actually think your review of the Ego Snowblower is the most honest and researched review I have seen. To be honest… most of the reviews on RUclips of battery operated snowblowers seem to be from people who loved them BEFORE they even brought them home. Their hearts ❤️ fluttering in anticipation to finally do the review they had many sleepless nights… waiting for the delivery truck. I think a battery operated snowblower can do a decent job but on my street in Colorado I found that a lot of people were struggling and ended up using a shovel to tackle the berm the snowplow truck left blocking their driveway. I ended up helping out multiple neighbors with my Ariens (gas) because their battery blower wasn’t up to the THAT task. Good job.
thank you. I agree but this is the first year anyone would have seen an electric blower like this one. I have a large gas powered one in my garage too. This new one is as good or better than that one in performance. When I see their other model, they've sold a few years now (the 2400 model) and the one I was going to get before this one, next to mine in Lowes it looks much, much smaller. I think about 3/4 the size but if I see them side by side it really looks about 1/2 the size.
Thank you for this! I have the original 2-stage that came out 2 years ago and have been ecstatic with that blower. However, I do like this 28" wide, mine is 24". I may sell mine and get this 28" instead. EGO is amazing!!
Nice video. We get 20 feet of snow in a normal year.
I am on year 4 of EGO snowblower.
I have a single stage for our deck. The main parking are is cleared under a contract service - about $1,000 per year. We use the same batteries in our lawnmower, chainsaw and leaf blower. My younger neighbour also uses the batteries. No complaints at all.
We are considering getting a larger battery blower - maybe that 28" EGO and cancelling the contract clearing service.
Gas is not an option. The smell of gasoline and hassle renders the tool shed unusable. I sold the gas blower, generator and appliances 4 years ago and am super happy with that move. It took about 3 weeks for the smell to go away.
Those blowers are often available at significant discount as are the batteries.
That's a lot of snow. I haven't seen an discounts on them. But it may happen. Here both models are sold out before winter starts so that may be why.
@@CraftsmanontheLake North of Quebec City.
@@CraftsmanontheLake ruclips.net/video/EtsjqD76kD8/видео.htmlsi=CB6dkNQW8o5lArr0
@@brucemacneil Yes, Maine used to be more like that but it's not any longer. Very disappointing.
@@CraftsmanontheLake the climate emergency is a true hazard. GHG emissions.
Great video and information. Ty. As a licensed mechanic retired doing blower repairs I see a new issue. We can get parts and repair all the old blowers of any age. But the new Chinese brands like power smart , champion, briggs and Stratton , yardman, certified and many more are getting turned away from many mechanics and repair shops as there are very few parts available . One of our largest repair facility's has even contacted China to request a large supply of parts and they refused to ship! I have had to retrofit some to make our belts fit them. Many of those machines were broken after 1 or 2 years . Now that's mostly gas blowers but I have had a couple newer mowers with same issues. Even though its electric i expect some mechanical failures over time as I see lots driveline issues with Chinese metal failures to add to yearly cost. Don't sell your Ariens! BTW. I bought a 2015 ariens professional with briggs 420cc and did some mods. Love it!
Thanks again.
Thnx. I consider myself a 'first adopter' even though they've been out for awhile. Interesting info about the China parts issues. My Ariens will be kept and if need be, be rebuilt in areas that might need it. If it ever comes to that.
That snow blower sure surprised me on what it could and the results, I am amazed.
You spoke about the cost of batteries versus gas/oil/grease but did not include the higher initial capital expense which is a big consideration that can't be ignored. Like you, I have my trusted 20 year old Toro 1028, so if I was replacing it, the price differential of a 10 hp 28" blower is another $1K...with the Ego being the greater. Amortize that capital difference in addition to the battery replacement results in a significant delta in the cost of ownership equation. Thanks for an informative video.
Yes... I'm 70 so I didn't consider that this time around. Not that I'm planning on dying any time soon but probably might not be moving blizzards in several years.
Very good and thorough video with meaningful and useful information.
I just replaced my 2009 Ariens 30" 9 HP with the 24" Ego model. I've been considering the 24" Ego for the past 2 years but wasn't confident the two 7.5AH batteries would get the job done. My drive is just over 2000 square feet of concrete in good shape and I have clear areas to throw on both sides. I'm in Southeast Wisconsin and we can get 12 to 15 inches of the heavy wet stuff in one storm. When Ego this year offered the 24" in a package with four 10AH batteries with two 700 watt chargers for $1899 I couldn't pass it up. For some reason Ego also extended the warranty on the 4 batteries to 5 years with that package which was another plus.
This weekend we just got blasted with 14 inches of wet heavy snow over about 24 hours so this was my first real test. We have four 30 foot tall arborvitaes on our property that were destroyed by the weight of the 14" of wet snow so this was a severe and unusual storm. Power has been out for over 100K people in the area with some without service going on 40 hours. I used the Ego 3 times and fully exhausted 2 sets of batteries plus about 40% of the second set for each clearing. This means I had to recharge all 4 batteries between each clearing if I wanted a fully charge set for the next outing. I did this due to fear of a power outage but we were fortunate and lost power for only about 1.5 hours.
Even with this massive storm the Ego performed well and I find it's much easier and more pleasurable to use than the old Ariens. The Ego is smooth, relatively quiet and powerful and it throws heavy wet snow much further than my old Ariens could ever hope to. I agree that the ability to independently control auger/impeller speed compared to forward drive is a significant benefit and being able to change both speeds on the fly is also a nice feature where with the Ariens I had to stop and select a different notch position on the friction disc. The Ego tracks much better than the Ariens as I don't find myself fighting to keep it straight and inline. I also find the feature that you can push the Ego faster than the drive speed setting a plus when going downgrade in areas where the snow is not as deep. We have a "mountable curb" on our approach from the street and the Ariens struggled with keeping the scraper bar in contact after cresting and I always had to fight to keep the machine down on the pavement. That has not been an issue with the Ego as it stays planted on the pavement without a struggle but maybe that's due to its smaller size. The Ego is about 150 lbs, still substantial but much less weight than the Ariens and I find that makes maneuvering easier.
The Ego's not perfect as I said and I'm very happy I waited for the four 10AH battery offer. Your comments are accurate in that if you keep the auger speed down the battery life is noticeably extended but that wasn't possible with the high moisture snow with this storm. With this wet snow, even at slow forward speed and the auger in turbo and taking only a half cut there's still quite a bit of spillover on the cleared side. This wasn't the case late in the storm on the third clearing when the temperature dropped and the snow was drier and in all fairness the Ariens did the same but maybe to a lesser extent but it also had an auger that was 6" wider. I've found when the spillover is occurring I just let it happen and after the drive is cleared once I then take a second quick high speed pass which leaves the drive pristine but obviously used more battery reserve. The Ego had no problem with the plow pile at the approach which was about 20" deep and about 5 feet in girth and clearing that obviously expended considerable battery reserve. Clearing piles similar to that with the Ariens would stall the engine if I wasn't careful.
I also bought the Ego power shovel with the multi-tool head and have been really impressed with that machine. It's a bit heavy but very effective and it's amazing how far it throws even the wet stuff. For some reason the 4 AH battery lasts unexpectedly long with that tool and I think I've only exhausted it while using once and that was the first time so probably wasted quite a bit of juice.
Overall I'm very satisfied with the Ego and at this point happy I moved away from the Ariens. A neighbor bought the Ariens and was happy with its performance for this storm but the Ariens was a significant upgrade in size and power to his previous blower. If the Ego proves reliable and durable for the long term I'll consider this a good decision and money well spent.
thank you, tons of info in your post. Fingers crossed right?
23:16 fairly certain optimal angle is in fact 30 degrees :p
Easily the best review of this I've seen so far by the way!
You are right. Optimally 45 degrees is the best angle but that would be in a vacuum. So many factors, projectile size, shape, weight, wind, would make it less. Often in cannon scenarios it's about 36 degrees. Sometimes in a headwind it's greater than 45. I use 45 as a generic as I'm not sure about any of these factors when it's snow! Thnx. I love some good science pondering.
Great review, thanks for sharing. Just tried a Toro electric 24" was not happy at all. Going to return and try the EGO. I'm replacing a 27 " Briggs and Straton gasser that's about 10yrs old with tons of issues.
As In the video... it's performance far exceeded my expections. It's cost over time barring any big repairs will be more than gas. Some people like the Toro but it's design is 'wrong' thinking. They put an electric motor on top of an existing gas unit. All the gears and belts aren't necessary with electric. It must drain the batteries. It would be as if a car company made an EV by slapping an electric motor on an existing car in front of the transmission. The transmission isn't even needed so why do it. Care companies don't. I think Toro just tried to in on the electric bandwagon the quickest way possible. They didn't have to design an electric blower, just a motor and battery in the place of the previous engine.
i like your battery carrier...I think I might make one
If you haven't found it yet, there is a video of me making it with all dimensions on my channel.
Good review, I bought the original 24 inch 2 stage last week for $850 at Ace. Tool only since I already had 2 10ah batteries and a 4ah and 5ah. I was easily able to do my 25x60 ft driveway and 250ft of 4ft wide sidewalk with just the 10ah battery's. Impeller on eco and an average of 8 inches of snow. Some drifts over 2 ft tall in areas, great tool for snow removal, easy to use and relatively light.
Ya, I hoped for the best but was sort of surprised.
I’m not too far from you. We had 10” here. I used my Ariens last night for part of my driveway and planned to finish today. BUT, it wouldn’t start! I like your battery blower. That will always run. Having a spare unit would be nice.
Just wondering. Do you have a later model Ariens or an older one? And as far as the EGO, it does start easily as long as it lasts. Fingers crossed.
My Ariens is pretty old too. Maybe 15 years, I don’t remember. I used a hair dryer and warmed up the carburetor. It started up after that.
@@georgebeaulieu8908 Sometimes they need a cleaning. And a carb replacement is possible. They actually don't cost that much.
@@CraftsmanontheLake I always add a little Heet carb cleaner along with the Stabil to my gas cans. Off season, I got out to the shed, start up the Ariens and run it for a couple minutes about once a month. That helps keep the carb clean and the standing gas fresh. Makes it easy to start in the winter.
Looks like the 28" overall is an improvement over the 24".
depending on the battery chemistry if you store them for non winter periods at 50-60% charge and in a cool place (not the garage in 90 degree temps) you will increase their life span substantially. hot temps and long periods at 100% or under 10% are bad for the batteries. also if you buy into the ego line of tools the batteries have more than 1 use
Yes, I have four of their tools. I actually picked up the 800cfm leaf blower with the backpack for the batteries as a bare tool just because I now had these batteries. When storing them the BMS in the battery will drop the charge to 20% after thirty days. So EGO has taken long term storage into account already.
According to the manual the batteries will go into storage mode after 1 month of not being used, and discharge themself to 30%. Was extremely impressed to see them implement such a feature themself, as that's definitely going to improve the lifespan of the batteries.
@@swecreations Yes, and even during usage times I often let them rest at about 20% if I can and just charge them before use.
Thank you for your multiple videos, very informative! I badly want this 28" snow blower but my problem is a sloping driveway that is about 5,000 sq.ft. and the 2 x 12ah batteries will not cover the whole job, I don't think. Purchasing 2 more is unfortunately cost prohibitive. I am also looking at the 24" unit with the 4 x 10ah battery XP package which theoretically runs to 5,700 sq.ft. but thought of going smaller & less performance does not sit right. I do hope EGO comes out with a 4 battery XP package in this 28 inch blower next season.
I hear ya. It's a dilemma for sure. You do have the option of buying a couple more batteries. 12 or 10ah. Would considerably add to the price though. The recharge time would be okay for me as I'm retired and have the time but it's always good go get out there and just get it done. Best of luck with your decision.
Just consider this based on how steep your slope is. The Ego gears set the speed for going forward but unlike a gas machine, they won't hold it back to your set speed on a downhill. I had called Ego and they confirmed that. I always run my Ariens in first gear on the downhill. You will have to hold the Ego back yourself and maybe get some help from the snow if it's dense enough and deep enough. Notice that he went side to side rather than up and down on his slope leading to the garage entrance. My driveway has a 16 degree slope to it for a good 75 feet down to the road and because of that I passed on the Ego. Wasn't worth the chance.
@@bobp284 you are right, but I go side to side because go in the other way would be some very short back-and-forth and the slope there isn’t very much at all so it really wouldn’t of mattered. I do have one steep spot at the end of the driveway though and it does pull me downhill, fortunately I don’t have much slope anywhere in my run, so I’m not affected by it, but it would be a consideration for some people
@@CraftsmanontheLake Would be good to mention that someway to warn some people before they buy and have regrets. Would have loved to get it. Right now I have the Self Propelled Mower, 18" Chain Saw, Leaf Blower, Multi-Head with Pruning Saw and String Trimmer and the Single Stage Thrower for around the car and truck as well as a great assortment of batteries. What to add next?
@@bobp284 Thank you for the heads up!
Did you have the heated hand grips on at all while using it in this video? I just bought a 28" ego blower too and did my whole property, (it's smaller than yours though) twice with the heated hand grips on the whole time and the auger at full speed the whole time both times without recharging, and only used 1 bar of battery life! I'm very impressed with the machine so far! Also i think the batteries will last a lot longer than 8 years. I have a Chinese lithium battery in my motorcycle that's still going strong after 16 years! I never put a battery tender on it or did any maintenance to it and my bike always starts right up even after sitting all winter!
Since I had absolutely no idea of the battery life when I started. I did not use the heated grips this time hoping not to run out of juice. I now realize that I probably could have but I still won't know how much they might deplete the battery until I try them. The next time I get a moderate snowfall I'll give them a go and see. I've always left them on, on my Gas blower and have gotten used to them.
Great video. Can you share some information about that dual battery carrier that you used?
Yes this is the video of how I made it. ruclips.net/video/gaUMFNaCA_g/видео.htmlsi=53rrIWPRrJOWG9cY
And this is a second video of a just as good but much easier to make one ruclips.net/video/FrRHQsPz_WY/видео.htmlsi=aBz_G7pxGsyHqepK
@@CraftsmanontheLake thanks! That’s awesome.
This is a great follow-up video. Great facts and figures. $2200 is still a whole lot of money, do you think that this is worth it when comparing what you spent on the Ariens and the yearly costs of running and maintenance? Thanks again. 👍🏻 👍
My Ariens has been stellar for 23 years. One pull cord. That was the only repair. But, from what I've seen the newer models are far from that quality. There is a second video of this machine in a blizzard where I co compare the cost and expectations of each over time.
Thanks for the thorough videos. Around the 18:20 point, are you manually dragging/rolling the blower backward, or doing that with the self-propel system? My new 24" EGO won't let me roll it backward. The drivetrain binds up after 12" of backward rolling. Quite annoying.
When it binds up, push it forward a couple of inches and it will release the bind so that you can pull it backwards.
I don’t know what to tell you. Mine does not do that and yes, I have a lot of short runs so instead of putting it in reverse, I just do pull it backwards. It goes backwards pretty easily actually.
If I run the batteries until they die, the batteries are warm. In your opinion, do you think I should let the batteries completely cool before recharching?
Very informative video thank you! Fyi I have the 24-in version and last year one of my 7.5 batteries died. The cost of it was $400 to replace. I looked on Amazon today and now they have several compatible o ff brand batteries higher amperage and less money. I can buy a 9.0 for 200.00. I'm assuming that as time goes on the cost of the batteries will drop. I can't comment on the quality of the battery though
I've seen those a lot too. Be careful. People online have taken them apart and found fewer cells in them. It doesn't cut down on the power but it does on how long they last. You could be buying a 9 ah battery but in effect it might be 6 ah. It's a mixed review. Some people have tested them and found them fine, while others have found them lacking. Lithium cells are pricy. I figure if they cost a lot less there must be a reason. It is tempting though.
Why didn't you use the warranty if the batteries died?
Still on the fence. At 3 am I don't want to make noise snow blowing my laneway however, I want something that will last, get its moneys worth. Concidering the 24 with 2x10 amp batteries or the 28 with 2x12 amp. Or, the cub cadet 24 2x quiet model. I'll make the choice later this week I think. I own other ego products and keep the batteries and chargers in my basement to prolong life as much as possible. I just can't fathom replacing 2x12 amp batteries at a cost of 649$ cad each (plus taxes) after only 5 years or later, past warranty.
Fully understand. Are you in Canada? The cost of the batteries is $499 each here. Either way, it's a big jump. Best of luck with the decision.
Is the self-propelled function enough in that amount of snow or do you find yourself applying significant force to get it going?
The drive traction along with those tires is better than my gas blower no pushing at all and if you’re really want to move along, you turn the auger speed up so the snow in front doesn’t hold you back.
Any recommendations related to when to charge the batteries?
For example, is it better to run the snowblower until the batteries are dead?
Or, if the batteries are partially drained after snowblowing, does charging them in this case impact the life expectancy of the batteries?
I own a lot of their tools. When my batteries show the last bar red there is some juice left but I stop and recharge soon after that. The storage state for them is at 20%. If you leave batteries, a timer will automatically discharge them to that level after 30 days. If I've got some bars left at all, I usually leave them until the next use. i.e. I will charge them the night before the next blizzard. Any lithium battery in many devices, constant 100% charge isn't good for them.
Sounds like a great snowblower…unfortunately given your Ariens experience I’ve got another 10 years before it’ll be time to start looking 😂
What year is yours Jamie. I know you've had it for awhile. Is it pre 2016?
@@CraftsmanontheLake 2010. Not for sale 🤣
Nice Video. Little bias. Little too technical. How it will handle abuse? Cable right side hanging down? PowderSnow. Heavy wet? Frozen slush plow snow end of drive?
Thnx. I think it will handle a lot. The potential for a jammed impeller not withstanding. There are actually two cables hanging down but there are adjustable clips that allow you to get them to hug the pipe more. I just have to move them. And Different conditions have yet to be experienced. It handles dense powder better than my gas unit so I'm hoping other, less favorable snow might be the same. I did a couple of deep areas as our plow makes the bankings just like other places. Not a problem... so far.
@@CraftsmanontheLake Thank you again.
I’m having trouble with warranty service with this company. The self propel system has failed after 1 season and tech support is dragging their feet. I uploaded videos showing the problem a week ago and they tell me that it has “been elevated” to another department because there is no local service near where I live. They say I may need to repair it myself with parts but they can’t tell me for another week. It’s the middle of the winter and their machine is worth no more than a lump of junk metal right now. They are difficult to contact and slow on service, not good.
mother. You buy that Ego unit or were you provided one by the company for free?
I bought it from Lowes. And if it goes south eventually I'll be back to tell everyone.
@@CraftsmanontheLake Thanks for the response. I had purchased their single stage unit and was very disappointed in its performance and sold it after 2 years. I'm back to using a single stage Toro which is fine for the NY area. When I had the Ego the batteries were only warranted for 3 years while the unit was for 5. The 56 volt batteries were very expensive and almost the cost of the unit.
I used to pay up to 300 for maintenance electric is better
I agree, but still fingers crossed overtime here.