Snow Joe 15-Amp Corded Electric Snow Blower, 22" Clearing Path w/Dual LED Lights, Steel Auger, 180° Adjustable Chute & Clean-Out Tool – High-Capacity for Large Driveways & Walkways, SJ627E

I seriously had my doubts on this when ordering, especially since it was on sale for a little over $160. But reading reviews I took my chances and honestly I am so glad I did!! Even if this thing lasts me for this one winter, (which I hope it is built to last many!) it was well worth it and cheaper than snow plow services. It took a couple weeks to finally get enough snow to finally use but just used it 2 days in a row. 1st day was probably 5 inches and lighter fluffy snow with ice underneath it all. Got through it with no problem, some spots I had to go over twice but my driveway is not paved or anywhere being close to even, so yes you get caught up easier, which I think you would even with a heavy duty gas powered snowblower on my driveway. (So if you have a paved, even driveway, this would be perfect for you!!) The second day I used it, about 4 inches of snow, same consistency but with more slush underneath and again no issues. Again it did get stuck on a couple spots but again my driveway is not paved and uneven. Even on both days I was able to get through what the plow pushed into the end of my driveway from the road which I was again amazed this little bugger would go through. I am not sure how well this would work with heavy wet snow since I haven't had the opportunity to test it yet but I think with a little bit more force it probabky would still be better than shoveling. Even having to manually push this, it was light and easy and not really any strain on my back, 1/2 my driveway is slanted at the end and it wasn't the easiest pushing it up, so I just did it going down, again maybe it would be better on a paved driveway going up or if it wasn't so icy underneath the snow but after trying once just wasn't worth trying again. Shoveling my driveway my back hurts for 3 days afterwards so this is really a back saver. Everything works easily and expected, I mean having a power cord dragging around isn't the funnest but that is expected again with this and I would rather have that then messing with a gas one. Didn't test out the lights because it was day light and I actually forgot about them, haha. Now is this 100% perfect for my crappy driveway....no but for the price and my back, it is 100% perfect for me!

I ordered this as a backup to a $1500 heavy duty two-stage Toro with finicky gas freshness requirements and has left me without a snowblower in the past, which is unacceptable. My wife works in healthcare and we live in a wooded lot with a large driveway that must be cleared so she can get to work as early as 6AM to be in the operating room. If I only owned this blower by itself, it would be completely inadequate for our particular drive but it's a whole lot better than hand shoveling if I'm stuck without the Toro. If you have a small area and are patient when using it, it could easily be your sole snow blower to avoid winterizing, changing oil, switching out gas so it's fresh when you need it every couple of months, year round so it doesn't gum up your carburetor and leave you without a way to clear your drive when you need it. Two important points: 1) This is an electric snowblower that weighs about 35 pounds. It will not clear deep and/or heavy snow like a gas powered one will...it just won't. That said, for the cost, weight and ease of use, it’s very effective. You have to go very slow in that type of snow if you're stuck without an alternative. However, I still fire it up to do lighter snow and the walks if it isn't too deep, even if the monster Toro is working fine. This is nicer for walks because while the Toro throws snow 40' and can clear any amount and type of snow, it can be overkill and difficult to maneuver on walks. If you must use it for heavy snow, you can use the handle just behind where the snow is blown out to pick it up and blow the snow in layers - it weighs 35 pounds afterall. My Toro weighs just under 250 pounds. For my purposes, its a little like having a large riding lawn tractor to mow the lawn but and have a push mower to trim around the trees. 2) Figure on spending $80-100 for a heavy gauge power cord that's rated to work in cold weather. The one you probably have lying around likely isn't that gauge and isn't rated for cold weather. For a 100-ft one, get a cold weather rated, 12 gauge cord. Support: Great! The motor burned out after a couple uses, likely because of a defect. I called Snow Joe support, got a human right away who emailed me a paid return label. They will send m a replacement, no questioned asked. It would be nice if it hadn't happened in the first place but it's nice to know they stand behind their products.

This is the second time I've had to use this snow thrower. The first was a big snow storm in NYC, that delivered about 10-12 inches of snow. This easily handled that snowfall. I own a Toro 1800, that Is over 15 years old and still works great. However, it's about 12 Amps, 10 inches depth with 18 inch width. During that December snowfall, I started with the Toro to see how it's fare. It was tough going, barely making a dent in the snow, especially with snow drifts. Then I switched to this Snow Joe, and it handled the snow much more easily. Man, was I glad I purchased this just before the snow fell. (Talk about luck, it actually arrived the night before the storm.) So, I was very happy with every aspect of this snow thrower. Fast forward to the Nor'easter that brought massive snowfall to NYC again. Started Sunday and ended Tuesday morning. In my neighborhood, it measured 18.5 inches. Plus some rain/sleet that fell on top of that level of snow. So the snow was that heavy wet kind. I won't lie and say this was as easy as the December snow clearing. I would clear about a foot or two, then go back and clip off snow, about 1/4 - 1/3 from the side of the snow thrower opening. This would break the snow 'wall' and the blades would funnel the wet snow into the output tube. It handled the job. It certainly saved my back. I did have to use more effort pushing the thrower, since the snow was not fluffy, and offered considerable resistance. Before I purchased this machine, I considered a gas powered snow blower. The cost was significantly more, which was expected. I was considering a 2 stage unit, so that I could avoid the gas/oil mixture, and just use gas. it's louder, heavier and takes more space. Since I had reasonable success with my older Toro, I figured that a more powerful version should suffice. For this snow, would the Toro have been useful? Not really, because it struggled with the December snowstorm. Would the gas powered machine have handled this snowstorm? Of course. A neighbor has one, and he slowly progressed without hesitation. This Snow Joe snow thrower, with some strategic tactics, ably handled the job. It might have done the job in 1/2 the time, possibly even more. In previous years, for a storm like this (maybe 8 inches or more, that would tax the Toro), I'd use a shovel to clear the snow. I recall one storm where it took over 6 hours to complete the job (Besides clearing my own driveway,sidewalk and walkway, I clear 3 of my neighbors' sidewalks and walkways, and one elderly couples driveway, just in case of emergency). I've attached some photos of the Snow Joe against the backdrop of the snow, some shots of sidewalks that I cleared. There's also a side by side photo of the Snow Joe and my trusty old Toro. Overall, this is a great machine. I was actually surprised how well it handled these two snowstorms. Again, today's use was no walk in the park. It required effort and took time. However, tonite my back feels normal, no aches or pains. I'm sure the job was completed in much less time that manually shoveling. For a price that is about 1/3 the cost of the gas powered machine, it's a considerable value/cost effective. If I thought we were going to have snowstorms in excess of 20 inches with regularity, I would consider purchasing a 2 stage gas powered snow blower. But, realistically, this Snow Joe snow thrower should ve a very credible and capable performer for the majority of snow events. I feel this machines merits a solid 4.75 star rating, with a very high level recommendation.

I cannot stress enough, the unimaginable amount of rage that was induced from using this utterly worthless, horribly designed product. I resorted to shoveling snow because it was physically less demanding and drastically less stressful. Let's start at the beginning. Package arrived. Open instructions, and begin assembly. The handles and chute crank are really all that needed to be assembled. Easy enough! After all, it's just a children's toy, designed for people 3ft tall and below! But I didn't know that yet. After assembly I go outside with my correctly rated outdoor extension cord, per the user manual. All is well, and snow will be thrown. I get the extension cord plugged into an outdoor outlet, and plug in the snow joe snow thrower. It has lights, and they worked. If there's ANY praise whatsoever to come from this review, it's that the lights worked. Not well. But they worked. I start up the snow thrower and I'm immediately underwhelmed. 20"+ of powder in Michigan in the span of 48 hours, and this brand new snow thrower is struggling with moving literal powder? The lightest, fluffiest, easiest to move snow? Keep in mind, I had already shoveled the driveway ahead of time, so it was not a cumulative 20", rather 2-3". This snow thrower was struggling, just as I was struggling to maintain my sanity trying to maneuver the handlebars that are approximately 3ft lower than they should've been. Then the handlebars start to bend and bow, so I reassess my handlebar assembly job. Turns out, I assembled them exactly as directed in the instruction booklet. The root cause is just a devastatingly tragic design. Like, christ man, how hard is it to design handlebars at adult arm level? If only there were a dozen other brands and shapes and models and designs to go off of? How do you fail this fantastically? Finally, after this failure and utter abomination of machinery pushed me past my limit of patience, I put the snow thrower exactly where it belongs. In the trash. It fit quite nicely in a half full dumpster. The handlebars bent perfectly, by design, to accommodate the shape of my dumpster. Trash day is tomorrow, so it worked out magically! I am horrendously disappointed in myself for giving money to a dogwater dumpster fire of a company, so I won't allow them the satisfaction of returning it to them so they can turn around to resell it on Amazon as "used - like new". Go buy a shovel. Or a real snow thrower, like an adult.

I do t usually write reviews. I did my research before purchasing a snowblower. Just moved to a colorado coimate. This is a great snowblower. Plug and play. You’ll need a 15 amp extension cord. Has worked well so far for light snows. ——- Follow up after 6 months. This snow blower is meant for light snows as previously mentioned. After a month of use with Colorado heave snows, the rods that go to the handle started getting loose. The screws that keep it tight get loose when the blower is on and in use. The vibration makes it loosen over time. I had to jerry rig it tight by tying thick zip ties around the rods. All I’m all it’s an affordable snow blower, useable for light snows, and medium snows after I reinforced it. If I had a 1000 to blow I would get a better one, but this is enough for now

I own many SnowJoe products and they have all performed exceptionally well, no matter how much I have overworked them. This machine, however, couldn't handle what I gave it. I have a 90 foot long, nine foot wide, driveway. In November of 2019, I purchased the Snow Joe SJ627E Electric Walk-Behind Snow Blower w/ Dual LED Lights, 22-inch, 15-Amp. I also purchased the required 12 gauge-15 Amp electric chord, and the five-year warranty through SnowJoe. It was simple to assemble out of the box. I do not know how many times I used the machine (not many), but sometime in January of 2020, the machine stopped working altogether. I made a request for replacement under the warranty. After a discussion to verify the machine did not work and that I was using the correct chord, SnowJoe sent a replacement. I used the replacement a few times (less than five) over the course of the rest of 2020 and the winter of 2021/2022. In November/December of 2022, the machine just could not handle the snow load. Although the auger would turn, at first, it no longer had the power to throw the snow through the chute. It acts like an inside mechanism is stripped. I shoveled for the rest of the winter; not wanting to deal with the phone call for replacement or having to pack up the machine for return. May 18, 2023, I dug out the box and made the call. Although the phone rep was indeed pleasant, "I understand..."she repeatedly would say in her struggled English; the only resolution was for me to wait until the model was back in stock AND for there to be snow on the ground (to again test the machine!?) for them to offer another replacement. I did not want a replacement, because I expect to only again have problems with the snow load I have here. I offered to return the machine for partial refund and without my receiving a replacement, so they could refurbish it and I could get rid of it. Because I purchased through Amazon, even though it was from SnowJoe on Amazon, I could not get any amount of refund (I would have taken $50) for this more than $269 investment. I told them it was unacceptable for me to have to wait until the snow fell and be left without a snowblower while they determined that in fact the machine did not work (even though it again would be me telling them it did not work), and that I just wanted to get rid of it. I told them they were simply leaving me in a position to have to buy another machine anyway. After almost an hour I was told they would replace it with a lesser model (same machine but without lights). I told them I would accept that and just sell the SnowJoe machine with the warranty that was remaining. In the overall, I liked the machine. Not having to deal with gas machines and the problems that go with them was a blessing. I learned long ago how to manage a chorded lawn mower, so using a chorded snowblower was no problem. Customer service has been there when needed, but they put you through LIKELY NECESSARY paces for replacement. My problem was the machine just could not repeatedly handle the amount of snow we get here in Saint Paul, Minnesota. If you buy this snowblower: Be certain to use the correct electric chord. If you haven't before used chorded machine, practice and plan for chord management before winter comes (knowing that the chord will also stiffen). Do not buy this for deep snow, even if you think you can just take little bites out of it. Please, PLEASE, hang onto your box and all packing materials. Lastly, be sure to buy the SnowJoe five-year warranty. These you will not regret. My three-star rating is based upon the ease of assembly and use; the access to customer service, and their willingness to continue discussion and their ability to understand your problem; and that the machine works great when it works. I took off two stars because I do not believe the machine itself works as promised, in that it cannot handle heavier snow, or deep snow, and that it is not the proper machine for all environments.

Used it for the first time in 3 years since moving to Western NC. Worked like a champ. The directional snow throw handle way up close to the body is awesome. Snow was heavy and it still threw it 20 feet. Very powerful for a corded machine. Just make sure you buy a cord that runs the length of your driveway which we purchased. Assembly was a piece of cake and the small snow shovel that attaches to the machine really came in handy as the wet snow caused a temporary clog in the shoot. Fast and easy fix.

I could not decide whether I wanted a gas-powered unit or battery-powered blower. Last year (2020), I resorted to shoveling only in New England's winter, which was not fun at all. So, I needed a blower immediately before the next snowfall, even though my mind was still not set. So, I did a research and battery-powered unit was out of the window because they are ridiculously expensive (you could buy an entry-level gas-powered blower) and you'd need at least 2 batteries no matter what. I was afraid of going over the wire with this unit, but for the price (was about $170 when I bought it) I clicked "PLACE ORDER" right away. Upon opening the box, I was shocked of the "height", which was roughly half as tall as average gas-powered blowers. It was also missing a washer that goes on the shoot, but I have assortments of hardware so I just installed a stainless steel washer. However, quality control in China still has a long way to go. OK, the performance. I measured the depth of snow, and it was 12-14", slightly wet/heavy snow. I was surprised that this small unit actually works, and if the snow is not wet or deep it can throw snow about 5~7 meters away (about 20ft). However, if the snow is deep or wet, the number drops to mere 2 meters or less. I knew this, so I was not unhappy. For 12-14" accumulation, I had to make 2 passes to clear my driveway. The biggest challenge was the heap left by the town plow. It was not easy, but as I repeatedly "hit" the heap gently but firmly, I could eventually clear it. There were some small tree branches under the snow, but this unit chewed them up & threw them away with the snow. It can also break thin sheet of ice under the snow. Mind you, I sprayed silicone spray inside the shoot (I wouldn't recommend WD40 as it could erode the resin; silicone is the best for resin/rubber). Long story short, I was pleased with the performance. I used under-rated extension (I know I shouldn't have), but bought a 100ft 12-AWG extension immediately. The handle bar could be more robust, so do not force it and like I mentioned above, "be gentle but firm". It took me about an hour to clear my driveway as I had make 2 passes. Was I tired? Of course, but NOT nearly as tired as shoveling. It does make noise, but for me it is a sign that the motor is strong and is not annoyingly loud. The LED lights are weak as they do not come with focus lens. I believe this unit would most benefit those who cannot decide whether to go with gas-powered unit (which is a LOT more expensive than this) or electric, or just need any blower NOW. For mere $170, you can't go wrong with it and you would be happy saving your muscles & bones. Gas-powered unit requires extensive care & preservation, which I wanted to skip. Even if you do want a gas-powered unit but cannot afford one now, I would get this unit anyway just to buy time to do more research & save money. In the next few years, I believe there would be larger electric blowers. If the time comes, I might consider getting a larger unit and keep this one as a spare. Pros: -Lightweight -Has enough power to take care of moderate accumulation -Reasonably priced -Durable for the material (resin) used Cons: -Struggles on wet/heavy snow -Have to deal with extension cable -Becomes a decorative object during power outage -Quality control in China is still questionable UPDATE 2/26/22 This is the 2nd winter and Mass has had 2 snow storms so far. During the 1st storm, the drive belt has snapped but luckily I had a spare belt (thanks to one reviewer) so I could get it back on service in a half hour. The spare belt, if Snow Joe is out of stock, is AC Delco 3L245. To change the belt, UNPLUG the unit, remove the left plastic cover (there are 2 hidden screws on the aft edge) and install the belt on the drive pulley (the smaller metal) first, then onto the driven pulley (the larger plastic). Once a while, the circuit breaker trips due to higher load, and I'm not sure how long the motor can last (the motor is not listed as a replacement parts), but so far I'm very pleased with the performance for the price.

I live in Montreal and had a smaller 40V battery powered snow blower. It really didn't do well in any snow heavier than say 5cm loose powder. The higher power battery powered blower are just way too expensive for my taste, especially I have a 6 cars driveway so probably even need to buy extra battery that will end up cost me more than a gas unit. Then I notice I have a plug right at my garage door so end up getting this after reading many reviews. It works great! Cleared 20cm snow no problem, cleared the big heavy icy slush dike piled by the city at the end of my driveway no problem. It is indeed a bit of a hassle to move the cable around, but after 2-3 uses I got the process all figured out with a cable reel now it is a breeze to use. One problem I noticed was the cable clip that came with it which is suppose to keep portion of the cable on the unit itself. This clip doesn't fit well and flew off after the first use, so I just end up ziptie them in the end.

We just got over a meter of snow in two days and the Snow Joe SJ627E worked well to keep the driveway clear. First day dropped around 40 cm in a half day and the snow was right to the top of the SnowJoe. It was still light snow and was tossed five meters or more easy. It took less than ten minutes to clear the 15m by 7m driveway. The next morning the snow was heavier and about 25 cm deep after some rain. The Snow Joe could only throw about 2m to the side but up to 4m straight ahead so I did cross cuts to clear the driveway. To keep the Snow Joe drive band from slipping I had to slow down a bit and sometimes cut just a half the width of the blade at a time. When it is overloaded the band will slip and you can smell rubber but it got back to work after backing off a bit. I find the handle a bit flimsy and I have to re-tighten the nuts each time I use it, which is easy to do by hand. Overall, for the $250 CDN I am very pleased. It takes about the same time to clear my driveway as the neighbours with their big self driven gas powered snow blowers because it is easy to set up, compact, light, and maneuverable. I keep it just inside the door of the garage which makes setup just a matter of plugging it in. It is more effort to push but still way easier than shoveling. No combustion fumes and reliable function so far. I'm certain the electricity cost is negligible compared to the operating and maintenance cost of a gas powered snow blower. Under heavy load it does make a loud whine but it is still less noise than a gas machine. UPDATE: I've had this snow blower for five years now and it is still going strong. However, after the second season the belt kept falling off. It wasn't until the pulley finally fell off completely last year that I noticed the design flaw: the screws are on the back side of the pulley so you can't see them loosening off. I drilled some holes to remove the pulley assembly replaced the screws and the snowblower works like new again. I will post a video or photos of the repair when I get a chance. I also had to repair the trigger switch because the power cable got bent too many times and created a short circuit. I was able to repair it with some common electrical repair tools.

So I bought this knowing that we were expecting some poor weather. If I could say 1 single thing, make sure you get the right extension cord. If you cheap out you will not get full power to the machine. I have a two car drive attached to my neighbour, so in total 4 car driveway. In a moderate dumping of snow / slush I can do the whole driveway in about 20 min including the heavy end after the snow plow goes by. Ok things I like. It is very easy to use, push the safety button and pull the handle just like a lawn mower. Easy peasy. It is pretty powerful. Electric motors are all torque, I have to say even with wet slushy snow the motor never really slowed down. Even when blowing on the street at the curb where the snow plow has dumped all the extra snow. Things I don't like, it is not self propelled (I knew that going in, but still it is a pain because my next point), the handle feels very flimsy. With a lawn mower (which is where they took thier design), you don't usually have to push that hard. In the snow you really have to push. It feels like the handle is going to snap sometimes. This is most evident in the heavy snow that the snow plough leaves at the end of the driveway. I sometimes take a couple of passes at it. The lights on it failed on first use, I don't really need them so I didn't care. It doesn't "really" throw the snow that far. When it is light and fluffy, or you get into a good chunk of snow it will do a good job, but mostly with small amounts of snow it only goes a metre or so. This is because it is only one stage, again I knew this going in, just hoped it would be better. Summary Considering the challenges, it is not a bad unit considering the price. I have used it about 6 times now and it works ok considering what I paid for it. Enough that I might splurge for a more expensive model (like the the E-Go) when this one dies. I am updating this review after 1.5 winters. The unit is now headed to electronics recycling. The entire drive system is rotted away. I stored this always in a heated garage. I contacted snow Joe and never heard anything back. I guess for the price it was cheaper than hiring a company. And when it worked it did do ok as I listed in my review. But the fact that it rusted out so quickly really frosts my cookies and the fact that I never heard back from them was even a little more frustrating as apparently it had a 2 year warranty. So when it works... it is good. But I would like it to have lasted at least past the "warranty" period.

Bought in the late fall of 2021 so this is a full winter review. Bought this along with Coleman 12/ 3 extension cord based on other recommendations for a 15 amp motor. Not sure it it actually made a difference but did not have ANY electrically related problems at all so I am glad I did buy it. This review is on the snow joe only. Great little machine. It moves manually so you have to maneuver it by push it yourself but it is light. The scraper bar does a good job of getting down to the driveway but did not actually scrape it. Quiet enough to use at 2:00 am without waking neighbours. The auger work on heavy and light snow but not the best on snow plowed onto the driveway that turns to ice. It was still much better than using a shovel but not as good as gas. Still, threw the snow well out of the way. My driveway, with 5-8 cm of snow would take app 25 minutes to shovel. This little snow joe did it in 10. One night received almost 18 cm of snow. There were also drifts that were almost 30 cm right at the garage door. Used about 3/4 of the width of the intake (to prevent the chance of clogging, which it never did) and cut though the drift and the rest of the driveway without issue in about 20 minutes. By hand would easily be a tiring hour. It is not self propelled and does not have the full power of gas, but if you want a light weight, easy to use (no gas or maintenance) light to medium duty snow thrower, you cannot go wrong with the SJ627E

So this is my 2nd SJ627E 22-Inch 15-Amp Electric Snow Thrower. I inherited one, and liked it enough for what it is THAT a bought a second one for quick work of light snow (I live in the snow belt, and have a snow contractor. He doesn't come out if it snows under 3-5") To be clear for those who are shopping for a Real Snow Blower, this is NOT a snow blower (I guess that's why they call it a snow thrower). I have owned a REAL Snow Blower. A Toro Snow Blower (Toro Power Max HD 926OXE 26"). That, my friends, is designed to blow ANY kind of snow (up to 30'), and it doesn't bog down (it's designed to swallow as much snow without slowing down because of the over flow chute intake design, which sweeps the excess snow over, to be consumed on the next pass as you run up and down your driveway). One costs about $300 and the other costs about $2000. Back to my Good, Bad & Ugly review. The Good: + No gas to deal with! + Starts ever time! + Works as far as your extension cord can reach! + Light weight, you can take it anywhere (up the stairs to clear out snow on a balcony, or anywhere else you might want to bring it along *so long as you feed it AC power). + You can't go wrong for the money, even if it lasts you only for a few seasons or more. + It's really compact given it's 22" path. + The propeller design rotational propeller has tire like belts attached at the ends of the propeller blade, this allow for near perfect snow scraping to the asphalt (wood deck, cement walkway etc) driveway without incurring any surface damage. REALLY handy when clearing snow, minimizing left over snow, and allowing for less salt to do it's work. + works on 12" freshly fallen (not the snowman sticky snow) snow, can clear an almost full 22" path (depending if you can toss it to the side and not have to reblow it further down the driveway). + It's not noisy. You can have a conversation, and you can hear surrounding noise around you given the overall level of noise emitted from the Snow Joe. + It's really a great value for the money given that it can speed up the time to clear a path for the walkway, deck, driveway etc. + It's fun to use given it is light, somewhat powerful (given the right type of snow), environmentally friendly, maintenance free (other than checking for loose handle bolts). + The chute never jams because it either throws the snow The Bad: - They cheapened out on the design of the handle, metal quality and length of attachment causes metal fatigue right out of the box after two uses. - The blue hand "nut wing" comes loose with use (Snow Joe should of included washers and locking washers to alleviate the nuts coming loose, hence making the handle bend), so I invested in 4 big washers and 4 lock washers at all four corners. - It's a Snow Thrower, and NOT a Blower. By that, it cannot handle snow that is over 6+ inches and wet. As the Snow Joe tosses the snow forward (about 4-6 feet) it can no longer continue on the path (if your trying to blow it off your driveway, and on down to the end of the driveway) of the thrown snow and reblow it further down the path, it's too heavy for the capacity of the machine. It bogs downs and chokes. - It is meant for quick work of snow that is less than 12" provided it's not wet (if snow man quality snow, your out of luck thinking your making 22" passes up and down your driveway), so you are asking yourself if you have less than 200 square feet of area to clean, use a shovel (it's faster, and quicker). The Ugly: -*- My 1st Snow Joe had a handle (the only real installation part where you join both push brackets together to form a complete handle) that had a little more length where the two handles met/meet. The new one does not, the defect is that the handle shaft has less metal to work with and suffered metal fatigue due to the single bolt (the blue hand nut and bolt) anchoring location as the two handle pieces stress and flex as you push the blower forward (this leads to the metal working itself into rounding off and no longer able to bind to the ends together). Draw back to that is that the handle wants to fold onto itself like a folding chair wants to close (read for winning solution below). OKAY, how to improve Gen1 and Gen2 Snow Joe: 1) buy yourself some big washers, and lock washers for the included blue nut and bolts needed to attach the two handles together. It will keep the blue handle bolt and nut tighter for longer. 2) for Gen2 (or the model your buying now) I recommend you drill a second set of holes on either side of the handles that join in the middle (see in my picture above). Purchase a similar nut and bolt that is approximately 1.25 - 1.5" in length and install a second nut and bolt just below the factory blue nut and bolts at all four areas. Remember to use a washer and a locking washer as well. You will need a drill bit to make pilot hole, and then a 1/4" to 3/8" drill bit to make the hole big enough to use a Home Depot Nut, bolt, washer, and lock washer. This is the only way on Gen2 machines that you will avoid metal fatigue where the upper handle meets the lower handle bar. It will no longer work the blue nut and bolt loose, and it will not allow the metal to fatigue. You will have a much more secure attachment between the two handles. Your hand bolt and nut will stay hand tight and not work itself lose due to 1) the modification, and 2) adding larger washer and lock washer between the area of the bolt protruding from the handle and the blue hand nut. Total cost 4 nuts 0.15c, 4 washer .12c, 4 lock washers .08c PLUS upgrade the Blue Nut and washer with 4 washers .15c, 4 lock washer .12c (they are bigger, they cost slightly more). plus an hour of your time, max.