PSSAM24

I have had many snowblowers over the years, but they were all single stage and they were always a fight to get the snowblowing done with them... I bought the PowerSmart 2 stage snowblower with the 212cc motor and I can't believe how good it works. The first time I used it we had gotten behind on our snowblowing and I was hoping that it would work... I was planning on using the electric start but I primed it and it started on the first pull... the snow was really packed and dense and it plowed through it all with no problems whatsoever... It's really easy to use... release the right grip to change gear and then just squeeze it back down and you're on your way... the left grip starts the augers... It's really nice to have a self-propelled snowblower... you just have to steer it and it pushes itself really good... I had looked at quite a few brands before my purchase and I'm really glad I got this one... It can get through whatever snow we get quickly and then I have more time to relax & spend time with my wife... Thank you PowerSmart for making such an awesome machine !!

Happy with this purchase. Was nervous with the build quality, but it appears both the mechanical design and engine issues are mostly resolved with this version versus the prior versions. I have the Loncin version. I would have liked a few features, like a fuel shut off switch and a throttle control, but it turns out these are not really needed. The package was received perfectly from Amazon and took 30 minutes to assemble. It was simple. The only glitch was I overtightened and broke one of the skid plate bolts. I emailed customer service and received replacements in about 5 days. I added the included oil and some gas and it started up after the third pull. I let it run for about 15 minutes. The engine was surging for first 5 minutes during the break-in. I was able to reduce the choke and it now runs smoothly. Used it yesterday after the snow and it worked like a charm. It had no problem with the mobility and it handled wet snow perfectly. Snow throw distance was excellent, the forward and backward speeds were good. I also stepped down from a 26 inch to a 24 inch and I think the portability and maneuverability are better than the 26 inch version and the loss of snow clear coverage is not noticeable. Overall, I think this is an excellent value with just enough features and quality for an occasional use, home owner.

Update: Customer support got in contact with me and went above and beyond. While the experience with the machine has not changed, I feel like customer support is a huge part of the overall experience, and I'm adding a star for this. Kudos! ----- Original: The only thing it is great at is throwing. It throws spectacularly - we had two snowstorms with wet snow. It had no problem with that. You can choke it if you run it into a wet bank, but then I think you can choke an Ariens this way, too. Assembly was pretty easy and straightforward (follow a simple one-page instruction manual...). No complaints about engine, I only used manual start. The rest are not good news unfortunately. At least for me, who operated a 1978 Ariens for 8 years that I found on a curbside. When I compare, I compare to that machine, that I drove into the ground (no fault of Ariens). Some of the things I learned are something you can never pick up from pictures. -No onehanded operation. Also controls are flipped compared to Ariens. Takes time to adjust. Drive control is on the right. To redirect the chute you have to release drive with your right hand (the machine stops), and reach to the chute handle that is UNDER the left auger control handle. I mean it's OK, but being able to direct the chute while still moving was great with Ariens. -No differential. And it doesn't freewheel (I am not sure if it would be beneficial if it could tbh). Which also means you really have to push it when you need to change direction. No tight curves. Really hard to do tight spaces. Such a contrast to one-handed driving on Ariens, where you hold one pedal with your left hand, and can turn on the spot, while turning the chute at the same time. -It's really lightweight. But I put 3 stars for the weight because it turned out to be a disadvantage! The thrower wanders around constantly and doesn't go in a straight line on my (somewhat uneven) driveway. When the skates hit an obstacle, the wheels being pretty powerful, just throw the thrower to the side. As a result, when you cut a line it ends up being a zigzag. So you constantly have to push it, just not forward, but sideways to try and maintain direction. -Vibration. This is something that I didn't expect so much that I couldn't believe it after the first use. But as I'm typing it after the second use, my hands are still zapping from vibration. You can't quite tell that it's bad when you are using it, but when you turn it off, come in, take the gloves off and try to do something, you can tell your hands took a beating. -It's low. If you are 6'2", you'll have to bend over, and it's harder on your back than a much heavier but taller machine. It's still a very capable machine and gets the job done. I guess you get what you pay for.

The PowerSmart brand came up first on the Amazon search. The PowerSmart brand 212cc motor had good reviews and videos on YouTube. Was easy to assemble blower, just bolt the handle bar, shoot, and cables really. Came with a bottle of 5-30W synthetic oil. Ran the engine in a bit, sounds just like my old Briggs & Stratton motor really, plenty of power. Did great for an 8” snow that was a bit heavy. I attached pictures of the current models (January 2026). I like the flat profile tires. Note: the manual didn’t mention it, but as assembled, it moved too fast in Forward, guessing speed 3 in the speed 1 setting slot. There is an adjustment, I loosened the nuts and let the weight of the rod drop down to it hit resistance (guessing to the start of the “backwards” shift direction). It seemed to be right, good back-up speeds as well then. Glad I bought this model; you can spend a lot more on other brands.

Update 4/23/2025: After getting it repaired again, I got another season out of it. I'm uncertain if it was worth it or not after all this. I'm four years in, three seasons of actual use. It's been repaired a couple of times, plus maintenance. I'm probably about into it for the cost of a big brand now. It works, but has issues. The throttle is really sensitive and chokes the mower unless placed in a very specific location. The forward drive acts like it won't last another full winter. It's in the shop for end of season maintenance now. Might be okay if you're good at do it yourself and have stop tools for machining parts or grinding generics to fit. The engine itself works fine and it still throws snow a large distance. Most people will regret getting this import. Some will like it if they can keep it running because it's a lot cheaper than the competition. Update 1/16/2024: Original cost of snowblower + $250 for repairs after one season + 1 use after repair + drive for blades broke = STAY AWAY FROM THIS GARBAGE I now have 3 feet of drifted snow in my driveway because this thing is a piece of trash. Don't waste your money. Previous Review: First, let me get two things out of the way here--1. This was my first snow blower, so keep that in mind. 2. I've had this 3 years, but couldn't use it during the first year due to personal injury. I'm now without a working blower after 2 seasons of use, but it cost less than paying someone to do it for us for one season. Second, I live in a region with one of the heaviest snowfalls in the Northern U.S. I know there are places that get more, but we average over 200 inches of snow every year. We have to clean the snow off our roof once or twice every winter to keep it from collapsing. When we are done, there is a snowbank that extends up to and along one roof edge from the ground that we can use to walk down from the roof. The blower assembles easily. I don't do a lot of mechanical work. I can change the oil in my car, if I have a place to get rid of the oil, but this was a snap to put together. It didn't seem too heavy, but some people might need a second pair of hands to help here. That said, I had no issues getting everything to work easily. I read a lot of reviews that mentioned terrible packaging. When mine came, it was just fine and protected in a cage within the box that didn't appear to be present in the earlier review photos. Just saying--looks like they did what they could to fix that issue. Starting is a breeze. Whether manual or with corded aid, this thing starts up and purrs just fine. I read that someone else complained of it vibrating their hands numb, but that only happened early on in use. Once it got used for a month or so, that completely changed. Maintenance free (mostly) for the two years it ran. At the end, it developed a little run on when attempting to kill by choke alone--which is easily fixed by pulling the "key" out (which acts like a dead man switch). It could use a new sparkplug and possibly some other things as well, but it runs like a charm even so. Throwing is amazing. You want snow moved away from the area? No problem. This thing will toss, literally, above and beyond. From the front of my garage, it tosses the snow to the bank on the opposite side of the street. The thrower swings around too easily, however, and must be constantly adjusted. There's probably an easy fix with rubber band, bungee, or zip tie, but you should know that. It does cut a deep and wide path, so that's been super. When the wind is with me, it'll throw snow all the way down our street--not a desired outcome, but a fact. So, what's wrong? The blower no longer moves on its own, and it cannot be pushed manually against heavy snow. I noticed last season (the first season of actual use) that the forward drive gears started slipping some at the end of winter. It barely made it to February of this second winter before the trans busted or something slipped out of place. I have no idea now if it can be fixed or if I can get any of these local specialty shops to fix it. That's not good. I do get a lot of snow, but my area of need is not big. I have a short driveway of maybe 12'-15', across a 2 car garage, and sometimes I would do one cut along the front of my neighborhood property, which might be 50'-80' give or take, depending on the present need. City ploughs leave banks that block us in. Turning it was terrible and, I suspect, one of the reasons that the drive gears quit working. There was no differential. Turning it manually hurts my back, which is already messed up, so it was easier to slip it into and out of gear going forward and back and shifting its angle on each pass. Two years of in and out and out it went. Now it runs, but it doesn't move. I am 6'2" and the blower does require me to bend over some, but it could be worse. It bothers me less than pushing a scoop or using a shovel. If only the drive gears had lasted. Still, it was a lot cheaper for 2 seasons than hiring a local yahoo to do it for one season. Take that for what it's worth. If your need is much lower than mine, it might do the job fine for a while--maybe. Good luck. I *might* get another if I can't fix this one--and use the original for parts. Uncertain. Will update later when I know more. Update: Local shop can't find parts. I'm trying to do so myself. Hopefully can get this fixed for not too much money. Will update further. Update 2: Was able to find generic replacement parts, but the spacers/bushings need 1/10" taken off the end with a grinder. Thankfully, a buddy of mine will take care of it. So, $150 for annual maintenance and repairs at the local shop and $20 in generic parts after 2 seasons of use off of Lake Superior. Still cheaper than hiring snow removal for one season or buying big brand blower. Will update when it breaks down again.

After years of shoveling snow I did myself a favor and bought me this snow blower. It's been a wonderful purchase!! Built well, easily put together and works great! I have a long gravel driveway, so this being 2-stage was necessary for me. I live in Indiana and can have winters with lots of snow or winters with none. Shortly after receiving this it snowed... a lot. 10 inches. This machine paid for itself right away. I was anxious to use it and did while it was still snowing. With about 8 inches on the ground I first used this blower... the first and only snow blower I've ever used... and couldn't have been more happy. 8 inches of fresh/wet snow blown with ease. A bit later, once it finally quit snowing, I went out and used it again. What used to take hours of back-breaking work took minutes. I finished the second pass in about 30 minutes and didn't realize until I was done that I wasn't even wearing boots. I just cleared 100' gravel driveway and large parking area (40' x 60' - mostly gravel w/ some concrete) in 30 minutes wearing comfortable loafers.

Let me share my experience with the 24 inch 2 Stage Snowblower. Starting with the positives, the delivery was quick, and I was excited to put it to the test. The engine fired up without much trouble, although there was a small hiccup that I managed to overcome. The assembly process wasn't too complex, and the user manual helped guide me through it. However, as I took it out for its maiden snow-clearing voyage, I began to notice a few quirks that left me with mixed feelings. The snowblower's lightweight build, on one hand, made it relatively easy to maneuver, but on the other hand, it caused it to wander quite a bit on my uneven driveway. This resulted in less-than-straight lines, which was a bit frustrating. Additionally, the constant vibrations during operation caught me off guard, leaving my hands feeling quite buzzed after I was done. Comparing it to my previous experiences with other snowblowers, this one didn't quite match up. Unlike some of its competitors, it lacked the one-handed operation convenience. It requirs frequent stops to adjust settings except for steering. And while it did its job clearing the snow, it didn't do it with the same ease as I had hoped. The machine's agility was somewhat limited, especially in tight spots, and it struggled a bit with heavier snow. In conclusion, Snowblower is a serviceable option for those on a budget, and it does manage to get the job done. However, it falls short compared to some other well-established brands. While it might suit your needs if you're looking for an affordable option, be prepared for some limitations in terms of performance and convenience. It's functional, but it may not have the same lasting power as more premium models.

This thing doesn't want a little bit of snow. It wants to eat snow. It wants to be buried in snow just so it can chew through it and put it way way waaaay over there. Easy to assemble, good instructions, great packaging, easy to use, and hyper aggressive with lots of snow. I put it into a pile we had shoveled from the last big snow just to see what it could do and it chewed into it like a fat kid at a Chinese buffet. Love it

Amazing product

We had a huge amount of heavy snow yesterday in southern Ontario and I was worried about clearing the bottom of my driveway from the huge snow plows, but this machine cut through it amazingly!! I am very impressed with this brand (I had a Toro for years). They even sent me plastic skids free of charge so the metal ones did not damage my paved driveway. Great company to deal with.

I originally wrote a review praising the snowblower and it’s performance. I had to update my review as a weld on the axle to the auger had broken after 2 weeks. I contacted the seller who provided amazing customer service and determined it was damaged in shipping. They have totall resolved the issue and are truly a great company to deal with

Package was dropped before delivery. Part was bent but we straightened out best we could and it works good.

Très compact assez pour être perdu en transports