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A cheap snow blower is a bit of a misnomer, as you’re either going to pay quite a lot for moving snow out of your driveway, or you’ll be using a shovel. Most brand-name snowblowers cost well over $1,000, and big two-stage models can get over $2,000. That said, since snow blowers are so expensive, a price difference of even 20% can mean savings in the hundreds of dollars. But how do you know when you’re fine counting pennies and when it’s time to invest in something that will last more than a winter or two?

That’s where Consumer Reports can really help. It would be great if you could go on a retailer’s website, browse by categories and specs, and then pick the cheapest option that ticks all the boxes, but as you probably know, that’s a recipe for disaster. The reason we’re including Consumer Reports’ findings is that the organization actually tests a huge number of the products it includes in its ratings, from the EVs with the best batteries to the most reliable TV brands.

While the Consumer Reports article on snow blowers was an essential source, we also considered the products’ price at various retailers and user reviews (which occasionally clashed with CR’s findings). Most importantly, we had to ignore a few of the organization’s favorite cheap snow blowers because they were unavailable or, in some cases, had been discontinued.

The Greenworks 80V 12-Inch Battery Snow Shovel, model number 2600602, isn’t exactly a snow blower, but it shares the same basic function. A snow shovel like this one is smaller than even a small snow blower, which usually has a clearing path of 20 inches or more. A snow shovel also doesn’t throw snow at a comparable distance, which might be a dealbreaker for some. That said, if you only need to clear your driveway, this is a great, cheap option that comes with good reviews — averaging 4.2 stars thanks to 153 reviews.

On Greenworks’ website, ignoring sales and other deals, the 80V Snow Shovel costs $350. This might not sound cheap to you, but it’s far from the most expensive power shovel on the market, and it’s far cheaper than any good snow blower you could find. It also includes an 80V/2Ah battery in the price. Unless you get a refurbished product, a Greenworks battery of this kind will cost you $180, and Greenworks is not an especially expensive toolmaker; it’s just that expensive batteries are one of the downsides of all large power tools.

If you want to save a little more on your snow shovel, the Greenworks 2600702 40V model has a similar Consumer Reports rating and is about $20 cheaper on Greenworks’ website. There doesn’t seem to be any major difference in performance between the two, so we recommend you pick a snow shovel based on which Greenworks battery line you’re more likely to use in the future, since both the 40V and the 80V batteries can be used to power other tools with the same voltage from the same company.

Toro

The Toro Power Clear 721 QZE 21 single-stage gas-powered snow blower is an impressive machine for $879, as other snow blowers in the same category can cost as much as $1,100. The price of gas-powered blowers has been suffering in recent years due to a large number of products, mostly in the lower price range, being discontinued.

The Power Clear 721 QZE has a 212cc engine, a max throw of 35 feet, and it clears snow 21 inches wide and 9 inches deep in one pass. The self-propelling system makes this heavy machine easier to operate, as does the electric starter motor. It comes with two years of full warranty, which includes two years of “Guaranteed To Start Promise,” an extra warranty dedicated to the engine starter. On Toro’s website, the Power Clear 721 has a 4.6 average user review score, based on 395 reviews. It’s similarly popular on Lowe’s, where it has 4.6 stars and 361 reviews.

If you want to save a little more, you can try getting your hands on the (now discontinued) Troy-Bilt Squall 179E, which used to retail for $575 and nonetheless got a pretty good score from Consumer Reports. You will need to look for these at garage sales or on second-hand markets for tools.

For the asking price of $629, this Toro 60V 21-inch Snow Blower is worth considering in the category of single stage battery powered snow blowers. At the time of writing, however, this item is out of stock in all authorized U.S. retailers, and Tractor Supply seems to have removed its store page. That said, it’s worth keeping this one in mind for the next snow season.

Normally, we would skip over an item that can’t currently be purchased, but we include the Toro Power Clear e21 39901 anyway because it’s the only battery-powered snow blower (and not just a power snow shovel) that is worth its money and can be found for less than $700. There are plenty of great battery-powered snow blowers, don’t misunderstand, but they often come in at over $1,000. The 21 inches of clearing width are what you can expect for the price, and it comes with an impressive 60V/7.5 Ah battery. Toro suggests that this snow blower works best when tackling up to six inches of snow.

If there had been a solid alternative for a similar price highlighted by Consumer Reports, even if it was less popular or slightly more expensive, we would have mentioned it, but there is none. Whether this Toro blower becomes available again or if the company announces a successor, you’ll want to keep an eye on it.

With a price of $1,059, the Troy-Bilt Storm 2420 is the cheapest “CR Recommends” compact two-stage gas blower that is still available for purchase (similar models highlighted by CR can cost $2,500 and more). With a clearing width of 24 inches, a 12-inch depth max, and a throw of up to 40 feet, it’s hard to imagine a homeowner needing anything more powerful than this. The Storm 2420 also comes with six forward and two reverse speeds, and it has an average user review score of 4.2 stars, based on 2,955 reviews from Home Depot.

As mentioned, gas-powered two-stage snow blowers can get really expensive, and the only way around it is to look for used gear or tools on clearance, like the Craftsman Select 24 and the Ariens Crossover 20. Both will be slightly underpowered when compared to the Storm 2420, but even if you find them for their old retail prices, still listed by CR, of $900 and $700, respectively, you’ll be saving around $500, which is nothing to scoff at.