best single-stage snow blowers

Best Single Stage Snow Blowers

Single-stage snow blowers are designed for an average size living space with flat ground that requires constant upkeep during snowy seasons. They're best used by homeowners who deal with light to medium amounts of heavy wet snow throughout the winter months.

If you have a larger property or see snowfall on a regular basis, you may want to consider a 2 Stage Snow Blower instead.

#1 Single-Stage Choice - Briggs & Stratton 1697116 Snow Thrower

Honestly, the Briggs & Stratton 1697116 is a pretty damn good snowblower, and also my #1 recommended SINGLE-STAGE snow blower.

For those with a small or medium lot that don't need a two-stage snow blower, then the Briggs & Stratton 1697116 is a great choice!

The quality is great, and the tires are metal and hard rubber, not the cheap plastic that comes with other brands.

Briggs & Stratton 1697116 Review

What People Love About It:

  • Moves a 'ton' of snow, quickly - it's great for people with large driveways and/or pathways.
  • Very Easy to Use - It starts up easily with the electric push button start, and the Power Steering makes it easy to maneuver, even for my 68 year old grandmother!
  • Features Features Features - People love the hand warmers, the all metal housing, headlight and electric start.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • The engine. For being 'just' a single-stage blower, the engine works surprisingly well! 
  • 22 inch wide clearing path, and a 12.5 inch intake height
  • Electric Start to get going quickly
  • As one reviewer put it, it's got the power of a 2-stage for 60% less cost

Cons

  • The chute is operated manually.  Not a big deal, but still worth noting
  • It might actually be a bit too much for some people, though only a single-stage it's quite powerful

That being said, let's take a look at the best single-stage snow blowers on the market today!

Our Top 3 Single-Stage Recommendations

Recommended
Briggs & Stratton 1697116 Snow Thrower, Single Stage

Briggs & Stratton 1697116

Single StageSnow Thrower

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

For those with a small or medium lot that don't need a two-stage snow blower, then the B&S 1697116 is a great choice & my #1 recommend single-stage blower!

Briggs & Stratton 1022E 22-Inch Single-Stage Snow Blower with Push Button Electric Start

Briggs & Stratton 1022E Single-Stage Snow Blower

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

The Briggs & Stratton 1022e has a 22-inch wide clearing path with a 12.5-inch intake height.  It's powered by 208cc engine with 9.50-foot pounds of torque

Snow Joe SJ625E Electric Single Stage Snow Thrower | 21-Inch | 15 Amp Motor

Snow Joe SJ625E Electric Single Stage Snow Thrower

Overall Rating: 4.3/5

The Snow Joe SJ625e features the same powerful 15 amp motor as it's bigger brother the SJ627e and can give you 21" wide and 12" deep paths in one pass!

#2 Choice - Briggs & Stratton 1022e Single-Stage Snow Blower

The Briggs & Stratton 1022e Single-Stage is our #2 single-stage Choice for a few reasons;

The engine is amazing, the augers are made from thermoplastic urethane and do an amazing job clearing the snow, and the electric start just makes it a pleasure to start and get going.

On top of all of this, it's got a THREE-YEAR warranty, the longest warranty I've seen of any snow blower, gas or otherwise!

Briggs & Stratton 1022E 22-Inch Single-Stage Snow Blower with Push Button Electric Start

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • The engine. For being 'just' a single-stage blower, the engine works surprisingly well! 
  • 22 inch wide clearing path, and a 12.5 inch intake height
  • Electric Start to get going quickly
  • As one reviewer put it, it's got the power of a 2-stage for 60% less cost

Cons

  • The chute is operated manually.  Not a big deal, but still worth noting
  • It might actually be a bit too much for some people, though only a single-stage it's quite powerful

#3 Single-Stage - Snow Joe SJ625E Electric Snow Thrower

According to one Amazon Review, this is "A Cheap Electric Snow Blower That Will Get The Job Done!"

I too have to give it props, though not the top of the line, the Snow Joe SJ625e snow blower has enough specs in it to be considered a good enough option for a homeowner on a budget.

It is ideal for small to medium-sized properties with a manageable volume of snow. It's not going to clear 2 foot walls of snow, but you know that - you get the Snow Joe SJ625E so that you don't have to spend hours shoveling.

Snow Joe SJ625E Review

What People Love About It:

  • Works well in wet snow - I tested it in our first (early) storm and was able to clear 6 inches of heavy wet snow surprisingly well.
  • Easy to Assemble - Assembly can be completed within 30-minutes if you're slow, or just 10-minutes if you're quick!
  • Works 'decently' in heavy snow - It's electric, it's not as powerful as gas, BUT you can still use it in a snow a BIT deeper than 12", you just need to walk slower and be more patient. As one reviewer put it, it's better than a snow shovel!

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Gas Free - never fill up again! 
  • Cost-effective. Price-wise, the Snow Joe SJ625E is cheaper than the Snow Joe SJ627E and cheaper than gas-powered snow blowers.
  • Decent motor. The 15 Amp motor is comparable to the slightly more expensive Snow Joe SJ627E and has enough power to get the job done for a small to medium-sized property.
  • As one reviewer put it, it's got the power of a 2-stage for 60% less cost

Cons

  • Weaker than gas-powered snowblowers. More of a question of need, if you have a large property, or have to deal with higher volumes of snow than usual, then you might need a higher-powered machine.
  • It's NOT battery powered, so you're stuck having to use an extension cord. To me, this is the greatest nuisance of using an electrical snow blower.
  • Might need several passes to get most of the snow out. At a plowing depth of 12 inches, the machine is serviceable but will definitely need to be taken on several passes around the property to get all the snow out of the way.

About the Author

Madison Meyers is a Minneapolis native who knows what it takes to survive in the land of 10,000 lakes.

She’s made it her mission to make sure people never have to shovel again by combining her love for snow with the entrepreneurial skills she picked up at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Amazon Affiliate Disclaimer

Liberty Snow Blowers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

All search results
>