24 in. 2-Stage Electric Start Gas Snow Blower

I love Home Depot! That is not due to the standard buy at a good price or that they had all i needed for a project. It is due to a problem. We recently ordered a snow thrower that was to be delivered. Home depot was going to keep the cost down buy using a local shipping company. This company seemed to have some sort of issue with their assigned task. With one phone call to home depot they quickly sorted out their problem and started to act like professionals. Home Depot used their power to help us get satisfaction and we are now ready for the horror that is a Minnesota winter. The worth of a company is not how they do daily business when all goes well. It is how they handle themselves when something goes amiss. The thrower looks good and was easy to assemble. It has all the whistles and bells i was promised and all functions nicely. The only problem I find is it did not come with any snow. Here in Minnesota that little issue will correct itself quickly enough. Thank you Big Orange

I have had this unit for 5 seasons now and have not had any snow fall it would not go through. I was worried about an engine brand I had not used before but it starts with one pull at the start of the season. It has never clogged even in wet snow and is much better that a single stage for the same price. The fact that this is Ariens value line is a plus and other that a light can't tell much difference. I like that you can set it to drive both wheels or a single one. In light snow I use one wheel be easier turning but in heave or wet snow you have have both wheels powered. My only complaint is I with it went faster in reverse. I am sure it is a safety issue but it keeps me know using the power drive in reverse and just pulling it back.

It was easy to put together and started right up, but it has not snowed since i got it.

The snow blower assembly is easy - I didn't even find the directions until I was ready to install the chute (the directions are in the chute package). I haven't used it yet since my old snow blower died during the last storm of the season. But I am impressed with the heft of it so it doesn't seem to be cheaply made. I posted pics of it on my blog and a friend in NY, who works for a BBS, said last fall they sold a ton of them and not a single return. So I am hopeful that it will do well.

I've had my Ariens Sno-Tek snowblower for 2 years. So far, so good. Certainly not as good of a machine as Ariens flagship brand snowblowers (and yes, this is an Ariens product, they just brand it differently because it's their "value brand"), but better than any other "value brand," and still held up to most of the standards of any other Ariens product. Machine is tough, made in America (except for the engine), reliable and gets the job done. I'm almost disappointed that I've only been able to use it once so far this winter, but it got a ton of use the past two winters. When minor things do break in it, it's easy to fix, and I'm not good at fixing things. While I miss the old Tecumseh engines that Ariens used to use, the LCT engine in this machine (the same exact engine as the Ariens Compact 24) is a good engine. Now if you want to know what this machine doesn't get you for $650 compared to the $900 Compact 24: First and foremost, it is missing Ariens' signature orange stainless steel chute (in fact, this is Ariens' only machine that isn't orange, but it does have an orange stripe up the chute to just give it a taste of tradition), but rather has a plastic chute, it has smaller wheels than the Compact 24, and lacks a headlight. There are a few other details that I'm probably forgetting, but all-and-all this is a similar machine to the Ariens Compact 24 with some bells and whistles removed to cut the price down, and it's still a great machine for a great value. My father had an Ariens snow blower - the same one for over 30 years - for most of my growing up, and I wanted to continue the tradition of quality, so this "Value model" gave me the opportunity to do that at a price I could afford. This machine is every bit an Ariens. Are the "regular" Ariens better? Yeah, but this is still a great machine for an affordable price. I'm glad I bought it.

Enough power to handle any drift or accumulation of snow thus far and even does the job when the snow is only an inch. My only recommendation is a face mask, when the wind blows it gets cold and when snow is thrown in the wind it will come back in your face.

I have owned this snow blower for 5 years now and have had an excellent experience with it. Living in Montana I have lots of opportunity to use it. In addition, I volunteer with our city to clear sidewalks and driveways for the elderly and disabled that are not able to take care of their own snow. I do all the recommended maintenance including changing the fluids more than once a year depending on hours used. I only use premium gas, preferably without ethanol, and drain the fuel tank and then run it until the carburetor is dry, with no fuel in the bowl, at season end. The next season I have not had any problems getting it started the first time. I was surprised this snow blower did not come with tire chains like my previous one. I found out they are not necessary due to the construction of the tires. I also appreciate that you are able to set this model up so that either both tires drive it or just one with the other tire free wheeling. The first option is great for deep or heavy snow as well as drifts. Having only one drive wheel makes it much easier to turn and maneuver. A nice feature. Yes, as others have mentioned, it doesn't have power steering or heated hand grips or some other fancy features that add to the cost and tend to break down, but you can't complain about the air conditioner when using it. The only items I have needed to repair/replace, other than standard tune up items, are the primer button and one of the shoe skid plates. The skid plate only had to be turned over, which was great. I will be replacing the scraper bar at the end of this season just to help prevent wear on other items if I wait to long. This is the second Ariens snow blower I have owned and I will buy another when the need arises. I also would recommend this model to anyone that needs a 2 stage snow blower.

Can't say enought about this device. It sure has saved my back! Easy to use, extremely powerful and reliable. And its even the envy of my neighbors...including my daughter(see photo)

So far, I'm not disappointed. Only used once to date. Blower started easily and did the job. With the chains installed, both wheels must be locked using the outermost axle holes (you won't find discussion about this in the manual, see the Ariens answer to my question about this situation). With both wheels locked, it is more difficult to make a turn. But, in my case, I have a straight driveway, so used the reverse gears to back up to the start line after completing a row.

I bought this SnowTek 24" Snow Blower just in time for a 12" snow fall. I picked the machine up at the shipping company because a tractor trailer would have difficulty turning around on my street. It was easy to assemble, and started on the first pull. I like that it also has an electric start option by plugging in an extension cord. A few days later we were hit with 12" of light fluffy snow. The machine handled it with ease. The chute control works very easily and can be done on the fly. The tires had no problem moving the machine thru the deep snow. I cleared my 150' driveway and large parking area in about an hour. The next day I cleaned up heavy wet snow with thin layer of ice on it. It was no problem for this machine, tho of course it did not thow the slushy heavy snow very far. I am very pleased with this SnowTek based on my initial experience with it.