Why Ryobi's Snow Shovels Have Bad Performance Ratings

Autumn is slowly reaching its end, with winter prepared to overtake it very soon. Thus, depending on where you live, snow is more than likely on the horizon. If you're not prepared to dig yourself out once it starts falling, now is the time to game plan. In some cases, a simple shovel and quality snow gear is enough to clear your driveway, while others may require something a bit heftier and powerful to get the job done. This is where snow blower models like those recommended by Consumer Reports that cost less than $1,000 can save the day. What some may not realize is that there is technically an appliance between the two.

Ryobi's pair of cordless electric snow shovels combines the two methods. These tools look and operate similarly to a string trimmer, though they have the head of a snow blower, albeit shrunken down a bit in both height and width. The idea is that this tool brings the lightweight, simplified nature of the shovel and couples it with the powerful snow-throwing abilities of a snowblower. For either $130 for the 18V model or $190 for the 40V, they're not as much of a financial strain as full-on snowblowers. Unfortunately, Ryobi's electric snow shovels appear only to be guaranteed wins on paper. Their customer reviews aren't all so glowing.

There are numerous positive remarks about Ryobi's cordless snow shovels, but the negatives can't be ignored, given their frequency. Here are the most common complaints buyers have with these appliances, contributing to their far-from-glowing performance ratings.

There are lots of common complaints folks have had while attempting to use Ryobi's electric snow shovels. Looking at the reviews for both the 18V and 40V, one finds several comments saying they stop working after a few minutes of use, complaints about the lack of directional snow-throwing making a bigger mess, and frustration over them not throwing snow very far ahead. Perhaps the biggest complaint of all is that in some situations, the plastic auger fails to effectively clear snow off the ground. Buyers feel they're better off returning them and finding another way to clear their driveway, deck, or walkway. While this seems like a case of poor manufacturing or even false advertising at first, it's not the case. 

The fact is, these electric snow shovels aren't going to turn out the same performance as traditional snow blowers. The 18V has a 10-inch clearing width and 6-inch clearing depth, though some reviews have put its ideal snow depth at between 2 and 4 inches, and the 40V only has a 12-inch width and 6-inch depth. Any more than this and they're likely to struggle. Additionally, electric shovels can't contend with dense, slushy snow, which is hard enough to clear even when implementing the tips to make shoveling easier and more efficient. Therefore, these shovels are most suited for smaller areas with only a little bit of light, airy snow. Of course, they won't meet expectations if they're pushed beyond what they can actually handle. Many customers hope for snow blower-quality clearing from Ryobi electric snow shovels, only to have their high expectations dashed. Still, there's no shame in wanting to give one a try, so long as you're aware of its limits before buying.