These 5 Winter Power Tools Will Save You Time And Energy

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Some people love the wintertime and all the snow and ice that accompany it. Some, on the other hand, absolutely loathe it. While neither faction is likely to change their mind on the matter anytime soon, it's all but certain that they agree that the freezing winter weather can also be an absolute nuisance. That weather can, after all, wreak utter havoc on your home and property. When it does, homeowners have few options but to spend loads of time and energy dealing with the aftermath.

That tends to involve anything from the removal of snow and ice from driveways and automobiles to spraying walkways with snow or ice melt in hopes of preventing buildup. It can also require the removal of fallen limbs that might've given way under the weight of the white stuff. Now, a case could easily be made that old school methods like a traditional snow shovel or ice scraper are still effective, no-nonsense ways to handle such issues. And if you're into old school, you should absolutely feel free to engage in those methods.

If, however, you prefer more modern methods of handling snow, ice, and other issues that might arise throughout the winter months, there is no doubt a powered tool in existence that could prove essential for cold-weather work. Here are a few we think will save you some time and energy this winter.

We're gonna go ahead and start with the big dog in the snow removal game here because, well, when winter really hits, the big dog will get pressed into action with a quickness. The big dog in this scenario is, of course, the trusty old snow blower, which is the go-to power tool for many homeowners looking to clear heavy snow from the driveway and walkways surrounding their property. 

In decades past, a snow blower was seen as a luxury item that most households could not afford. But that is no longer the case, as virtually every major power tool manufacturer carries a snow blower of some sort among their stock. While there are still price-prohibitive models out there, there are also plenty of quality blowers that can be had for as little as $499 or less. If you do live in an area where snowfall totals regularly come in at several inches or more, well, it should be easy enough to justify that investment when it's time to clear the way.

If, however, you still don't want to invest that kind of money in your snow removal arsenal, there are cheaper powered tool options available on the market. In particular, many of the same companies that make the heavy-duty snow removal machines also make smaller, battery-powered devices called snow shovels, which essentially feature a small snow blower attached to the end of a shovel, and you can get one of those for well under $200 these days.

When it comes to managing snow and ice on your property, most of the focus is, understandably, on the removal of the cold stuff after it's already accumulated. But in many cases, you can limit the impact of snow and ice by treating your sidewalk and driveway with either salt or an ice-melt compound before it falls. And yes, those compounds can also help prevent refreezing on those paved surfaces after you've used your shovel or snow blower to clear the way.

As with the removal of snow, there are several different ways to spread snow and ice-melting compounds around your property, with many folks opting for a shovel or just throwing it around by hand. Some even load the deicers into walk-behind machines that are typically used to spread fertilizer in the spring. For our money, that is about the best way to go, though we'd prefer to use a powered spreader from one of the major tool manufacturers. More specifically, we'd opt for one of the handheld models that are currently being sold through home improvement chains like Lowe's, The Home Depot, and Ace Hardware.

Those models are, in our opinion, a little easier to handle, particularly when the snow has already fallen, and you're maneuvering the edges of your walkways. Ease of use aside, salt and ice melt spreaders can be a little heavy when loaded up with deicing materials, so you'll want to consider that before you purchase one, which you can do for relatively cheap.  

While many will spend considerable time and effort managing snow and ice when the weather turns cold, it's not the only work that might be aided by a power tool throughout the winter months. And as previously noted, even as pesky as snow and ice can be on paved surfaces, it can also lead to the felling of any number of tree branches, be they ailing or healthy. Snow and ice are, after all, pretty heavy when they accumulate even a little bit, and when tree branches almost inevitably give way to the weight, you're gonna need to find a way to clear the fallen branches.

For some, that may simply involve calling an outside lawn care company to do the work. But for the more frugal home owners out there, it's a task that can be easily undertaken with the aid of a good saw. Depending on the size of the limb, it would behoove the latter faction to have a powered chainsaw on hand to tackle the job. As it is, a chainsaw is one of those power tools that might be marked as a "must-have" for virtually any homeowner, even if you're likely to use it a little less than some other essential tools.

Despite the fact that when a tree branch, or even a small tree, falls in the spring, summer, fall or winter, you'll no doubt be happy to have that chainsaw around. Luckily, you can get a good chainsaw from one of the major manufacturers without investing too much money.

Circling back to the ongoing battles with snow and ice that winter invariably brings, we'd be remiss if we didn't point out that the latter version of freezing water tends to bear its head with far more frequency, particularly when it comes to cars. After all, your vehicle's windows can freeze up overnight without any precipitation falling from the skies. And if you live in a colder climate area, you know exactly how frustrating it can be to spend time scraping that freeze off of your windshield and windows when you're trying to rush off to work in the morning. 

Traditional ice scrapers have been the go-to option to rid your windshield of the frozen stuff pretty much since cars started utilizing windshields. When combined with defroster settings in your car, they continue to be an adequate method to remove ice. But if you're looking for a more modern way to take on the morning de-icing, you could always invest in an electric ice scraper.

If you've never looked into those battery-powered devices, they sort of work like a disc sander, except they swap out the sanding head with a plastic disc that has elevated scrapers on it. Some fancy models even use a heating element. When you power up, those glass-safe scrapers get to spinning, and should make short work of any accumulated freeze with almost no effort from you. Best of all, they're not all that expensive, with Amazon currently selling electric ice scrapers for as little as $19.99. 

To this point, we've largely featured time-saving winter power tools that would likely involve some financial investment on your part. Now it's time to feature one that most homeowners probably already have tucked away in their garage or utility shed. That power tool is the handy leaf blower, and if you didn't know it already, we can confirm that the device can blow more than just leaves. 

In the right circumstances, a leaf blower is indeed one of several legit methods to help remove snow from your automobile or even your driveway and walkways. And it really is as simple as powering up, pointing the blower wherever the snow has accumulated, and watching the white stuff fly away in the wind. There are, however, a few factors that will determine the effectiveness of this method, the first of which is, obviously, how much wind your leaf blower is capable of producing.

The other is the type of snow you are blowing, because even as most blowers should be able to handle the light powdery stuff, many will no doubt struggle with moving the heavier wet stuff. To that end, we can tell you that, if you're using a leaf blower to clear snow off of your car, you'd be wise not to engage the vehicle's defroster beforehand, as it will liquify the underlying snow on the windshield and make it that much harder to move. Whatever the case, using a leaf blower can clearly be a, ahem, breezy way to manage snow in the winter time if you're so inclined.