I'm a little gun shy about an electric snowblower. I have lots of Ryobi tools including a lawn mower. They're great. And so I'm in the Ryobi family.
A couple of years ago I saw they offered a small snowblower (perhaps 16"). I bought it thinking it would be a good replacement for the small Toro PowerLite (perhaps 12-14") we use to clear off our brick patio. The Toro has a 2-cycle engine so it is a bit of a pain to get it going each winter. Must have very fresh gas and carburetor must be cleaned out first. But I call it the MightyMite. That thing will go through just about anything. Obviously, deeper or wetter snow requires smaller bites, but it handles it all well.
I thought the small Ryobi would be a nice replacement since my wife could use it to clean off the patio while I use "Big Bertha" on the driveway and sidewalk. While the Ryobi does a fine job with powdery snow (like the storm we just had), it simply can't handle wet or icy snow or deep snow. That's disappointing because I really would like something easier to use and maintain than the 2-cycle Toro. The other thing I like about the Toro is that it cleans the snow right down to the pavement. The Ryobi leaves a bit a snow so not perfectly clean.
A small snowblower is all we need for the patio. It's the only practical solution. You couldn't get a larger snowblower in there.
A couple of years ago I saw they offered a small snowblower (perhaps 16"). I bought it thinking it would be a good replacement for the small Toro PowerLite (perhaps 12-14") we use to clear off our brick patio. The Toro has a 2-cycle engine so it is a bit of a pain to get it going each winter. Must have very fresh gas and carburetor must be cleaned out first. But I call it the MightyMite. That thing will go through just about anything. Obviously, deeper or wetter snow requires smaller bites, but it handles it all well.
I thought the small Ryobi would be a nice replacement since my wife could use it to clean off the patio while I use "Big Bertha" on the driveway and sidewalk. While the Ryobi does a fine job with powdery snow (like the storm we just had), it simply can't handle wet or icy snow or deep snow. That's disappointing because I really would like something easier to use and maintain than the 2-cycle Toro. The other thing I like about the Toro is that it cleans the snow right down to the pavement. The Ryobi leaves a bit a snow so not perfectly clean.
A small snowblower is all we need for the patio. It's the only practical solution. You couldn't get a larger snowblower in there.
Statistics: Posted by JazzTime — Fri Jan 30, 2026 1:00 pm — Replies 44 — Views 1376