Earthwise SN70018 Review

(Rated: 3.7 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Result Quality
Check Price
Related pages: Best Electric Snow Blower, Best Snow Blower, Earthwise, Earthwise Snow Blowers, Electric Snow Blower Reviews, Snow Blower Reviews,

An electric single stage snow blower can be a great alternative to gas guzzling machines that eat up dollars and spew harmful carbon emissions into the atmosphere. But a lot of consumers are turned off by electric snow blowers because they often correctly assume that they will not get the same kind of snow clearing power that they can get from a gas powered model. But this does not have to be the case, and there are a number of great alternatives to gas powered snow blowers that perform very well. Among them, the Earthwise SN70018 is definitely one of the best. It boasts the kind of serious clearance width and impressive intake height that allow it to hold its own among gas powered models. And it simply blows away most other single stage electric snow blowers as well. No matter how big your driveway or deep the snow gets, the Earthwise SN70018 can handle it.

Review Summary

The Earthwise SN70018 is a snow blower that really competes with gas powered single stage models: it has all of the power and performance capability that gas powered snow blowers offer, but it does not have any of the drawbacks they present. If you are serious about going green, but you also need a snow blower that is going to be able to keep a big driveway clear of deep snow fall all winter long, the Earthwise SN70018 is just the right model for you.

That is because the Earthwise SN70018 boasts the kind of clearance width that you normally do not find on electric snow blowers: at eighteen inches, it is big enough to clear a sidewalk in just a single pass, and you will be able to finish clearing even a two-car driveway with the Earthwise SN70018 in fewer passes and less time. And because the Earthwise SN70018 has a snow cut depth of a full twelve inches, there are almost no winter storms that it will not be able to handle. Best of all, it provides all of this clearing power while running virtually silently, and it never produces a single harmful carbon emission at the point of use.

Specifications

The Earthwise SN70018 is an electric single stage snow blower that weighs just 35 pounds and has overall dimensions of 44 x 18.5 x 41 inches. It has a push button start and a quiet but powerful 13 amp motor that powers an auger that can throw up to 700 pounds per minute.

The Earthwise SN70018 has an auger with an 18 inch clearing width, and it has a snow cut depth that can handle up to 12 inches of accumulation. It throws snow 35 feet through its snow chute, which rotates a full 180 degrees for maximum driveway clearance. It has compact wheels, and ergonomic design, and comes with a 2 year warranty.

Description

As soon as you get the Earthwise SN70018 out of its box and put together (assembly only takes a few minutes with basic household tools), you can see that it is not your typical single stage electric snow blower. The Earthwise SN70018 has a compact overall footprint and does not weigh very much, sure – but it also has a wider auger and a higher snow cut depth than just about any other electric snow blower out there. This is a snow blower that is built to offer a real alternative to gas powered models. That is because Earthwise is a company that believes that just because you go green, you should not have to lose anything in terms of power or performance.

And with the Earthwise SN70018, you never will. This snow blower is able to power through deeper drifts of snow that even some gas powered single stage snow blowers can. And with its extra wide clearance, you can use it to get even bigger than average driveways free of snow in fewer passes – which means you will finish the job more quickly than ever and be back inside where it’s warm sooner.

The Earthwise SN70018 is not just built to be powerful and capable: it is built to provide lots of convenience and comfort while you are using it as well. That is why it is such a compact and lightweight snow blower, designed to be easy to store and easy to lift over curbs or carry up stairs. It is ergonomically designed, too, which is something your back will definitely be thankful for when you are finished clearing snow from your driveway with it. The Earthwise SN70018 has everything you need to keep your driveway clear of snow all winter long. It is one of the best electric single stage snow blowers on the market today.

Pros

The Earthwise SN70018 is one of the better single stage electric snow blowers I have come across, and its many great features are the reason why. The Earthwise SN70018 boasts an extra wide clearance and an impressively high snow cut depth that will allow you to take care of serious snow fall on big areas quickly and efficiently. It is lightweight and compact but very durable, and it is designed to be user-friendly and ergonomic too.

1. Extra wide clearance : It can be hard to find an electric single stage snow blower that offers the kind of extra wide clearance that can make it a real alternative to gas powered snow blowers. But on the Earthwise SN70018, this simply is not a problem. At eighteen inches wide, the auger on the Earthwise SN70018 is big enough to clear a walkway in a single pass, and you can finish clearing your entire driveway in just a few more.
2. Solid snow cut depth : As with clearance, all too many electric snow blowers have snow cut depths that will not hold up to serious winter storms very well. But on the Earthwise SN70018, you get a snow cut depth that is a full twelve inches, which means it will have no trouble dealing with all but the most severe winter blizzards. That is good news to anyone who has had to clear their driveway more than once in a heavy storm.
3. Ergonomic design : One of the best arguments for switching to a snow blower is the fact that it can reduce the amount of strain you are placing on your back when you clear snow – but if the machine is not designed properly, you can wind up injuring yourself all the same. With the Earthwise SN70018, you get a machine that is made with an ergonomic handle, so there is never any risk of back strain while using it.
4. Lightweight and compact : Even single stage snow blowers can often be big, bulky affairs that are difficult to find enough room for in your garage and hard to maneuver in tight spaces or lift over curbs. But with the Earthwise SN70018, you are getting a snow blower that is very compact and lightweight, which means you should have no difficulty using it. Most users should have no problem lifting it up, and it easily tucks away in a corner of the garage.
5. User friendly : One of the best things about the Earthwise SN70018 is the fact that it is so easily to operate. Unlike a gas powered snow blower, you never have to worry about running out of fuel with the Earthwise SN70018. It starts right up every time, without having to struggle with a recoil starter cord. And it has convenient features like a chute you can control from the rear of the snow blower and great safety features.

As you can see, there is a lot to like on the Earthwise SN70018. This is a snow blower that is equipped with everything you need to take care of bigger jobs in less time. It is ready to tackle heavy snow fall as easily as it can take care of lighter accumulations. And it is thoughtfully designed, with your comfort and convenience in mind. This is definitely one of the better snow blowers in its class.

Cons

In spite of all of its great features, there are a few areas in which the Earthwise SN70018 is not quite perfect. Under certain conditions, you may encounter minor issues while operating the Earthwise SN70018, but overall I do not think that any of these Cons can take away too much from all of its great Pros – especially its extra wide intake height and clearance width, which similar models simply aren’t able to compete with.

1. Not perfect for uneven ground : The auger on the Earthwise SN70018 is designed to clear all the way down to the surface of the pavement, which is a great feature, since you will not have to go back over ground you’ve already cleared with rock salt to get it completely free of snow. But it does mean that if you happen to encounter uneven ground, the Earthwise SN70018 may have some difficulty negotiating it. But provided you have a relatively flat paved driveway, you should be fine.
2. Has trouble with wet snow : Plenty of single stage snow blowers have a bit of trouble with wet, slushy snow. Because there is no impeller fan to help shoot it through the show chute, it can tend to get clogged in the chute or else not be thrown very far away from the snow blower. To avoid this, try to clear snow as soon as it has fallen, and if you do encounter slushy snow, just slow your pace down a bit.
3. The cord can be a hassle : Dealing with a power cord is always something that will take a bit of getting used to on any yard machine, and this is certainly the case for an electric snow blower like the Earthwise SN70018. Not only are you limited in your overall range by the length of the cord, you also have to be careful to avoid accidentally running over it with the snow blower. But with a bit of practice, you should acclimate to it just fine.
4. Hard to pull backwards : The Earthwise SN70018 has fairly small rear wheels, and in spite of the fact that it is a fairly lightweight machine, when you attempt to pull it backwards – especially if you are pulling it over snow – the wheels may get locked up. This will make it much harder to move the machine backwards than it would be if it had larger wheels. Still, this is a fairly minor issue, and one that you shouldn’t encounter often.
5. Not many accessories : The Earthwise SN70018 does not have too many extra features on it – while in most cases I would be inclined to agree that snow blowers do not need a lot of additional bells and whistles to make them work well, it would always be nice to see at least an LED headlight. That would make it much easier to see where you are going if you are clearing your driveway on a dark winter morning.

As you can see, I do not really have too many complaints about the Earthwise SN70018. Overall, this is a snow blower that has everything it needs to get your driveway cleared of snow just as quickly and efficiently as you could with a gas powered model. But it has plenty of advantages that a gas powered snow blower can’t offer. So I think that in spite of these minor drawbacks, the Earthwise SN70018 is still a great snow blower.

Product Comparison

Of course, the best way to figure out whether a particular snow blower is the right one for you is by doing some thoughtful comparison shopping. That way, you can get to know what is available on the market and how a particular snow blower like the Earthwise SN70018 stacks up to its competition. In order to give you a quick look at how similar snow blowers compare, the following table looks at the product specs of the Earthwise SN70018 and two other models.

	Earthwise SN70018	Snow Joe SJ620	Power Smart DB5003
Dimensions	44 x 18.5 x 41 inches	45 x 19 x 38 inches	43 x 17 x 35 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	13 amp	13.5 amp	9 amp
Clearing Width	18 inches	18 inches	13 inches
Snow Cut Depth	12 inches	10 inches	6 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 700 pounds	Up to 650 pounds	Up to 400 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 35 feet	Up to 20 feet	Up to 20 feet
Drive	Manual push	Manual push	Manual push
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Chute Control	Handle 180°	Handle 180°	Handle 60°
Wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels
Light	n/a	n/a	n/a
Weight	35 pounds	31.5 pounds	26 pounds
Warranty	2 years	2 years	1 year

As you can see, the Earthwise SN70018 has both the widest clearance and highest snow cut depth of the three models, and can clear more pounds of snow per minute as well. It can also throw snow farther than either of the other models. But it also does not have a footprint that is too big, and it barely weighs more than the other two. As electric single stage snow blowers go, the Earthwise SN70018 is definitely one of the best models on the market today.

Conclusion

By now you probably agree that the Earthwise SN70018 is one of the very best electric snow blowers on the market today, and I can understand wanting to buy it right away. But before you do, let’s take one more quick look at the Pros and Cons lists, just to be certain it is the right one for you.

Conclusion Pros

1. Extra wide clearance.
2. Solid snow cut depth.
3. Ergonomic design.
4. Lightweight and compact.
5. User friendly.

With a clearance width that is bigger than any other electric snow blower – and even some gas powered ones – the Earthwise SN70018 is a snow blower that is made to clear big areas faster than ever. It can handle deep snow easily, and it is designed with all of the convenience you need to get the job done.

Conclusion Cons

1. Not perfect for uneven ground.
2. Has trouble with wet snow.
3. The cord can be a hassle.
4. Hard to pull backwards.
5. Not many accessories.

The areas in which the Earthwise SN70018 is slightly lacking are not real problems, in my opinion: none of these Cons point to any flaws in the design or construction of the Earthwise SN70018. Overall this remains a great electric single stage snow blower that is going to keep your driveway free of snow for many years.

Final Word

Switching to an electric snow blower like the Earthwise SN70018 is one of the best moves you could make this winter, because it is not just good for the environment but for your wallet as well. You won’t be producing any emissions when you use the Earthwise SN70018, and you will not be spending a dime on gasoline, either. That means that the savings will pile up faster than snow can this winter.

The Earthwise SN70018 is designed to provide a real alternative to gas powered snow blowers in more ways than just by using an electric power source, though. It is made to provide the kind of high snow cut depth and wide clearance that until now only gas powered machines could. And it is able to clear more snow per minute than any other electric single stage snow blower out there. This is really one of the best snow blowers out there today.

Best Price

Best of all, the Earthwise SN70018 is not just going to save you money every time you use it: it is going to save a lot of money up front as well. The Earthwise SN70018 is surprisingly affordable, considering all of the great features and serious snow clearing power it affords its owner. Frankly, Earthwise would be well within their rights to charge a lot more for such a great snow blower. But this is a company that is truly committed to making high quality green products available to the average American household, and because of that, the Earthwise SN70018 has a very reasonable price.