Greenworks 26012 Review

(Rated: 4.7 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Result Quality
Check Price
Related pages: Best Electric Snow Shovel, Best Lawn Mower, Electric Snow Shovel Buying Guide, Electric Snow Shovel Reviews, Greenworks, Greenworks Snow Blowers, Snow Blower Buying Guide, Snow Blower Reviews,

When you have a small area to keep clear, such as a short walkway, porch steps or a deck, but you do not want to use a broom or manual snow shovel to do it, an electric snow shovel can be a great alternative. These machines are able to clear light snow fall efficiently and quickly, and unlike gas powered snow blowers, they are very quiet and environmentally friendly. They produce zero emissions at the point of use, and they operate at very low noise levels. This means you will be able to keep your carbon footprint small and not have to worry about disturbing your neighbors, while still enjoying all of the benefits of a power snow removal machine. And they are compact and lightweight enough that you will have no problem finding storage space for them or maneuvering them around your deck or walk. The Greenworks 26012 is a great example of an excellent electric snow shovel.

Review Summary

The Greenworks 26012 is an electric snow shovel with overall dimensions of 16 x 12 x 52 inches and a 12 inch clearing width. It can handle snow fall that is up to four inches deep. It has a powerful 8 amp motor that drives the rotor to clear up to 250 pounds of snow per minute. This electric snow shovel can throw snow up to 20 feet away, which is usually more than far enough to handle the average deck or sidewalk. The Greenworks 26012 weighs 15 pounds, which should make it easy enough for just about anyone to maneuver around their deck or walk. And it’s environmentally friendly, quiet, and competitively priced.

There are a few areas in which the Greenworks 26012 is less than perfect. At fifteen pounds, it is a bit heavier than electric snow shovels with comparable clearing widths. It’s a bit bigger as well. It may tend to get bogged down in wetter, heavier snow, and it is designed to only throw snow forward. Its snow spade is made of plastic, which may present problems. I’ll cover all of the Greenworks 26012’s features and limitations in the Pros and Cons sections. I’ll also look at how it stacks up to similar models, and discuss pricing.

Specifications

The Greenworks 26012 is an electric snow shovel with a 12 inch clearing width and overall dimensions of 16 x 12 x 52 inches. It has a push button start and a powerful 8 amp motor. The machine can clear light snow fall of up to 4 inches in depth.

The Greenworks 26012 has a capacity of 250 pounds of snow per minute. It can throw snow up to twenty feet away. Its handle is adjustable and ergonomically designed in order to reduce potential back strain. The shovel weighs 15 pounds. It comes with a 4 year warranty, twice the industry standard.

Description

The Greenworks 26012 is an electric snow shovel that has an efficient clearing width of 12 inches and a clearing capacity of up to 250 pounds of snow per minute. It can handle snow up to a depth of four inches. This makes it the perfect machine for keeping smaller areas, such as sidewalks, decks, or patios clear of light snow fall. Because it is electric, rather than gas powered like many snow blowers, it is considerably quieter and much more environmentally friendly. The shovel produces zero emissions at the point of use, and will save a great deal of money on fuel costs compared to a gas powered snow blower.

The Greenworks 26012 has overall dimensions of 16 x 12 x 52 inches and weighs fifteen pounds. Its compact footprint means that it will be very easy to find enough storage space for the shovel, and you can even keep it indoors in a hall closet or your foyer, where it will be easily available whenever a snow storm should hit. It is lightweight enough that just about anyone should be able to use it with minimal effort, and because you no longer have to bend and lift snow yourself, you can say goodbye to backaches related to clearing snow fall.

There are a few minor issues that the Greenworks 26012 presents, such as the fact that it tends to struggle with heavy, wet snow, only throws snow in one direction (forward), and has a plastic snow spade. I will cover these in some detail in the Cons section, but I do not consider any of them to be the kind of major issues that take away from the shovel’s overall snow clearing experience.

The Greenworks 26012 is competitively priced for a shovel of its size and ability. It comes with a four year manufacturer’s warranty, which is twice the industry standard.

Pros

There are a number of features on the Greenworks 26012 that, taken together, make it one of the better electric snow shovels available on the market today. The machine has an efficient 12 inch clearing width, and it is easy to store and use it. It moves up to 250 pounds of snow a minute, but it’s still environmentally friendly, quiet, and very affordable. Let’s discuss each of these features in turn.

1. 12 inch clearing width for more efficiency : The clearing width on the Greenworks 26012 is twelve inches wide, and it can handle snow fall up to a depth of four inches. That makes it a very efficient machine for keeping decks, porch stairs, and sidewalks clear of light snowfall. And at the same time it is not nearly as big or bulky as even the smaller snow blowers. This is a relatively lightweight, compact machine that is perfect for users who do not have big driveways to keep clear.
2. Easy to store and maneuver around the walk : You will be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to find storage space for the Greenworks 26012. You can even store it indoors, in the front foyer or a hall closet, so that it is readily available whenever a snow storm hits. And it is easy to maneuver; it is not so bulky that it will be difficult to maneuver it around walkways, decks, or small driveways.
3. Clears up to 250 pounds of snow per minute : The impeller and rotor on the Greenworks 26012, backed up by the 8 amp motor, are able to clear up to 250 pounds of snow per minute. That is a fair amount of snow, and it is enough that you will be able to use this machine to clear most sidewalks and decks in a matter of minutes. This means you can finish the job more quickly and be back indoors and out of the cold.
4. Environmentally friendly and quiet : There are a number of advantages to owning an electric snow shovel. They are considerably quieter than gas snow blowers, which means you can use them at any time of day or night without disturbing your neighbors. This is important because you never know when a storm is going to hit. And they produce no emissions at the point of use, which makes them much more environmentally friendly than gas snow blowers, and will save you money over the long term.
5. Competitively priced : The Greenworks 26012 falls into the more inexpensive end of the range of pricing for comparably sized electric snow shovels. If you do not have a lot of space that you have to keep clear, there is no compelling reason to spend a lot of money on a big, bulky snow blower; these days, you don’t have to. You can get all the convenience of a power snow thrower without having to spend a fortune on one.

If you are looking for a way to get away from using a manual snow shovel to keep your walk or patio clear of snow, but you do not want a big, bulky snow blower, an electric shovel like the Greenworks 26012 is a great option. This machine’s Pros make it one of the better electric snow shovels out there today, and you can be sure that it will be able to take care of small areas with light snow fall quickly and efficiently.

Cons

There are a few areas in which the Greenworks 26012 is less than perfect. Some of these are simply limitations that are due to the fact that it is designed with a specific type of job in mind. Others are more specific to this particular machine: it is a bit heavier and bigger than other models with a comparable clearance width, and its snow spade is made of plastic and not very durable. Let’s look at each one in some detail.

1. At 15 pounds, it’s one of the heavier snow shovels : The Greenworks 26012 weighs fifteen pounds, which puts it on the heavier end of the range for electric snow shovels. While this will in all likelihood not be a problem for the majority of readers, a fifteen pound snow shovel may be a bit too heavy for readers who do not have the strength level necessary to maneuver this shovel. This is especially true when you consider that the shovel’s clearing width is comparable to much lighter shovels.
2. It has fairly large overall dimensions : The overall dimensions of the Greenworks 26012 are 16 x 12 x 52 inches, which – similar to its weight – are rather bulky, considering its clearing width. While it is not impossibly huge, it is still one of the bigger shovels available today with a 12 inch clearing width. And because the clearing width is 12 inches, while the overall width of the machine is 16 inches, there will be a two inch gap along walls or fences.
3. It may get bogged down in wet snow : In spite of the fact that the Greenworks 26012 has an 8 amp motor, it may tend to get bogged down in wet, slushy snow. This is not to say that it will not be able to get through this kind of snow fall altogether, but it will probably do so more slowly than with dry snow, and it may require a bit more pushing on your part to do so. It will also have some trouble throwing wet, slushy snow a full 20 feel away.
4. The snow spade may wear out quickly : The snow spade is the part of an electric snow shovel that scrapes along the ground, preventing a thin layer of snow from being left behind. The snow spade on the Greenworks 26012 is made of plastic, which is not terribly durable, and may tend to get worn down over time. This is especially true if you are going to be using the shovel on concrete sidewalks. A metal snow spade would have been much better.
5. The shovel only throws snow forward : This is a problem that is fairly common in electric snow shovels. They are designed to only throw snow directly in front of them. So while the Greenworks 26012 will successfully throw snow up to twenty feet away, it will always be in the direction the shovel is pointing. If there is a strong headwind, you may find that snow is getting blown back at you, and there isn’t much you can do about it.

The fact that the Greenworks 26012 has big dimensions and weighs a bit more than many other electric snow shovels with comparable clearance widths may present a bit of a problem for some users, although I do not think it is a major design flaw. And while the shovel has difficulty with wet, slushy snow and only throws snow in one direction, these are common issues with these machines. The fact that the snow spade is plastic and can wear out quickly is a bit more serious, however.

Product Comparison

I always recommend that my readers do some comparison shopping when they are looking for any new yard or garden appliance. Pros and Cons lists are very useful, but by themselves they do not provide quite enough information to get a complete picture of what a particular market has to offer or how a particular product stacks up against its competition. The following table compares the Greenworks 26012 to The Earthwise SN70010 and the Snow Joe 322P.

	Greenworks 26012	Earthwise SN70010	Snow Joe 322P
Dimensions	16 x 12 x 52 inches	11.8 x 8.7 x 53 inches	13.5 x 12.5 x 55 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	8 amp	9 amp	7.5 amp
Clearing Width	12 inches	10 inches	12 inches
Snow Cut Depth	4 inches	5 inches	4 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 250 pounds	Up to 300 pounds	Up to 250 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 20 feet	Up to 25 feet	Up to 20 feet
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Weight	15 pounds	11 pounds	12 pounds
Warranty	4 years	2 years	2 years

As you can see, the Greenworks 26012 has the largest overall dimensions of the three shovels, and at 12 inches its clearing width is on the higher end of the range. The Earthwise can clear an inch more snow fall than either of the other two shovels, and has a capacity of 300 pounds per minute, as opposed to 250. The Greenworks 26012 is also the heaviest of the three shovels. Its warranty is twice that of either of the others.

Conclusion

There area several factors that are of primary importance when you are looking for a new electric snow shovel. You want it to have a wide enough clearing width that it will be able to take care of jobs quickly and efficiently, but also be compact and lightweight enough to be easy to use and store. Let’s take another look at the Pros and Cons of the Greenworks 26012 before we conclude the review.

Conclusion Pros

1. 12 inch clearing width for more efficiency.
2. Easy to store and maneuver around the walk.
3. Clears up to 250 pounds of snow per minute.
4. Environmentally friendly and quiet.
5. Competitively priced.

The Greenworks 26012 has a 12 inch clearing width, but it is compact and lightweight enough that you can store it indoors and maneuver it easily around the walk or patio. It has a large clearance rate per minute. It’s environmentally friendly and runs quietly, and it is competitively priced.

Conclusion Cons

1. At 15 pounds, it’s one of the heavier snow shovels.
2. It has fairly large overall dimensions.
3. It may get bogged down in wet snow.
4. The snow spade may wear out quickly.
5. The shovel only throws snow forward.

The shovel is a bit heavier and bulkier than snow shovels with comparable clearance widths, which some users may find is a drawback. Like many snow shovels, it tends to get bogged down in wetter, heavier snow, and it only throws snow forward. Finally, the snow spade is made of plastic and may get worn down rather quickly.

Final Word

The Greenworks 26012 has a lot to offer for homeowners who do not want to use a manual snow shovel to clear their property, but who do not necessarily need a big, noisy snow blower either. This machine is much quieter than gas powered snow blowers, and it produces zero emissions at the point of use, making it far more environmentally friendly than gas snow blowers as well. If you have a small area to keep clear of snow, such as a sidewalk, patio or deck, an electric snow shovel like the Greenworks 26012 can get the job done quickly and efficiently. It is lightweight and easy to use, and it can clear up to 250 pounds of snow per minute. It has a clearance width of twelve inches, which means you will be able to clear smaller areas in a matter of minutes and get back inside where you can warm up.

Best Price

As pricing is concerned, the Greenworks 26012 is one of the more inexpensive electric snow shovels of its size and ability. It falls on the lower end of the price range for electric snow shovels with a 12 inch clearance width and 4 inch clearance depth. And it does not sacrifice performance or ability in order to provide this price. It’s a convenient, efficient machine that is priced to be affordable. And because it runs on electricity rather than gas and requires very little maintenance, it can save you a lot of money over the long run. This is a solid electric snow shovel at a great price.