Power Smart DB5004 Review

(Rated: 4.2 / 5) Review by Frank Lowery
Noise
Ease of Assembly
Maneuverability
Balance And Handling
Result Quality
Check Price
Related pages: Best Electric Snow Shovel, Best Snow Blower, Electric Snow Shovel Buying Guide, Electric Snow Shovel Reviews, Power Smart, Power Smart Snow Blowers, Snow Blower Buying Guide, Snow Blower Reviews,

When you are shopping for a new electric snow shovel, you want to balance the machine’s overall cost with its ability to move snow quickly and efficiently off of walks and patios. A lot of electric snow shovels are able to clear wide paths, deal with a healthy amount of snow fall, and have clearance capacities in the hundreds of pounds. But not all of them are comparably priced, and many electric snow shovels can be fairly expensive. One of the main reasons to opt for an electric snow shovel is the financial savings it offers, but many of them remain costly.

It does not have to be this way. You can get all of the advantages of a high capacity electric snow shovel – wide clearance, deep snow cut, and three hundred or more pounds of clearance per minute – without having to spend a lot of money to do so. The Power Smart DB5004 has a wide snow clearance and a high snow cut depth compared to other electric snow shovels, and it has a capacity of up to 400 pounds per minute. But it offers all of this at about half the price of many other electric snow shovels with similar abilities.

Review Summary

The Power Smart DB5004 is a competitively priced electric snow shovel with a clearance width of 13 inches and a cutting depth that is six inches high. The shovel can clear up to 400 pounds of snow per minute, which gives it one of the highest clearance capacities on the market today. It can throw snow up to 20 feet away. And its compact footprint – with overall dimensions of just 17 x 13 x 53 inches – will make it easy to find storage space for it. It also weighs just 18 pounds, which most users will find is lightweight enough to make it easy to use. And it offers all of these features at less than half the price of some electric snow shovels.

At the same time, and in part due to the fact that it is a budget electric snow shovel, there are a few areas in which it could stand to see some improvement. The Power Smart DB5004 struggles with wet, heavy snow, and it only throws snow in one direction, although this is common to many electric shovels. But it also can have difficulties with deeper snow, in spite of its 6 inch cutting depth, and has a plastic auger that is not very durable. It also needs to be assembled upon purchase.

Specifications

The Power Smart DB5004 is an electric snow shovel with overall dimensions of 17 x 13 x 53 inches. It has a push button start and a powerful 9 amp motor. It boasts a clearing width of 13 inches, making it one of the wider shovels available on the market today.

The Power Smart DB5004 has a cutting depth of up to six inches, and it can move up to 400 pounds of snow per minute and throw snow up to 20 feet away. It has an ergonomically designed handle and it weighs just 18 pounds. It comes with a 1 year warranty.

Description

The Power Smart DB5004 is an electric snow shovel that is designed to provide the kind of snow clearing capacity of the top shovels in its class at a price that is significantly lower than anything they offer. It has a clearing width of 13 inches, which is one of the widest available on electric shovels of comparable size, and a cutting depth of up to six inches, which is fifty percent higher than the industry average. It also has an overall clearance capacity of up to 400 pounds of snow per minute. That is the kind of capacity you want on an electric snow shovel, because being able to quickly and efficiently clear snow is important, especially in the middle of winter when it is very cold out and frostbite is a risk. The sooner you can finish clearing your walk or driveway and get back inside where it’s warm, the better.

The Power Smart DB5004 manages to pack that clearance ability into a relatively compact footprint. It has overall dimensions of just 17 x 13 x 53 inches. That means it will be easy to find storage space for it, even indoors in the front foyer or in a hall closet, where it will be readily available whenever a snow storm threatens to hit. That way you don’t have to hike out to the garage in the middle of a snow storm to get your shovel, but can start using it right out the door.

There are a few areas that could stand to see some improvement in the Power Smart DB5004; while some of these are endemic to electric snow shovels, a few are particular to this one and may be consequences of its lower price. But for smaller, less heavy duty jobs, I think this shovel will consistently perform well.

Pros

There are a number of areas in which the Power Smart DB5004 really shines, and these features put it in the top echelons of its class among electric snow shovels. It has a wide clearance width and a six inch snow cut depth, and it can clear up to 400 pounds of snow per minute. At the same time, it has compact overall dimensions and does not weigh so much that it is difficult to use. And all of this is available at a very low price.

1. 13 inch clearance width : The Power Smart DB5004 has the kind of wide clearance width you need on an electric snow shovel. Wider clearance widths allow you to finish shoveling a walk or driveway in fewer passes, which translates directly to less time spent outdoors in the cold and inclement weather and more time indoors where it’s nice and warm. The 13 inch clearance width on this shovel is wider than the vast majority of comparably priced models and ensures quick, efficient clearance.
2. Six inch high snow cut depth : The Power Smart DB5004 also boasts a six inch high snow cut depth, which again makes it one of the higher specs available on an electric snow shovel, and about fifty percent higher than the industry standard. This snow cut depth will ensure that you can use this shovel under a variety of conditions, and it also means that you will not have to repeatedly go outside to shovel during heavier snow fall.
3. Clears up to 400 pounds of snow per minute : A clearance capacity of up to 400 pounds of snow per minute is about as high as it gets for electric snow shovels in general, and particularly those of comparable dimensions. I will reiterate that compared to similarly priced electric snow shovels, 400 pounds is far bigger than the standard. This clearance capacity also helps ensure you can finish the job more quickly and get back inside sooner.
4. Compact and lightweight : And even in spite of all of these snow clearance capacity abilities, the Power Smart DB5004 remains relatively compact, with overall dimensions of just 17 x 13 x 53 inches. This size means you should have little difficulty finding enough storage space for it in a hall closet or front foyer, where it will be available at all times. And at 18 pounds, the Power Smart DB5004 is lightweight enough that most users will have no trouble maneuvering it.
5. Very competitively priced : This is the stand out feature of the Power Smart DB5004. It has one of the most competitive prices I have yet seen on an electric snow shovel, and this is doubly true when you consider Pros number one through four. Such a competitive price is very rare on an electric snow shovel with the kind of clearance capacity the Power Smart DB5004 has. Electric snow shovels that can clear up to 400 pounds per minute are usually much more expensive.

The fact that this snow shovel has a 13 inch wide clearing ability, a 6 inch high snow cutting depth, and an ability to clear up to 400 pounds of snow per minute would each be very impressive in their own right, as they would place the Power Smart DB5004 at the higher levels of snow clearing capability. But when you combine these features with the snow shovel’s very competitive price, it makes it stand out among its competition considerably.

Cons

At the same time, savvier readers may find that the price tag of the Power Smart DB5004 gives them pause, especially when it’s combined with the impressive snow clearing capacities. Smart shoppers can tell when something is too good to be true, and while this is not the case for this model, there are still some areas in which it could certainly be improved. Some of them are common among electric snow shovels, but others are flaws particular to this model.

1. There is a gap between the rotor and shovel’s edge : You may have noticed that while the clearance width is 13 inches, the overall width of the Power Smart DB5004 is 17 inches. That means there will be a two inch gap between the rotor and outer edge of the shovel. While on walkways this will only require a bit of overlap from one row to the other, it will present more of a problem when using the shovel on stairs, as a line of snow will be left behind.
2. Can have difficulty with wet snow : This is true of the majority of electric snow shovels, but it can still be problematic. When using the Power Smart DB5004 to shovel slushy or wet snow, which is much heavier than dry snow, you may find performance suffers. This means the shovel will not be able to throw wet snow as far, and it may require more effort on your part to get through it.
3. Only throws snow in one direction : Again, this issue tends to be common to electric snow shovels, but I do think it bears repeating, as many users seem to be surprised by it. Because the Power Smart DB5004 only throws snow to the front of the machine, you may experience issues: if you are going towards a house, you may be throwing snow onto the porch or walls, and if you are clearing a longer walk, you might have to go over the same snow twice.
4. Plastic auger is not very durable : This may be the main issue that is related to the fact that the Power Smart DB5004 is a more inexpensive electric snow shovel. The auger on the shovel’s rotor is made of plastic, and it is not very durable. If you are using this model on light, easy jobs, it should not be a big problem, but if you repeatedly use this model on heavy duty, tougher jobs, you may experience problems with the auger.
5. Requires a bit of assembly : While virtually every appliance does need at least some assembly to get it ready for use, the Power Smart DB5004 needs a bit more than most. This is another issue that may be related to its price tag. While handier users should not have too much trouble putting it together, the instructions are not the best in the world, and it may take you a while to figure out how to assemble this shovel on your own.

While these drawbacks are worth considering before you decide to save money up front on purchasing the Power Smart DB5004, I think that for the most part they are annoyances rather than serious design or manufacturing flaws. The gap can be frustrating if you are using this shovel on stairs, but it isn’t too big, and most of the other issues are common to electric snow shovels. I do think the durability of the augur could be problematic if you use this on uneven or rough ground.

Product Comparison

Pros and Cons lists are a great way to get a good picture of where a particular product shines or falls short, but they do not give you a full idea of its abilities, especially as it compares to other models manufactured by its competitors. Does this snow shovel really have the widest clearance width? Is it priced competitively when you consider all of its product specs relative to other models? The best way to find out is by comparison shopping.

	Power Smart DB5004	Sylvania 3612SYG250OBL	Snow Joe 324E
Dimensions	17 x 13 x 53 inches	13 x 13 x 55 inches	14.5 x 13.5 x 54 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	9 amp	9 amp	10 amp
Clearing Width	13 inches	12 inches	12 inches
Snow Cut Depth	6 inches	4 inches	6 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 400 pounds	Up to 250 pounds	Up to 300 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 20 feet	Up to 20 feet	Up to 20 feet
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Weight	18 pounds	17 pounds	12.5 pounds
Warranty	1 year	2 years	2 years

As you can see, the Power Smart DB5004 does in fact have a wider clearance than either the Sylvania or Snow Joe models. It also has the highest cutting depth of the three models, and a considerably higher overall capacity per minute. It can throw snow equally as far as the other models. That said, it has the biggest footprint of the three models, and it weighs a bit more than either of the others. It also has the shortest warranty.

Conclusion

There are a few very important points to look at when you are buying an electric snow shovel. They include its clearance width, snow cut depth, and its ability to clear so many pounds of snow per minute. Let’s revisit the Pros and Cons one more time before we wrap up to see how the Power Smart DB5004 performs in these areas.

Conclusion Pros

1. 13 inch clearance width.
2. Six inch high snow cut depth.
3. Clears up to 400 pounds of snow per minute.
4. Compact and lightweight.
5. Very competitively priced.

The Power Smart DB5004 has one of the wider clearances of any electric snow shovel, at 13 inches, and a fairly high snow cut depth, at six. It can clear up to 400 pounds of snow per minute, which is very high. And it packs all of this into a small footprint and competitive price tag.

Conclusion Cons

1. There is a gap between the rotor and shovel’s edge.
2. Can have difficulty with wet snow.
3. Only throws snow in one direction.
4. Plastic auger is not very durable.
5. Requires a bit of assembly.

The main design flaw in the Power Smart DB5004 is the fact that there is a gap between the edge of the shovel and the clearance width that is not insignificant and could present problems on stairs. After that, the durability of the auger is the next biggest issue. Otherwise, though, this shovel has the issues common to all electric snow shovels.

Final Word

When you have a small area to keep clear of snow, and you do not live in a region that experiences a high volume of snow fall from one storm to the next, you do not need an expensive and bulky snow blower to get the job done, but you probably are ready to throw away your manual snow shovel for good as well. In this case, an electric snow shovel can take care of the job for you, but these can be very expensive as well, and cheaper models can wind up being so small as to be completely ineffective. The Power Smart DB5004 is the perfect compromise, however. It offers an extra wide 13 inch snow clearance and a six inch high snow cut depth, and it can clear up to 400 pounds of snow per minute. But at the same time it is one of the most competitively priced electric snow shovels available today.

Best Price

If you have the right conditions – a small area that receives periodic light snowfall – the Power Smart DB5004 is a bargain. It provides all of the benefits that some of the most expensive electric snow shovels offer, such as wide clearance, high snow cut depth, and very high overall snow clearing capacity per minute. But it does so while remaining one of the most affordable power snow shovels on the market today. The Power Smart DB5004 costs less than half of what the most expensive models do. But it has a clearance capacity that is as good as theirs and provides comparable performance.