Power Smart DB5023 Review

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

When you make the decision to purchase an electric snow blower, rather than a gas powered one, you have the opportunity to enjoy a number of benefits. You no longer have to keep smelly gas cans in your garage or deal with the hassle of maintenance chores like changing spark plugs or oil. You also get a clean energy machine that produces zero emissions at the point of use and is much quieter than a gas powered machine. And you enjoy considerable savings over the long term on fuel and maintenance costs. But do you also lose power and performance when you switch over to an electric snow blower? You certainly don’t have to. With a high performance electric snow blower like the Power Smart DB5023, you enjoy a powerful 13 amp motor and rubber tipped steel auger that can clear 650 pounds of snow a minute and handle even the heaviest snow fall.

Review Summary

The Power Smart DB5023 is a plug in electric snow blower with an extra wide 18 inch snow clearance and a nine inch snow cut depth. That means you can quickly and efficiently clear medium sized driveways and long sidewalks even after a big winter storm has dropped a heavy snow fall on your area. It has a rubber tipped steel auger that can throw snow up to 30 feet under the right conditions, and it is ergonomically designed to provide the most comfort and convenience possible. It has a powerful 13 amp motor that gives it a high snow clearance capacity. And it offers all of that at a competitive price.

The drawbacks associated with the Power Smart DB5023 are, for the most part, your run of the mill issues electric snow blowers present. It may struggle with wet, slushy snow, and the power cord takes some getting used to. The snow blower has a relatively large footprint and is a bit on the heavier side. In addition, it may leave a thin layer of snow behind if it is not angled properly, and its warranty is half the industry standard. Overall, however, I think the Power Smart DB5023 is an excellent, solid machine that has a lot to offer its owner.

Specifications

The Power Smart DB5023 is a plug in electric snow blower with dimensions of 42 x 19 x 40 inches. It has a 13 amp motor with a push button start. Its clearing width is 18 inches and its snow cut depth is 9 inches. It can clear up to 650 pounds of snow per minute.

The steel auger on the Power Smart DB5023 can throw snow up to 30 feet. The snow blower has a manual push drive system, an ergonomic handle, and compact rear wheels. Its snow chute can turn 180 degrees from center radius and is controlled by an oversized handle. The machine weighs 38 pounds. It comes with a one year warranty.

Description

The Power Smart DB5023 is an inexpensive but powerful electric snow blower with a 13 amp engine and rubber tipped steel auger that can throw snow up to 30 feet under the right conditions. It has an 18 inch wide snow clearance and nine inch snow cut depth. The combination of its powerful motor and durable steel auger allows this snow blower to clear up to 650 pounds of snow per minute. That is the kind of power and efficiency that will allow you to clear even the heaviest snow fall quickly and with little effort on your part.

The Power Smart DB5023 is on the bigger side in terms of overall dimensions, and it weighs more than most other snow blowers of its class, but it should not be so big or bulky that it presents serious problems for most users. It may be a bit challenging to find enough storage space for it in your garage or tool shed, but it has a convenient carrying handle located over the center mass that you can use to easily carry it indoors to store in your basement. This way, it is always readily at hand whenever a big storm hits.

The Power Smart DB5023 has one of the more competitive price tags you can find on the market today for a snow blower of its clearance width, snow cut depth, and snow clearing capacity per minute. All too often, budget snow blowers are too small or not powerful enough to get big jobs done, which limits what regions of the country they can be effectively used in. With the Power Smart DB5023, you get all the savings of an inexpensive snow blower without losing any power or performance. All things considered, this is a solid, versatile snow blower at a very affordable price.

Pros

There are a number of areas that are of particular importance when you are looking for a new electric snow blower. You want to make sure it has the kind of extra wide clearance that allows you to finish the job more quickly and efficiently. You want an auger that is made of durable parts that will last a long time. And a powerful motor is important to the machine’s ability to clear a large amount of snow quickly.

1. Extra wide 18 inch clearance width : The clearance width on the Power Smart DB5023 is about as wide as it gets for an electric snow blower these days. An eighteen inch clearance will allow you to finish your driveway in as few passes as possible, which will save you time and electricity and have you back indoors where it is warm that much more quickly. When temperatures drop below zero, it’s important to spend as little time as possible out in them, and with this snow blower you don’t have to.
2. Rubber tipped steel auger throws snow 30 feet : The auger on the Power Smart DB5023 is made of durable, hardened steel, and it has rubber tips to help protect both it and the surface of your driveway. With this design, you don’t have to worry about damaging the machine or the finish on your walks or driveways. And the powerful auger can throw snow up to 30 feet, so you can clear surfaces even more quickly and efficiently than with less powerful machines.
3. Ergonomic foam-coated handle : The Power Smart DB5023 is designed to be as comfortable and ergonomic to use as possible. Because of this, the handle is adjustable so that you can always set it at the best height for you, and it has a thick foam coating to protect your hands and wrists from being jarred by the vibrations of the machine. As a result, your snow clearing experience will be as painless and comfortable as possible.
4. Powerful 13 amp motor : A common misconception is that you have to sacrifice power and performance when you switch to an electric snow blower from a gas powered one, but it simply is not the case. With the Power Smart DB5023, you get a powerful 13 amp motor that allows the machine to clear up to 650 pounds of snow per minute under the right conditions. That’s the kind of power you want in order to be able to clear big areas of heavy snow fall.
5. One of the more competitively priced machines : Even with all of these excellent benefits, the Power Smart DB5023 is still one of the more competitively priced snow blowers in its size and clearance capacity class. Its price tag is below average, which means you will not have to spend an arm and a leg to get the kind of power and performance you need to keep your property free of heavy snow fall all winter long. In addition it will provide fuel and maintenance savings over the long term.

In every one of the most important areas, the Power Smart DB5023 really delivers. It has an extra wide 18 inch clearance and a powerful motor that can clear a large amount of snow every minute. Its auger is made of durable steel and rubber so it can stand up to repeated use over the long term. And all of this is offered at a relatively inexpensive price, which will help you save money up front and over the long term.

Cons

There are a few drawbacks to the Power Smart DB5023 that I should discuss, although I do not think that any one of them takes away too much from the excellent Pros I have described above. Most of them are typical of electric snow blowers, although two – the fact that the warranty is only a year long and the fact that it may leave a layer of snow behind – are more particular to this model.

1. The snow blower is somewhat big and heavy : The Power Smart DB5023 has overall dimensions of 42 x 19 x 40 inches, which makes it a big on the larger size for a snow blower of its clearance capacity. That means it may take some effort to find enough storage space for it in your garage or tool shed. And it weighs 38 pounds, which some users may find is a bit too heavy for them, although it does have a convenient carrying handle that is centered over the main mass.
2. It may have difficulty with wetter snow : This is a problem that is endemic to smaller, electric snow blowers. When faced with slushy, wetter snow, they have difficulty throwing it the full distance advertised by their manufacturers. As a result, you may find it is slow going with slushier snow. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you use your snow blower to clear snow as soon as it has fallen in order to avoid this problem.
3. The power cord takes some getting used to : A plug in electric snow blower will take some getting used to, especially if you have only ever used independently powered machines before. You will be limited in range by the length of the power cord, and you have to be careful not to accidentally run over the power cord in deep snow or in the dark. On the other hand, you never have to worry about running out of juice in the middle of a job.
4. The warranty is only one year long : The Power Smart DB5023 only has a one year warranty, which is half the industry standard and frankly may be too short to be effective. A one year warranty means that you will only be able to get one meaningful season out of this snow blower before it is no longer under warranty, and it is likely that most problems will crop up during the second season of use or even later than that.
5. May leave a thin layer of snow behind : While the snow blower does effectively clear snow at a high clearance capacity, you have to be careful to make sure you are angling the auger down onto the surface of the ground. Otherwise, one of two things will happen: either you will leave a thin layer of snow on the surface, or you may find the auger blows snow back under the bottom of the machine towards the operator. This can be especially problematic if you are using it near your house or on your deck.

I do not think that any of these Cons present the kind of serious red flags that would lead me to give the Power Smart DB5023 a poor review. Most of these drawbacks are typical of electric snow blowers of its size class, and the only really serious one is the length of the warranty, which, provided you do not put your snow blower through very tough use, should also not present too much of a problem.

Product Comparison

I always remind my readers of the importance of comparison shopping when you are looking at a particular home or garden appliance, and this is especially the case with a vital machine such as a snow blower. You want to make sure you are getting exactly the right product for your needs. The following table compares the Power Smart DB5023 with two similar snow blowers, the Toro 38371 and the Greenworks 26032. Let’s take a look.

	Power Smart DB5023	Toro 38371	Greenworks 26032
Dimensions	42 x 19 x 40 inches	43 x 17 x 35 inches	47 x 21 x 42 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	13 amp	12 amp Series Wound	12 amp
Clearing Width	18 inches	15 inches	20 inches
Snow Cut Depth	9 inches	12 inches	10 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 650 pounds	Up to 500 pounds	Up to 850 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 30 feet	Up to 25 feet	Up to 20 feet
Drive	Manual push	Manual push	Manual push
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Chute Control	Handle 180°	Handle 180°	Handle 180°
Wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels
Light	n/a	n/a	n/a
Weight	38 pounds	25 pounds	35 pounds
Warranty	1 year	2 years	4 years

The Power Smart DB5023 has the most powerful motor of the three snow blowers, and can throw snow farther than the other two. But the Greenworks has the biggest clearing width and snow cut depth, and it can move 30 percent more snow per minute than the Power Smart DB5023. The Power Smart DB5023 is the heaviest of the three machines. It also has the shortest warranty of the three. In all other areas, the three snow blowers are quite similar.

Conclusion

There are three areas that will affect a snow blower’s overall performance more than any other: its clearance width and snow cut height; the power and performance of its motor; and its snow clearance capacity per minute. Beyond that you want a compact, lightweight machine that will perform well over the long term. Let’s take one more look at the Pros and Cons of the Power Smart DB5023.

Conclusion Pros

1. Extra wide 18 inch clearance width.
2. Rubber tipped steel auger throws snow 30 feet.
3. Ergonomic foam-coated handle.
4. Powerful 13 amp motor.
5. One of the more competitively priced machines.

With an 18 inch clearance width and nine inch snow cut depth, the Power Smart DB5023 is above average for electric snow blowers. Its 13 amp motor is one of the more powerful out there and it can clear up to 650 pounds of snow per minute and throw that snow 30 feet.

Conclusion Cons

1. The snow blower is somewhat big and heavy.
2. It may have difficulty with wetter snow.
3. The power cord takes some getting used to.
4. The warranty is only one year long.
5. May leave a thin layer of snow behind.

The Power Smart DB5023 is on the larger side and it is a bit heavy, but not impossibly so. It may struggle with wet, heavy snow, and the power cord takes getting used to, but this is not uncommon. The short warranty is a hassle, though, and you have to angle it just right so as not to leave a layer of snow behind.

Final Word

When you switch over to an electric snow blower from a gas powered one, there is absolutely no reason to expect that you have to lose performance, ability, or quality. An electric snow blower such as the Power Smart DB5023 has the kind of extra wide snow clearance and high snow cut depth that will allow you to keep your property cleared of snow even under the heaviest snow fall conditions. And it has the kind of durable construction that will allow it to hold up to wear and tear over the long term, as well as the kind of convenient, ergonomic design to ensure you are getting the best snow clearing experience possible. What is even better is that the Power Smart DB5023 is offering all of this at a very competitive price. With this machine, you get reliable performance under a variety of weather conditions, and you do not have to break the bank to get it.

Best Price

What is so attractive about snow blowers such as the Power Smart DB5023 is that they provide high performance and exceptional snow clearing ability without requiring expensive maintenance and fuel costs like gas powered snow blowers do, which means they offer considerable savings over the years. What’s even better about the Power Smart DB5023 in particular is that it does not have the kind of big price tag that will force you to spend more money than you ought to. You get the advantages of a high performance machine without having to pay a premium price to get it. This is a solid snow blower at a very reasonable price.