Snow Joe 322P Review

(Rated: 4.6 / 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, Snow Blower Buying Guide, Snow Blower Reviews, Snow Joe, Snow Joe Snow Blowers,

Keeping your walkway or patio clear of snow can be a lot of work even if you do not have a particularly large area to take care of if you are doing it the old fashioned way, with a snow shovel. Older readers will almost certainly relate to the fact that shoveling snow can be the kind of activity that can leave our lower backs aching for days after – even if we are just clearing a few inches from a small space. Fortunately, modern technology has great alternatives to this. While snow blowers can tackle just about any job, they are not necessary if you live in an area that does not receive heavy snowfall or if you just have a small deck or walk to clear. If this is the case for you, an excellent alternative can be a small electric snow shovel such as the Snow Joe 322P.

Review Summary

The Snow Joe 322P is a 7.5 amp electric snow shovel that is small and compact but still has a wide enough clearing width to help get smaller jobs done quickly and efficiently. The Snow Joe has a 12 inch clearing width and can handle snow fall up to a depth of four inches. It has overall dimensions of just 13.5 x 12.5 inches, and it is 55 inches tall. This is an excellent size for keeping patios, steps, or sidewalks clear if you live in an area that gets moderate or light snowfall. It’s lightweight and compact, which means it will be easy to use and can be stored just about anywhere.

The Snow Joe 322P can clear up to 250 pounds of snow a minute, and it will throw snow up to twenty feet. This is more than enough to take care of smaller jobs. It’s ergonomically designed so that anyone can use it easily without risking back strain. I will cover these features in more detail in the Pros section of the review. In the Cons section, I’ll discuss areas in which the Snow Joe 322P is less than perfect, and I will provide a detailed product comparison guide as well.

Specifications

The Snow Joe 322P is an electric snow shovel that has overall dimensions of 13.5 x 12.5 x 55 inches and a clearing width of 12 inches. It can clear snow up to a depth of four inches. The shovel is started with a push button and it has a 7.5 amp motor.

The Snow Joe 322P has a clearing capacity of up to 250 pounds per minute, and it can throw snow up to twenty feet away. The handle on the snow shovel is ergonomically designed for better comfort and less back strain, and the shovel weighs just 12 pounds. It comes with a 2 year warranty.

Description

The Snow Joe 322P is an electric snow shovel with a 7.5 amp motor and innovative design. It is designed to be used on patios, steps, and sidewalks in areas that do not receive particularly heavy snowfall during the winter. The snow shovel has overall dimensions of just 13.5 x 12.5 x 55 inches, which means it will be very easy to find storage space for it; you can even store it indoors in your foyer or a closet without it taking up too much room so that it is easily accessible during a snow storm. The shovel has a clearance width of 12 inches, which should be enough to quickly and efficiently clear small areas. It can clear up to a depth of four inches, which will be adequate in many areas of the country through the winter.

The Snow Joe 322P has an ergonomically designed, adjustable handle that is designed to take a lot of the strain out of shoveling snow and alleviate lower back pain. In addition, the shovel weighs just twelve pounds, which means that just about anyone will be able to use it with no trouble at all. The shovel’s powerful motor helps to drive the unit’s operation and can move 250 pounds of snow per minute. This will allow you to clear sidewalks and patios quickly and with minimal effort; practically all you have to do is steer the shovel, although it may occasionally need a little help to get through wetter snow. The rotor has three blades to increase its ability to cut through light snowfall quickly.

The Snow Joe 322P comes with a two year full manufacturer’s warranty. It is UL-approved for safety. And it has a competitive price tag that will make it affordable for just about anyone and particularly attractive to frugal readers.

Pros

There are a number of excellent features that make the Snow Joe 322P a great purchase for homeowners who do not have a large driveway to keep clear, but also do not want to use a manual snow shovel to clear their sidewalk, stairs or deck. It’s compact, easy to use, and surprisingly powerful given its size. It has an ergonomic design and a competitive price. Let’s discuss each of these pros in some detail.

1. Compact and lightweight : The Snow Joe 322P has overall dimensions of just 13.5 x 12.5 inches, and it is 55 inches tall. This compact footprint will make it very easy to find storage space for it, and you can even keep it in your foyer or a hall closet in your house so it’s readily available when a snow storm hits. It also weighs just 12 pounds, which means just about anyone will be able to use it easily.
2. Twelve by four inch clearing capacity : The Snow Joe 322P has a clearing width of twelve inches, and it can clear snow fall that is up to four inches deep. The clearing width means you will be able to clear a sidewalk, deck, or your porch stairs in a matter of minutes with just a few passes. And the four inch clearing height ensures that in parts of the country that do not experience very heavy snow fall, this machine will be all you need.
3. Powerful motor and three blade rotor : The motor on the Snow Joe 322P is a powerful 7.5 amps and can drive not only the three blade rotor but also the forward drive mechanism. This means that just about all you have to do is guide the snow shovel through lighter snowfall. The motor provides enough power to throw 250 pounds of snow per minute up to 20 feet away, which is far enough to clear almost any deck, porch or sidewalk.
4. Ergonomic, convenient design : The handle on the Snow Joe 322P is adjustable and ergonomically designed, so that it will help to alleviate back strain or soreness associated with shoveling snow. The snow shovel is designed with convenience and ease of use in mind so that you can always clear your sidewalk or patio quickly and efficiently without risking any injury or soreness the next day. This is especially important for older users like me, for whom winter aches seem to be a part of life.
5. Competitive price tag : The Snow Joe 322P is a fairly competitively priced electric snow shovel, yet it does not cut corners on design or manufacturing quality. It has the kind of power and quality parts that will hold up to many years of use, but it will not cost you too much money. If you do not have a big driveway to keep clear, there’s no good reason to spend a fortune on a snow thrower, and fortunately you don’t have to.

When you are looking for an electric snow shovel, you want a machine that can complete the job quickly and efficiently, but you do not want a bulky, heavy machine that will be difficult to use. The Snow Joe 322P is compact and lightweight, but can clear up to 250 pounds of snow a minute and has a twelve inch wide clearance path to help you finish jobs quickly. Its Pros make it a good shovel at a great price.

Cons

There are a number of limitations as to what the Snow Joe 322P can do, because it is designed to clear light snowfall from small areas such as decks or sidewalks. As a result, it will not be efficient for larger jobs, and it has a few other drawbacks as well. It won’t clear deep or very wet snow easily, and you may find issues with the way it clears snow. And its blades are made of plastic.

1. Will not clear deep snow at all : The Snow Joe 322P is specifically designed for light snow fall and can clear up to four inches – but anything deeper, and you may experience problems. If you do get heavy snow fall, you can clear it in layers, although this requires holding the shovel above the ground. Alternately you may find you have to clear snow while it is still falling if you’re experiencing a big storm before it accumulates and is too deep.
2. May struggle with wet snow : The Snow Joe 322P clears drier snow quite well, but you may find that it tends to struggle with wetter, heavier snow. While it can clear it, the snow shovel may have to go more slowly through it, and it probably will not be able to throw it a full 20 feet. You also may find that you have to work harder to push the Snow Joe 322P through wetter, heavier snow or slushy snow fall.
3. Throws snow forward into your path : The design of the Snow Joe 322P results in the snow being thrown forward, directly into your path. While this is typical for power snow shovels, it can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you are moving into a strong headwind. Under these conditions the wind can push the snow directly back at you. And if you are using the Snow Joe 322P on a longer sidewalk, you may find it is not throwing snow far enough forward.
4. May leave a thin layer of snow behind : Even though the blades of the Snow Joe 322P make some contact with the surface of the ground as they pass over it, you may find that a thin layer of snow remains after you have cleared your walk or patio off. This means you will have to put down rock salt after you clear an area to ensure it is completely free of snow. But it is important to salt your surfaces after you shovel for safety reasons anyway.
5. The blades are plastic and not very durable : The blades on the rotor of the Snow Joe 322P are made of plastic, which while heavy makes them less durable than they might otherwise be. As a result, if you encounter big chunks of ice while you are shoveling, you may run the risk of damaging the blades. I do not recommend using this shovel if there is a risk of this as a result; instead, ice should be broken up and salted before you use this shovel.

Most of these Cons are simply reflections of the intended use and design of the Snow Joe 322P, rather than any flaw in manufacturing. This machine is intended to be used on small areas that have a lighter snow fall. It is not meant for bigger, more heavy-duty jobs, and should not be used for them. Overall I do not consider any of these drawbacks to be so serious as to draw a negative review, but I think you should be completely clear on the shovel’s limitations.

Product Comparison

I think that no review is complete without comparing a given product to similar ones made by its competitors. This allows you to get a clearer picture of what a particular market has to offer, as well as a better understanding of how one snow shovel stacks up to the competition. The following table compares the Snow Joe 322P to two similar models, the Power Smart DB5004 and the Earthwise SN70010. Let’s take a look.

	Snow Joe 322P	Power Smart DB5004	Earthwise SN70010
Dimensions	13.5 x 12.5 x 55 inches	17 x 13 x 53 inches	11.8 x 8.7 x 53 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	7.5 amp	9 amp	9 amp
Clearing Width	12 inches	13 inches	10 inches
Snow Cut Depth	4 inches	6 inches	5 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 250 pounds	Up to 400 pounds	Up to 300 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 20 feet	Up to 20 feet	Up to 25 feet
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Weight	12 pounds	18 pounds	11 pounds
Warranty	2 years	1 year	2 years

Of the three, the Earthwise is the smallest, both in terms of overall dimensions and clearing width. The Snow Joe 322P falls in the middle, although both of the other two machines have considerably higher clearing capacity in terms of pounds per minute. The Snow Joe 322P has the least powerful motor of the three as well. All three can throw snow about the same distance. The Power Smart is the heaviest of the three shovels, while the Earthwise is the lightest.

Conclusion

There are a number of important areas to consider when you are shopping for an electric snow shovel. You want a machine that combines a compact footprint and is light weight with an ability to efficiently and quickly clear snow. Let’s take another look at the Pros and Cons of the Snow Joe 322P before we wrap up the review.

Conclusion Pros

1. Compact and lightweight.
2. Twelve by four inch clearing capacity.
3. Powerful motor and three blade rotor.
4. Ergonomic, convenient design.
5. Competitive price tag.

The Snow Joe 322P has a small overall footprint and weighs just 12 pounds, but it has a twelve inch wide and four inch high snow clearing capacity. Its motor is 7.5 amps and the rotor can throw snow up to twenty feet away. Its handle is adjustable and ergonomic and the shovel is very affordably priced.

Conclusion Cons

1. Will not clear deep snow at all.
2. May struggle with wet snow.
3. Throws snow forward into your path.
4. May leave a thin layer of snow behind.
5. The blades are plastic and not very durable.

There are some limitations on the Snow Joe 322P. It will not be able to clear snow that is any deeper than about four inches, and it is not quite powerful to be able to easily deal with wetter, slushier snow. The shovel throws snow forward, which could be a hassle. It may leave a thin layer of snow on ground you have cleared, and the rotor is not strong enough to deal with ice easily.

Final Word

If you have a smaller area to keep clear of snow during the winter, such as a sidewalk, deck or porch stairs, but you do not want to do so using a manual snow shovel, an electric snow shovel can be a great alternative. You do not really need a big, bulky snow blower to get the job done, and there is no reason to spend the kind of money these machines demand. The Snow Joe 322P is designed to help you get small jobs done quickly and efficiently. It is lightweight and compact, but it can clear a width of up to twelve inches on a single pass and can handle up to four inches of snow fall. It is ergonomically designed and has an adjustable handle so that back pain is alleviated. And it is small enough to easily find storage space for it and weighs just twelve pounds, which means practically anyone can use it.

Best Price

The Snow Joe 322P has a very competitive price tag as electric snow shovels go. This is especially true when you consider that it has an average clearing width and height, but is cheaper than many similarly sized electric snow shovels. It offers the kind of efficiency you want when clearing a walk or patio, but does not require you to spend a lot of money to get it. All things considered, I think the Snow Joe 322P is a solid electric snow shovel at a very affordable price. Even my more frugal readers will agree that this snow shovel is reasonably priced, yet still very well made.