Snow Joe SJ623E 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 Blower, Best Snow Blower, Electric Snow Blower Reviews, Snow Blower Reviews, Snow Joe, Snow Joe Snow Blowers,

When winter really gets going and starts dropping heavy snow fall on your area, you want to be sure you have a powerful snow blower in your garage that is ready to handle even the most severe storms. For a lot of people, that means buying a gas powered snow blower, but it doesn’t have to. Fortunately there are equally powerful electric snow blowers available these days. With wide clearances, deep snow cut depths, and powerful motors, these machines afford you all of the advantages of a gas snow blower in terms of power and performance, but do not have any of the drawbacks – such as high emissions and noisy engines. An electric snow blower like the Snow Joe SJ623E, with its powerful 15 amp motor and ability to clear up to 720 pounds of snow per minute, can keep your driveway and sidewalks clear of heavy snow falls quietly and with zero emissions at the point of use.

Review Summary

The Snow Joe SJ623E is an electric snow blower with a number of outstanding features that make it perfectly equipped to handle medium sized jobs quickly and efficiently. It has an extra wide 18 inch clearance and 10 inch snow cut depth, allowing it to handle some of the most severe snowfall with little difficulty. Its powerful 15 amp motor allows it to throw up to 720 pounds of snow per minute up to 25 feet away. It has compact overall dimensions which help make it easy to store and maneuver around your driveway. I will discuss each of these features in detail in the Pros section of the review.

In the Cons section, I will go into certain areas in which the Snow Joe SJ623E is less than perfect. The snow chute is made out of plastic and is not as durable as I would like. The snow blower has trouble with slushier snow, and at 34 pounds it’s rather heavy. It is also one of the more expensive snow blowers of its size, which may dissuade some readers. After the Pros and Cons, I compare the Snow Joe SJ623E with two similar models so you can get a good idea of how it stacks up to the competition. I’ll close with a discussion of pricing.

Specifications

The Snow Joe SJ623E is an electric snow blower with overall dimensions of 45 x 19 x 38 inches. It has a 15 amp motor with a push button start. Its clearing width is 18 inches and it has a snow cut depth of 10 inches. The snow blower can throw up to 720 pounds of snow as far as 25 feet.

The Snow Joe SJ623E is a manual push snow blower with an ergonomic handle and compact wheels. Its snow throwing chute rotates 180 degrees and is controlled by an attached handle, and the machine is equipped with a 20 watt halogen light. It weighs 34 pounds and comes with a 2 year limited warranty.

Description

The Snow Joe SJ623E is an electric snow blower with a powerful 15 amp motor that can move up to 720 pounds of snow per minute and throw it as far as 25 feet. Along with its snow chute that can turn a full 180 degrees from one side of the snow blower to the other, its throwing distance and clearing capacity should allow you to clear your driveway or sidewalks quickly and efficiently. This is especially true when you consider the fact that the Snow Joe SJ623E has an 18 inch clearance width and 10 inch snow cut depth. Wider clearances allow you to finish your driveway in fewer passes and less time, which means you will be able to get out of the cold and back indoors more quickly. When temperatures fall below zero, this is as important for your safety as it is for the overall convenience of the snow clearing experience.

The Snow Joe SJ623E is designed with convenient use in mind. It has an easy to use push button start that is guaranteed to start up the machine the first time, every time – no more wrestling with a recoil starter cord like on gas powered snow blowers. It has an ergonomically designed handle to help reduce back and shoulder strain. And it has a convenient 20 watt halogen headlight so you can see what you’re doing, even if you are clearing snow after the sun has set.

Overall the Snow Joe SJ623E has a lot of great features that help make it one of the better electric snow blowers in its size class. While it does have a somewhat high price tag, this machine also has the kind of power and performance ability that you want in order to be able to consistently tackle big, tough jobs with heavy snow fall.

Pros

When you are buying an electric snow blower, you not only want an environmentally friendly, quiet machine, but also one that can provide serious performance in even the heaviest snow storms. The Snow Joe SJ623E has a number of great features that ensure it will perform well under a variety of conditions. It has a wide snow clearance and a high snow cut depth, a powerful motor, and a compact footprint. It also comes equipped with a convenient headlamp so you can see what you’re doing.

1. Extra wide 18 inch clearance : When you are clearing a driveway or sidewalk in freezing cold weather, you want to be able to finish the job as quickly as possible. With an extra large, 18 inch clearance width, you can clear an area in fewer passes with the Snow Joe SJ623E than you could with a smaller snow blower. Fewer passes means less time spent clearing snow, and gets you back indoors where it’s warm much more quickly.
2. Powerful 15 amp motor can clear more snow per minute : One of the main areas where electric snow blowers fall short compared to gas powered ones is in terms of power. But with the 15 amp motor on the Snow Joe SJ623E, you have all the power you need to move a lot of snow in a short amount of time. This snow blower can throw 720 pounds of snow per minute up to 25 feet. That is a lot of throwing power, and it’s the kind you need to handle big, tough jobs.
3. 20 watt halogen headlight : You never know when it’s going to snow – and all too often snow storms hit when the short winter days are already over. With the powerful 20 watt halogen headlight on the Snow Joe SJ623E, you can clear snow even when it’s dark out, whether it’s late at night or early in the morning before you go to work, and still be able to see what you are doing.
4. 10 inch snow cut depth : With its high ten inch snow cut depth, the Snow Joe SJ623E can be used under a wide variety of conditions and in any region of the United States. You never know when the next big blizzard is going to hit, but with this snow cut depth it won’t matter. You will be able to handle even the heaviest snow fall with the Snow Joe SJ623E. There is no job that is too big for this machine.
5. Convenient, compact footprint : Even though the Snow Joe SJ623E has an extra wide clearance, a high snow cut depth and a lot of power, it still manages to have a relatively compact footprint. Its overall dimensions are just 45 x 19 x 38 inches, which means you should have no problem finding enough storage space for it in your garage or tool shed. Also, it’s small enough that it should be easy to maneuver in tight spaces and along narrow walkways with no trouble.

The Snow Joe SJ623E is a compact, powerful machine that can clear a lot of snow in a short amount of time. That’s what you want in a snow blower, because you never know when a severe winter storm is going to drop a lot of snow on your area. The features this machine comes with ensure you will always be ready for whatever Mother Nature can throw at you. You can clear heavy snow fall quickly and easily with this machine.

Cons

There are a few limitations to the Snow Joe SJ623E that are important to mention. None of these drawbacks is so serious that it takes away significantly from the positive aspects of this machine, and even taken together they do not seriously affect this snow blower’s performance. But it is still important to consider each one of them in detail so you understand exactly what you are getting from the Snow Joe SJ623E. Let’s take a look.

1. The snow chute is not very durable : The snow chute on the Snow Joe SJ623E has a convenient 180 degree turning radius, and it is made of lightweight plastic, which makes it easy to manipulate without a lot of effort. But it also means that it is not the most durable component on the snow blower. As a result, rocks or other debris that you may accidentally scoop up run the risk of cracking or otherwise damaging the chute.
2. Slushier snow can cause problems : Wet, slushy snow is a lot denser than drier snow, as well as a lot heavier. As a result, the Snow Joe SJ623E may have some difficulty dealing with it. It will probably be unable to throw slushier snow the full 25 feet, and it will throw less of it per minute. The auger and chute can also get loaded with slush if you are not careful when you use it on wetter snow.
3. The electrical cord limits the blower’s range : There are two schools of thought in terms of whether plug in snow blowers are superior to battery powered ones or not. On the one hand, you are limited in terms of how far you can go with a plug in snow blower, but on the other, batteries eventually run out of juice, while power cords do not. Still, using a power cord will take some getting used to, and you have to be careful to avoid accidentally running over the cord with the snow blower.
4. At 34 pounds, it is a bit heavy : The Snow Joe SJ623E is not the heaviest snow blower of its size or ability out there, but it is on the heavier end of the range. 34 pounds should be more or less manageable for most users, but some people – particularly senior citizens or people who do not have higher strength levels. As a result, if this is the case for you, you may want to opt for a smaller, lighter machine.
5. The snow blower is somewhat expensive : The price tag on the Snow Joe SJ623E places it on the higher end of the price range, which may be enough to dissuade more frugal readers. While it is certainly true that you can find a comparably sized electric snow blower for a lower price, the Snow Joe SJ623E does have one of the more powerful motors in its class. That means it will be better equipped to handle big jobs for years to come without needing repairs or replacement, which is worth considering.

Aside from issues related to the durability of the snow blower’s chute, I do not think that any of the cons detailed above are serious enough to warrant a negative review of this snow blower. The fact that it may have difficulties with slushier snow is not an uncommon problem for smaller snow blowers. And while it is on the heavier side, most readers will probably not have much difficulty maneuvering it around their driveway.

Product Comparison

Pros and Cons lists are very useful, but by themselves they cannot give you a comprehensive picture of how a particular snow blower stacks up compared to similar models made by its competition. I always make a point of stressing the importance of comparison shopping when you are considering a new yard or garden appliance, and it’s especially true for big purchases like a snow blower. The following table compares the Snow Joe SJ623E with two similar models, the Greenworks 26032 and the Greenworks 26022.

	Snow Joe SJ623E	Greenworks 26032	Greenworks 26022
Dimensions	45 x 19 x 38 inches	47 x 21 x 42 inches	43 x 17 x 35 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	15 amp	12 amp	10 amp
Clearing Width	18 inches	20 inches	16 inches
Snow Cut Depth	10 inches	10 inches	6 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 720 pounds	Up to 850 pounds	Up to 600 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 25 feet	Up to 20 feet	Up to 25 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	20 watt halogen	n/a	n/a
Weight	34 pounds	35 pounds	26 pounds
Warranty	2 years	4 years	4 years

As you can see, the Snow Joe SJ623E has the most powerful motor of the three machines, although the Greenworks 26032 has the biggest clearing width and the highest snow clearing capacity per minute. The Snow Joe SJ623E can throw snow a bit farther than the 26032. It’s also the only model with a convenient headlight. The Greenworks 26022 is the smallest of the three machines, has limited chute control, and the smallest clearance width and height, but it also weighs the least.

Conclusion

When you are buying a new snow blower, there are a number of important features that will have a significant effect on the machine’s performance and ability to clear snow quickly and efficiently. You need a machine with a wide clearance and high snow cut depth, as well as a powerful enough motor to handle tough jobs and heavy snow. You also want it to be compact enough to be easily maneuverable and lightweight.

Conclusion Pros

1. Extra wide 18 inch clearance. 10 inch snow cut depth.
2. Powerful 15 amp motor can clear more snow per minute.
3. 20 watt halogen headlight.
4. 10 inch snow cut depth.
5. Convenient, compact footprint.

In terms of clearance and snow cut depth, the Snow Joe SJ623E is as good as it gets for compact electric snow blowers: it has an 18 inch clearance and 10 inch depth. It also has the kind of powerful motor you need to handle big jobs, a compact overall footprint, and convenient add-ons such as a 20 watt halogen headlight.

Conclusion Cons

1. The snow chute is not very durable.
2. Slushier snow can cause problems.
3. The electrical cord limits the blower’s range.
4. At 34 pounds, it is a bit heavy.
5. The snow blower is somewhat expensive.

The Snow Joe SJ623E does have drawbacks in terms of its ability to handle slushier, heavy snow, and its snow chute is made of flimsy plastic. It’s also a bit heavier than I would like, and some users may have issues with its relatively high price tag. But overall these Cons do not take away significantly from this machine’s Pros.

Final Word

If you have a medium or large driveway as well as long sidewalks to keep clear of snow through the winter, and you live in a region that receives significant amounts of snow fall, you need a snow blower that is powerful enough to handle big jobs reliably. Gas powered snow blowers, although they are big and powerful, also produce considerable amounts of fumes and emissions, are very noisy, and require a lot of maintenance to keep them running well. A powerful electric snow blower such as the Snow Joe SJ623E, with its 15 amp motor and extra wide clearance, is able to provide the kind of power and performance that a gas powered machine does without the hassle of emissions, noise, and fuel costs. While the Snow Joe SJ623E is on the expensive side for an electric snow blower of its size, this is in part because it is such a powerful machine and can be relied upon to handle big jobs with little or no difficulty. Overall this is a solid snow blower that will help keep your property clear all winter long.

Best Price

As I have mentioned, the Snow Joe SJ623E is one of the more expensive electric snow blowers of its size. This may be off-putting to some of my more frugal readers, and frankly if you have a small enough driveway or live in a region that does not get significant amounts of snow fall over the winter, there is no compelling reason to spend a lot of money on a big, powerful snow blower that you may not necessarily need. But if you do have a bigger driveway, and live in a region that tends to get at least one or two major storms over the winter, you may want to spend the extra money to get a bigger, more powerful electric snow blower that you can rely on. With its 15 amp motor and extra wide clearance, I do think the price tag on the Snow Joe SJ623E, while high, is reasonable.