Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 Review

(Rated: 4.4 / 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,

Trying to dig out your driveway with just a shovel, especially if a big winter storm has just dumped a heavy accumulation in your area, can be way too much work to be worth the effort. When that happens, you want to have a snow blower that can help you get the job done quickly and efficiently, so you do not have to spend the better part of an hour outside in the cold getting the job done.

But it can be hard to find a snow blower that is not only efficient and well designed, but also easy to use and good for the environment. While there are plenty of electric single stage snow blowers out there, most of them do not have everything it takes to get big jobs done fast. But the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is not your typical electric snow blower. It is built to handle big jobs – and it does that very well.

Review Summary

The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has everything you need to keep your driveway clear of snow –even deep, heavy snow – all winter long. This is one of the few electric snow blowers that is ETL approved, and it earned that approval rating because of its impressive ability. The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 can clear a higher volume of snow per minute than just about any other single stage electric snow blower out there, and it can outperform a lot of gas powered models as well. You will be able to move a lot of snow very quickly with the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1, and be finished with the job sooner than ever.

The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has the kind of wide clearance that you would not normally expect from an electric single stage model, and because of that you can clear a big area in fewer passes. It also has an impressive snow cut depth, which will allow it to deal with just about anything winter can throw at you. Unlike a lot of snow blowers, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 can clear all the way down to the surface of the pavement, so your driveway will be clear after just the first pass. This is a solid snow blower with a lot to offer.

Specifications

The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is a single stage electric snow blower that weighs 43 pounds and has overall dimensions of 45 x 19 x 38 inches. It has a push button start and a powerful 13 amp motor that provides enough power to move up to 800 pounds of snow per minute.

The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has an extra wide clearance of 19 inches and an 11 inch snow cut depth. It can throw snow up to 20 feet away through its chute, which manually rotates up to 180 degrees. It has an ergonomic handle and compact wheels. The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 comes with a two year warranty.

Description

As soon as you get the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 out of its box and put together, you can see that this is a snow blower that means business. Assembly only takes a few minutes, and can be done with regular household tools: all you have to do is tighten the handle and attach the snow chute, and you are ready to start clearing snow. And because it doesn’t need gas or oil to operate, all you have to do is plug the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 in and it is ready to go.

The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is ETS approved, which means that it is one of the more high performance electric snow blowers on the market today. That’s because it has a powerful 13 amp motor that drives the auger to move a per-minute volume of snow that is well above average for its class. In fact, the 13 can remove so much snow in such a short time that it is comparable to a lot of single stage gas powered snow blowers as well. It is also above average in terms of clearance width and snow cut depth for any kind of single stage snow blower, gas or electric.

It is not easy to find a snow blower that offers this much in terms of clearance capacity – and it is even harder to find one that runs on electricity. The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 provides a real alternative to gas powered single stage snow blowers, and that is important these days: yard machines are responsible for a high volume of carbon emissions from American households. Having a viable green alternative like the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 in your garage ensures that you will be prepared for the worst winter storms while reducing your overall carbon footprint considerably. And that is good news.

Pros

The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 really has a lot of excellent features – that is why it is one of the better electric single stage snow blowers you can find on the market today. It has a wider clearance and higher snow cut depth than average, and it is designed to make sure you can take care of tough jobs quickly and efficiently. Let’s take a look at some of the best features it has to offer.

1. 19 inch clearance on one pass : It isn’t often that you can find an electric single stage snow blower that has this kind of impressive clearance width. At nineteen inches, the clearance on the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is wide enough to remove snow from an entire walkway on a single pass. And clearing your driveway will not take very many more passes. That means you can finish clearing snow much more quickly than you could with a narrower snow blower, and be back indoors sooner.
2. ETL approved with 2 year warranty : ETL is an independent laboratory that tests electric tools and appliances and rates their performance. To be ETL approved, a machine has to pass a fairly rigorous set of standards, and when one is, you know you are getting a quality machine that will perform well over the long term. In addition to its ETL approval, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 comes with a two year warranty, so if you do have any issues, you can get them fixed.
3. 13 amp motor moves 800 pounds per minute : At 13 amps, the motor on the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is about as powerful as it gets on electric single stage snow blowers. And because of all that power, this is a snow blower with one of the highest per-minute clearance capacities you can find on a single stage model, whether you are looking at gas or electric powered ones. 800 pounds of snow is a lot, and it ensures you will be able to get your driveway clear of heavy snow quickly.
4. Clears all the way down to the pavement : A lot of single stage snow blowers do not clear all the way down to the pavement, which does not make a whole lot of sense to me. If you are leaving a layer of snow behind, what is the point of using a big, expensive snow blower in the first place? The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1, unlike these models, clears all the way down to the pavement, leaving no snow behind for you to clean up after.
5. Ergonomic and easy to use : The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has a convenient ergonomic design, which will be good news for anyone who has ever had a sore back or shoulders after clearing their driveway. With the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1, you do not have to engage your shoulder muscles to push it, and the handle is angled to save your back as well. In addition, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is very simple to start up and operate, so you will always get the most convenience while using it.

As you can see, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 really does have everything you need to tackle tough snow removal jobs more quickly than ever. With its wide clearance, you can finish removing snow from your driveway in just a few passes. And because its ETL approved 13 amp motor can clear up to 800 pounds of snow per minute, there is almost no job that is too big for it. This is one outstanding snow blower.

Cons

Of course, it is hard to find a snow blower that is completely perfect, and even a powerful, ETL approved machine like the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is going to have a few drawbacks. Overall, though I think that its tough motor, wide clearance and ability to clear all the way down to the pavement more than make up for any of the minor issues that it does have. Still, to be thorough, let’s see where it falls short.

1. Wet snow can clog it up : It is really difficult to find a single stage snow blower – electric or gas – that does not have this problem at least somewhat. The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1, like all single stage snow blowers, does not have an impeller fan to help push snow through its chute. So if you are using it to clear very wet, slushy snow, it can clog the chute and get bogged down. The best solution to this is to remove snow as soon as it has fallen.
2. Not the most durable design : There are a few aspects of the design that could be a bit more durable. The vibrations of the snow blower can tend to loosen the bolts that are holding the snow chute on, which can cause obvious issues when you are trying to remove snow. Therefore, it is a good idea to check the bolts on the snow chute and in other parts of the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 before you take it out to clear snow.
3. Only throws snow 20 feet : 20 feet is not a particularly short distance for the average snow blower to throw snow, but because the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has such a powerful engine, I was surprised that it could not throw snow a bit farther. At the same time, at 20 feet you could easily throw snow from your front yard into the street, so it should not present too much of a problem. Still, another yard or two would be nice.
4. Can be difficult to push : The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has rather small wheels, and it is not the most lightweight snow blower in the world, and because of that some users may have a bit of difficulty pushing it. This will particularly be the case if the auger is not engaged. Typically the auger does a bit to help pull the snow blower along through the snow, which will relive this problem a bit while you are using it.
5. Not terribly compact or lightweight : The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has dimensions that are not the smallest you can find on single stage snow blowers with comparable clearance widths, and it is not the lightest snow blower out there, either. Some users may have issues with this: for example, you couldn’t use the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 to clear your porch steps or patio very easily, and it may be a bit difficult to lift it over a curb. But generally, it isn’t too hard to maneuver it.

I think you will tend to agree that these Cons are not very serious problems, and they do not tend to take away from all of the outstanding Pros the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has to offer its owner. But it is important to be completely aware of everything a snow blower has to offer before you buy it – both the good and the bad. Still, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 should perform well; it has a great rating from ETS, a powerful motor, and a wide clearance. Overall it’s a very good snow blower.

Product Comparison

It is always a good practice to do a bit of comparison shopping before you make up your mind about whether a particular snow blower is the right one for you. That way, you can get a clear sense of what a given class of snow blowers typically offers, and you can see how one model – like the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 – stacks up when compared to those made by the competition. Let’s take a look.

	Snow Joe Ultra 622U1	Yard Machines 31C-040-800	Toro 38025
Dimensions	45 x 19 x 38 inches	43 x 17 x 35 inches	47 x 18 x 36.2 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	13 amp	8 amp	12 amp
Clearing Width	19 inches	12.5 inches	18 inches
Snow Cut Depth	11 inches	6 inches	10 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 800 pounds	Up to 400 pounds	Up to 650 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 20 feet	Up to 25 feet	Up to 30 feet
Drive	Manual push	Manual push	Manual push
Handle	Ergonomic	Ergonomic	Ergonomic
Chute Control	Handle 180°	Handle 60°	Handle 160°
Wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels
Light	n/a	n/a	n/a
Weight	43 pounds	27 pounds	24 pounds
Warranty	2 years	2 years	2 years

As you can see, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has the widest clearance and the highest snow cut depth of the three snow blowers, as well as the most powerful motor. It can clear twice as much snow as the Yard Machines model, and significantly more than the Toro. While it’s the largest and weighs the most, I think that is a small price to pay for all of the extra clearance ability the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has to offer.

Conclusion

When you compare the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 to similar models, it is pretty clear which one is the best in its class. But before you decide to purchase this one, just to be absolutely certain that it is the right one for you, I think it is a good idea to take one more look at the Pros and Cons lists.

Conclusion Pros

1. 19 inch clearance on one pass.
2. ETL approved with 2 year warranty.
3. 13 amp motor moves 800 pounds per minute.
4. Clears all the way down to the pavement.
5. Ergonomic and easy to use.

With one of the widest clearances you can find on an electric single stage snow blower, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is well equipped to take on big jobs. And its ETL approved 13 amp motor is able to clear a lot of snow very quickly. It leaves the pavement completely clear, and it is very easy to operate.

Conclusion Cons

1. Wet snow can clog it up.
2. Not the most durable design.
3. Only throws snow 20 feet.
4. Can be difficult to push.
5. Not terribly compact or lightweight.

There are a few minor drawbacks to the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1, but overall I do not think that any of them are the kind of serious problems that other snow blowers in its class tend to present. Overall, I think that the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 remains a great snow blower in spite of these Cons.

Final Word

When winter hits you with a big winter storm, you do not want to be stuck with just a shovel, trying to dig out a big driveway from a heavy accumulation of snow. But these days, gas powered snow blowers do not make a lot of sense: they are big, bulky, noisy, and bad for the environment. At the same time, a lot of electric alternatives do not have the kind of clearance width or power you need to get the job done right the first time.

The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is an exception to that. It is ETL approved, has a powerful motor, and can clear a high volume of snow in a short amount of time. It has the kind of wide clearance and high snow cut depth you need to get your property clear of snow quickly and efficiently. It produces zero emissions and runs quietly, and it is very easy to operate.

Best Price

For everything it has to offer its user, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is very reasonably priced. Considering the fact that it has an ETL approval rating and one of the highest per minute clearance capacities, the price tag on the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 is very affordable. Compared to similar snow blowers in its class, the Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 has a lower price than most. The Snow Joe Ultra 622U1 will also cost less to operate and maintain than gas powered single stage snow blowers, and it will save a lot of money over the long term. This is an outstanding electric single stage snow blower with a very reasonable price.