Toro 38371 Review

(Rated: 3.6 / 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, Snow Blower Reviews, Toro, Toro Snow Blowers,

There is no time like the present to throw away your old snow shovel and upgrade to using a snow blower to get the job done. And if you have the kind of driveway that you were able to keep clear with a shovel before, you will not have to upgrade to a big, gas guzzling two-stage snow blower to get the job done right. You will be just fine with a compact, lightweight electric single stage snow blower.

These machines are designed to handle light snow fall on short driveways quickly and efficiently. And because the snow blower will be doing most of the work for you, you will not be risking a sore back or shoulders at the end of the job. The Toro 38371 is one of the best compact single stage snow blower that has everything you need to keep your driveway clear all winter long.

Review Summary

With one of the highest power ratings on a compact electric single stage snow blower, the Toro 38371 is well equipped to take care of small to medium sized jobs quickly and efficiently. While it may not be the biggest single stage snow blower out there, it still has everything you need to keep your driveway clear of snow all winter long. The Toro 38371 can clear light snow very well, and it throws snow up to 25 feet away, which is more than far enough to get it off of your driveway on the first pass.

The Toro 38371 is the perfect upgrade from a snow shovel if you have never owned a snow blower before. It is lightweight and compact, which makes it easier to operate and find enough storage space for it. It has a push button start, and because it is electric, it will not produce any harmful carbon emissions when you use it, unlike a gas powered snow blower. For keeping decks, patios, sidewalks and short driveways clear of snow during the winter, the Toro 38371 is just about perfect. It’s a great little snow blower that has everything you need to keep your property clear all winter long.

Specifications

The Toro 38371 is an electric powered single stage snow blower that weighs just 25 pounds, making it easier to maneuver, and has an overall footprint that is small enough you will be able to easily find enough storage space for it in your garage or tool shed.

The Toro 38371 has a clearing width of 15 inches and a snow cut depth of 12 inches. That makes it perfect for clearing light snow fall from medium sized driveways and sidewalks. It throws snow up to 25 feet away through its snow chute, which turns 180 degrees. It comes with a 2 year warranty.

Description

You may be surprised by how compact and lightweight the Toro 38371 is when you first get it out of the box, but do not let its size fool you. The Toro 38371 may be a small snow blower, but it comes equipped with everything you need to keep your entire property clear of snow during the winter. If you have an average suburban sized driveway, or else just have a sidewalk and deck to keep clear of snow, the Toro 38371 will be perfect for your needs. And if you live in a region that does not get a ton of snow fall over the winter, the Toro 38371 will have everything it takes to deal with the winter storms that do come your way.

The Toro 38371 runs on electricity, which makes it much cleaner than snow blowers that use gasoline. This means you can get all of the clearing power of a compact single stage snow blower – and never have to use your snow shovel again – without seriously increasing your household’s carbon footprint to do so. And because it’s electric, the Toro 38371 will start up the first time, every time. No struggling to prime the engine and pull a heavy recoil starter cord to get it going.

There is not a whole lot of assembly required on the Toro 38371. It comes more or less ready to use, although you will have to attach the handle. But that only takes a few minutes, and then you’re all set. And once the first light snow storm comes your way, you will get a chance to really see what the Toro 38371 will do – and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The Toro 38371 can clear light snow fall quickly and efficiently, leaving your driveway and sidewalks clear of snow in a short time.

Pros

The Toro 38371 has a lot of great features, especially when you consider the fact that it is a single stage, electric powered snow blower. A lot of the time these models don’t have what it takes to keep a driveway clear of snow, but this is not the case for the Toro 38371. With one of the highest power ratings on this class of snow blowers, it is fully prepared to keep your property clear all winter.

1. High power rating : The Toro 38371 has the highest power rating per inch of cutting width of any single stage electric snow blower. That means that its ability to clear 500 pounds of snow per minute, when considering its clearance width, is as high as it gets. And you will be able to finish clearing your driveway of light snow fall more quickly than you could with similar single stage snow blowers. That saves a lot of time.
2. Perfect for small driveways : When you have a small driveway or just a deck and walkways to keep clear of snow, you do not need to spend a lot of money on an overly large, bulky snow blower to get the job done. Instead, you want a lightweight, compact single stage snow blower like the Toro 38371. It is designed with that kind of job in mind, and it’s perfectly built to take care of small areas fast.
3. Clears light snow well : Again, if you do not live in a region where you experience very heavy snow storms during the winter, there is no point in blowing a lot of money on a huge two-stage snow blower with a giant snow cut depth and big gas guzzling engine. You will be just fine with a compact electric snow blower like the Toro 38371. It is perfect for clearing light snow fall quickly and efficiently, and not too big.
4. Zero emissions : With a big gas powered two-stage snow blower, you would be producing lots of fumes and carbon emissions every time you used it. But with an electric snow blower like the Toro 38371, you never produce any emissions at the point of use. This snow blower is better for the environment, and it will help your family to reduce its overall carbon footprint significantly. These days, that is a major concern, so this is a great option.
5. Light and compact : Two of the best Pros for the Toro 38371 are its size and weight. At only 25 pounds, you could carry it to the garage and back if you wanted to. And its small footprint means that you could even store it inside your house without it taking up too much room. That would mean you would not have to go out to the garage to get started clearing snow – you could start right out your door.

I think you will agree with me that the Toro 38371 is the perfect little single stage snow blower for the average suburban homeowner who does not have a particularly huge driveway to keep clear during the winter, especially if you do not live in a region that gets a lot of snow during the season. This is a great upgrade from using a shovel, but it isn’t so big that it will be a pain to use.

Cons

There are a few drawbacks to owning such a small, single stage snow blower, but if you have the right conditions to use it under, I do not think that these will present any serious problems. This snow blower is not designed for unpaved, large driveways or dealing with heavy snow fall. But if you do not have those conditions, I think that most of these Cons simply will not apply – overall it’s still a great machine.

1. Fairly small clearance width : The clearance width on the Toro 38371 is just 15 inches. While that is fairly small, if you are not using it to clear a very large area then you should be just fine. This clearance width is enough to clear a walkway in just a couple of passes, and you should be able to take care of a short driveway in just a few more. And it provides that without being too big to use easily.
2. Snow cut depth is not high : Again, the Toro 38371 is not a snow blower that is designed for very serious snow fall, and because of that it only has a snow cut depth of twelve inches. While that will not be enough to deal with severe winter storms, if you do not live in an area where those are common, this simply will not be much of a problem. For storms of less than ten inches, you should be just fine.
3. May struggle with wet snow : This is not at all uncommon for electric single stage snow blowers. Because it only has an auger pushing snow through the snow chute, when you encounter denser, heavier slushy snow, it may get slowed down – sometimes considerably. But all that means is that it will take a bit longer to finish clearing the driveway. And if you clear it as soon as snow falls, you probably won’t have this problem at all with the Toro 38371.
4. Leaves a thin layer of snow behind : Again, this is not uncommon for many single stage snow blowers, especially if like the Toro 38371 they are not equipped with a steel scraper bar. While this can be a bit annoying, since you probably want to clear all the way to the surface of the ground, there is a very simple fix. Clear snow normally with the Toro 38371 and then put down a layer of salt, and you should have a clear driveway right away.
5. Few accessories : The Toro 38371 is not designed to be a very fancy snow blower, and so it does not have a lot of extra features like some of the bigger, more expensive models. While it would be nice to have a headlight, or a snow chute that was operated automatically, these bells and whistles are not always necessary and often just act to drive up the total price. If you’re looking for a simple snow blower, this is the one for you.

As you can see, the Cons list does not have anything that could really be considered a serious problem. If you are looking for a compact single stage snow blower to take care of light snow fall on a smaller area, the Toro 38371 is just right for you. It may not have everything needed to clear heavy accumulations of snow from big, unpaved driveways, but you probably don’t need that anyway. In that case, the Toro 38371 is perfect.

Product Comparison

Of course, the single best way to figure out if one snow blower or another is the best one for your needs is to do some comparison shopping. While you may know that you don’t need a big two-stage snow blower, you want to get the best single stage compact snow blower, and so it can be a good idea to compare this one to a couple of similar models to see how it stacks up.

	Toro 38371	Power Smart DB5011	DuroStar SD1900
Dimensions	43 x 17 x 35 inches	42 x 19 x 40 inches	43 x 20.5 x 38 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	12 amp Series Wound	13 amp	14 amp
Clearing Width	15 inches	18 inches	19 inches
Snow Cut Depth	12 inches	9 inches	12 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 500 pounds	Up to 650 pounds	Up to 900 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 25 feet	Up to 30 feet	Up to 30 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	25 pounds	38 pounds	42 pounds
Warranty	2 years	1 year	2 years

As you can see, the Toro 38371 is the smallest and lightest of the three models, but it still has comparable specs in terms of what it can do. It has the highest snow cut depth of the three snow blowers, and its clearance width, while a bit smaller, is still competitive. It has a unique Series Wound motor that can provide more power to the auger, and overall will perform well.

Conclusion

When you are making the transition to your first snow blower from clearing snow by hand, it is important to make sure you are getting the right one for your needs. With that in mind, let’s take another look at the Pros and Cons lists, just so that we are being thorough.

Conclusion Pros

1. High power rating.
2. Perfect for small driveways.
3. Clears light snow well.
4. Zero emissions.
5. Light and compact.

For a compact single stage snow blower, the Toro 38371 really has a lot to offer. It is perfect for clearing light snow fall from the average sized suburban driveway. If you live in an area where you don’t get a lot of blizzards, and your driveway isn’t huge, this is the perfect snow blower for you.

Conclusion Cons

1. Fairly small clearance width.
2. Snow cut depth is not high.
3. May struggle with wet snow.
4. Leaves a thin layer of snow behind.
5. Few accessories.

And in terms of Cons, there aren’t any really serious ones on the Toro 38371. Most of the items on this list are simply regular features for a compact, electric, single stage snow blower. If you use it for the right application, I see no reason why the Toro 38371 won’t perform very well.

Final Word

Ultimately, you want a snow blower that is going to reduce the total amount of work you have to do in order to keep your driveway clear during the winter, but you do not want a machine that is not a good fit for your needs. And if you are like most homeowners in the United States, you have a fairly medium driveway and probably do not get a ton of snow fall over the winter.

When that is the case, a compact single stage snow blower like the Toro 38371 is perfect for your needs. It has everything you need to clear snow from your driveway quickly and efficiently. But it is not so big or bulky that it will be hard to operate or take up too much space in your garage. Overall, this compact little snow blower is perfect for most homeowners. And best of all, it’s not very expensive.

Best Price

One of the best features of the Toro 38371 is its price. Compared to most other single stage snow blowers, the Toro 38371 is a real bargain. It has everything you need to keep your driveway clear of snow all winter long, but it is not so expensive that buying it will put too much strain on your wallet. And when you consider the time and effort the Toro 38371 will save you during the winter, the machine almost pays for itself. That is doubly true when you consider that it runs on inexpensive electricity instead of gas, and that it will almost never need any maintenance to work well. This is a great snow blower at a great price.