Worx WG650 Review

(Rated: 3.8 / 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, Worx, Worx Snow Blowers,

Switching to an electric snow blower from a gas powered one has several distinct advantages. You do not need to worry about the machine making so much noise that you risk disturbing your neighbors if you are clearing snow early in the morning or late at night. Electric snow blowers produce zero emissions at the point of use, eliminate the need to keep smelly gas cans on hand in your garage, and do not leave your driveway full of fumes when you are finished clearing it. And electric snow blowers cost a lot less than gas powered snow blowers to maintain and operate. And with a big, robust electric snow blower such as the Worx WG650, you can get top quality performance and powerful snow clearing ability. The Worx WG650 has an eighteen inch snow clearance width and a nine inch snow cut depth. Its 13 amp motor provides enough power to throw up to 650 pounds of snow per minute.

Review Summary

The Worx WG650 is a plug in electric snow blower with overall dimensions of 45 x 19 x 37 inches and a snow clearance width of 18 inches. It has a powerful 13 amp motor that allows the auger to move up to 650 pounds of snow per minute and throw that snow up to 30 feet away. The Worx WG650 is very quiet and produces no emissions at the point of use, and it has a convenient, ergonomic design that will help to eliminate back or shoulder strain while you are using it to clear your property.

Unfortunately, there are a few areas in which the Worx WG650 is not quite perfect. The design of the snow chute could use some improvement, and the bolts used in the manufacturing of the snow blower are not very durable. The Worx WG650 may have difficulty getting wet, heavy snow through its snow chute, and working with a power cord can take some getting used to.

Compared to similar models, the Worx WG650 has one of the higher clearance widths but not the biggest snow cut depth. It is lightweight and has an average snow capacity per minute. The Worx WG650 is one of the more expensive snow blowers in its size class.

Specifications

The Worx WG650 is an electric snow blower with dimensions of 45 x 19 x 37 inches. It has a 13 amp motor with a push button start. Its clearing width is 18 inches and it has a snow cut depth of 9 inches. It has a clearing capacity of up to 650 pounds per minute.

The Worx WG650 can throw dry snow up to 30 feet away. It has a manual push drive system and an ergonomically designed handle. The snow chute turns 180 degrees and is controlled by a handle. The snow blower has compact wheels and weighs 29.6 pounds. It comes with a 2 year warranty.

Description

The Worx WG650 is a big, powerful electric snow blower that is designed to handle heavy snow fall on medium sized driveways and longer sidewalks. It has an eighteen inch snow clearance width, which will allow you to finish a job in fewer passes and less time than you would be able to with a smaller machine. And it has a nine inch snow cut depth, so you can be confident that you will be able to rely on the Worx WG650 in even some of the heaviest snow storms. The snow blower has a powerful 13 amp motor that allows it to clear up to 650 pounds of snow per minute, and it can throw that snow up to 30 feet away under the right conditions. Along with its 30 foot throwing distance, the fact that the Worx WG650 has a snow chute that rotates 180 degrees about its center axis means you will always be able to put snow right where you want it, even from the center of an extra wide driveway.

The Worx WG650 is quiet, so you will not have to worry about disturbing your neighbors even when an overnight storm has dropped several inches and you have to clear your driveway early in the morning before you leave for work. And it produces zero emissions at the point of use, so you will not have to worry about increasing your carbon footprint when you use it.

There are a few issues with the manufacturing of certain parts of the Worx WG650: the snow chute could be designed better, and the bolts on the snow blower are not very durable and can become loosened. It is also one of the more expensive snow blowers in its size class, which some users may find problematic. But for clearing heavy snow fall on medium sized properties, this is a fairly solid machine.

Pros

There are a number of great reasons to purchase an electric snow blower like the Worx WG650. Not only does it eliminate a lot of the hassles associated with a gas powered snow blower, you still get significant performance and ability. It has an 18 inch clearance width and it can clear up to 650 pounds of snow per minute. Let’s take a look at each of the Worx WG650’s Pros in some more detail.

1. Extra wide 18 inch clearance : An extra wide, 18 inch clearance ability like the Worx WG650 has is one of the most important features on a snow blower. It means you will be able to finish clearing a driveway in fewer passes and less time, which will have you back indoors and warming up much sooner. When temperatures drop below zero and wind chill makes frostbite a possibility, the less time you spend outside, the better. And with the Worx WG650 you don’t have to.
2. Powerful 13 amp motor : The motor on the Worx WG650 packs a punch: it is 13 amps, and it provides enough power to allow the snow blower to clear up to 650 pounds of snow per minute, and throw that snow up to 30 feet away. One of the drawbacks consumers often cite on electric snow blowers is that they are less powerful than gas powered snow blowers, but with a motor of this ability, that’s simply not the case.
3. 30 foot throwing distance : That is one of the farthest throwing distances on electric snow blowers today, and it means you will never have to worry about going over the same snow more than once to get wide driveways clear. Along with the 180 degree rotation on the snow chute, you can always be directing snow far away from your walks and driveway, and you never have to worry about accidentally plastering your garage or house with snow as you clear it.
4. Quiet and environmentally friendly : Unlike a gas powered snow blower, which is noisy and produces a lot of emissions, an electric snow blower like the Worx WG650 runs very quietly and produces zero emissions at the point of use. It’s important to have a quiet snow blower, because you never know when a winter storm is going to hit, and you may find yourself clearing snow early in the morning or late at night when your neighbors are trying to sleep.
5. Convenient, ergonomic design : The overall design of the Worx WG650 is one that is meant to maximize convenience and comfort on the part of the user: as a result, it has a handle that is adjustable to different heights so that even taller users will not strain their back or shoulders when using it. The handle is ergonomically designed, as well, so you can get a good grip on it without getting sore hands or wrists from the vibrations of the snow blower.

When you are buying a new electric snow blower, the main considerations you have to look at are the ones that affect its snow clearing ability. That means a powerful motor, high per minute clearance capacity, big clearing width and high snow cut depth. In these areas, the Worx WG650 definitely delivers. As a result, whatever region of the country you live in, you will be able to rely on this machine to clear even the heaviest snow fall quickly and efficiently.

Cons

There are a few design and manufacturing issues that do affect the overall performance of the Worx WG650 somewhat, however. The snow chute’s design could use some improvement, and the bolts that were used to put the snow blower together are not very durable. Like many electric snow blowers, it may have trouble with wet snow, and the power cord takes some getting used to. Finally, the Worx WG650 is one of the more expensive machines of its size and ability.

1. The design of the snow chute could use improvement : The snow chute is made of plastic, which itself is not very durable, and it is mounted on another plastic cylinder with which you are meant to be able to control it. Unfortunately, you may have difficulty turning the snow chute the full 180 degrees advertised by the manufacturer. And, if you inadvertently go over any rocks or other debris, there is the risk that they could crack or otherwise damage the chute.
2. The bolts on the snow blower are not very durable : The bolts holding the various components of the Worx WG650 together are made of plastic as well and also not very durable. They have a tendency to loosen as a result of the vibration of the machine, which can cause serious problems in its performance. Because they are plastic, it is very difficult to tighten them sufficiently without damaging them, and their threads can easily be stripped if you tighten them too much, rendering them all but useless.
3. May have trouble with wet, heavy snow : This is a chronic problem on electric snow blowers, which tend to be unable to deal with slushy, heavier snow. The Worx WG650 will not be able to throw this kind of snow the full thirty feet, and under the worst circumstances, you may find that it is clogging the snow chute altogether, which could present serious problems. When this happens, the snow blower can stall, which can lead to damaging the motor.
4. The power cord can present issues : Plug in electric snow blowers have advantages and drawbacks as compared to battery powered ones. On the one hand, you never have to worry about running out of power in the middle of a job. On the other, your range is limited by the length of the cord, and there is always the danger of running over the cord in deep snow or in the dark. With some practice, you should be able to get used to it, but it can be difficult at first.
5. One of the more expensive snow blowers of its size : Even in spite of these drawbacks, the Worx WG650 is still one of the more expensive snow blowers for its size and ability, which is troublesome. With other expensive snow blowers that do not have anything other than the typical Cons for electric models, I often can find good reasons to pay premium prices for them, but with the issues with the manufacturing and design of this one, I am not so sure it’s worth the price.

Most of the time, I do not find that the Cons a particular model offers outweigh its Pros, but with the Worx WG650, I do not think that is the case. The fact that the snow chute design does not allow for a full range of motion is problematic, but the fact that the bolts are easily loosened is even more troublesome, as it presents safety as well as performance issues. The high price does not help matters, either.

Product Comparison

The following table compares the product specs of the Worx WG650 with those of two similar models, the Snow Joe SJ622E and the Power Smart DB5023. It is important to always do some comparison shopping of one snow blower to at least one or two others, as this gives you a better picture of how it generally stacks up to what else is on the market. This way, you get a better understanding of what is out there. Let’s take a look.

	Worx WG650	Snow Joe SJ622E	Power Smart DB5023
Dimensions	45 x 19 x 37 inches	45 x 19 x 38 inches	42 x 19 x 40 inches
Start	Button push	Button push	Button push
Motor	13 amp	15 amp	13 amp
Clearing Width	18 inches	18 inches	18 inches
Snow Cut Depth	9 inches	10 inches	9 inches
Capacity / Minute	Up to 650 pounds	Up to 700 pounds	Up to 650 pounds
Throw Distance	Up to 30 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 180°	Handle 180°
Wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels	Compact wheels
Light	n/a	n/a	n/a
Weight	29.6 pounds	31.8 pounds	38 pounds
Warranty	2 years	2 years	1 year

The Worx WG650 has a slightly smaller footprint than the other two machines, and weighs a bit less as well. All three have an eighteen inch clearance width. The Snow Joe has the most powerful motor, the highest snow cut depth, and the highest capacity per minute of the three machines. The Worx and the Power Smart can throw snow a bit farther than the Snow Joe. In all other categories, the three machines are fairly similar, although the Power Smart has only a one year warranty.

Conclusion

There are several areas that will generally affect the overall performance of your snow blower more than others – including its clearance width, motor size, and snow clearing capacity. But other apparently minor design and manufacturing issues can affect it as well, perhaps seriously. Let’s look at the Pros and Cons once more before we close.

Conclusion Pros

1. Extra wide 18 inch clearance.
2. Powerful 13 amp motor.
3. 30 foot throwing distance.
4. Quiet and environmentally friendly.
5. Convenient, ergonomic design.

On the plus side, the Worx WG650 has an extra wide 18 inch clearance, a nine inch high snow cut depth, and a powerful 13 amp motor that can throw snow up to 30 feet under the right conditions. It’s also quiet, produces zero emissions, and has a conveniently ergonomic design.

Conclusion Cons

1. The design of the snow chute could use improvement.
2. The bolts on the snow blower are not very durable.
3. May have trouble with wet, heavy snow.
4. The power cord can present issues.
5. One of the more expensive snow blowers of its size.

On the minus side, the Worx WG650 has a snow chute that is flimsy and may not turn the full 180 degrees, and the bolts used to construct the snow blower are not very durable. It may get clogged and stall with wetter, heavier snow. And in spite of all of this, it is still one of the more expensive snow blowers in its size class.

Final Word

It is difficult to determine what kind of rating to give the Worx WG650. On the one hand, in all of the important areas that affect performance and reliability under varying conditions, it delivers. It has the kind of extra wide snow clearance you need to finish jobs quickly and efficiently, a high enough snow cut depth to allow it to deal with heavy snow fall easily, and a powerful 13 amp motor that allows it to throw snow up to thirty feet away under the right conditions. But on the other hand, the snow chute can break fairly easily and get clogged up with wet, slushy snow. And the bolts used to put the Worx WG650 together are made of flimsy plastic and rubber, and they tend to loosen under the vibration and can get stripped if they are tightened too much. In addition, the Worx WG650 is on the more expensive side. So all things considered, I’m fairly ambivalent about this snow blower.

Best Price

As I have mentioned a few times in this review, the price tag on the Worx WG650 places it well above average for a snow blower of its size and ability. Often, when I encounter a more expensive snow blower, the cost is definitely reasonable when one considers the machine’s extra high snow clearance capacity, very powerful motor, or other perks that make it a superior product to similar machines. But in many areas the Worx WG650 is more or less average for a snow blower in its class, and issues with the design of the snow chute and manufacture of the bolts do not necessarily justify the elevated price.