Chris Kaergard and Katie Gaston 
Journal Star

To buy a snow blower or not to buy a snow blower? That's always the question when the state of Illinois is getting covered with snow in the winter.

Right about now, you probably wish you had bought a snow blower from Menard's or some other place — especially if you have to shovel snow in single-digit weather, or even sub-zero temperatures.

You have a lot of options if you've finally decided to buy a snow blower. 

Earthwise snow thrower

Sick of shoveling snow but gas-powered lawn tools aren’t your thing? There are plenty of electric options on the market to get the job done.

After a particularly bad storm in 2019, I bought the Earthwise Electric Corded 13.5 amp snow thrower from Amazon. It’s now listed for $150 (although it was about $30 cheaper when I purchased).

The machine arrived boxed up on my doorstep and was pretty simple to assemble. It’s been surprisingly powerful and does best in heavy snow — the worst kind to shovel in central Illinois. It’s lightweight enough to easily store and doesn’t require the maintenance found with gas-powered tools.

One tip to keep in mind if you go the electric route: Make sure to buy a cold-weather rated extension cord, the longer the better. Normal extension cords get extremely stiff as temperatures drop, so it’s worth the extra expense.

– Katie Gaston