Ahh.
What a beautiful, gorgeous crisp afternoon.
It's snowing!
[LAUGHS] Wait a minute.
This isn't snow.
Hi, Jack.
Hey, Dave.
What's going on?
That's sawdust.
We're testing snowblowers.
That doesn't even make any sense.
Come this way.
So Jack, this is where we test snowblowers.
So this is where the sawdust was coming from.
That's right.
So Dave, why do you use sawdust?
We use sawdust because we have to test the snowblowers early
in the fall, so we can get that information out to consumers
before the snow falls.
It's wet.
It can vary in consistency, like a heavy wet snow.
It's also much more consistent for testing purposes.
Consumer Reports testing examines how quickly
a snowblower cuts through a dense mixture of wet sawdust,
how far the sawdust is thrown, and how clear the surface left
by the snowblower is.
The overall score for each model combines results
from these performance tests, which inform the ratings.
Teams here test all types of snowblowers.
Each snowblower uses an auger to suck up snow and push it
out the discharge chute.
The wider the auger, the more snow you can clear.
Single stage snowblowers rely on just an auger.
Two stage snowblowers have an auger and an impeller.
The impeller helps the auger push more snow
through the chute, so you get more power and efficiency.
There are also three stage snow blowers, sometimes called
multi-stage, which use two augers
and an impeller for when you need even more
snow clearing power.
So Dave, is this the snowblower we're going to be using?
Yes, it is, Jack.
This is actually a single stage battery powered unit.
It's actually designed for kind of the light snow.
Oh, OK.
I got a little competition planned for us.
Competition?
I love competition!
All right, let's go.
Let's do it.
All right, Jack.
I'm going to use the snowblower.
And you're going to use the shovel.
Seriously?
The shovel?
But you're going to beat me with that machine.
We'll see, Jack.
Let's go.
All right.
Are you ready?
Yes.
1, 2, 3, go!
Game on!
Who can get to the end of that sawdust lane the fastest?
I can't believe I'm winning.
You're not even out of the gate.
Oh!
I'm going to sawdust you!
I'm almost at the finish line, Dave!
Ah, yeah!
Eat sawdust!
Congratulations.
Nice job.
Thank you very much.
You up for another competition?
Oh yeah, I'm feeling good.
This is a two stage machine.
You don't stand a chance, Jack.
On your mark, get set, go.
This time, Dave leaves me in the sawdust.
That friendly competition taught me electric and battery
powered snowblowers aren't really up
for clearing heavy snow.
If you live in an area that gets 6 inches or less of light snow,
you may get by with a battery powered snowblower.
Gasoline powered single stage blowers
can handle up to 9 inches of snow.
Gasoline two stage snowblowers can handle up
to 16 inches of snow.
For areas with rough winters--
we're talking consistently wet heavy snow--
that's where you might need a three stage snowblower.
They can handle up to 18 inches of snow at a time.
Now what about the regular features of one of these
snowblowers?
Probably our favorite or most important one, I think,
is electric start.
If you want to go for premium features,
you can get heated hand grips.
Oh, I like those.
You don't need these big mittens anymore.
Snowblowers also have some nice safety features.
When you let go of the handles, it'll stop the drive.
It'll stop the auger.
And the base of the machine goes just to idle.
Once you--
Once you let go--
It stops.
That was great, Dave, and such useful information.
Oh, you're welcome, Jack.
I love this time of year.