Toro CCR 2450 GTS

According to reviewers, the Toro CCR 2450 GTS is a good compromise if you need something more powerful than an electric snow blower, but don't want to spend $1,000 on a more efficient self-propelled, two-stage snow blower such as the Craftsman 88999 (Discontinued). The Toro 2450 GTS uses a single-stage gas engine, so you'll need to mix gas and oil. Several owners complain of fumes from the engine, but several note that the emissions are typical of single-stage gas engines. All the owner reviews we found compliment the Toro snow blower for its performance, and several say that for the three or four times a year they use it, it's a great value.

ConsumerReports.org includes the Toro CCR 2450 GTS in its tests, comparing its performance to five other single-stage gas snow blowers. We also found a good sampling of owner-written reviews at Epinions, Amazon.com and AbbysGuide.com, which give good insight.