Toro SnowMaster 824 QXE (24") Snow Blower

Great snow blower. Between this year and last I'd say I've used it for about a full winter. I clear snow from an approximately 70’ x 20’ driveway and about 300’ of sidewalk. I had an 8hp 24” two stage Snapper for about 20 years that I liked very much. When that died, and before buying this blower, I did an obsessive amount of research. Based on reviews from numerous web sites and the many YouTube videos out there, I pulled the trigger on this one. There are a lot of videos out there if you want to see it in action. It throws the snow at least as well as the two stage throwers I’ve used or seen and cleans down to the concrete and asphalt better than the two stage.

It also cleans up the “V” pile of snow that is left behind with a two stage when clearing up to a stationary object like a porch or building. With the two stage in 4-5” of snow I’ve found you can only make about a 60-70% cut or go really really slow or the snow will boil out the side causing you to make another pass. With this blower I can make a 90% cut at a higher rate of speed without leaving anything behind.

It lets me clean my sidewalks in 2 passes instead of the 3 it took with the two stage. The Quick Stick chute control takes very little to get used to and then is by far the best/quickest chute control I’ve used or have seen. Like the chute control the Personal Pace takes little time to get used to also. I also have a Toro Personal Pace lawn mower and like the drive system so much that its part of the reason I chose this blower. Depending on what the wind is doing the snow on one end of my driveway might be 2” deep while the other end has 8-12” because of drifting.

The personal pace lets me go as fast as the snow will clear without having to mess around with changing speeds other than how fast I’m walking. The machine is light enough that turning and backing up is a breeze. When I had a two stage I seldom used the reverse and just pulled it back because it reversed so dang slow.

So not having a reverse is definitely a non-issue for me. Going full speed this blower seems to move much faster than other blowers I’ve used. So, when I get the 1-2” dusting that in the past I would leave because I didn’t want to spend an hour cleaning it up, I can take care of it in about 30 minutes with this blower. So far, this blower has greatly exceeded my expectations. I would definitely buy this again way before I would consider a two or three stage, 24-28” cut blower.

Great snow blower. Between this year and last I'd say I've used it for about a full winter. I clear snow from an approximately 70’ x 20’ driveway and about 300’ of sidewalk. I had an 8hp 24” two stage Snapper for about 20 years that I liked very much. When that died, and before buying this blower, I did an obsessive amount of research. Based on reviews from numerous web sites and the many YouTube videos out there, I pulled the trigger on this one. There are a lot of videos out there if you... more

So me and my wife were in the market for a snow blower with electric start, and if it were self propelled then that's cool. It was between this and the 721E. We saw this and thought it would be a great combo between our small (older 20" lawnboy single stage) snow blower without having to go with a huge 2-stage blower to get the self-propelled portion.

OK, we get it home from a local store and it's snowing out! Perfect time to play with the new toy!! Read through the important bits of the manual and started to get after it, kinda. It's easy to start with pull or electric start and the chute handle works pretty good. The snow was kinda wet and 5"-6" but not the worst we have had this year though.

It doesn't quite clear snow down to the pavement like our lawnboy does, a lot of the time it just kind of glides along leaving about a 1/2"-1" or so left under it unless it is a completely flat surface that hasn't been driven on or stepped on. If there is a tough spot or it stops on a chunk of snow then you push the Personal Pace handle harder (on purpose or on accident) and it usually just ramps up over the obstruction in a jerking motion and goes right over the snow instead of "powering through" the snow.

Speaking of the Personal Pace, it is somewhat strange. It can be somewhat jerky and odd to maneuver/turn since your holding onto the handle that happens to be the propulsion device. You can switch to the other handle but it starts to get pretty handsy. If you want to make an adjustment to the chute while moving it starts to veer off to the side you let go of.

At the end of the driveway where it slopes down to the street it seemed like it could never get get it very clear, got the lawnboy out and it cleared the remaining off without much effort. I made sure it was adjusted properly by the manual and it was. It seems like it needs more weight all around to get the front down to the ground and the tires to get grip while the stuff gets deep, I actually had better luck pushing it manually. We ended up returning it and they were out of the 721E, next time I suppose. I really wanted this thing to be good, I'm really not trying to bad talk this but it just didn't perform like we expected.

So me and my wife were in the market for a snow blower with electric start, and if it were self propelled then that's cool. It was between this and the 721E. We saw this and thought it would be a great combo between our small (older 20" lawnboy single stage) snow blower without having to go with a huge 2-stage blower to get the self-propelled portion.

OK, we get it home from a local store and it's snowing out! Perfect time to play with the new toy!! Read through the important bits of... more

I was excited to receive my new snowblower but let down when I discovered it was a single stage blower and not a two stage blower. All my buddies who have snow blowers said get a two stage. I felt I was misled by the advertisement as it said new two stage augar technology so I emailed Snow Blowers Direct and voiced my concerns and received an immediate response apologizing for the misunderstanding and was told this was a new product from Toro with claims that the blower will throw snow like a two stage.

So I reluctantly tried the blower because we had just a record snow fall (January 2016 )and much to my surprise it plowed through 20 plus inches of snow with on problems. The snow was wet and heavy and it threw it well over 25 ft. This blower is smaller and lighter in weight than Toros equivalent two stage but it maneuvers easily and as fast as you want it to go.

It scraps the pavement clean. The handle can easily be folded for summer storage by removing 6 bolt so it takes up less space. For not ever having a blower before I'm totally pleased and would test it against any two stage as far as performance and would whip any two stage as for maneuverability. I'm glad I didn't send it back.

I was excited to receive my new snowblower but let down when I discovered it was a single stage blower and not a two stage blower. All my buddies who have snow blowers said get a two stage. I felt I was misled by the advertisement as it said new two stage augar technology so I emailed Snow Blowers Direct and voiced my concerns and received an immediate response apologizing for the misunderstanding and was told this was a new product from Toro with claims that the blower will throw snow like a... more

Bought this unit in early October after our first snowfall. VERY EXPENSIVE for a 24" snowblower. But having looked at the complexity of the 8 speed gearboxes, and controls on a typical 2 stage machine, the Personal Pace looked like the way to go. I didn't get a chance to try it until a few weeks ago, because the snow is late in arriving this year.

First of all, I'm surprised by how much smoke comes out when you start it. And also SHOCKED by how LOUD it is. I must be waking up the entire neighborhood. Not a nice sounding idle either. It is a loping irregular beat that sounds like an old truck missing a muffler.

The thing doesn't blow snow 40 feet (as advertised). More like 20 feet. It lurches forward when you touch the personal pace bar. So much so that I find myself using the regular handles and shoving it through the snow on my own, without the personal pace propulsion.. Every time you engage the chute, it revs the engine loudly, and kicks out more smoke.

And gas consumption! I filled the large tank up to the top, then cleaned a 2 inch snowfall off the driveway. A couple days later, I cleaned off another 2 inch snowfall, and it died! I couldn't believe it was already out of gas. We don't have a large driveway... two car width x 30 feet long and level. I can mow our entire 1/3 acre lawn with our Toro mower, with about a half pint of gas. The thing is a gas guzzler.

Other than that, I would warn you that I ordered a set of rolling skid shoes for the thing. Thought they would work better on our rough driveway. But they don't fit. The Toro uses an odd spacing for the bolts used to mount the skids. Waste of $35 sitting on the counter.

Bought this unit in early October after our first snowfall. VERY EXPENSIVE for a 24" snowblower. But having looked at the complexity of the 8 speed gearboxes, and controls on a typical 2 stage machine, the Personal Pace looked like the way to go. I didn't get a chance to try it until a few weeks ago, because the snow is late in arriving this year.

First of all, I'm surprised by how much smoke comes out when you start it. And also SHOCKED by how LOUD it is. I must be waking up... more