Buying Used, the Honda Exit, and Who Actually Makes Your Snow Blower

28" wide · 50 ft throw · 233 lb

The Deluxe 28 is Ariens' best-selling size and the machine you see chained down on half the trailers in Wisconsin every November: a 28-inch steel bucket, 14-inch auger and impeller, cast-iron gear case, and the 252cc AX engine, at a price that undercuts the SHO version by about $150. For most storms it's all the machine anyone needs — owners report 8-10 inch clearings at near-top gear and honest 40-50 foot throws in dry snow. The catch the forums flag: it shares its 252cc engine with the Deluxe 24, so those four extra inches of bite come out of your speed in wet, deep snow — if you regularly get slop, the 28 SHO's 301cc is the smarter $150. Auto-Turn makes it pivot like a much smaller machine, and the new generation dropped weight to 233 lb, which owners with sloped driveways appreciate. Heated grips slid to the options list this generation, an annoying delete at $1,649. Against Toro's Power Max 828, the Toro's anti-clog and Quick Stick chute are slicker; the Ariens is the more overbuilt frame with better resale. The default big-driveway pick for average snow.

Best for Two-to-three-car driveways in average snow regions — maximum width per dollar in the Ariens line.

24" wide · 40 ft throw · 187 lb

The Compact 24 is the cheapest way into a real Ariens two-stage, and the appeal is that the money went into the metal: all-steel bucket and dash, cast-iron gear case with a 5-year warranty, and the same Auto-Turn steering as the Deluxe line. Owners consistently call the build quality absurd for a $1,300 machine, and the 120V plug-in electric start means it fires on the first press in January. The honest knock is the 223cc engine — forum owners report it bogs in deep, wet snow at anything above the lowest speeds, and it's noticeably happier in fluffy powder than in the slush a plow leaves at the end of the driveway. At 187 lb with a 20-inch intake it's genuinely maneuverable, which is why it sells to people with one- or two-car paved driveways in moderate-snow states. Against a Toro Power Max 824 OE, the Toro clears wet snow with less drama, but the Ariens is the sturdier machine you'll still be running in 20 years. Buy it for the frame, drive it a gear slower in the heavy stuff.

Best for One- to two-car paved driveways in moderate snow regions where build quality matters more than raw wet-snow power.

26" wide · 40 ft throw · 270 lb

The 2X 26 IP is the volume seller of Cub Cadet's two-stage line — same 243cc IntelliPOWER engine as the 2X 24 pushing a 26-inch bucket, which is the sweet spot most people actually need. Home Depot owners rate it 4.0 over 300+ reviews: they love the easy starting, 40-foot throw in cold powder, and the trigger steering; the recurring gripe is that the 243cc runs out of breath in deep wet snow at full width, and the chute can clog with heavy slush — a handful of reviewers flat-out say it doesn't handle soft wet snow well. That's the trade the spec sheet hides: Ariens puts a 254cc on its 24-inch Deluxe, so Cub is spreading similar power across two more inches. The owner-forum take is consistent — Cub Cadet buys you more features per dollar (power steering, tall intake, LED lights), Ariens buys you a burlier gearbox and impeller for the long haul. For a typical suburban 2-3 car driveway that sees mostly under-a-foot storms with the occasional dump, this is a lot of machine for ~$1,300, and the 5-year gearbox warranty softens the MTD-durability worry.

Best for Suburban owners with a 2-3 car driveway who want maximum width and features under $1,400.