PowerSmart 24" Two-Stage (PS24)

26" wide · 45 ft throw · 145 lb · heated grips

PowerSmart's 26-inch is the widest machine in this catalog under $1,000, and it pairs that with a Briggs & Stratton engine and handle warmers. The compromises show up in the details rather than the headline: 180 degrees of chute rotation where most machines give 200 or more, a 20-inch intake that is an inch or two short of its size class, and a two-year warranty. At 145 lb it is remarkably light for 26 inches of width, which helps in the garage and hurts in wet snow.

Best for A wide driveway on a tight budget, in regions where the snow is frequent but rarely wet and heavy.

27" wide · 40 ft throw · 205 lb

The 1227MD (sold in current production with S1227 badging) is the value counterpunch to the $1,650 Ariens Deluxe 28: a 27-inch steel bucket, notched steel augers, aluminum gear box, and Briggs' own 1150 Snow Series 250cc engine — cold-rated to 20 below — for roughly $500 less. Owners consistently say it has 'plenty of power to throw snow, even wet snow,' and its 40-foot rated throw holds up in real use; the Free Hand control that lets you crank the chute while still driving is a genuinely good piece of design. What you give up versus the name brands is refinement and serviceability: there's no trigger or power steering, so the solid axle makes end-of-pass turns a workout on a machine this size; heated grips and power steering are reserved for the pricier 1227MDS; and one recurring owner complaint is that pulling the impeller/wheels for service requires a bearing puller most homeowners don't own. As a straightforward, well-powered two-stage for average Midwest winters at a near-Costco price, though, it's one of the best honest values in the 27-inch class.

Best for Value-focused owners with two-car driveways in average snow regions who want name-brand-engine power without the $1,600+ price of an Ariens or Toro.

24" wide · 35 ft throw · 206 lb

The ST 224 has been Husqvarna's volume seller for a decade, and the current version quietly fixed the old model's biggest gripe by adding trigger power steering as standard. It's the classic first two-stage: 24-inch cut, 23-inch intake, 212cc engine that starts on the first pull (owners brag about this constantly), and a hands-on tested throw of 30-35 feet — good with powder, adequate with wet cement-snow. Around $1,099 it sits between MTD-built box-store machines and the Ariens Compact 24, and that's exactly how the ownership experience reads: sturdier auger housing and a 10-year cast-iron gearbox warranty on one hand; a friction-disc drive, stretchy control cables, and plasticky chute hardware that generate most of the complaints on the other. Note that heated grips, which the old Lowe's-era 224 had, are gone from the current spec. Treat the first-season belt adjustment as scheduled maintenance and it'll clear a two-car driveway for years without drama.

Best for First-time two-stage buyers with a standard two-car driveway and regular 6-14 inch snowfalls.

24" wide · 40 ft throw · 163 lb

The pitch here is a Briggs & Stratton engine at a price where the value tier usually fits an unbranded clone. At 163 lb it is one of the lighter 24-inch two-stage machines in this catalog — about 25 lb under the Ariens Compact 24 — which makes it easier to turn and store, and correspondingly less planted in heavy snow.

Best for A standard two-car driveway where a recognised engine brand matters but a dealer network doesn't.

27" wide · 40 ft throw · 234 lb · heated grips

Champion is better known for generators, and the snow line is priced accordingly: a 301cc engine, a 23-inch intake and heated grips for a little over $1,100, where Ariens and Toro want $1,700 and up for the same numbers. The catch is the one that applies to the whole value tier — a two-year warranty against three or five, and a service network built around big-box returns rather than dealers who stock parts. The 23-inch intake is the specification worth noticing here; it is taller than the Cub Cadet 2X 28's and matches the three-stage machines, which is unusual at this price.

Best for A wide driveway on a budget, where the intake height and engine size matter more than dealer support.

24" wide · 40 ft throw · 250 lb

The 2X 24 is Cub Cadet's entry two-stage and the one owners usually point at when someone's budget won't stretch to an Ariens Compact 24. The IntelliPOWER 243cc engine is the real story — an electronically governed carb that Cub claims holds up to 18% more usable power, and owners do report less bogging in wet snow than the old HP version. You get trigger power steering and a tall 21-inch intake at a price where Ariens gives you neither. Owner sentiment runs genuinely positive (4.1 across 381 Home Depot reviews) on power, throwing distance, and maneuverability, but the honest knocks are real: it's MTD-built, so the forum crowd questions long-term durability versus an Ariens gearbox, several long-term owners report carburetor gumming that demands religious fuel stabilizer or end-of-season draining, and the plastic chute parts feel cheap next to the steel elsewhere. Buy it for a 2-3 car paved driveway in 12-inch snow country; skip it if you regularly face wet coastal cement — that's where the 26 or 28-inch bigger engines earn their keep.

Best for First-time two-stage buyers with a mid-size paved driveway who want power steering without paying Ariens money.