Best Toro Snowblower Apr 2024

We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links on our site.

Winters can be extremely tough to get through. Why not make snow removal easy and quick?

Snow-covered driveways and pathways can be very annoying and dangerous, as you can only shovel so much snow out from around your house. Investing in an efficient snow blower will simplify snow removal chores.

Toro offers many efficient snow blowers, of which the Power Clear 518ZE is an excellent option. It is ideal for use on gravel, asphalt, and concrete surfaces. When it comes to single stage snow blowers, there aren’t many products that can compete with this masterpiece from Toro.

Today, I will take you through a detailed review of the Toro Power Clear 518ZE Snow Blower. After doing a lot of research and talking to people who have used this product, I decided to buy it, and I’ll give you insights from my experience.

Without further ado, let’s get to all the fun stuff!

17 Reviews

Power Clear 518 Ze 18 In. Single-stage Gas Snow Blower

Last update on 2022-02-28 at 13:38 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Table of Contents

Toro Power Clear 518 ZE Reviews Apr 2024: Why do I like it?

I have used the Toro Power Clear 518ZE extensively throughout the winter. After putting it to the test half a dozen times, I could identify some of its win-win features.

The key highlights of this blower that make it an excellent product are explained below:

Powerful Engine

I especially liked the power-packed engine that this blower possesses. With the Smooth Toro 99 cc and 4-cycle 212 cc OHV engines, you will never face any performance discrepancy. The engine is fine-tuned to be responsive and powerful for a long time.

A powerful engine is a prerequisite for outdoor equipment like snow blowers. And in that sphere, the Toro Power Clear 518ZE has hit a home run!

To get the most out of this snow blower, I advise you to follow the instructions that come with it. It is recommended that you use only fresh (less than 30 days old), non-ethanol fuel with a minimum octane rating of 87 to get the best starting results. You may add fuel stabilizer if you face any starting problems. Also, avoid mixing oil with gas.

Power Curve Rotor Technology

The revolutionary Power Curve Rotor technology does a splendid job of reducing the time taken to remove snow while ensuring there are zero cloggings. The rotor has a curved design with an inverted funnel housing which allows it to move more amounts of snow quickly.

As clogging is virtually eliminated, you can clear layers of snow down to the pavement with minimal hassle. It has wide, rubber paddles, which propel the machine forward seamlessly as it clears snow. Its auger has a 7-inch diameter, which helps remove compacted ice and snow.

Quality Assurance

While I was doing my research before buying this blower from Toro, there were only a select few products that came with extensive warranties. It is advisable to assess the quality assurance aspect of the equipment that will cost you a few hundred bucks.

The Toro Power Clear 518ZE comes with not one but two warranties:

Two-year full warranty
Two-year guaranteed-to-start warranty

Toro ensures that its products adhere to the highest quality standards, and they back their products with multiple warranties to assure their customers of the same.

Operational Efficiency

I found the operational efficiency of this snow blower to be second to none. The Locking Zip Deflector allows you to throw the snow in any direction you want with a mere squeeze. The 210-degree chute rotation provides optimal snow-throwing control.

It can throw snow as far as 25 feet away and has a clearing area that is 18 inches wide and 12 inches deep. The handle and chute can be folded down to make storage and transport reasonably straightforward. It has a heavy-duty drive belt that transfers more torque and maximizes its operational life.

17 Reviews

Power Clear 518 Ze 18 In. Single-stage Gas Snow Blower

Last update on 2022-02-28 at 13:38 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

What could’ve been better?

As good as this snow blower is, it is not perfect. Here are a couple of flaws that I noticed while using it:

Design

If there is one aspect of the Power Clear 518ZE that has a significant scope of improvement, it is the design. I did not find the blower to be as ergonomically designed as most of its competitors. Here’s a list of the most problematic design snafus I could find:

The shutoff key is not conveniently placed on this unit. Users would prefer having an easy-access shutoff key on the handlebar
The location of the oil fill spout on this unit is highly inconvenient
I have to bend down each time I want to change the chute direction. Having some controls on the handlebar for changing chute direction would probably make a huge difference

Durability

It has a couple of flaws that point in the opposite direction of a long useful life. Here are a couple of durability-related points that I observed:

The bolts attaching the auger and the rubber went missing after a couple of uses
Its electric start does not function properly sometimes

Pros

It is lightweight and easy to maneuver
It comes with both manual and electric start options
It is equipped with the powerful Toro Premium 4-cycle 99 cc OHV engine
It is backed by a two-year guaranteed-to-start warranty as well as a two-year full warranty

Cons

Cons:

It is a tad bit more expensive than some other comparable brands
Its design has some issues that hinder comfortable usage

Read owner reviews on Amazon

Verdict

If you can work with a couple of inconvenience-causing design flaws, the Power Clear 518ZE from Toro is an excellent blower for homeowners trying to remove moderate amounts of snow. It is not a heavy-duty snow blower, so if you are looking for an absolute beast of a machine, this is not the ideal product for you.

I hope this review helps you decide whether to buy the Toro Power Clear 518ZE or not.

17 Reviews

Power Clear 518 Ze 18 In. Single-stage Gas Snow Blower

Last update on 2022-02-28 at 13:38 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Can’t make up your mind yet? Read our buying guide for snow blowers before you proceed with your purchase.

You should also check out our reviews of other models: