Can cordless leaf blowers clear away light snow? Absolutely sometimes.
We had light snow a couple of times this season, in addition to heavier snowfall, and my go-to’s have been this Milwaukee M18 Fuel dual battery cordless blower, plus a manual shovel that I might need to replace soon.
Cordless leaf blowers work well on very thin layers of light fluffy snow. When the snow is heavier, sticky, or has been condensed such as from foot prints, forget about it.
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I feel that cordless blowers are good for quick cleanup when there’s not enough snow to break out the shovel, and it’s definitely not going to replace powered snow blowers.
The Milwaukee M18 Fuel dual battery blower is just the model I’ve been using to clear the walkway this year – I’ve used other brands and models in earlier years.
That said, I wouldn’t go out and buy one just for this purpose. Got a light dusting of snow – but not enough to grab a shovel – and you don’t have a cordless leaf blower? Find a broom.
It also works kind of well to clear off cars, but in the back of my mind I’m worried about the potential for scratches. Then again, it can’t be worse than what a snow brush can do, right?
I’m sure some of you have seen social media posts were cordless blowers are used to effortlessly clear snow from walkways, cars, and driveways. That’s never been my experience.
If you’ve tried similar, what have your experiences been like? For me, it has been hit or miss over the years, and definitely forget about clearing snow that’s been stepped on. It’s still less effort than using a shovel, at least up to an inch or so.
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TomD
It really depends on the type of snowfall as you can get fluffy dry snow that can be blown even at a few inches, or you can get a thin layer of crunchy snow that can’t be blown at all.
In general, I find that unless it’s the car (which it can get snow out of crannies pretty well, think around the windshield wipers) if the snow can be blown, it probably doesn’t really need to be moved as it’ll be gone soon enough.
It is fun and satisfying when it works, however. Definitely worth keeping near the door if you can prevent stepping in it.
Nick
I’ve been using my milwaokee leaf blower for years to remove new, fresh, dry , light snow. It’s beautiful and effortlesz. My neighbor saw me doing it and have started copying me.
Lance
Agreed. I find it works about 1/3 of the time when it’s a light snowfall; it has to be fluffy snow and cold out. If it’s near freezing or the snow is not “flakes” it just won’t move.
This is using powerful Ego blowers. If you have a less powerful machine it’s probably not worth trying on any but the thinnest, lightest snow.
Hag
While my ego works for light snow I must have got moisture around grip as I felt electric shock when squeezing trigger on one occasion!
Doresoom
Don’t wear gloves when using the leaf blower. They allow static to build up more than normal, and that’s what gives you the shock.
Some models of EGO leaf blowers have little metal contacts embedded in the handle to dissipate static between the blower and your body. Gloves insulate that connection.
Jared
Much like you and TomD, I have a blower so I sometimes use it on snow. Most of the time I clear it with a shovel first, then just use the blower for a quick blast to clear out all the corners and to get a bare surface.
I use it on my front steps all the time – that’s one spot that’s annoying to clear with a shovel. I’ll also use it on my vehicles too.
Like you said, I wouldn’t buy a blower for snow-clearing, but it’s nice to use it that way if you have one.
There’s no way you can clear even light snow from a large area in my experience. There’s still too much to move given the surface area. Even when there’s only an inch of fresh snow – it’s usually faster to run a shovel down your walk, then blow.
Bren
I use one to clear off my solar panels; snow doesn’t stick to them very well so a quick huff and they’re clear.
Jerry
This works well. I also use dual leaf blowers, one in each hand. Aiming at a single point and at that intersection of will clear very rapidly. Best on new snow though.
Wayne R.
Leaf blowers work great on light layers of both leaves and snow. But just like thicker layers of leaves, on thicker snowfalls the blower just gets under the snow and doesn’t accomplish much. As Jared says, they’re great around steps & doorways.
We’ve got a 4′ wide snow shovel/pusher that is fantastic for overnight snowfalls. Can’t really shovel with it, but it makes quick work of the driveway. (And they’re not flimsy, either.) Here are a couple:
https://www.amazon.com/SNOWPLOW-50548-48-Wide/dp/B004CSMBMG/ref=sr_1_5?crid=NNEDHW8OF93K
https://www.amazon.com/Marshalltown-Polar-Pusher-Shovel-Proudly/dp/B08P3T6559/
Here in Denver, the best usual way to remove snow is our high altitude sunshine.
Jason M
For sure, great for clearing cars or the steps after a dusting.
Sold the Milwaukee dual battery and went with the Greenworks 80v – 750 CFM 170 mph and a few other of their garden tools that M18 didn’t offer
MC703
I use my Ryobi 40V 650CFM blower (RY404014) every time I wash the cars to blow most of the water off before drying with microfiber and spray sealant. Never had an issue with scratching. I keep it on my shoulder like a bazooka. It’s quiet enough not to need them, but I still wear ear-pro
MC703
I use my Ryobi 40V 650CFM blower (RY404014) every time I wash the cars to blow most of the water off before drying with microfiber and spray sealant. Never had an issue with scratching. I keep it on my shoulder like a bazooka. It’s quiet enough not to need them, but I still wear ear-pro.
That said, I used it to blow ~3” of fresh (not wet or crusty yet) snow off the car the other day and it worked great!
Kevin
I actually have two blowers: one for drying the truck after washing it, the other for moving leaves and dirt. The latter tends to get dirty and I’m afraid that trying to use it on the truck will result in flying debris attacking the paint.
I use the “clean” one for knocking loose snow off the truck as well, but here in Maine, it’s rare that the snow is fluffy enough for that to work well.
MC703
As long as the blower is blowing and not sucking, shouldn’t be a problem!
Jason
I use the Ego electric broom. Works great
Dean V
I worked at a car dealership in the late 80’s early 90’s. It’s there where I learned about snow brooms (not the brush type), or brand name: SnoBrum. They are the best tool to safely remove snow from your vehicle that is more than a leaf blower can handle. There are many different types and styles but they all perform the same task. Don’t use a regular broom or those scraper/brush combos. You are sure to scratch your paint with those. I can speak from experience, Here is a link to several on Amazon. Happy clearing!
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=snobrum
David
Meh, anything you drag along paint will cause some surface scratches. Those brooms are good as long as you aren’t down to the paint.
I once tried using a silicone rubber squeegee intended to remove rinse water instead of a towel and even that left visible microscratches that had to be buffed out.
I’m not surprised this was something favored by a car dealership. Many paint damage incidents on my cars happened at the dealership.
KMR
This is the best vehicle snow brush/pusher I’ve used:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/True-Temper-Telescoping-Scratch-Free-Snow-Brush-ABTT5224/206286910
One is in each of our household fleet of vehicles. I live in an area of NY state that receives lake effect snow, so even though all of our cars can get parked in the garage or barn overnight, when we’re out during the day or someone is at work, we need an effective tool to remove snow build-ups from the vehicle.
Stuart
I ordered the Pro version last night from Walmart. As far as I can tell, the only difference is the handle.
@KMR, I bought a Mallory version a while back – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BQK5YY/?tag=toolguyd-20 – but it wasn’t much better than the fixed-handle brushes I had been using. I still have it, but never reach for it. The True Temper looks to have a more usable head shape. I’ll try to pick one up next year, it seems OOS in a lot of places, or expensive with high shipping.
KMR
I’m pretty sure I’ve bought all of True Temper snow pushers at Home Depot, at least 2 in store. The newest one, I purchased online from HD in mid-Dec , they showed plenty of stock then.
Yes, pusher head shape is one of the benefits of that brush. Can get down in the cowl area between hood and windshield and also between folded up side mirrors. But even with that shape the foam head is still plenty stiff enough to push multiple inches of snow off roofs and other horizontal flat surfaces.
JR Ramos
I remember those foam brooms…never used one myself but it seems that it has just as much chance of scratching as anything else if there was already some dust or grit on the car or within the snow itself.
I actually use this finishing brush a lot – it’s one of the softer options with flagged bristles (stiffer than horsehair but much softer than most of the coarser nylon bristles). Works great and thus far I haven’t seen scratches but I’m sure that will happen at some point. I put a stout aluminum handle on it and give it a slight twist with a wrench. It’ll get around window glass edges and door handles pretty well and a finger swipe will clear what remains. Years ago I used a cheapie with the stiffer bristles – didn’t care about that truck but it definitely left marks. This one doesn’t seem to. Nice and fast and a wide swath.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CXUWC6A/
Scott K
I use my backpack blower for fluffy snow or a light dusting. If we have a really small amount I don’t find it worth moving the car to get the snow blower out of the garage. We have a long driveway so I try to avoid shoveling. I really want a cordless Ryobi for cleaning off our patio and other smaller jobs. The BF deal sold out before I could get there last year and there wasn’t one this year.
jeff robbins
The snow this morning in NJ? Makita 18 volt blower for the cars and steps. Neighbor too .. took longer to walk to the cars than it did to clear them!
Joe
I use my DeWalt 60V Max Leaf Blower. On most snow, unless it is wet heavy snow.
Jamanjeval
Yes. I have the Milwaukee single m18 battery blower and it works great so long as the snow isn’t too deep and/or wet. It’s does a great job of leaving a mostly clean surface that requires less salt. It’s also great for removing snow from vehicles without risk of scratching.
The 12ah batteries are a necessity for this tool.
Brian Black
I used my Milwaukee M18 blower and snow blew up off a boat cover I was trying to clear and got sucked in the back and burned it up. Just be careful not to let snow get in the back and sucked into the motor.
Mark
No, but I use it in lots of places where I wouldn’t use a gas powered one due to the convenience: “Sweeping” up in the garage, drying off cars, dusting the shelves inside when the SO isn’t around, etc.
Jimmie
If it’s a dry snow and there’s less than 2 inches, my Ego blower works very well. Any more than that and friction seems to cause the snow to melt into clumps.
Rx9
Lol no. I live in Florida. But if I did live some place where it snows, I’d give it a whirl. Best of luck, northerners.
David
See you in July and August.
Andy
I use my Ego LB765 to clear snow from the cars any time the temps are under ~28*F. Obviously it gets easier when it’s colder and the snow has less moisture. At full power, it has no problem clearing up to about 3 or 4 inches of snow.
notinuse
Yes, I’ve been doing that for years. It works better when the air is cold enough to keep the snow dry and fluffy.
Dave
I get a charge out of using my flexvolt dewalt for snow clearing. Literally, it shocks me the whole time I use it.
Ron
Yes I use one for light snow. I’ve also used it to dry my truck after a wash. The water just blows off just like at a car wash
Daniel
Yes, for fluffy light snow.
Just last week I cleared my 120×88 foot driveway of 1 inch of fluffy snow with my Ryobi 40v bower.
Matthew
Definitely guilty of this. It’s not really effective unless clearing off a vehicle other then that it’s just for giggles.
Frank D
No. It has to be super light and thin powder, else it does not work. But when it is that light and thin, it usually is pointless to clear it, as a bit of a warm sunny stretch will just melt away within hours.
F
Nope, just a broom for light snow and shovel for heavier stuff. We got a lot of snow this month…
Jronman
It is something that might get used on one house and maybe my commercial walks after I have gone over with my 36 inch snow pusher. The snow pusher does a good enough job where it is my finish pass in most cases.
Chris T Thompson
The last two storms here in Connecticut resulted in light, dry snow. While sweeping away the first snow a lightbulb went off. After the second storm I used my single battery Milwaukee blower with very good success. It worked wonderfully on the car too.
Jonathan OAF
I use a single battery Milwaukee blower at my work. Anything less than high output batteries die in minutes. I can get through about 2 sides of a city block with 2 fully charged batteries doing sidewalks walking a quick pace.
I use a Makita 18V handheld blower at home for vehicle windows. Never had a scratch that way.
John
Yup, scooped up a Kobalt 40v combo with a 4ah battery for $100 around Christmas since I could justify it being a four season took here in Michigan.
ross
The Ego that I have shocks me in the winter.
Jimmie
I have two Ego blowers and I experience the same thing. Both give me shocks at the handle. I reached out to the company and they suggested that it could be due to static charge building up due to the blowing snow particles. I’ve taken to wearing a latex glove as a liner for my mittens.
Rick
I get zaps from my Milwaukee backpack. I reached out to a couple of FB groups and the consensus was that it was static discharge. I never saw it on my small blower though.
Rick
I broke down and spent the money on the Milwaukee backpack blower and a couple of their M18 8.0 FORGE batteries specifically for snow removal. Prior to that I’d. been using their old single battery M18 blower. Yes, the backpack is a bit heavy but it does a good job at moving white stuff. Most of the time I run it on low or medium and that is sufficient to get the job done. I’ve run it on hi for thicker stuff or to remove packed snow from foot prints or tire tracks. There’s something satisfying about watching the packed stuff explode and fly off. If you are dealing with broken or uneven concrete like sidewalks at the expansion joints a snow shovel can be miserable and downright uncomfortable when you hit one of them. Using a blower eliminates that. The blower also gets all the snow off the surface including the stuff that a shovel or broom tends to leave behind. Anymore I go for the blower before I go for the 4 foot snow pusher or scoop shovel.
Robert
I have been using my Milwaukee single battery M18 HD12.0 and it works great on the dry snow we have been getting here in Alberta Canada. I have the latest blower model (54dba if memory serves) and it is very quiet. Much quieter than the backpack gas type that a few neighbors use. The HD12.0 battery will clear my driveway (1400 ft2) and I can clear a good block of public sidewalk with the single battery. Much easier than shoveling or using a broom and clears the light dry snow perfectly.
ElectroAtletico
No man. Hell no. I use a shovel to clear the snow.
Lawson Stone
Internal combustion for me. Backpack and handheld.
JR Ramos
Tried a couple times but generally our snow is too damp and often preceded by a little freezing rain or melted flakes, so it’s just an exercise in wasting a battery cycle. If we get dry snow it’s usually so little that you don’t need to clear it.
What I did learn to love was the wide steel pushers that Bully makes. 24 or 30 inch, pretty stout and a good connection to the sturdy handle (and repairable if need be). They’re a little weighty compared to aluminum, though, which is helpful when pushing but not so much when throwing. The aluminum ones are of course much lighter and also available in much wider widths. They have good scoops as well but nothing remarkable. I definitely would recommend and will buy the steel pusher again someday. Makes quick work of sidewalks (and very nice if you happen to have zig-zag concrete ramps with railing posts, when a stiff bristle broom isn’t enough for the job and a snow blower maybe won’t fit.
https://bullytools.com/products/snowice-removal/snow-pushers/steel-snow-pusher-with-fiberglass-handle/
David
Yep, but with my Makita air polluter. As has been said, it all depends on the temp and the quality of the snow. But it’s definitely faster, easier and more thorough when possible. As for noise, It’s not really louder than the persistent scraping of a shovel on concrete.
Steve
I haven’t used a shovel yet this year just the leaf blower and I did half my yard too. Mine is the single m18 battery Milwaukee and it gets up the footprints and the snow that they leave from plowing.
NoahG
No I don’t. A lot of my coworkers have been buying cheap knock off brand snow brooms that work with name brand batteries. Reviews have been very positive so far.
SteveP
“a cordless leaf blowers”? Is AI writing the site headlines now?
Stuart
Sorry *a cordless leaf blower*. AI wouldn’t make as many typos.
That’s what happens when I can’t decide between singular or plural, and it looks perfectly fine during proofreading and publishing checks.
Mike S
No – but I use both the Ego brush and snow shovel attachments in winter while the string trimmer is gathering dust – and the snow shovel can throw the snow an amazing distance and is quite the little workhorse.
Bill
Stuart, Acme Tools is having a rare 15% off sale on many EGO ope tools. The sale started yesterday and ends tonight at 11:59pm.
https://www.acmetools.com/all/?pmid=24b519_ego_15off
Bill
Oops, these are all Reconditioned tools. So not such a special deal.
Stuart
Yep. I typically ignore recon deals. Either supplies are limited, or very abundant which isn’t good.
Katie
I’ve used both my dewalt heavier duty and my ryobi leaf blowers to remove snow from walkways and car. I wear earplugs when doing the car because it’s held up near the roof and is loud, esp the dewalt. Only for light more fluffy snow, as others have said.
Lithium batteries drain more quickly in the cold.
I use it year round to “sweep” my walk and deck of any debris or mowed grass clippings. No more broom, which takes so much longer.
And for leaves. I tried using it for leaves in the gutters, with mixed results depending on wetness of leaves. Use it more than any other outdoor power tool.
Mark
I have the Milwaukee M18 blower as well. I just tried it out recently to clear the snow off my truck, it was better than magic. The stiff west wind that was blowing kept me from wearing a single snowflake. The snow was the perfect dry feathery type that had not bonded or frozen to the glass or paint. Between the oceans of flat horizontal surfaces of the hood, supercrew cab roof, and tonneau cover, the truck was snow free in mere minutes by using the blower. What a great feeling to not have to brush off all that snow.