Pros: This is the most popular of the Craftsman Snowthrower line.  It has all the features you need without any extras.  It’s just a good, simple, machine that works.  New this year is a Craftsman branded 4-cycle engine and Glide-Tech polymer skid shoes.  The new shoes protect your driveway from scratches.  The shoes are reversible so you can get lots of life out of them.

It has an industry standard chute control, six speeds with two reverse speeds.  It does not have a clutch lock so you will have to stop the forward motion of the machine to change the speeds or move the discharge chute.  This machine is large enough to handle most conditions winter can throw at you.

Cons: I have no concerns about this snow thrower EXCEPT the new engine.  In my opinion Tecumseh makes the best snow engines and Craftsman has opted to not use Tecumseh 5.5 hp this year.  Instead they are using the new 179cc Craftsman branded 4-cycle engine.  I WOULD STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU PURCHASE THE OPTIONAL PROTECTION PLAN FOR THIS SNOW THROWER.  This motor is new and I would like to see it’s history for a year or two before I give it a thumbs up.

I will also suggest that you purchase an extra package of shear pins with your machine and duct tape the package right to the handles.

Craftsman Shear Pins
The machine is designed to break these pins instead of tearing up the transmission and they WILL break if you try to run chunks of ice through it or the garden hose you forgot to put away.

My Opinion: If you live north of Interstate 80 and have a two car driveway this is the smallest snow thrower of the Craftsman line I would consider.  At 24 inches it is wide enough to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time and powerful enough to break through the plow drift at the end of your driveway.

NOTE: This snow thrower has been replaced with the Craftsman 179cc 24″ path Dual Stage Snow Thrower Model 88957. Click on the link to view the new 2009 model.

You can read more about this snow thrower and order it online using this link Craftsman 179cc Two Stage Snow Thrower Model 88955.  If you order it online you can pick it up at your nearest store and not get charged for shipping.  Sears has this model on sale a lot for $50 to $150 dollars off the retail price.  They also have a 30 day price guarantee so you can buy it, watch the sale ads and come in and get the difference refunded to you.