2018 Briggs & Stratton Snow Blower Review – What’s New – Which One Is Best For You?

What’s New For 2018 Briggs & Stratton Snow Blowers?

Briggs & Stratton has been quietly refining their snow blower line for the last three years. They have developed the well-received snow shredder single stage and redesigned their two-stage offerings so the snow blowers are easy to use. For 2018 Briggs & Stratton offers single stage, snow shredder single stage, Standard Series two-stage and an Elite Series two-stage.

How this article is laid out:

This is a very comprehensive article so it will take you a while to read through it. I’m going to start with the Single Stage and Snow Shredder models. After that, I’ll review the Standard and Elite 2-stage models.

Reading 2018 Briggs & Stratton Reviews:

1. When you read snow blower reviews you are going to find reviews that state “the engine would not start,” “the engine won’t stay running.” and “the engine runs rough.” You will find these reviews for all brands and sizes of snow blowers. 98% of the time engine problems with name brand snow blowers are either fuel or operator related. Snow engines run/operate differently than your lawn mower engine and because of that, I suggest educating yourself on how to store fuel, how to keep your fuel clean and how/why your snow blower engine runs the way it does will go a long way to liking your new snow blower. Please read this article to learn more: Buying A New Snow Blower FAQS – Read This For The Truth
2.  Reviews. B&S snow blowers come in a box and you have to install the handles, adjust the skid shoes, make sure the cables are routed correctly and the belt tension adjusted properly. The majority of the negative reviews are from owners who had problems with these steps. Don’t bother to read B&S reviews that are more than 2 years old.  B&S has updated all their snow blowers in the last three years.
3. Belt Problems. The B&S 2-stage snow blowers are listed as light-medium duty. That means they work well for areas of the country that get up to 60 inches of snow but are not designed for areas that get more snow than that or get lots of heavy, wet snows.  If you live in the Northeast, Long Island or areas that get lake effect snow – please consider a different brand.  If you are reading this “after-the-fact” order a drive belt and impeller belt NOW in case you need it this winter.
4. Menards: Menards sells a lot of Briggs & Stratton snow blowers but please be aware – Menards has a return policy for gas-powered equipment that is very restrictive compared to the other retailers. Be sure you understand it BEFORE you buy a gas powered snow blower from them. (It basically says that if you put gas in it – it’s not returnable. They will help you to find a repair center though)

By The Way – All Opinions are Mine.

Keeping up with snow blowers is almost a full-time job. The U.S. manufactures currently sell hundreds of different models made here in the U.S. alone. In addition, there are always another dozen or so foreign manufactures trying to wedge their way into your pocketbook. By the way – a quality $500 two-stage snow blower no longer exists. The cheapest 2-stage snow blower I can recommend is now $699.

I normally spend most of July and August talking to the different snow blower manufactures about the new models they have coming for the fall. Usually, in September the manufacturers are shipping the new models to the dealers and I spend the time I need to inspect the new models as local dealers put them out on the sales floor. Sometimes that also involves traveling to the manufactures assembly plants or corporate offices to look at, demo and talk to the snow product managers. In October, I travel to the GIE-EXPO in Louisville, KY. GIE-EXPO is the largest lawn and garden equipment dealer show. There I get a chance to demo machines plus talk to the engineers and company management about all the features, fixes and new rumors.

In addition, I keep a dozen or so of the current snow blowers at my home for testing and answering your questions. I use these snow blowers when it snows. You can find those videos on YouTube. When you go over there please subscribe to my YouTube channel

So Let’s Get Started!

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below. Don’t forget to head over to my YouTube Channel when you are done here. Please subscribe to get the latest videos.

2018 Briggs & Stratton Single Stage

B&S makes two types of single stage snow blowers – three rubber paddle models and three snow shredder models. This first section covers the rubber paddle models.

Just to be clear, single-stage snow blowers only work well for areas of the country that get a little snow. They will clear 1-6 inches of “normal” snow but they don’t work well clearing heavy/wet snow. They also don’t throw snow very far and they don’t work well on the end-of-driveway snow. B&S singles stage snow blowers will clean down to the pavement so they are good for cleaning up driven on snow and sidewalks that have been walked on. They are good choices for patios and decks because they only weigh about 100 lbs and can be lifted up steps. If you live north of Interstate 70 I don’t recommend them as your primary machine. Consumer Reports has not rated the rubber paddle B&S models.

Note: The Model# 1696737 does not have electric start.

Model Name
B&S Model Item #	1696737	1696715	1696727
Sold at HomeDepot.com?	Buy Here:	Buy Here:	Buy Here:
Also Sold at Amazon.com?	Buy Here:	Buy Here:	Buy Here:
Amount/Type Of Snow	6″ Light	6″ Light	6″ Light
ENGINE BRAND	B&S 950 Snow Series	B&S 950 Snow Series	B&S 950 Snow Series
ENGINE POWER	208 cc (9.5 ft/lbs)	208 cc (9.5 ft/lbs)	208 cc (9.5 ft/lbs)
STARTING SYSTEM	Recoil	120V/Recoil	120V/Recoil
STAGE TYPE	Single Stage	Single Stage	Single Stage
CLEARING WIDTH	22 inch	22 inch	22 inch
HOUSING HEIGHT	12 inch	12 inch	12 inch
THROWING DISTANCE	3-30 ft	3-30 ft	3-30 ft
CHUTE TURNING RADIUS	200	200	200
DEFLECTOR CONTROL	On Chute	On Chute	Remote
TIRE SIZE	8 in x 2 in	8 in x 2 in	8 in x 2 in
TIRE TYPE	NA	NA	NA
STEERING	NA	NA	NA
DRIVE TYPE	Auger Propelled?	Auger Propelled?	Auger Propelled?
SPEEDS	NA	NA	NA
LENGTH	47 in	47 in	47 in
WIDTH	23.1 in	23.1 in	23.1 in
HEIGHT	40 in	40 in	40 in
WEIGHT	93 lbs	93 lbs	93 lbs
GEARCASE	NA	NA	NA
GEARCASE WARRANTY	NA	NA	NA
IMPELLER PROFILE	NA	NA	NA
IMPELLER DIAMETER	NA	NA	NA
AUGER DIAMETER	10 in	10 in	10 in
AUGER TYPE	Thermal Plastic Urethane Paddle	Thermal Plastic Urethane Paddle	Thermal Plastic Urethane Paddle
SKID SHOES	NA	NA	NA
SCRAPER BAR	NA	NA	NA
PRODUCT WARRANTY	3 yr Consumer, 90 days Com	3 yr Consumer, 90 days Com	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm
CHUTE ROTATION	On Chute	On Chute	Remote
TONS PER HOUR	NA	NA	NA
TYPICAL PRICE	$399:	$431	$513:

2018 Briggs & Stratton Snow Shredder Single Stage

B&S Snow Shredder single stage snow blowers have are unique because they have metal paddles and metal teeth in the front rotor. These teeth are designed to rip up hard-packed and frozen snow. If you usually wait until the next day after a snow the snow shredder can help to clear that foot tall frozen snow plow drift at the end of your driveway.

Model Name
B&S Model Item #	1696506	1696847	1696741
Sold at HomeDepot.com?	Buy Here:	Buy Here:	Buy Here:
Also Sold at Amazon.com?	Buy Here:	Buy Here:	Buy Here:
Amount/Type Of Snow	9″ Normal	9″ Normal	9″ Normal
ENGINE BRAND	B&S 950 Snow Series	B&S 950 Snow Series	B&S 11.5 Snow Series
ENGINE POWER	208 cc (9.5 ft/lbs)	208 cc (9.5 ft/lbs)	250cc (11.5 ft/lbs)
STARTING SYSTEM	120V/Recoil	120V/Recoil	120V/Recoil
STAGE TYPE	Single Stage	Single Stage	Single Stage
CLEARING WIDTH	22 inch	22 inch	22 inch
HOUSING HEIGHT	12.5 inch	12.5 inch	12.5 inch
THROWING DISTANCE	3-30 ft	3-30 ft	3-30 ft
CHUTE TURNING RADIUS	200	200	200
DEFLECTOR CONTROL	On Chute	On Chute	On Chute
TIRE SIZE	8 in x 2 in	8 in x 2 in	8 in x 2 in
TIRE TYPE	NA	NA	NA
STEERING	NA	NA	NA
DRIVE TYPE	Auger Propelled	Auger Propelled	Auger Propelled
SPEEDS	NA	NA	NA
LENGTH	46 in	46 in	46 in
WIDTH	23.5 in	23.5 in	23.5 in
HEIGHT	40 in	40 in	40 in
WEIGHT	89 lbs	89 lbs	98 lbs
GEARCASE	NA	NA	NA
GEARCASE WARRANTY	NA	NA	NA
IMPELLER PROFILE	NA	NA	NA
IMPELLER DIAMETER	NA	NA	NA
AUGER DIAMETER	10 in	10 in	10 in
AUGER TYPE	SnowShredder™ Serrated Auger	SnowShredder™ Serrated Auger	SnowShredder™ Serrated Auger
SKID SHOES	NA	NA	NA
SCRAPER BAR	NA	NA	NA
PRODUCT WARRANTY	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm
CHUTE ROTATION	On-the-Go	On-the-Go	Electric
TONS PER HOUR
TYPICAL PRICE	$568:	$610:	$665:

2018 Briggs & Stratton Standard Two-Stage

Just two notes: 1. The Standard B&S are economy, solid axle snow blowers. These three snow blowers have decent traction for its size but without power steering, they can be hard to turn. I don’t recommend these snow blowers to someone with a bad back or is not used to moving heavy machinery. The 1696610 is a basic, economy model. The other two have remote chute and deflector controls.

2. The B&S 2-stage snow blowers are listed as light-medium duty. That means they work well for areas of the country that get up to 60 inches of snow but are not designed for areas that get more snow than that or get lots of heavy, wet snows.  If you live in the Northeast, Long Island or areas that get lake effect snow – please consider a different brand.  If you are reading this “after-the-fact” order a drive belt and impeller belt NOW in case you need it this winter.

Model Name
B&S Model Item #	1696610	1696614	1696619
Sold at HomeDepot.com?	Buy Here:	Buy Here:	Buy Here:
Also Sold at Amazon.com?	Buy Here:	Buy Here:	Buy Here:
Amount/Type Of Snow	10-12 inches/light-fluffy	10-12 inches/light-moderate	10-12 inches/light-moderate
ENGINE BRAND	B&S 950 Snow Series	B&S 950 Snow Series	B&S 1150 Snow Series
ENGINE POWER	208 cc (9.5 ft/lbs)	208 cc (9.5 ft/lbs)	250cc (11.5 ft/lbs)
STARTING SYSTEM	120V/Recoil	120V/Recoil	120V/Recoil
STAGE TYPE	Two Stage	Two Stage	Two Stage
CLEARING WIDTH	24 inch	24 inch	27 inch
HOUSING HEIGHT	20 inch	20 inch	20 inch
THROWING DISTANCE	3-35 ft	3-40 ft	3-40 ft
CHUTE TURNING RADIUS	200	200	200
DEFLECTOR CONTROL	Manual	Remote	Remote
TIRE SIZE	13 in x 3 in	14 in x 5 in	14 in x 4 in
TIRE TYPE	Snow Tread	Snow Tread	Snow Tread
STEERING	Solid Axle	Solid Axle	Solid Axle
DRIVE TYPE	Friction Disk	Friction Disk	Friction Disk
SPEEDS	6 forward 2 reverse	6 forward 2 reverse	6 forward 2 reverse
LENGTH	51.9 in	58 in	58 in
WIDTH	25.6 in	25.6 in	28.4 in
HEIGHT	45 in	44 in	44 in
WEIGHT	175 lbs	184 lbs	211 lbs
GEARCASE	Top Loaded Aluminum	Top Loaded Aluminum	Top Loaded Aluminum
GEARCASE WARRANTY	3yr Cons, 90yr Comm	3yr Cons, 90yr Comm	3yr Cons, 90yr Comm
IMPELLER PROFILE	3-blade	3-blade	3-blade
IMPELLER DIAMETER	12 inch	12 inch	12 inch
AUGER DIAMETER	12 inch	12 inch	12 inch
AUGER TYPE	Serrated Steel Open	Serrated Steel Open	Serrated Steel Open
SKID SHOES	Steel Reversible	Steel Reversible	Steel Reversible
SCRAPER BAR	Steel Adjustable	Steel Adjustable	Steel Adjustable
PRODUCT WARRANTY	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm
CHUTE ROTATION	Old Style Wire & Crank	In-Dash Crank	In-Dash Crank
TONS PER HOUR
TYPICAL PRICE	$665:	$775:	$880:

2018 Briggs & Stratton Elite Two-Stage

The B&S Elite 2-stage snow blowers are listed as medium duty. That means they work well for areas of the country that get up to 60 inches of snow but are not designed for areas that get more snow than that or get lots of heavy, wet snows.  If you live in the Northeast, Long Island or areas that get lake effect snow – please consider a different brand.

The biggest difference between the Standard and Elite is the Elite all have trigger style power steering, remote, chutes, and deflectors. They also have the open auger design so they will not clog as quickly as some of the other brands.

Model Name
B&S Model Item #	1696807	1696815	1696828
Sold at HomeDepot.com?	Buy Here:	Buy Here:	Buy Here:
Also Sold at Amazon.com?	Buy Here:	Buy Here:	Buy Here:
Amount/Type Of Snow	Moderate-Heavy	Moderate-Heavy	Moderate-Heavy
ENGINE BRAND	B&S 950 Snow Series	B&S 1150 Snow Series	B&S 1450 Snow Series
ENGINE POWER	208 cc (9.5 ft/lbs)	250cc (11.5 ft/lbs)	306cc (10 ft/lbs)
STARTING SYSTEM	120V/Recoil	120V/Recoil	120V/Recoil
STAGE TYPE	Two Stage	Two Stage	Two Stage
CLEARING WIDTH	24 inch	27 inch	30 inch
HOUSING HEIGHT	20 inch	20 inch	20 inch
THROWING DISTANCE	3-40 ft	3-40 ft	3-40 ft
CHUTE TURNING RADIUS	200	200	200
DEFLECTOR CONTROL	Remote	Remote	Remote
TIRE SIZE	16 in x 5 in	16 in x 5 in	16 in x 5 in
TIRE TYPE	Snow Tread	Snow Tread	Snow Tread
STEERING	Trigger Power	Trigger Power	Trigger Power
DRIVE TYPE	Friction Drive	Friction Drive	Friction Drive
SPEEDS	6 forward 2 reverse	6 forward 2 reverse	6 forward 2 reverse
LENGTH	58 in	58 in	58 in
WIDTH	26.4 in	29 in	32 in
HEIGHT	44 in	44 in	44 in
WEIGHT	213 lbs	236 lbs	241 lbs
GEARCASE	Top Loaded Aluminum	Top Loaded Aluminum	Top Loaded Aluminum
GEARCASE WARRANTY
IMPELLER PROFILE	Steel 3 blade	Steel 3 blade	Steel 3 blade
IMPELLER DIAMETER	12 inch	12 inch	12 inch
AUGER DIAMETER	12 inch	12 inch	12 inch
AUGER TYPE	Serrated Steel Open	Serrated Steel Open	Serrated Steel Open
SKID SHOES	Steel Reversible	Steel Reversible	Steel Reversible
SCRAPER BAR	Steel Adjustable	Steel Adjustable	Steel Adjustable
PRODUCT WARRANTY	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm	3 yr Cons, 90 days Comm
CHUTE ROTATION	Quick Turn	Quick Turn	Quick Turn
TONS PER HOUR
TYPICAL PRICE	$699	$799	$1399

Thanks For Reading This Far!

Yes, You need a new gas can! Now is a good time to remind you that with your new snow blower you should buy a new gas can and fresh fuel. Check out this article:  Check out The Best Snow Shovel, Ice Scraper, and Gas Can To Compliment Your New Snow Blower

Still Looking? Start Here: The Twenty Best Snow Blowers – September 2018 – Which Snow Blower Is Best For You?

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below. Don’t forget to head over to my YouTube Channel Please subscribe to get the latest videos.