We have the 6.5hp version of this Toro Snowthrower family and it does a great job. We tried a couple other brands also and the Toro was the only one that did a good job of throwing snow 90 degrees to the right/left of where you are going (like when doing a driveway). The other brands just sort of dribbled the snow out the chute when the chute was at 90 degrees. It starts easily, runs great and spare paddles/scraper are reasonably priced. And Toro Customer service is really excellent and quick. I would highly recommend Toro Snowthrowers.

I have the manual-start version. The design is simple, reliable and powerful. The Toro starts easily. The rubber-edged impeller cleans down to the pavement and throws the Buffalo area snow a long way, about 20 feet. You may think that single-stage equals wimpy but that is not so. The wheels are solid (can't go flat) and are NOT driven. That means there is no transmission to fail. I like it because you can go as fast as the snow allows, up to a near jog in fluffy stuff. On the minus side, you have to mix oil in the gasoline but that means there are no oil changes. I pull-start it with the impeller engaged to keep the handle out of the way. My 5'4" wife also finds it easy to use. May not be suitable for a sloped driveway.