We have used a small 24 inch machine for the past 20 years. We have a standard two car width driveway of average length and we live in what some people would call the snow belt. This machine in terms of size has worked well for me over the years and it might take me 15 minutes on a heavy snow day to clear my driveway! If we were replacing it, here is our list of what we would consider as part of our purchasing decision when it comes to how big a machine we would buy.
The area that you need to clear is a big factor. For people who live in suburbia and have the standard single or two car size driveways, any size will do and it really does not matter how big or small a machine your purchase. On the other hand if you are clearing a long driveway with heavy snow at the end left by the snow plow you may want to consider a larger more powerful machine. The bigger they are in terms of width the more powerful the engine and the ability to throw the snow further.
If time is a factor then the wider the machine the better, especially if you have a lot of driveway or parking lot to clear. For small driveways it will not really matter. One driveway of a friend of ours is a about 500 yards long and he has a 48 inch machine. I am glad he does, because other wise he would be out their all morning clearing snow.
Storage can be an issue for some people. My little 24 inch machine sits in my garage right beside my two cars and there really is not more room to handle a larger machine. Even a 30 inch machine would be too big for our situation. If you can store your snow thrower outside then it will not be an issue in terms of how big or small your snow thrower is. A 48 inch snow thrower takes up a lot of room all year round!
The last point is all about the new feature that some manufacturers have added and that is folding handles. You might like to have a wider machine but do not really have the space to store it. Now you can fold the handles down so that your snow thrower will take a smaller foot print. Measure carefully and assess whether a large machine with folding handles will fit in the space you are going to use for your snow blower.
Good luck on your selection. We will just close by saying that anything smaller than a 24 inch machine is probably not sufficient for most people. Heavy wet snow is pretty tough on the smaller machines and you want something with sufficient power to clear this away. in addition the extra weight of a heavier machine will mean better traction and faster snow clearing operations. Let the machine do the work, do not try to manhandle it. You will just get frustrated with trying to clear the snow off your driveway. Comments appreciated.
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It is not so much the size of the blower. I have a 29" 9hp. It is powerful enough, but built before 'power steering' and one handed controls. So you have to wrestle it.
It would be good if this site could list by features, IE 257 cc engine, one handed operation, power steering... etc. not so much by brand as many are the same unit.
Great idea, we will try to update the site over the next few weeks with categories by size etc
correction - 357 cc