Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

First off, this is a great forum. I've done lots of reading in archvies on older snowblower topics. I'm a wristwatch collector, and I'm a long time member on various watch forums on the internet, but brand new here.

Quick background:

I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and we get a moderate amount of snow during the winter.

I have had 3 back surgeries over the past 4 years to correct a herniated disc. This is the reason I'm looking at single stage units, as they are smaller, lighter and tend to remove the snow right down to the concrete as I don't want to have to touch a shovel.

All I have to "blow" is a 2 car driveway. No sidewalks etc.

Last year,  I bough a Toro 1800 Power Curve Electric snowblower. It worked well, but the cord was a hassle to deal with in -30*, and the motor burned out on the last snowfall of the year (Which was lucky!!) .  Toro gave a full cash refund, which was great customer service. I found there were only a few snowfalls that were too much for this machine where I had to make multiple passes.

Now I need to buy another blower for this winter.

I was all set to buy new Toro 621 models. Last night I went to Home Depot to pick one up,  and was quite surprised at the physical size of the 621. It's quite big, and I'm not sure how I will store it in the garage with the cars.

So here is my question:

Does anyone have experience with the smaller Toro 418 model?  Will a small 87 cc motor be able to handle snowfalls?  Would the 87cc motor be on par with the power of the little Toro electric 1800 that I had?

I've also started to look at some of the Sears Craftsman single stage units. They have 2 available in Canada. 

One is a big 205cc Briggs and Stratton unit (I haven't gone to see it yet, but I suspect it's gong to be a big unit like the Toro 621).

They also have this 123cc unit at Sears which I am now comparing to the Toro 418 model.

The price on the Sears unit (on sale, it's regular price is $600) is similar to the price of the Toro 418

http://www.sears.ca/product/craftsman-md-21-123cc-single-stage-snow-blower/671-000749275-31A-2M5E599

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/power-clear-418-ze-single-stage-snow-blower-21-inch/959624

Any thoughts on how this smaller Toro would compare to the Sears unit?

Any other input would be appreciated.  I had done my research all summer and was basically ready to buy the 621 Toro until I realized how big it was. Now I'm in a panic to buy something as I want it ready to go before the first snowfall (which could be as early as late October).

Thanks
James Dixon