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

Hello everyone,

I've decided between 2 snowblowers:


Toro 621 ZR  ($760)
Honda HS520  ($840)

These two are available locally and I know I will be able to get parts in the future. This might not be the case with other brands being sold in town, so I really want to stick with the Toro or the Honda.

I don't want a 2 stage (we don't get that much snow here).

I'm leaning towards the Honda, but just want to make sure I'm not making a mistake and should be getting the less expensive Toro. I'm not worried about electric start, and the "quick shoot" is not important to me. The Toro I have selected has the same features as the Honda (handle on the chute, recoil start).

Which one would you buy (let's assume the prices are the same, as the difference in cost is not important to me).  I want something that will perform well, and last for many years.

Thanks very much
James

I've owned the Honda HS520 two years ago, the Toro 621 ZR (aka 421QR) is a much better performer and value.

You ARE making a mistake.  The Toro is a better snowblower - I've tested them head-to-head in the same snow (neighbor has the Honda).  The fact it's a little cheaper is nice too :-)

You guys are killing me. I was hoping you would pick the Honda, as the Toro 621 is big and bloated, and will be a tight squeeze in my small garage. It's crazy how much bigger the Toro is, even though it's the same engine size, especially the height.  I wanted to park the blower under a crawlspace in the garage, and the toro wont' fit. The Honda will.......

Jeesh, maybe I'm better off looking at the small 418 87cc Toro again, as I can buy one of those locally for $360 (HomeDepot price match with a local dealer).

Back to the drawing board.....unless we can get some Honda supporters in here :)

James

Mr_Pacman wrote:
You're free to gamble $360 to make a discovery on the Toro 418.  Although the overall package is well thought out, there's no masking the fact that it is underpowered.  If your local dealer match price with Home Depot, support your local dealer.

I agree that the Toro 621 is a bloated machine.  Parked next to my Honda HS621, I often wonder why does the Toro have to be so big.

One thing you need to consider is the Toro has a two piece handle that can be folded down easily by loosening two knobs by hand, the Honda HS520 handle is one piece that you have to take off two bolts.  Check again to see which one fits better under your crawl space, with the handles folded down.

I'm a Honda supporter, but when it comes between a HS520 and a Toro 621, the Toro gets my vote.  The HS520 is two generations behind the Toro 621.

Below is a picture of my two favorite single stage snowblowers.  Note that the Honda on the left is a HS621, not HS520.

Thanks for the reply, and for taking time to post that picture. I notice that's a Honda 621 on the left. Do you know if the 621 is bigger than the 520? There doesn't seem to be much of a size difference from that photo, but the 520 seemed much smaller than the 621 when I saw them at the store. Having said that, they were at 2 different dealers, so perhaps I'm remembering the Honda to be smaller than it really is.

I'm tempted to gamble on the Toro 418, as the price is low and it's probably going to work well for the type of snow we get in Calgary. Last year, I had a Toro Powercurve 1800 electric model that seemed to handle most of the snowfalls without any issues. There were a couple of instances where I had to rock it back and forth, but other than that, it handled everything quite well. There were probably 3 snowfalls that were wet/heavy where it took a bit more time to blow, but it was still much faster than using a shovel.   I would still have it for this year, but there was an electrical short in the handle and Toro refunded my money instead of fixing/replacing it. I found the power cord a hassle to deal with, and it's only $70 more for the 418 model, which is why I'm looking at gas model. From the 418, I've managed to upsell myself to the 621 and Honda 520 although I'm not really sure if I need it.

I'm not overly concerned with how long it takes me to get the driveway done, I just want something reliable and also something that will last a few years.  I guess at $360 for the 418, if it lasts for 3 years, the cost is $120 per year to use it. The honda and Toro would have to last 7 years to replicate that.  Assuming parts for the Toro like augers, scraper bars are still available (I hope they are not changing the design of consumable parts each time they release a new model) it might not be a bad way to go.

For reference, I would say 1 in every 20 houses around here have a snowblower. We do get snow frequently (we are only 60 miles from the Rocky Mountains) and we can get big dumpings, but it's rarely the wet/heavy stuff that people out east have to deal with.

I guess I should also be looking at the base models of the 621 (I don't really care about the fancy features like the quick shoot handle and zip deflector) as I can get a base model 621 for $620 (with electric start) or $560 (recoil start). That puts the price right in the middle of the smaller 418 and fully loaded 621.  Also, it looks like the base model 621 (38451/38452)has a metal auger versus a plastic one on the higher models, which might be more durable.


James

I don't have a side to side picture comparing the two, but perhaps this one will show how it is very lean.



The HS621 is slightly wider by about 1.5 inches due to the belt cover on the left side.  Other than that, it is smaller in other dimensions.  In my picture, the HS621 is in front and closer to the camera, so it doesn't look smaller, but it is.  It's weird, by itself, the HS621 gives an optical illusion that it is bigger, but compared to any of today's 4 stroke 21" snowblower, it is physically compact.

If you don't have any issues power wise with the electric Toro 1800, maybe the Toro 418 might work for you.  It will be heavier, noisier, but you don't have to deal with the frozen electric cord. 

I'm selling my HS520 in a couple of weeks because I bought a nice used HS621 at the end of last season. The OHC engine in the HS520 is anemic (IMO) compared to the OHV in the HS621. I have not a had a chance to use my new to me HS621 but it has the same engine that was in my old Honda HS624WA 2 stage that I used for 10 years. That engine in a single stage has to be winner. I'd go for the Toro if it was my decision and I love Honda power equipment, just not the HS520.

FrankMA wrote:
Sorry to hijack this thread James,

FrankMA, congrats on the HS621 acquisition!  Again, you have to wait a few months to go on a honeymoon with your new toy.    How's that Toro CCR3000?  I'm still keeping my eye out for a nice one that doesn't cost $350.

aa335 wrote:

Yeah, once again I managed to aquire a nice snow machine and have to wait before I can use it.... I never got that CCR3000 going for any appreciable time before springtime rolled around and other OPE equipment took center stage. A new carb ($ 180.00) is insane considering I only paid $ 40.00 for the machine so I'll continue to tinker with it in a few weeks or so.

Here's a shot of my new to me HS621AS - no beauty queen but pretty enough! 

James: I agree with aa335 that if an electric Powercurve 1800 did most of what you asked of it, then the 418 would probably work just as well if not better. For some reason I was under the impression that you would have gotten more snow than what you describe.

FrankMA wrote:
At least it's not a rust bucket.  Don't know how old your HS621 is, seems in pretty good shape.  How is it mechanically?  Does the engine run?  Everything working?

The machine is in really good shape. I bought it off a guy in South Boston who had a 2 car driveway in a very urban area. He would snowblow his driveway and the 30' sidewalk in front of his house and that was it. South Boston is located right on the coast so it usually does not get hammered with snow like where I live. He had it on CL last Spring for $ 125.00 and when I saw the ad I jumped on it. I knew I was going home with it as soon as I saw it. I tried to offer him $ 100.00 but he knew what he had and would not budge - that was OK because I thought $ 125.00 was a decent price anyway and after looking it over we had a deal.

It needs a set a impeller blades and a new scrapper bar + some overall TLC but I'm capable of bringing it up to speed and am quite happy to own such a fine piece of OPE. I can't wait to put her to use this winter and see how well she performs. I've always read great reviews on the HS621 so I had my eyes on CL looking for one (for quite some time I may add) and finally scored a decent looking machine. I wish that Honda would sell these fine machines in the USA.... Nothing like a good single stage for those 4" - 6" snow storms that are'nt quite heavy enough for a 2 stage.

FrankMA wrote:
I bought the HS621 as a new machine back in 1998 for $800 US.  The electric start was probably about $900.  That was a lot of money for a single stage, 50% higher price than the nearest competitor.  In today's money, that would probably be $1200 or more.  I guess Honda figured that it wouldn't sell too many HS621 at those prices so they came out with the HS520, and compete against Toro 221Q's. 

The HS520 had a fresher look, still feels solid, heavy, and high quality.  It was more nimble to move around, but a bit skittish and bounce around more.  In normal snowblowing situation, the snow jet was a tighter so it went a little bit further.  However, in foot deep wet snow or EOD piles, it performed worse than the older HS621.  The HS621 superior engine just had more grunt torque.  The larger flat center paddle was superior on slush or hard packed snow as well.  It was less resistant to clogging.  These were my observations since I had both machines at one time for direct head to head comparison.

One feature I really like about the HS621 is the streamlined aesthetics. It has that sleek "get the job done" kind of look. It might sound a little crazy but it reminds me of a shark.

I appreciate all of the replies. I think I'm going to get the Toro 621, but I will get the base model to keep the price down. I don't think I need the fancy features like the "quick shoot" or the "zip deflector".  Toro charges a huge premium for those extra features. The 612E is $620 locally, so that puts the price right between the smaller 418 Toro and the 621QZE "cadillac version" which sells for $820 locally.

Plus, the basic 612E has a metal chute vs a plastic chute on the higher models.

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions.

James

FrankMA wrote:
Yes, it is quite sleek compared to the newer machines.  The newer ones are either too busy with exposed muffler guards, fuel tank and caps, valve covers, or handle consoles with headlights. 

Trying to look bulky and busy like a 2 stage snowblower is not a good approach, especially for people shopping for snowblower for the first time.

Mr_Pacman wrote:
I don't think I ever seen any Toro single stage with a metal chute.  Even all their larger and current 2 stage snowblowers have plastic chutes.  If anything, metal chutes are more expensive and will be offered on their higher models, not the other way around.

Properly designed and made, plastic chute is more slippery and does not allow snow/ice to stick.  I don't have any problems with the plastic chute on my Toro 421Q, it's lightweight, easy to change direction.

Just quick update and also a very big thanks to all of the members who took the time to give me advice in this (and a few other) threads over the past few weeks. I really do appreciate it!

I ended up buying a Toro 418 ZR today from Home Depot. They "price protected" an online competitor, so my final price was $360 which I felt was fair as the cheapest online price was $399.  I won't unpack it until it's getting close to the first snowfall just in case a nice used machine pops up for sale.

I debated between this machine and the $850 Honda HS520/ $800 Toro 621, but with those machines being 2 - 2.5 times times the price, plus they were quite a bit larger and would be hard to store in my 2 car garage.

What sealed the deal, was the Home Depot rep giving me a demo of a Toro 621. I didn't realize how the rubber auger would "bite" into the ground and literally pull the snowblower and the driver with it.  With my recent lumbar fusion, I didn't really want something that was pulling me around, as I'm still healing and trying to restrict any sudden jerks in my back.  I'm sure the "pulling" feature is a desirable selling point for most (and it might be for me in the future) but for now, I needed something a little less powerful.

The 418 didn't bite as much, and was much easier to move around. It's similar to the electric Toro 1800 I had last year.  It might be a bit underpowered for what I need, but I suspect it will do the job for most of the snowfalls we get in Calgary.

Once the first snowfall arrives, I'll give an update as to how it works. Perhaps it will help someone else make the right decision on what's best for them.

My wife is also quite happy that this snowblower saga is over. She was sick and tired of hearing about different models, prices, pros/cons etc. 

Thanks again!

James

On most single stage snow blowers the amount of bite the auger will have to the pavement is directly related the how the scraper bar is adjusted.  If the scraper bar is adjusted too low it will not allow the augers to grip the pavement as it will raise the bottom of the machine up some.  If the scraper is adjusted too high the augers will hit the pavement with more force and pull and jump forward.  When properly adjusted single stage machines should just pull you along and not bounce and buck.  You can easily adjust the scraper bar on the either of the machines to meet your needs. As the rubber augers wear you may need to adjust the scraper bar up some.

It's good that you are able to demo the two models to see which one feels right to you.   The Toro 621 is quite aggressive in its pull when the snow is less than 3 inches.  It can move along at jogging pace.  It just takes some getting used to modulate its speed by tipping it back slightly.  The Toro is nicely balance so it requires little effort to tip it back.

The snowblower actually have less bite when there's snow on the pavement.  In actual use, when you have 6 or more inches of snow, that pull is quite appreciated rather having you trying to push.  In 12" of snow, you have to push it along.