I haven't seen the Sno-tek in person, but it's probably identical with the Simplicity and Snapper versions. It's all the same, made by Briggs and Stratton and rebadged under various names.
Construction wise, it's decent, not same level of fit and finish as a Toro, probably better than MTDs. The curved reinforced auger have stiffer mid section in addition to a larger, more powerful engine would perform better in slushy and hard packed snow.
I'm sure that the bucket is stamped metal, but powder coated, instead of painted. The finish should be pretty tough and durable.
The plastic side belt cover was an afterthought, looks cheap and doesn't seem to integrate well with otherwise decent looking machine.
This message was modified Oct 25, 2011 by aa335