The Toro has a 4-stroke engine. I haven't got a feel on the wear of the paddles between the 421QE and the HS621, because their usage frequency is different. The Toro is my go-to snowblower.
I have used aftermarket rubber paddles for the Honda and they do wear out faster, but acceptable. The wear depends how much you tip it forward to pull itself along, and the surface roughness. It is more cost effective buying aftermarket, if you don't mind doing the labor yourself. Make sure your fasteners are in good condition and not corroded as this will make changing paddles easier.
This message was modified Oct 26, 2011 by aa335
