When comparing Ariens Compact 24 vs Honda HS720AA, the Slant community recommends Honda HS720AA for most people. In the question“What are the best snow blowers under $1000?” Honda HS720AA is ranked 2nd while Ariens Compact 24 is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Honda HS720AA is:
At its price point, this reliable single stage snow blower can do almost anything a bigger two stage unit could do as it can easily remove up to 12" of snow on a single pass.
Specs
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Pros
Pro All metal body
The body of this snow blower is almost entirely built from metal, therefore, the machine is both tough and strong. The only exceptions are two non-metal covers, used for chute and belt protection (those are, in fact, heavy duty plastics).
Pro You can buy a lot of useful accessories
This machine supports a lot of useful optional accessories provided by Ariens. For example, you can buy optional heated handlebars, ‘Sno-Thro’ cab, and even Ariens ‘Sno-Thro’ tire chains. The complete list of optional accessories is available in Ariens' catalog.
Pro It will not take too much space
With its handles folded, this snow blower will require only 29” x 34” x 35” of storage space. In contrast, you'll need 50% more storage space to store a 24" Husqvarna's snow blower.
Pro Durable gear case
The solid cast iron gear case is one of the most reliable components of this snow blower. It is used to transmit the force from the impeller shaft to the auger, basically being a simple 2 gear system. The majority of competitors offer a symmetrical gear non-iron gear cases, such gear cases are particularly prone to breakages and oil leaks. The Ariens Compact series snow blowers, on the other hand, have a top loaded gear case, therefore the oil leaking problem is almost fully eliminated (note, that the oil leaking is directly related to the failure of a gear case).
The manufacturer, in fact, provides an additional 5 Year gear case warranty, additionally to the standard 3 Year warranty of the machine.
Pro Excellent value for money
At its price point, this reliable single stage snow blower can do almost anything a bigger two stage unit could do as it can easily remove up to 12" of snow on a single pass.
Pro The engine is very reliable
The 187cc Honda GC190 engine of this machine is very reliable. The GC line engines are used to power Honda’s snow blowers since 2005, when the legendary HS520A snowblower (now discontinued) was introduced . These machines dominated the market for more than 5 years, in fact, there are still a lot of HS520A units in working condition.
Pro You don't have to mix gasoline with oil
This snow blower is powered by Honda’s 4 stroke 187cc engine. Compared to the regular 2 stroke engines, used by the competitors, the Honda GC190 is by far more advanced. The maintenance of such an engine is very simple, as there is no need to add any oil to the fuel.
Pro Easy to maneuver
Compared to large and bulky 2 stage snow blowers, this machine is much easier to control. This is caused ,mainly, by to the low weight of the given unit (only 89 pounds). This snowblower is perfect for maneuvering between cars in a small (2 to 4 car) driveway.
Cons
Con Steel skid shoes leave scratch marks
It is very likely that you will have to replace the original steel skid shoes with the optional non-abrasive shod shoes. The steel skid shoes can easily scratch concrete and asphalt, thus leave the scratch marks all over your driveway. The optional, non-abrasive skid shoes ($ 40.19), on the other hand, are made from high quality polyethylene (plastics), therefore they can not scratch concrete and asphalt.
Con It's heavy
The fact that the machine is almost entirely made from metal has one very noticeable downside. The machine becomes very heavy. The total weight of this 24” unit is 212 pounds, it is, in fact, as heavy as a 27” Husqvarna snow blower (which is a much bigger machine).
Con Not good for working in the dark
This machine lacks headlights.
Con The auger blades tend to wear off
As the auger blades of this machine are made entirely from rubber, you will need to occasionally replace them. The authentic auger kits are priced around $59.
Con You have to push it around
Unlike the 2 stage and 3 stage machines, this one stage machine do not have any wheel drive mechanism, thus the operator has to push it manually. Therefore, this snow blower is suitable only for cleaning flat surfaces.
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