Latest reviews about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

Gooz63 says "This machine handles so simply for such a large machine." about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

Gooz63 — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:45:42 GMT

This machine worked fantastic right out of the box. It took very little time to understand the controls and to learn how EZ it is to handle and turn. So simple, even a child could operate it. The down side to that comment is ... the levers are so large, a child COULD NOT operate this machine. Probably a good feature really, but even my wife cannot operate these large levers effectively. Guess that just means it my toy and my toy ONLY! John in Waukegan, Illinois

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getwellri says "Forget any negative review of this machine!" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

getwellri — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:07:00 GMT

My driveway is over 150 ft long and fans out to 4 cars wide at the bottom. I did not want to get stuck with a smaller machine and grabbed this one when only 1 was left in my area. We have only had two snowfalls thus far, so I was happy to use it two days in a row with about 4 inches each time. Huge driveway, less than 45 minutes in 4th gear. Forget the negative reviews of 1st gear too slow and second too fast. This engine has the power to throw the snow far and didn't get bogged down. Any snowblower will not perform the best with wet snow. I found chute easy enough and with more practice will only get easier. What do people expect? This thing is 250lbs. It nice and big. Threw the snow from middle of my driveway easily 10-15 feet in to the lawn area. Steering is easy, heated grips are nice too. Started second pull. Haven't used electric start yet.

Very happy with my purchase (and got it on a random extra 10% off day). I'm looking forward to using it again. ...

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irapthor says "Happy so far" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

irapthor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:25:22 GMT

I haven't had a chance to use this during an actual storm yet (no snow in Jersey?, who knew), but it appears to be well-built with plenty of power. I have a 165-foot long driveway and I need a power snowblower with a wide clearance.

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VB3 says "Craftsman Professional 357cc Snowblower not so Professional" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

VB3 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:11:15 GMT

Researched thoroughly after having previous Craftsman snowthrower for 12 years. This new, supposedly "Professional" machine is anything but that. I wish I had my old rusty reliable snowblower. First problem noted was heated handgrips give a nice shock when your gloves get wet, not quite "taser" voltage, but enough that you WILL let go of the machine. Second and most annoying is the "joystick" chute control. It's awkward to use in the first place. I am now on my second machine under warranty for control cables snapping under below freezing temps during normal residential use. I'M WRITING THIS BECAUSE THEY JUST SNAPPED AGAIN! I'VE HAD IT AND WILL SELL THIS ASAP. Third, the headlight is not sealed. This means that when snow blows back in to the headlight housing, it melts and shorts our your light. I sealed it with RTV which is working but should I really have had to do this with a $1000 PROFESSIONAL machine? Finally, I read the owners manual and realized the 357cc Professional engine...

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sclem60 says "The Craftsman Dual Stage Snowblower has a lot of power." about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

sclem60 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:19:43 GMT

We really love this snow blower. It has a lot of great qualities. Head light, heated handles, shoots the snow really far. Has controllers on the grips that makes for easy turns instead of having to manhandle it through the turns. The handles to get awfully warm though, so make sure you are wearing gloves when using it. The chute is somewhat difficult to use because you have to squeeze the handle in a certain spot to be able to manuver it. But, that does make sure that the chute doesn't voluntarily move itself while going.

Overall, it's a great machine. You get what you pay for in this machine.

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LONEWOLFDOG says "Craftsman Professional 357cc Snow Thrower" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

LONEWOLFDOG — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:34:13 GMT

Outstanding product.Ready for more snow.

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MclarenF1 says "Powerful, and 90% well thought-out" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

MclarenF1 — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:23:45 GMT

Great all-around snow thrower. Powerful, heated hand grips, bright light, looks good, good on gas... If I had this thing in a modern neighborhood my neighbors 4 houses down would hate me since this thing throws snow forever (actually, about 20-40 feet, but you know how small some neighborhoods are these days). :)

Thankfully, I've got a big property and don't have to worry about this thing shooting snow into my neighbor's yard. I can do my 16' wide x 225' long driveway in about 1/2 hour...and that's being a perfectionist about it. It takes me longer to wipe off and shovel aroudn the cars than it does to clear the driveway.

Only 2 gripes:- in low slushy snow this thing doesn't work for squat, it just clogs up the chute (I haven't had the opportunity yet to try it in more than 3" of slushy snow).- the control for the plastic chute is clunky & tough to work with. Whoever designed the chute control should be fired-cars don't turn by pulling a lever, they turn by turning a wheel, as should...

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Ozzieman says "The Craftsman 357, 30" snowthrower works like a charm!" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

Ozzieman — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:16:42 GMT

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domingothomas says "New out of the box, gas leaking when push the primer button..." about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

domingothomas — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:01:58 GMT

New out of the box, gas leaking when push the primer button...Very bad first impression when I took my Saturday morning to finish assembly (fairly easy). When I put gas and try to prime it, a large amount of gas leaked out from carburetor area.

It turned on fine but when prime again, lots amounts of gas poured out. I called Sears and after a little while they told me to return it to the store. I just picked up the new replacement. I am going to test tonite....

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thornschizoid says "Powerful Machine" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

thornschizoid — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:56:42 GMT

Bought the 30" machine in October 2010. We had a record year in snowfall that year and was very satisfied with its performance.

This replcaces 20 year old machine. I get a lot of drifting and a large hump from the snowplow. The power is great. Easy to maneuver. I think the controls are easily accessible - I have used other newer machines that the controls were poorly placed.

I would have preferred to get a metal chute, but I think there was only one brand that used them. 2nd gear might be a little fast, but then it also depends on how much snow you're clearing.

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toolubergeek says "snow blower clogs badly" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

toolubergeek — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:36:54 GMT

I live at 7000 feet and have two long driveways to clear. This snow blower clogs badly depending on the type of snow. If the snow packs well for a snowman plan on spending a lot of time using the onboard clog removing tool. In my opinion the first stage blades are a bad design. They are too close together and don't have enough pitch. I've tried numerous oils and spays on the blades to get the snow to not stick. I wish sears would have a retrofit improved front stage and I'd install it in a minute. Everything else works fine.

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CarpenterDaveNH says "Craftsman Professional Snow Thrower is powerful" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

CarpenterDaveNH — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:38:14 GMT

Bought this unit as an replacemeent for my 10 year old, 26 inch, tracked Craftsman Thrower.(BTW, gave the old unit to my daughter who just used it to clear 18 inches of heavy, wet snow). Was a little nervous about leaving my tracked model as I had exceptional luck with it, but no track models available this year. Well we had a historic October snow storm here in NH, getting anywhere from 10 to 30 inches of heavy, wet snow. Cleared my driveway, walkways, and sidewalk, as well as helped my neighbors and did my sons driveway.....no problems! Unit handled the 12 inches of heavy wet snow, never slowed or bogged down. Great unit, plenty of power. Didn't miss the tracks as unit is heavy enough that traction was no problem. One thing I must say, and others have said the same, 1st gear is good for most while 2nd gear is too fast. Meanwhile I can't even imagine ever wanting to run behind the unit in 6th gear. Eliminating 6th and putting another gear somewhere between 1st and 2nd would be nice as...

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stanglover says "Easy assembly, Machine fired up without any issues." about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

stanglover — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:23:06 GMT

Found the assembly of the handle and chute to be easy. One thing that concerned me was I could not find the oil container and until I read the complete instructions and realized it was already instralled in the snowblower. In the northeast we just received our first major snow and the snowblower worked really well even with the heavy wet snow that we received. My old snow blower was a little smaller and lighter but after using the triggers for turning, found the machine very easy to manuever. I would recommend this snowblower definitely.

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Soto1 says "Craftsman Professional 357cc Two-Stage Snow Thrower w/EZ steer" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

Soto1 — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:59:21 GMT

This will be the most awesome machine in our subdivision. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...Clow Airport will be calling me for help to clear their runways!

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spark1707 says "Simply the best blower I've ever used!" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

spark1707 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:02:35 GMT

Bought mine last year just before we got 18 inches. Blower worked perfectly right out of the box. Others have mentioned that they had a problem with the chute. I did not have any issues with mine. When cold, mine starts better with the choke patially opened rather than fully open. This blower handled the 18" with no problem at all. Easy to steer. Since we had the 18" we got another dumping of 24" a week later. The blower went through it without any problems. Shoots the snow pretty far. My neighbor across the street said he was going to get the exact blower after seeing how it handled the 2 storms. It is a well balanced blower and is easy to move around when it isn't running. The heted grips weren't on my list of 'must haves', but they came in handy. Look for a 'friends and family" sale and save 10-15%. Nobody can beat that price on a comparable machine. Get one in the early fall because the sell out fast....

DMK585 says "Pretty Good Unit" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

DMK585 — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:36:58 GMT

Very satisfied overall, one tire has had a slow leak but the 2 year in home warranty should take care of that, I will know in a few days. Certainly has plenty of power to really toss the snow. We had a ton of major dumps in N. E. last season and this tossed snow for all of them, even the the really wet stuff. It even broke through the over 2'+ wall at end of driveway. Takes a bit of practice to get use to the touchy power steering but even that is actually a nice feature.

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NYAmpDude says "Poorly Manufactured" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

NYAmpDude — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:50:23 GMT

Simply, the auger assemblies are welded incorrectly so the auger (when viewed from behind) is twisted to the left. So, when sitting on a flat surface the unit will rock like a table with one leg short. Also the control panel assembly is mounted crooked. Again a manufacturing problem not easy to repair.

I ordered mine online the Saturday of Hurricane Irene, assembled it on Monday and then returned it on Labor day Monday. The store manager (good guy really) helped me and we unboxed another one but they were all the same. So if you at looking to buy this machine look it over carwfully 1st. If you don't mind spending $1000.00 on a piece of equipment that is clearly assembled like crap then it may be a good choice, otherwise stay away.

BTW: I did not even mention that the unit would not start at first, spent much of that Monday getting access to the carbarator. . . it appeared the float pin may have been stuck. But, this was an easy fix compared to making striaght a crooked...

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Schtuperman says "The Craftsman Professional 30" Snow Thrower is a beast!" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

Schtuperman — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:00:23 GMT

The winter of 2010 was a particularly harsh one in Maryland. We had three major snowstorms, and set a Maryland record with more than 86" of total snow accumulation. Needless to say, a snowblower was no where to be found! Fortunately, my next door neighbor had received a 24" Craftsman snowblower as a gift from his father several years earlier. It had never been used but, in 2010, that snowblower got a workout! Through all the storms, the 24" snowblower plowed out the eight drives and walkways on our dead-end street, as well as the street itself since the county can't really plow us due to the layout. She handled it all, with valor, breaking only a couple of sheer pins through it all. I was determined not to be caught unprepared again...

The following fall, I happened to be strolling through my local Sears where, to my amazement, were about a dozen different snowblowers on display. They must have just gotten in their shipment. I was immediately drawn to the big black and gold Craftsman Professional...

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navyboy65 says "Bought it, tried it, returned it" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

navyboy65 — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:43:00 GMT

Ok, I feel I need to write this review. First off I did some research and everthing and one seem to be pointing that this would be a great snow blower/thrower. So I ordered one up and was eger to try it out. After having it a week-10 days, got some snow, and it began! Right off the bat, the snow was on the wet side so it clog a bunch and worked more like a plow than a thrower! So I tried again with dry snow and this time it threw snow but no higher than my head (6') and only 10-15' away? I though this this would do better so I called sears and told them I was not happy and my problems and they said they would send out a tech to check it out, but it would be 3 weeks!

So I waited the 3 weeks and the tech looked it over and said it was fine and works as it should, even though at the time there was no snow to test it on?

Now this week, more snow! Went to use this thing and again it is a poor performer! To get it to do much I have to run it in 1st and have to move forward, then pause and forward...

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Kent19 says "Craftsman 30" 357CC Snowblower is powerful and reliable" about Craftsman Professional 30&#34 357cc* Dual-Stage Snow Thrower w/ EZ Steer

Kent19 — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:59:16 GMT

I bought the Craftsman 30" 357CC Snowblower just a few weeks ago and have already spent about 6 hours using it. It has plenty of power and can send snow across the street. The power steering and warm hand grips are awesome, and it starts easily, even in below zero temps. The only thing that I have found slightly annoying is the chute doesn't always move smoothly. The chute also can change the distance it throws snow on it's own. These are 2 minor issues and I still think it is a great Snowblower....