It's 9:00 pm on a Sunday night and you're stuck in the middle of an unexpected, bone-chilling blizzard, hastily tugging away at the pull-string on your snowblower while wishing old man winter was away on vacation.

If you've ever been there, chances are you find yourself cringing whenever you see an engine with a cord. Thankfully, recoil start (pull-string) engines of today aren't nearly as bad as they once were.

Nevertheless, if you'd rather never touch a pull-string again, you can always opt for an electric start engine, which starts your snow blower with the push of a button.

 

Recoil Start (Pull-String) Snowblowers

In reality, it's really not that difficult to pull the cord anymore. Also, most manufacturers are no longer including electric start equipment with their snow blowers. So if you want to use the electric start feature, in most cases, you must buy a cord separately.

For these reasons, younger and more physically able people choose to stick with a recoil start snow blower.

Shop All Recoil Start Snow Blowers

 

Electric Start (Push Button) Snowblowers

Most people opt for the electric start feature because they want to avoid the shoulder strain. With an electric start, you simply plug your snow blower into an outdoor outlet with an extension cord, then push the start button. Once it's started, you can unplug and go.

Because snow blowers are used in cold weather, a battery would not function well. Therefore, it's necessary to plug it in to use the electric start. As a back-up, electric start snow blowers also come equipped with backup recoil starters.