Electric Snow Shovel Review — VOLTASK 24V Cordless

VOLTASK SS-20B 24V Cordless Electric Snow Shovel Review (2026) — Cheaper Than a Bad Back?

Clearing snow by hand is one of the few domestic jobs that regularly sends people to hospital, and it is not usually the slipping that does it. It is a sedentary adult doing sudden heavy repetitive lifting in cold air, first thing in the morning, without warming up. Cardiologists have a name for the week after a big snowfall.

An electric snow shovel is the middle option between a plastic shovel and a two-stage gas snow blower. The VOLTASK SS-20B is 9.3 lb, clears a thirteen inch path, throws snow up to twenty feet and runs on a 4 Ah battery for about twenty-five minutes. The strength is that it removes the lifting entirely. The compromise is that it is a path-and-deck tool, not a driveway machine, and the runtime is the number that decides whether it suits you.

In short: the electric snow shovel earns 8.2/10 from the Blue Rays Technologies team. The rest of this electric snow shovel review sets out exactly how that score was reached.

Key Specifications

Published specifications for the electric snow shovel, taken from the manufacturer listing.

Everything that follows is based on those published figures for the electric snow shovel, together with aggregated owner feedback from verified buyers.

What a 13 Inch Clearing Width Really Covers

Thirteen inches is a path, a set of steps, a deck, a patio, a car’s footprint and the strip in front of a garage door. It is not a two-car driveway in a snow belt, and pretending otherwise is how people end up disappointed.

In real terms, a standard front path of about twenty feet takes two or three passes and a few minutes. A single-car driveway is achievable within one battery if the snow is fresh and under about six inches. A long rural driveway after an overnight storm is a job for a two-stage machine.

The 6.5 inch ideal depth is the honest specification and it is worth respecting. Above that the auger packs rather than throws, and the sensible technique is to take the snow off in two shallow layers rather than trying to drive through the full depth in one pass.

Twenty-Five Minutes, and Whether That Is Enough

Runtime is the number that decides whether a cordless snow tool works for a given home, and twenty-five minutes is the manufacturer’s figure under favourable conditions. In heavy wet snow, in genuine cold, and with a battery that is a couple of winters old, plan on meaningfully less.

For a path, a porch, steps and the area around a car, twenty-five minutes is comfortably enough and you will rarely finish the charge. For a driveway you should either buy a second battery or accept a pause halfway through, and a pause in falling snow means clearing the same ground twice.

Cold itself reduces available capacity in any lithium-ion pack, which is why the sensible routine is to keep the battery indoors and fit it as you step outside rather than storing the whole tool in an unheated garage.

Why an Electric Snow Shovel Beats Both Alternatives Here

Against a manual shovel the argument is physiological rather than about convenience. A hand shovel requires you to lift, twist and throw a loaded blade repeatedly, and that combination of cold air, sudden exertion and a twisting lift is precisely the pattern behind winter cardiac and back injuries. This tool converts the whole job into walking forwards.

Against a gas snow blower the argument is practical. There is no fuel to stabilise, no carburettor to gum up over a summer, no pull cord that will not start on the coldest morning of the year, and no exhaust, which matters because these machines are frequently used near open garage doors.

The weight is the thing that surprises people. At 9.3 lb it is lighter than most loaded manual shovels, so it can be carried down steps, lifted onto a deck and used one-handed briefly while the other hand holds a rail. That opens it up to users who could not manage a heavier machine at all.

Limitations and Compromises

No product is without compromise, and the electric snow shovel has a clear set of them.

One battery is one session. Twenty-five minutes is the optimistic figure and heavy wet snow reduces it, so anyone with a driveway should budget for a second battery on top of the purchase price.

The 13 inch width and 6.5 inch depth limits are real. This will not deal with an end-of-driveway plough ridge, compacted snow or ice, and forcing it into either is how augers break.

There is no headlight, which is a genuine omission on a tool that most people use before dawn or after dark in a northern winter.

It is not a self-propelled machine. You push it, and on a long or sloped drive that is still exercise, albeit without the lifting.

A 4.4 average across 2,407 ratings is solid, and the recurring complaints concern battery life in severe cold and the plastic auger’s tolerance for gravel, both of which are inherent to the format rather than to this model.

Winter Storage, Battery Care and Safe Use

Store the battery indoors at room temperature, ideally at a partial rather than full charge if it is going to sit for months. Lithium-ion cells left flat in a freezing garage over a winter are the single most common way these tools die.

Clear the auger housing after every use and let the tool dry before storing it. Meltwater that refreezes inside the housing overnight will jam the auger solid the next morning, and people assume the motor has failed.

Keep it off gravel and away from door mats, extension cables and buried garden edging. A plastic auger picking up a stone at speed can chip or shatter, and it is the most frequently replaced part.

Use the directional plate rather than turning your body. It rotates thirty degrees either way, which is enough to keep snow off a car or a neighbour’s path, and using it saves the twisting motion the tool exists to eliminate.

Who Should Buy It?

The electric snow shovel suits some households far better than others.

• You clear a path, steps, a deck or a patio rather than a large driveway
• You want to stop lifting snow for health reasons
• You want something a lighter or older person can actually manage at 9.3 lb
• You have no interest in maintaining a petrol engine for four uses a year
• Your typical snowfall is under six inches at a time
• You need something that starts instantly on a cold morning

Look elsewhere if any of the following describes you.

• You have a long or wide driveway in a heavy snow region
• You regularly face plough ridges, drifts or compacted ice
• You cannot store a battery indoors over winter
• You need more than about twenty minutes of continuous clearing
• Your surfaces are loose gravel, which a plastic auger dislikes

The Verdict

For the household this is actually aimed at, which is a path, steps and a modest drive after ordinary snowfall, this is a well judged tool. Nine pounds, instant starting, a genuinely useful twenty foot throw and a directional plate that removes the need to twist is the right feature set at the right price.

The score reflects a clear-eyed view of the limits rather than any doubt about the build. Twenty-five minutes is not enough for a big driveway, there is no light, and the 6.5 inch depth ceiling is a hard one. Bought for the job it does, it is excellent value against machines costing two or three times as much.

Review score for the electric snow shovel: 8.2/10. Strong on weight, ease of starting, throw distance, safety design and price; the compromises are a single 25-minute battery, a 13 inch width, a 6.5 inch depth limit and no headlight. Blue Rays Technologies researches independently and earns a commission from qualifying purchases, which never affects the score.

If you want to see the current price, the full options and the latest buyer feedback, it is listed as the VOLTASK SS-20B 24V Cordless Electric Snow Shovel on Amazon. When the pack finally reaches the end of its life, the US Environmental Protection Agency guidance on used lithium-ion batteries explains why it must not go in household waste.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions buyers ask most often about the electric snow shovel, answered plainly.

How deep a snowfall can this electric snow shovel handle?
Its ideal depth is 6.5 inches. Deeper than that and the auger packs rather than throws, so the technique is to take it off in two shallower passes. It will not clear compacted snow or a ploughed ridge.

How long does the battery last?
Up to twenty-five minutes on the supplied 4.0 Ah pack under favourable conditions, and less in severe cold or heavy wet snow. Anyone clearing a driveway should plan on a second battery.

Is it strong enough to replace a snow blower?
For paths, steps, decks and a single-car drive after ordinary snowfall, yes. For a long driveway in a heavy snow region it is not a replacement for a two-stage machine.

Can it be used on gravel?
It is best avoided. The auger is plastic and a stone picked up at speed can damage it. On gravel, raise the pass height and accept leaving a thin layer behind.

Related Reviews

If the electric snow shovel is not quite the right fit, these Blue Rays Technologies reviews cover the nearest alternatives.

• BONAI 16-bay battery charger review — the rest of the winter batteries
• ZF8313 EDC flashlight review — for clearing snow before dawn
• Indoor Herb Garden review — growing things while it snows

Last updated: 5 September 2026. Pricing and availability for the electric snow shovel change frequently; check the retailer listing for the current figure.