Looking for a new snowblower for this coming winter, and the little Power Throw 522 looks appealing - compact size, throwback-looks with the teardrop-shaped auger housing. Does anyone have any experience with this model?

In the past I've run Toro single-stage machines, both at home and commercially. I've also run vintage JD 2-stage and some MTD 2-stage machines. I want something smaller than the JD, but not cheap-feeling like the MTD. The little Toro seems like a good compromise, assuming it does the job respectably.

I've got 450 linear feet of 4' sidewalk to clear, along with two driveways (one 1-car x 30', one 2-car x 30'), paths across the yard to my wood pile, and the gravel area where the dogs do their thing; with all the off-pavement snow clearing, a single-stage is not going to work for my purposes. Occasionally when we get a good snowfall I handle a few neighbor's sidewalks, too, which puts me at >1000 linear feet of sidewalk. Most of our snowfalls are 3-6", but 12"+ happen from time to time. I hand-shovel anything under 3".

I'm also considering the intermediate-frame Simplicity I7524E, or the 624 Ariens. I do not want a full-size machine, (a) because most of our snowfalls just don't justify it, (b) because I usually "plow with the storm" anyway and seldom have more than 5" of snowfall to handle at any given time, and (c) because storage space is an issue in my little downtown 1-car garage.

Any thoughts on the Toro 522? Any other models that I should be considering?