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New SJ615E

8.7K views 21 replies 6 participants last post by  tabora  
#1 ·
I purchased a closeout SJ615E bundle at Walmart for keeping my deck clear and finally tried it out on 2" of crisp powder at 5 degrees this morning. Worked so well on the deck that I used it on the walkways, too! Didn't bother with the drive, since there's big snow on the way and I have a new Honda HSS1332ATD to try out on that in a day or so, apparently. The SnowJoe is back on the deck awaiting more action there.
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like you have a good combination ready for action.
 
#3 ·
Used the SJ615E to clear my deck today... 18" all over with drifts way over that. The lowest snow was higher than the handle on the chute and the deepest was well above the chute. It handled it all easily, with just occasional slowing of the auger speed when I pushed too fast. Truly a great little machine. Left the deck bare to the wood.
 
#4 ·
If anyone doubts the capability of these small SnowJoe electrics, just finished doing the deck which was covered with bucket-high, solid, wet snow... Aside from a few clogs that were easily addressed, it went very well!
 

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#5 ·
Nice job with the Snowjoe! I know they are not exactly the most macho blowers around, but i have a small electric toro shovel in my fleet and am always on the lookout for something similar to what you have at a good price. Beats the crap out of shoveling!!
 
#7 ·
Finally after having 3 different models in my hands at Home depot I decided to go with the:

Snow Joe iON Core Tool 40V Cordless 13-inch Brushless Electric Snow Shovel
Model # ION13SS-CT

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Kinda my Yammy's kid brother. It's light ( 12 lbs ) with battery. Even my wife might like to use it.
 
#8 ·
Finally after having 3 different models in my hands at Home depot I decided to go with the:
Snow Joe iON Core Tool 40V Cordless 13-inch Brushless Electric Snow Shovel Model # ION13SS-CT

Kinda my Yammy's kid brother. It's light ( 12 lbs ) with battery. Even my wife might like to use it.
Let us know what you think of it once you've used it... Might be nice to sever the cord! A friend of mine has that other cordless SnowJoe you mentioned and used it happily for the entire driveway until she got married. Her husband bought a big Ariens, so the SnowJoe is just doing porch & deck duty now.
 
#14 ·
So, still not understanding... You were talking about buying it for $140 less than $500 (I assume Canada $) = about $271USD; surely the shipping to Canada from SnowJoe can't be $161USD, which would be the same total price?
 
#16 ·
One of my distant neighbors uses a plug in blower on their driveway. Fine if the snow is dry but when it gets a little slushy underneath or it's heavy then they are pulling back and letting the thing speed up before hitting the snow and bogging down/stopping only to pull back to speed up to repeat. I heard that noise (speeding up to hitting the snow and slowing way down nearly immediately) and watched them struggle to clear their driveway for a bit. If they weren't seven houses down then I would have driven my old blower down there and finished their slushy mess..


So if your snow is usually dry/fluffy type stuff then go for it. If it's wet and heavy then the blower might not work so well.
 
#17 ·
Well, my SJ615E died today when blowing about 6" of snow off the deck. It was working fine, then suddenly started slowing down and quickly halted, accompanied by a burned wiring smell. I'll take it apart this weekend and see if I can determine what fried.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Finished disassembling the SJ615E. Tested the switch (OK) and then the circuit breaker (OK) and then pulled out the motor. One of the brush assemblies was completely melted down. I've contacted SnowJoe customer service and am awaiting a response from them re: obtaining replacement brushes...

Me on Feb 10, 1:35 AM EST - My SJ615E, purchased in March 2017, recently stopped working while blowing about 6" of snow on my deck. The motor just started slowing down, and then stopped. I disassembled the unit, and discovered that one of the motor's brush holders had completely melted down. I need to obtain a replacement set of brushes.

SnowJoe on Feb 10, 10:22 AM EST - Thank you for contacting us at SnowJoe + SunJoe.
I apologize for this inconvenience. It looks like your warranty expired 03/02/19. What I can do is check with my parts Team and request a special parts order. While we don't specifically sell only the motor bush holders, I can offer you a new motor instead. Please let us know if you're interested in this purchase.

Me on Mon 2/10/2020 2:38 PM EST - The snowblower has been used only about a half-dozen times, and it is clear that the failed brush had a factory defect in the holder. Regardless of your warranty period, it is clearly covered under Maine’s Implied Warranty Law: https://www.maine.gov/ag/consumer/law_guide_article.shtml?id=27922
It would be foolish to replace the entire motor when only the brush has failed. This part is meant to be end-user replaceable (but usually not for MANY years). If you do not stock the brushes, please tell me who manufactured the motor for SnowJoe; perhaps they do. I’m willing to go that far before pursuing unit replacement.



 

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#20 ·
So, an interesting progression of SnowJoe Customer Service messages...

Step 1: You're out of warranty (2 years, 11 months), we don't have the brushes; would you like to buy a replacement motor?
Step 2: Oh, Maine Implied Warranty = 4 years, where should we send the brushes?
Step 3: Looks like it will take a long time to get the brushes, can we send you a replacement SJ615E? (What happened to just replacing the motor?)
Step 4: Looks like we're out of SJ615E units, so we're sending you a SJ618E, send us back the SJ615E with this prepaid label once you receive the SJ618E.
 
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#21 ·
Thanks for the update. Good to hear of proper treatment after mentioning Maine Implied Warranty, even nicer to see consumer protection laws that work (I find Canadian consumer protection laws a bit lacking in comparison to American ones).

Honestly, I'd expect brushes to be a maintenance item (depending on duty-cycle, quality of the brushes etc.) they would have in-stock and available as an owner serviceable item for those so inclined.