I'm in southwestern Ontario - comparable to Michigan winter. After the past couple years of mercurial winters (one winter I had to shovel 2 or 3 times the whole season, last winter I shovel 2 or 3 times a week) I can't remember what "normal winter" is.How often does it snow, what type (powder/wet/icy) and how deep?
EDIT: I guess part of the 'how deep' question is how often you want to be snowblowing your driveway.
Then you definitely want a two stage, like lurking said. Here's the thing with auger size: it isn't so much an actual matter of 'only an inch or two' as it is the torque is greater on the larger models and the augers have more momentum. The 26" Troy-Bilt models are good, the 28" probably the best if you want something that is going to just work on anything whenever you get around to it. What will happen with smaller units with fast heavy snowfall is you will have to do one row on the driveway a few times by tipping the unit back just to skim enough off to get down to the pavement without stalling the unit, then you'll have to do half-rows or similar to get it to kick the snow far enough. That or you'll end up throwing it 3 feet away and have to redo the entire thing several times. This is especially true of the terrible single stage models.I'm in southwestern Ontario - comparable to Michigan winter. After the past couple years of mercurial winters (one winter I had to shovel 2 or 3 times the whole season, last winter I shovel 2 or 3 times a week) I can't remember what "normal winter" is.
We get it all: powder, wet, and icy. I'd say I'll be out there once a week at least.
Honda - you want it to start every time and run quietly and efficiently.I always liked our family's single stage Honda growing up. It did what it needed to do, and started like a dream. The Toro we had before it was a complete piece of shit. Then again, despite it being colder in Edmonton, we probably get half as much snow as you do down east, and it tends to be a lot dryer/lighter.