I'm looking for a snowthrower recommendation.
We're in the Chicago area so we get dumped on now and then but the driveway isn't very long and we have used a Toro single-stage (the old kind with the straight rubber flappers and rubber vanes to direct the discharge) for years but it's just getting too temperamental. I'm sure a single stage with the newer curved rubber blades and central discharge chute will be fine in terms of actually doing the job.
Here are the shopping considerations:
Electric start is a must.
Greatly prefer a model that has convenient system to re-aim the chute so one doesn't to bend down to turn it with each pass. The old Toro with the vanes had that but most current single stage chute models that I've seen do not. Toro "Power Clear" with "Quick Shoot" seems pretty good in that regard.
Would prefer 4-stroke-cycle but a 2-stroke is not ruled out since we've dealt with gas/oil mixture for many years.
I know Toro has their 221QE (2-stroke) and 421QE (4-stroke) which fit the bill but I want to know what else is available as the latter is around $800 which is a huge price for a 21" single stage snow thrower! What else should I look at?