Snowblower brand?

I decided to buy a snowblower and went online to research which model of Honda I should buy.  I was surprised to find a bunch of current reviews that didn't mention Hondas at all - Ariens seemed to be a brand that was consistenly mentioned.  Does anyone have any constructive thoughts on snowblower brands for me?  Thanks!

Honda and Yamaha are tops, and you pay for them.  If you can afford it and want one machine for a long long time, do it!

Ariens is good but hard to find parts around here.

Husky, Craftsman are lighter duty but are still fine around here.

Yardworks and stuff are light duty, will do the job but have lighter weight parts on them than others listed above.

Change oil and fresh premium fuel drained over the summer will keep them all happy.

My observations when providing service in repair in Rossland over the last 3 years.

 

Wow, great summary - thanks Sharp Shop, much appreciated!!  I guess it is back to figuring out which Honda model is most suitable then :))

Barrett Motorsports in Fruitvale is a Honda dealer, incase you were interested in shopping locally. They carry Honda's full line of snowblowers. I was in there a few weeks ago asking about them. The staff was quite friendly and knowledgable 

Thanks OrthoM!!  I was planning a trip there soon; I'm always interested in shopping locally :)

I highly recommend both the Honda snowblower and Barrett in Fruitvale (lovely people to deal with).

I've used both one of the dual-stage (with tracks) and a single-stage (with wheels).

I found the dual-stage heavy and a bit slow but they're really built and can handle almost anything. If this baby can't move it, you'll need a tractor or some very enthusiastic and fit hand diggers. I was living on a property that needed a LOT of snow-blowing when I was using it (large driveway, long pathways to barn and paddocks AND over rougher terrain, not pavement). 

The single-stage that I have now is perfect for my location, which is more average snow-blowing (sidewalk and a couple of parking places just off street). It's easier to handle, turn, maneuver and it throws the snow well. It slots into my garage alongside my car; the bigger one took up a lot of space. The controls are more simple. The only downside is that I miss the tracks once in awhile as the wheels will slip a bit at times. 

I think the main decision-making criteria is how much area you have to clear and how often you can do it. 

You may know lots about snow-blowing so forgive me if I'm over explaining. The best thing is to do frequent removals, especially if it's heavy snow. The worst is if it snows a foot or more overnight and then starts to rain 'cause that sort of wet heavy snow tends to clog up the blower.