By Scooter M. · Last updated September 13, 2026
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The Toro 38361 Power Shovel has been discontinued and is no longer available at the retailer we link to. It was a 12-inch corded powered shovel with a published weight of 13 pounds and a stated throughput of up to 300 pounds a minute. Its closest live replacement is the Snow Joe 324E, which publishes very similar figures — 13.6 pounds and 300 pounds a minute — and is reviewed in full on its own page.
The specification, and what each number means
Toro 38361 Power Shovel — published specifications
Thirteen pounds is the headline, and it is earned
Weight is the specification that decides whether a powered shovel gets used in February, and it is the one most makers in this category refuse to print. Of the six powered shovels in our registry, two publish a weight. Toro is one of them, at 13 pounds, and it is the lowest figure we can verify anywhere in the class.
That matters more than it sounds because of how the tool is held. A powered shovel is carried in front of your body for the entire clear — a cantilevered load, applying torque to your lower back the whole time. Thirteen pounds held at arm's length is a different proposition from thirteen pounds in a bag, and four pounds less than the next-lightest published figure is a real difference over twenty minutes.
The 7.5-amp motor is modest — Snow Joe's corded shovels run 10 amps — and that is part of how the weight comes down. The tool is not trying to be powerful. It is trying to be carryable, and it succeeds.
The cord: constant power, permanent tether
Corded is the right architecture for this tool and it is worth saying why rather than treating it as a limitation. A 7.5-amp motor draws the same power on minute twenty as on minute one — there is no fade, no pack to warm up, nothing to charge before a storm. For a tool used in short bursts on a path, that is exactly the behavior you want.
The practical limit is distance: about 100 feet of extension cord before voltage drop starts costing motor performance, and realistically less than that before the cord itself is the main annoyance. On the walkway-and-steps duty this tool is built for, that is rarely a constraint. Corded vs cordless works the distance question through properly.
Where the 300 lb/min figure stops being enough
Toro is unusually forthcoming in publishing a throughput number at all, and the honest use of it is to work out where the tool runs out.
Three hundred pounds a minute against Snow Joe's published 840 for a 22-inch corded blower is a ratio of roughly one to three. On a set of steps and a front path — call it a few hundred square feet — that ratio is meaningless, because the job is short either way and the blower is too wide to fit. On a two-car driveway it means about three times as long outside, carrying the tool throughout, and that is where people turn on this category.
The crossover sits somewhere around a one-car apron. Below it, the Toro's lack of setup wins. Above it, throughput wins and you want a corded blower instead.
How we picked
- Published clearing width and depth, which set how much the tool can take per pass
- Published tool weight — the decisive spec for anything carried in front of the body, and the one most makers omit
- Stated throughput where a maker publishes one, because it is the only figure that converts to minutes outside
- Motor amperage and energy source, including what a cord costs you in reach
- Honest comparison against the alternatives at the same price, including the manual tool
We have not physically tested these products. We do not own them, we have no lab, and we do not accept free product. Everything above is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, published manuals, published standards and live retailer data - and we tell you which is which on every claim. How we pick.
Quick picks
Ranked against the criteria below. Tap a row to jump to the full write-up; the price button goes straight to Amazon.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Snow Joe 324E Electric Snow Shovel A corded 11-inch shovel that publishes the two numbers that matter — 13.6 pounds and 300 lb/min — and a 20-foot throw. | The lightest powered shovel with published numbers | 8.1/10 | $124.99 - View on Amazon #ad affiliate link · Price as of November 1, 2026 |
| 2 |  EGO Power+ SNS1201 12-in Snow Shovel A 12-inch 56V shovel with 60 degrees of chute control, on the battery platform with the most tools to grow into. Our skip-this pick | The best cordless platform | 8.0/10 | |
| 3 |  Snow Joe 24V-SS13-TV1 Cordless Snow Shovel Kit 13 inches wide, 17.2 pounds, dual-handle — the cordless shovel that publishes the number that decides whether you finish. | Lightest cordless with a published weight | 7.8/10 | $199.99 - View on Amazon #ad affiliate link · Price as of November 1, 2026 |
The lightest powered shovel with published numbers
Snow Joe 324E Electric Snow Shovel
A corded 11-inch shovel that publishes the two numbers that matter — 13.6 pounds and 300 lb/min — and a 20-foot throw.
Weight is the specification that decides whether a powered shovel gets used, because you carry it in front of your body for the whole clear, and it is the number most makers in this class decline to print. Snow Joe prints it: 13.6 pounds. That is the lightest published figure of any powered snow tool we can verify is currently in stock.
It also publishes throughput, which is rarer still. Snow Joe states up to 300 pounds of snow a minute through an 11-by-6-inch path, with a throw of up to 20 feet. That is roughly a third of what a 15-amp corded blower moves, which is exactly the right expectation: this is a tool for steps, decks, walkways and short aprons, not a driveway.
A note on the width, because listings disagree. Some retail listings describe this model as clearing a 14-inch path; Snow Joe's own product page says 11 inches, and we go with the maker. Eleven inches is also the useful number, because a standard stair tread is 10 to 11 inches deep.
The cost of being corded is the cord. Snow Joe specifies a 12-gauge extension cord no longer than 100 feet, and a heavy cord trailing around a spinning auger is a genuine trip hazard, particularly for an older user. If that matters more than weight, a cordless tool is the better buy — corded vs cordless works through the distance question.
What works
- 13.6 lb is the lightest published weight of any powered snow tool we can verify is in stock
- Publishes throughput — 300 lb/min — which almost nothing else in this class does
- 11-inch head fits a standard stair tread
- Corded, so there is no battery to buy, charge or replace
What does not
- Corded: a stiff, cold extension cord around a spinning auger is a real trip hazard
- Maker requires a heavy 12-gauge cord, and no more than 100 feet of it
- 6-inch depth means two passes in a real storm
- Far too narrow for a driveway
The best cordless platform
EGO Power+ SNS1201 12-in Snow Shovel
A 12-inch 56V shovel with 60 degrees of chute control, on the battery platform with the most tools to grow into.
Skip this one
The cordless alternative, and the reason to think twice: EGO does not publish a weight for the SNS1201. On a tool you hold in front of your body for the entire clear, buying without that number is buying blind — which is precisely the comparison the Snow Joe 324E wins on.
Buying a cordless snow shovel is mostly a decision about which battery ecosystem you are joining, because the shovel is the cheap part and the batteries are not. EGO's 56V line is the strongest argument in this category: the same pack that runs this shovel runs their 21-inch two-battery snow blower, so the natural upgrade path costs you a tool and not a tool plus a battery set.
The tool itself is a 12-inch paddle auger with a directional chute the maker rates at 60 degrees of adjustment and a throw of up to 25 feet. Chute control matters more than it sounds: without it you throw snow wherever the machine points, which on a walkway means onto the part you just cleared.
Twelve inches is the honest limitation. That is a path width for steps, a deck, a walk to the mailbox, and the strip in front of a garage door. It is not a driveway machine. Point a 12-inch shovel at a two-car drive and you will be there a long time, and the battery will not last.
EGO does not publish a weight on the listing we read. For a tool you carry in front of you, that is the number we most wanted. See how the class compares to a real machine in snow shovel versus snow blower.
What works
- Directional chute control, which most electric shovels in this class do not have
- 56V EGO packs also run their blowers, mowers and the 21-inch snow blower
- Cordless removes the extension-cord problem that makes corded shovels miserable
What does not
- 12 inches is a walkway and step tool, not a driveway tool
- A 2.5 Ah battery is small for sustained snow work
- Costs more than a corded shovel with more clearing width
Lightest cordless with a published weight
Snow Joe 24V-SS13-TV1 Cordless Snow Shovel Kit
13 inches wide, 17.2 pounds, dual-handle — the cordless shovel that publishes the number that decides whether you finish.
Weight is the spec that decides whether an electric shovel gets used, because you carry it — there are no wheels on any of these. At a published 17.2 pounds this is a tool most adults can hold out in front of them for twenty minutes. That is not true of everything in the category.
The path is 13 inches wide by 6 inches deep. Read the depth carefully: six inches is the maximum bite, not the maximum storm. In a 10-inch snowfall you take two passes at different heights, which is slower but perfectly workable — and is how you should be clearing anyway.
The 24-volt platform is the compromise. It keeps the tool light and cheap, and it is the reason the machine bogs in dense, wet snow where a 56-volt tool keeps its speed. If your snow is typically wet and heavy, the extra voltage is worth paying for.
One thing no cordless snow shovel currently offers is wheels. It is a common search and the answer is honest: this class is carried, not pushed. If you need something that rolls, you need an electric snow blower, not a shovel.
What works
- 17.2 lb is published, and it is genuinely light for a powered tool
- 13-inch path is a usable step up from the 11- and 12-inch class
- Dual-handle design keeps both hands on the tool and your back straighter
- The TV1 kit includes the storage cover and scraper rather than selling them separately
What does not
- 24 V has less headroom than 40 V or 56 V systems in wet, heavy snow
- 6-inch depth means you clear twice in a real storm
- Snow Joe's 24V platform is narrower than EGO's 56V
Two things it should not be bought for
A driveway. Covered above, and it is the single most common mis-purchase in this category. Twelve inches and 300 pounds a minute is a path tool.
Gravel. The paddle auger contacts the ground, which is how it clears to the surface and also how it would pick up and throw stone. This applies to every tool in the class, not just this one. Using a snow blower on gravel explains what gravel actually requires.
The verdict
The Toro 38361 is the benchmark in this category because it publishes the two numbers that matter — 13 pounds and 300 pounds per minute — and because the first of those is the best in class. For steps, decks, walkways and short aprons, and for anyone who needs to stop lifting snow, it is the tool to measure the others against.
It earns no credit for capability it does not have. It will not clear your driveway in a reasonable time, it cannot go near gravel, and it is tethered to an outlet. Bought for the job it is designed for, none of that is a criticism. Bought as a cheap snow blower, all of it is.
Questions people ask
How much does the Toro Power Shovel weigh?
How much snow can the Toro Power Shovel handle?
Can the Toro Power Shovel clear a driveway?
Is the Toro Power Shovel corded or cordless?
Can you use the Toro Power Shovel on gravel?
How far does the Toro Power Shovel throw snow?
Sources
Next stage
Our current pick in this class
The Toro has been discontinued. The Snow Joe 324E publishes nearly identical figures — 13.6 pounds and 300 pounds a minute — and has its own full review.
Keep goingAbout the author
Scooter M.
An enthusiast who is genuinely into this. I read the manuals, compile the published specs, and do the math on door clearances. No lab coat, no test bench, and nothing here is a product I have used - which is exactly why every claim carries a source.
Published by Slate Mill Group, with the Shovel Report team. Published September 13, 2026; last updated September 13, 2026. Editorial policy.
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