Easy pass for me, we don't get snow here except for once in a blue moon. Also, I've never had any luck with this brand lasting more than a month or so.
THey got me to buy one last year and it is useless- For the 1-2", powdery snow it works on, you can easily remove without this machine- Anything more than 2" or icy snow, this doesn't handle it - Wasted money. Buyer beware.
I don't mind using a regular snow shovel. It's one of my ways to get a workout during the winter. Not much else to do when it snows around here. Might as well make the most of it.
So much plastic. Most likely a weak motor, too. Maybe if you live farther south, where you get just a dusting of snow it would work. But, I would think most people who live in northern states know better than to buy this flimsy thing.