It’s rare that Consumer Reports can’t find a flaw with a product. The cars and trucks that we often discuss here, even the best of the bunch, always have a blemish. Maybe it’s that the ride is stiff, or the reliability history isn’t great, or any other number of things. However, the new Cub Cadet 2X 30-hp two-stage snow blower basically got a perfect score. 

Which is the best Cub Cadet snow blower? 

Consumer Reports just reviewed the 30-hp Cub cadet 2X snow blower and gave it a 90/100 even though it scored 5/5 on reliability, owner satisfaction, and many other categories. The testers at CR are tough, and being so, they will always find something subjective that they don’t care for. In this case, the only con for the Cub Cadet snow blower is that it is loud.

On the other hand, the list of pros is nine-items-long and covers everything from great performance to many useful features. Not only did CR love the Cub Cadet 2x 30-hp, but so did its owners. On predicted reliability and owner satisfaction, the Cub Cadet snow blower landed perfect 5/5s. In fact, it was the only snow blower to land a 5/5 on predicted reliability. 

Consumer Reports had to find something, right? 

CR did give the Cub Cadet snow blower a four out of five on surface cleaning. This means that as the snow blower does its thing, it leaves a light dusting of snow on the ground behind it. If you read the entire Cub cadet snow blower review, you’ll find that this seems to be CR simply needing to have something to point to for improving. 

Even the list of features is long for the Cub Cadet 2X snow blower. While it is missing a few things like heated grips, a single-level chute adjustment, and EFI, the overwhelming consensus is that the Cub Cadet is loaded with features and performs its duties with no issues whatsoever. Even still this blower is exponentially better than a lawn mower with a snow plow attachment.

What’s the difference between two-stage and three-stage snow blowers? 

The Cub Cadet 2X 30-hp snow blower is what they call a two-stage snow blower. There are also one-stage and three-stage snow blowers as well. So, what’s the difference? 

According to A Green Hand, 2-stage snow blowers use one auger to crush the snow and ice and an impeller to throw the white stuff up to 50 ft. These snow blowers are capable of handling up to 24-inches of snow. Many 2-stage snow blowers usually have a self-propelling feature that allows them to automatically move around steep pathways with the help of tracks or tires. 

Lastly, the 3-stage snow blowers are the most complex and can handle more serious snowfall. These blowers have been around since the ‘60s. ​To put all three types into perspective, a 1-stage type has one auger while a 2-stage blower has two collection augers working together with an impeller. In contrast, the 3-stage blower has a third high-speed drill, which is 10x faster than the impeller.