Husqvarna vs Craftsman Snowblower: The Brutally Honest 2025 Winner

The first heavy snowfall of the season brings a familiar dilemma for homeowners: choosing the right machine to conquer the cold. A reliable snowblower is not just a purchase; it’s an investment in safety, time, and sanity during the winter months.

Two titans dominate this space: Husqvarna, with its legacy of professional-grade power, and Craftsman, the long-standing American household name. Picking between them often leads to analysis paralysis, leaving you wondering if you’ve made a costly mistake as the snow piles up.

Understanding the Contenders: A Tale of Two Brands

Before diving into a direct comparison, it’s crucial to understand the philosophy and reputation behind each brand. Their histories and target markets heavily influence their design, features, and overall performance.

Husqvarna: The Professional’s Choice for Your Home

With roots in Swedish engineering dating back to 1689, Husqvarna has a formidable reputation for producing powerful, durable outdoor equipment. Known for their chainsaws and lawnmowers, their snowblowers carry the same ethos of robust performance and longevity.

Husqvarna often positions itself as a premium brand for discerning homeowners and professionals who demand reliability under the harshest conditions. This focus translates to machines built with heavy-duty components and powerful engines designed for tough, frequent use.

Craftsman: The American DIY Standard

Craftsman has been a staple in American garages for generations, earning a reputation for reliable tools and equipment. Now under the Stanley Black & Decker umbrella, Craftsman continues to serve the residential market, offering a wide range of snowblowers that balance performance with affordability.

Their products are typically designed for the average suburban homeowner with a standard driveway. The focus is on providing good value, accessible features, and widespread parts availability, making them a practical choice for many.

Head-to-Head: The Ultimate Snowblower Showdown

Choosing a winner requires a deep dive into the components and features that matter most when you’re facing a foot of fresh powder. We’ll break down the key differences to see how these two brands stack up.

Engine Performance and Reliability

The engine is the heart of any snowblower. A weak or unreliable engine means a useless machine. Husqvarna often utilizes high-performance LCT engines, which have developed a reputation for strong, consistent power and reliability in cold weather.

Craftsman snowblowers, on the other hand, are typically equipped with engines from various manufacturers, including MTD and Briggs & Stratton. While these are reputable engine makers, the specific model can vary, leading to some inconsistency in performance across their product line. An often-overlooked aspect of engine design is the level of vibration, which directly impacts user comfort and fatigue during long clearing sessions. Husqvarna’s engineering often results in smoother operation.

Regardless of the brand, proper engine maintenance is key. Ensuring you have the right spark plug can make a world of difference in starting reliability and performance. For those interested in the finer points of engine parts, understanding the difference between components like in our Champion QC12YC vs RC12YC article can be highly beneficial.

Build Quality and Durability

A snowblower’s longevity is determined by the quality of its construction. Husqvarna machines typically feature heavier-gauge steel in their auger housings and chutes, providing superior resistance to dings, rust, and the stress of heavy snow.

A critical, yet often hidden, component is the auger gearbox. Husqvarna frequently uses heavy-duty cast iron gearboxes, which are known for their exceptional durability and ability to withstand the shock of hitting ice or debris. In contrast, many consumer-grade models, including some from Craftsman, may use aluminum gearboxes which, while lighter, are generally less robust and more susceptible to damage from impacts.

Clearing Power and Performance

Ultimately, a snowblower’s job is to move snow effectively. Both brands offer models with serrated steel augers designed to chop through dense, packed snow at the end of a driveway. However, Husqvarna’s two-stage systems, with their high-speed impellers, often provide a greater throwing distance.

This is crucial for wider driveways where you need to move snow far away from the cleared path to prevent high snowbanks. The intake height is another important factor; Husqvarna models often boast a taller intake, allowing them to tackle deeper drifts in a single pass.

Features and Ergonomics

Modern snowblowers come with a host of features designed to make a tough job easier. Both Husqvarna and Craftsman offer models with essentials like electric start, power steering, and headlights. However, the implementation of these features can differ significantly.

Husqvarna often provides more refined controls, such as remote chute rotation and deflector adjustment, allowing for quick changes on the fly without stopping. Heated handgrips, a standard on many premium Husqvarna models, are a game-changer for comfort in sub-zero temperatures. Craftsman offers these features as well, but sometimes on fewer models or with less intuitive controls.

Feature Face-Off: Husqvarna ST 224 vs. Craftsman SB470

To provide a clear, real-world comparison, let’s look at two popular 24-inch, two-stage models from each brand. This size is often the sweet spot for homeowners needing significant power without the bulk of a larger machine.

Feature	Husqvarna ST 224	Craftsman SB470
Engine	208cc Husqvarna Engine (LCT)	208cc MTD Engine
Clearing Width	24 inches	24 inches
Intake Height	23 inches	21 inches
Drive System	Friction Disc, 6 Forward / 1 Reverse	Friction Disc, 6 Forward / 2 Reverse
Power Steering	Yes (Trigger Control)	Yes (Trigger Control)
Auger Gearbox	Cast Iron	Aluminum
Chute Control	Remote Rotator & Deflector	Crank Rotator & Manual Deflector
Heated Grips	Yes	No
Warranty	5-Year Engine, 3-Year Bumper-to-Bumper	2-Year Limited

Which Brand is Right for Your Driveway?

The best snowblower is not a one-size-fits-all answer. The right choice depends entirely on your specific needs, property size, and average snowfall.

For the Homeowner with a Large, Demanding Property

If you have a long driveway, live in an area with heavy, wet snow, or simply want a machine that will last for decades, Husqvarna is the superior choice. The investment in heavier-duty components like a cast iron gearbox and a more powerful, reliable engine pays dividends in performance and longevity.

Their user-friendly features, like heated grips and advanced chute controls, also make clearing large areas less of a chore. For those considering other high-end options, it’s worth seeing how Husqvarna’s build quality compares to others in the premium market, a topic explored in our Simplicity vs Ariens snowblower comparison.

For the Budget-Conscious Suburban Homeowner

For those with a typical two-car driveway and moderate snowfall, a Craftsman snowblower often provides the best balance of performance and price. They are capable machines that can handle most residential tasks effectively.

While they may not have the same robust build as a Husqvarna, they offer reliable service for a more accessible price point. Their wide availability at major retailers also makes them easy to purchase and service.

The Overlooked Factor: Long-Term Ownership and Service

Beyond the initial purchase, the long-term experience is what truly defines a good investment. This is an area where the two brands have distinct differences that are rarely discussed but critically important.

Craftsman benefits from a vast retail network. You can find parts like belts, shear pins, and skid shoes at most big-box hardware stores, which is incredibly convenient for DIY repairs. However, for more complex issues, service can be inconsistent depending on the retailer’s service department.

Husqvarna, conversely, relies on a network of independent servicing dealers. While you may have to travel a bit further to find one, these dealers are specialists. They offer expert advice, prompt warranty service, and have a deep knowledge of the machines they sell. This dedicated support network can be invaluable for keeping your machine running for 15-20 years or more, providing peace of mind that often justifies the higher initial cost. If comparing other top-tier brands, you’ll find similar dealer-focused support, as highlighted in our Ariens Deluxe 24 vs 28 review.

The Final Verdict

After a thorough analysis, there isn’t a single “winner” but rather a clear choice for different types of users.

Choose Husqvarna if your top priorities are long-term durability, superior performance in heavy snow, and user comfort features. It is the better-built machine, designed to handle harsh winters for many years without compromise. The higher upfront cost is an investment in reliability and power.

Choose Craftsman if you need a reliable, no-frills machine for average suburban use and value affordability and easy parts access. It is a capable workhorse that gets the job done and represents a strong value proposition for homeowners who don’t require the heavy-duty construction of a premium model.