I haven't used every type of snowblower, but Honda is the best I've tried. Ariens are easy to work on, and you'll get plenty of practice. The snow/hr ratings are garbage, because my hs828 could easily more more snow than my 1336dle pro. Its not the shifting. I think anyone who can drive a standard knows it doesn't slow you down after a week of practice. The hydro drive is so much more efficient you save a ton of power for the auger. They're both about the same in powder, but get some heavy snow (which is when you actually need a snowblower) and the honda shifts into a power band on the auger and goes FARTHER! The Ariens is not the same. Nowhere near the power in heavy/wet snow. You can disengage the wheel-dirve models, and push them but they start so easy and are so quiet, why not?
If you go with the Honda don't bother with electric start unless you need a light. The motor decompresses on start up, so my 6 yr old daughter could start one, and alway on the 1st pull. They're amazing. Not even in the same class. If its money, then buy a cheap one from sears, but don't bother with a $1500-$2000 not-much-better-than-a-cheap-one machine with 95% of the same parts and the same color paint.
