Living in an area that gets a lot of snow come winter, you absolutely must be prepared in regards to gear and required tools to get by. A snow shovel is among the required tools anyone living in a cold or temperate climate should own. Without a snow shovel, how are you to clear snow from your driveway or dig out your car in the mornings to go to work? Mind you, a snow shovel doesn’t necessarily have to be complex or intricate in its design, even though there are plenty of those around to choose from if need be. To give you a better idea of what the market has in store, we put together a list of the ten best snow shovels money can buy for you to look at.
Best Snow Shovels – Top List
Hopkins D12-222-E Mallory Telescopic Emergency Shovel
This ergonomic shovel from Mallory offers a heavy-duty scoop that recommends it for any type of emergency work. At the same time, this shovel extends from 30 to 40 inches if needed, a flexibility that enables you to keep up with the ever-changing peculiarity of winter time these days. It also features a durable one-piece handle that is both ergonomic and highly practical as far as handling goes.
Power Dynamics SnoDozer By Vertex
Although not exactly a shovel in the classical sense, this 30-inch SnoDozer enjoys an easy-adjust angle durable poly snow blade and 10-inch traction wheels for maximum mobility. We should also point out that its heavy duty poly blade is highly reliable when it comes to not only snow but ice as well. Furthermore, this SnoDozer allows you to choose between three angle adjustments. On top of all this, it also features a powder-coated steel handle and a design that allows you to fold it for easy storage.
GARANT NP091KDU Nordic 9-Inch Poly Blade Car Shovel
Built in a more traditional fashion, this 9-inch poly blade car shovel is a standard snow shovel in regards to design and general use. Given its polyethylene blade, it is guaranteed not to damage roofs or pressure-sensitive surfaces. At the same time, this shovel has a D-grip handle that makes the shovel easy to handle when wearing gloves. This particular handle is made of hardwood and is designed to absorb shock to minimize hand injuries when used for long periods of time.
True Temper SnoBoss Poly Combo Snow Shovel
The first thing you notice about the SnoBoss is its unusual design, one that enables it to plow through the snow at a much faster rate than regular snow shovels. Due to its peculiar design, this tool can be used both as a pusher or shovel. This shovel also features an ergonomic aluminum wide handle with room for both hands so as to increase leverage and control. Not only that but its multiple grips add extra grip to an already ergonomic tool, which is great considering the fact that this shovel can also be reversed when needed.
Suncast SC2700 20-Inch Snow Shovel
Equipped with a non-stick graphite blade and a galvanized steel wear strip, this exquisite snow shovel stands out as one of the very best. Not necessarily in regards to its design, mind you, but more along the lines of being extremely practical and easy to use. For this purpose, it features a comfort grip steel core handle and a 20×13-inch blade on a 51-inch long body that recommends it for any kind of snow shoveling task.
Garant YPM18FKDU Yukon Poly Blade Snow Mountain Mover
It is important for a snow shovel to have an ergonomic handle, which is precisely where this particular shovel excels. Boasting a highly ergonomic handle, it enables you to handle it with ease in any weather and regardless of how thick your gloves might be. Overall, the shovel is quite light in weight, much thanks to its fiberglass handle and extra wide grip. Furthermore, this shovel features extra support ribs on the back of the blade to provide extra strength and stiffness.
Greenworks 20-Inch 12 Amp Corded Snow Thrower
Not exactly a snow shovel in the traditional sense, this ingenious snow thrower is extremely efficient when it comes to removing snow from virtually any terrain. Packing a Greenworks 12-amp electric motor, it clears throw across a 20-inch path at almost three times the speed of a regular shovel. Not only that but this snow thrower can remove down to a depth of over 10 inches, which is impressive to say the least. At the same time, it has a convenient cord lock to keep the extension cord securely in place while you work.
AAA 4004 Red Aluminum Sport Utility Shovel
This lightweight, high-quality aluminum shove weights around 1.3 lbs, a light weight that makes it perfect for clearing out snow from a driveway or from digging out your car after a snow storm. We should also point out that it can be adjusted from 25 to 32 inches if needed to expand on its functionality. It also has to be said that it enjoys a 3-piece construction that makes it easy to store and carry.
Toro 38361 Power Shovel 7.5 Amp Electric Snow Thrower
As a result of its powerful curved rotor and inverted funnel housing, this electric snow thrower from Toro is seen as one of the most efficient out there. Its ingenious design makes it perfect for sidewalks, walkways, steps, decks, or any other residential area that might be burdened by snow. In fact, this snow thrower is so effective that it can clear four inches of snow off a 50×50 driveway in less than 20 minutes, an impressive feat for such a compact device. Furthermore, it is designed to clean down to the pavement, cutting up to 12×6 inches of snow in one pass.
Garant YPSS26U Yukon Poly Scoop Ergonomic Sleigh Shovel
There is perhaps no better snow shovel than the Garant YPSS26U Yukon, one that stands out not only through its ingenuity but practicality as well. This L-shaped sleigh shovel works well for heavy snowfalls, much thanks to its reinforced galvanized steel wear strip that prevents premature wear. At the same time, its extra large scoop gathers an impressive amount of snow with each push, making it perfect for huge snow-shoveling tasks. Last but not least, this shovel benefits from an ergonomic steel handle designed to provide not only comfort but a high standard in regards to its overall stability.
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What To Look For In A Snow Shovel
For the most part, you know what to expect from a snow shovel design-wise, just as you do when it comes to handling it. As you may have noticed, however, the market offers a wide and diverse range of snow shovels these days. Gone are the days when you would buy a generic shovel, mainly because the design has been tweaked over the years to make these shovels as effective and as practical as possible. With that in mind, here is what you need to consider when buying a snow shovel:
Weight
Even though a heavier shovel can, at least in theory, handle a tightly packed layer of snow, you don’t necessarily want one to begin with. We say this because heavier shovels make for a tedious shoveling experience, which is the last thing you want when the weather is freezing cold. What you want instead is a lightweight shovel that you can handle for as long as you need without the fear of sweating excessively and catching a cold.
Blade
The actual blade of the shovel can either be made of poly-based materials or metal. While there isn’t a desired standard in this regard, people tend to go for poly blades these days for practical reasons, mainly the lightweight nature of it. That said, keep in mind that the blade of a snow shovel has to be sharp enough to scrape the bottom of the driveway as it plows through the snow, yet dull enough not to cause any injuries if you accidentally scrape it against your feet.
Width
Pretty self-explanatory when you think about it, the overall width of a snow shovel determines the width of your snow-clearing efforts. In this respect, snow shovels tend to be between 10 to 20 inches in width depending on the design and materials used in their construction. Keep in mind that although wider shovels can clear a lot more snow overall, they are also a lot harder to handle, especially when doing it over long periods of time.
Construction
As we already pointed out, snow shovels don’t really share a common design, nor do they all resemble each other in regards to construction or flexibility. While classic snow shovels are made with a wooden handle and a metal blade, modern shovels are almost entirely made of poly-based materials. You will, of course, encounter the occasional aluminum shovel, but for the most part, these shovels are in the minority.
Types Of Snow Shovels
Understanding that not all snow shovels are built to the same standards is the first step in figuring out what shovel best suits your needs. Considering the ergonomics of a regular shovel, your first concern is to find a shovel that you can handle for long periods of time without any excess fatigue or risk of injuries. To do that you have to understand the differences between the three main shovel types – combos, shovels, and pushers.
Combos – These are perhaps the most versatile snow shovels because they offer the particularities of other shovels without the restrictions. As such, you can use these shovels to scoop, toss, and push snow with little effort. Interestingly enough, the sheer popularity these combo shovels enjoy makes them the ideal choice for many households. It also has to be said that combos tend to be between 18 to 22 inches wide, unlike traditional snow shovels that can sometimes be a bit wider.
Shovels – Despite the intricate ways modern snow shovels are designed, they still tend to share a common form overall. At their core, these shovels are made of a basic flat blade on a pole, thus the same design people a few hundred years ago would recognize. The idea behind this is that as long as it works you shouldn’t change it. Seeing how the flat scoop sits in line with the shaft, using a shovel to clear snow isn’t all that difficult.
Pushers – We should point out that pushers are equipped with blades that are often more than 2 ft wide. This means that they aren’t too effective at scooping or tossing but extremely efficient at pushing snow like the name suggests. For the most part, they tend to look like snow plows attached to a pole, a design that makes them very practical. Needless to say, given the amount of snow they can handle per push, they tend to be very popular in colder temperatures where snow is dry and lightweight.
I began my writing career writing for various content firms, but it was under the tutelage of the editors here at SavantMag.com that I grew as a writer and editor. I love the content we write here and bringing solid reviews to consumers is rewarding beyond what I can even describe.
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