How to Buy a Snow Shovel

Buying the correct snow shovel can go a long way towards making the dreaded winter chore of shoveling snow an easy experience. On the market today there are a large variety of snow shovel options to chose from. In this article I will examine all the of the choices, and will give some tips which will help you to select the right shovel for your circumstances.

The general basic snow shovel comes in two major types, metal and plastic. Basic snow shovels tend to come in 18 inch to 21 inch size widths. The wider the shovel the less total shovels you will need to perform, however keep in mind that the wider the swatch that your shovel will cut, the heaver the snow load will be as you lift it.

Basic metal snow shovels tend to do better with ice, and hard ice encrusted snow, owing to the fact that metal has superior cutting and scraping characteristics. Unfortunately metal snow shovels tend to be heaver than plastic snow shovels, and as such can become fatiguing over a long shoveling session. Metal snow shovels also have an annoying tendency to have snow stick to the metal shovel blade. This is bad because it makes the shovel heavier, as well as cutting back on the total volume of snow that you are able to remove with each shovel load. You can counter this tendency by spraying the metal shovel blade with some cooking oil spray, which will help to prevent the snow from sticking.

Plastic shovels tend to be a lot lighter than metal shovels, and are favored by many people for that reason. While the weight issue is a definite advantage for plastic snow shovels, they do have a tendency to flex under the weight of a heavy snow shovel load. Over time this flexing action can tend to break or loosen the rivets which holds the plastic shovel blade to the handle. Plastic shovels are less prone, but not totally immune, to the snow sticking to the blade issues that metal blade shovels exhibit. Another new feature in plastic snow shovels is that many now come with a metal ice cutting blade attached to the plastic shovel bottom. This is to try to give plastic snow shovels the same ice cutting and scraping advantages as a metal snow shovel, while still retaining the weight advantages of a plastic snow shovel.

No matter which type, plastic or metal, you choose, there are some additional features which are available in snow shovels. Chief among the newest innovations is the bent ergonomic grip handle. These are shovels with a pronounced bend in the handle which is meant to give you some additional leverage while picking up a load of snow. In my experience this feature does help when strictly lifting snow, however I find this feature to be a distinct disadvantage when having to chop into a large snow mound, or when trying to use the shovel to scrape ice. If you plan to purchase a shovel with this feature, then I also recommend that you purchase a straight handle shovel for use in those circumstances.

A third major class of snow shovels are the snow pusher type. These are shovels with broad flat or small curved blades, both in plastic and metal, which are not designed to be used to shovel snow, but are to be used only for pushing snow. Using this type of shovel does tend to be easier on your back but in my experience are not practical for snow falls of grater than 3 to 6 inches. The reason is that the snow then becomes too heavy to push. The snow pusher type of shovel is best for use in addition to a regular snow shovel.

The fourth and last major type of snow shovels are known as "grain shovels." These are broad-bladed shovels available in metal and plastic, and also tend to feature an ergonomic bend in the blade handle. These shovels are excellent when it is necessary to move a large amount of snow in a throwing motion. These shovels, while being very good at moving large amounts of snow, still do not totally replace the basic snow shovel, and are best as a secondary shovel.

No matter which snow shovel you end up choosing, it is important to remember basic shoveling safety. Always remember to lift the load with your legs and not your back. Take frequent rest breaks while shoveling. Always ensure that you have plenty of fluids to drink to prevent dehydration.