Winter is coming it and it means a lot to all of us of course.Where it means BBQ and cozy nights, it also means huge piles of snow in front of your homes. And that’s a problem, trust me. So, instead of allowing snow to block roadways, streets and your door pavements, take it on and look for the best snow shovel in the market to relieve you of all these tensions.
Characteristics of a really good snow shovel
Picking up a good snow shovel wasn’t even a Herculean task before nor is it now. You just need a simple insight on how it works to understand the main characteristics of a good snow shovel.
A few of which are the following:
- Durable: A good snow shovel should always be durable as it is really not expected that you will go out and buy a new one after just a few weeks. When we talk of durability, we usually take into account the kind of wood used in the shovel or whether the quality of steel is substantial or not.
- Lightweight: If you are looking for the best snow shovel for you, then be sure that you buy a lightweight one. Honestly speaking, you won’t be even anywhere near comfortable pushing and removing snow with a heavier shovel. If the material used in snow shovel is good, then definitely it would also be lightweight. See, it’s related.
- Wider at the base: If you want the work to be speedy, then make sure you buy a shovel that is comparatively wider at the base. Of course, more surface area means more snow will be removed off the way in one push. However, it again questions the durability of the snow shovel especially how much weight can be bore by the handle.
- Sheath on the handle: A snow shovel definitely means some good deal of work! So go for the shovel which has a sheath of rubber or synthetic material on the handle so that pushing the snow no longer means a tedious job. The sheath also ensures added protection to your hands.
- Longer handle: You haven’t studied Physics but I have! So I suggest you to look for snow shovels with longer handles as they will surely reduce the force required to push snow due to longer movement arms.
Select your shovel by yourself!
It all depends on what are you looking for and what are your requirements for a snow shovel.
Let me tell you a snow shovel works equally well with moving sand or snow depending on what shape they have.
- If you have a shovel with 30 inch wide blade, then just shovel snow with it. It will help you in pushing and throwing snow with it but necessarily not mud or sand. They are mostly made up of synthetic plastic.
- Aluminum made shovels are also quite trendy in the market. If you have one then it is quite good as they are efficient as well as rust proof.
- We seriously don’t advise scraper shovels. They are good at removing ice or snow but they leave off marks and impressions on the pavement as well.
- Round nose shovels are highly recommended. They not only clean up the snow but also shovel what is left in narrow cracks without leaving marks on the surface.
- If you have frosted snow or hard ice outside your house or in your porch, we recommend you to go for the square nosed shovel as it is the best in shoveling and scrapping.
- Another type is the 24 inch wide shovel which is quite good in pushing but you can’t shovel easily especially if the shovel is made up of metal.
Manual VS Automatic snow shovels
Another mostly asked question is which shovel is better; manual or automatic.
Well I am okay with both but the case can be different too. If it doesn’t snow much in your area or it snows but that isn’t too hard to be shoveled, go for the manual one. Also keep in mind your physical health is this case. You must be muscular enough to work with a manual snow shovel.
However, automatic snow shovel is definitely a luxury! If you want the work to be done fast and efficiently without much physical effort, then go and buy an automatic shovel. It may be a little more costly but I guess it’s okay as long as it serves the purpose. But, don’t only rely on it. Keep a manual one as backup in case it snows and power lines are disconnected.
A few picks of best snow shovels by us!
Still confused about the best snow shovel for you?
No issues, we have enlisted a few of the best snow shovels for you. Just read through and go ahead on buying the right one.
Our Word
In the end, the only thing that matters is your requirement. How often it snows and how much it snows. It also depends upon the fact if you need a manual one or an automatic one.
Either case just go through the products and buy the one which you think will serve the purpose better for you.
Happy Buying!
John Anderson is the CEO and Founder of Hampton Bay Depot and a professional gardener, he loves to write about Gardening and Home Improvement Ideas.
