jonw's mayhem academy

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I live in Canada and have become an unwilling expert on snow shovels. From the grip, to the material, to the width of the scoop and more, I know it all. I’ve frequently been left in the snow shovel aisle of various stores poring over the options until the lights snap off and someone tells me to leave. With my new shovel.

A few years ago we had a prolonged snow storm. Ever day we’d wake up to 15–30 centimetres of snow. I’d dutifully shovel it away and then have to do it all over again. Every day. It got to the point where snow piles were as high as second story windows. At one point I was shovelling the path from the side-walk to my house and I had to throw the snow several feet above my head onto the ever growing piles on either side of my path. I remember thinking “this is what people must feel like when they’re digging their own grave.” That’s a normal thought, right?

Even during that snow storm, I didn’t lose a shovel. That’s because I know how to pick them and soon you will, too.

The anatomy of a shovel

courtesy of the author

We can’t really talk intelligently about shovels until we agree on what all the parts are called.

The grip

This is the handle on the end of the pole that you typically hold with one hand while shovelling.

The pole

This is the long thing that connects to the handle on one end and the scoop on the other end. For snow scoops (more on that below) the pole and the grip are one piece and referred to collectively as the handle.

The scoop

The scoop is the business end of the shovel. It’s where the snow goes.

The two types of shovels you want

Everyone needs a traditional hand shovel. It’s the thing that comes to mind when anyone thinks of a snow shovel and is pictured above. It has a small scoop, about 30cm wide, a pole-like handle with a single hand grip on the end. That’s table stakes and you’ll need one of those every time.

Then there’s the snow scoop, sometimes called the snow sled. It looks more like a dredge and is made to be pushed along the ground collecting snow as it goes.

Fix 1998 [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

The snow shovel’s job is to help you pick up snow and fling it somewhere else. Conversely, the task of the snow scoop is to allow you to push snow somewhere else. The snow scoop is ideal for larger areas like driveways or for gross wet snow that is too heavy to fling with a shovel.

Materials to look for

The stores are littered with cheap shovels and the temptation to buy one is high. And cheap shovels can be good, but you want to make sure the shovel is well-built regardless of price.

The scoop of either type of shovel should be plastic. Some shovel pundits swear by metal scoops because they last longer. I eschew them because they’re heavier and they bend over time. Also, I have a plastic snow scoop that I paid $40 for over 5 years ago that is definitely ageing, but still works fine. That is sufficient value for me.

I will concede that you may want to look for a metal strip riveted to the end of the scoop. This can help break up ice if the snow has allowed some to form underneath it. Plastic scoops will chip with use due to the ice, but a metal tipped plastic scoop can remain serviceable much longer than you’d think. The picture below is of my 5 year old backup scoop that I still use in my backyard area today. Without that metal strip it would be much less useful now and probably discarded.

courtesy of author

The snow shovel pole should be a plastic composite. Keep in mind how a shovel is used. It is jammed forward with force into snow and ice, it is then lifted up and forcibly jerked to get the snow off; thousands, probably tens of thousands of times. The snow shovel pole is under tremendous stress so it needs to be strong. But you also are under tremendous stress and you don’t need the extra weight a metal pole brings to the table.

There’s a variety of pole shapes on the market. The straight pole is still widely available, but also poles that are curved or bent in ways that purport to help with the heavy lifting and reduce stress on the shoveller’s back. I have no preference in that, that’s personal choice.

The snow shovel grip should also be plastic. It’s small and metal handles don’t add that much weight, but they do conduct temperature better. Your gloved hand will get colder faster if your shovel has a metal grip.

The handle (and grip) of a snow scoop, however, should be metal. Because you’re not lifting a snow scoop, it is acceptable to allow more weight. And, a snow scoop is going to move a lot more snow that your shovel so the handle will be under a lot of stress, albeit only in the one, pushing, direction.

Following the advice of a plastic grip on the shovel, it may seem illogical to recommend a metal handle on a scoop. It’s true, the temperature conduction thing still applies. But, because the pole has to be metal on a snow scoop, the only way to get a non-metal grip is to create a weak point where the two parts connect. I believe that weak point in construction would be more of a problem than the cold hands.

Lastly, inspect how all the pieces are fastened together. Generally, rivets or screws are used in snow shovel construction because they’re not meant to be taken apart. You will want to make sure that the fasteners have a fairly broad face. If the face is too small, it won’t be able to distribute the stresses of use enough to prevent breaking the shovel part attached to it. Your scoop will likely tear away from the pole quickly and reduce the useful life of your shovel.

The picture below shows a decent-sized fastener holding the scoop to the handle. It shows the stress of the years, but is still holding strong.

courtesy of the author

I hope that is enough information to make a sane shovel purchase. The object of this article is not necessarily to help you buy one shovel that will last you the rest of your life. Rather, it’s to give you the information you need to get through the winter, hopefully a few winters, without shovel breakdowns and possible injury.

my shorter content on the fediverse: https://the.mayhem.academy/@jdw

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