Many parts of countries and cities around the world face a long winter with a lot of snowfall that nearly disrupts the normal human life. We are talking about the long 6 months of snowing after which it starts to get piled up outside homes, on the roads and the highways. Removal of this huge amount of snow calls for a special type of shovel known as a snow shovel.
Like any other shovel, the snow shovel does the work of removing snow from the roads and yards. A snow shovel requires a lot of strength and movement of the arms and the whole body to be able to do its job the best. Choosing a snow shovel is done after considering a number of points as the activity does work with your physical being. However, shoveling has its own benefits too.
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What is a Snow Shovel?
A snow shovel is basically a type of shovel that is meant for shoveling snow out of the way. Using a snow shovel requires a specific and correct technique that is to be followed. Otherwise, it may risk your physical health. Snow shovels come in a lot of variations of sizes and grips. According to the height of the person and the body type, a suitable snow shovel can be selected.
The handle sizes are available in many numbers. It is important that the shovel you bring can easily be handled by you. Snow shovels can be made up of steel or plastic. The plastic ones, however, wear out very soon and are not effective in the case of deep snow. A steel one is capable of biting into deep snow that can be loaded, lifted and used to throw away the snow.
Top five reasons why you must buy a Snow Shovel
If you presently live in a region that faces a serious accumulation of snow and you need to drive away the snow from the front of your house or your garage, then you definitely need to buy a proper snow shovel. A snow shovel will not only provide you with the help you need with shoveling the snow. But it also has various other health benefits associated with it.
Here are the top five reasons as to why you need to buy a snow shovel for the next fall.
- Making your own way: Being independent and being able to do your work yourself is a good thing. When you have a good, strong snow shovel at your disposal, you will not need to look for a helper who could move the snow for you. Instead, you can very easily do it yourself with your own personal snow shovel, if you own one.
- Good for an intense workout: Shovelling snow is also great to carry on with an intense workout. Working with a snow shovel takes up a huge amount of energy and wielding the shovel in the right way really works up your arms and the stomach area, just like an intense workout routine would do. Having a shovel will help you burn those extra calories too.
- Getting some vitamin D: With as long as 6 months of dark weather without any sunshine, people living in that area are prone to suffer from a serious deficiency of vitamin D. However, finally on a day when the sun shines, you can come out in the open with your shovel and remove all snow and at the same time absorbing all the vitamin D from the sun to catch up with all the deficiency.
- Family time: After a number of days of snowing and the sun finally shining, shoveling the snow along with your family members brings out a fun family time which may otherwise be hard to find. The kids could have their small toy shovels and the elder ones a proper one. It will be a great way to connect with your family and get some work done at the same time.
- Reconnect with nature: When you own a snow shovel, and you head out to take some snow out of your way, you obviously reconnect with nature. You are able to feel the air better, the sun shining upon you and the silence that you can appreciate once in a while. Getting some important work done plus the workout plus the nature time, that does sound great, doesn’t it?
Factors to consider before buying a Snow Shovel
There are a number of pointers associated when we talk about buying a snow shovel for yourself to be safe around the activity. So, here are some of the very important factors we picked out for landing on the perfect kind of shovel.
- Type of snow shovel: There are a number of types of snow shovels that you can choose from. There is the round nose shovel, the square nose shovel, the coarse surface shovel, the scraper, 30-inch shovel etc. The choice of the type depends on the amount of snow you will be shoveling. Also, according to your body and which one will you be able to handle.
- Good blade: Sometimes, the snowfall could have been at a large scale and accumulated several inches down. You will need a good blade for the snow shovel so that it can easily cut into the piled-up snow. Some plastic shovels don’t have that capability. It is best to go for a shovel that has a sharper edge at the striking point to make a difference.
- Strong handle: The handle of a snow shovel could be heavy and hard to handle. The handle on a plastic shovel may be lighter but bend easily which hinders with the work. A wooden handle may otherwise be heavy and hard to handle. However, it is recommended that handle must be checked thoroughly and the most suitable must be chosen.
- The grip of the handle: It is known that if you lose a proper grip on the handle, it will either slip out of your hands time and again or it will result in giving you serious back pain or even heart injuries. While buying a snow shovel, you must check the grip of the handle and make sure suits you and you can easily handle it.
- Try it before buying: It is recommended that before finally buying a snow shovel, you must try it on actual snow to see if you are able to work with it properly. You cannot be sure about a thing before trying it. While trying it, check to see whether the grip is right and the handle is comfortable and you are able to yield it properly or not.
Top 4 Snow Shovel Reviews of 2020
1. True Temper SnoBoss Snow Shovel- 1625300:
It is a snow shovel by The AMES Companies, Inc. which has been built to last through even the most extreme conditions. It has an ergonomic design and is easy to use. The key features of this snow shovel are mentioned as follows.
- It comes with a 26-inch deep blade with steel wear strip that can be used as pusher or shovel allows for the removal of more snow in less time and is constructed using only high-quality resins.
- It has an ergonomic aluminum wider handle with room for both hands that helps in increasing leverage and control.
- It can have multiple grips and end grip for optimal hand placement/back posture when lifting it that allows you to push, lift and throw snow from your optimal ergonomic position.
- It also has a foot step for maximum leverage.
- It also has the reversible for tight steps and stairs.
- The blade and handle provide optimal design integrity and do so with no unwanted screws, nuts, rivets, or edges.
- By just turning it over, it becomes ideal for scraping tight areas, such as steps and porches.
- It is one of the most Versatile snow tools on the market.
- It can foot a shovel, pusher and snow sled all in one tool.
- The overall dimensions of this snow shovel are 57 x 9 x 26 inches.
- The total weight of this snow shovel is 5.6 pounds.
2. AAA 4004 Red Aluminum Sport Utility Shovel:
It is a snow shovel by AAA which is an ideal accessory for your car, truck, SUV, recreational vehicle or snowmobile. The key features of this snow shovel are mentioned as follows.
- It is very lightweight and comes with a high-quality aluminum construction.
- The total weight of this snow shovel is approximately 1.3 pounds.
- It can be adjusted from 25-inch to 32-inch in size for multiple uses.
- It features a 3-piece construction for easy disassembly for storage, packing, and portability.
- It is an ideal accessory for your car, truck, SUV, recreational vehicle or snowmobile.
- It comes in three, bright, easy to see colors to help prevent you from losing them: blue, red and gold.
- It is the perfect size to store in your car, SUV or recreational activity vehicle, or to tote with you in your backpack.
- The overall dimensions of this snow shovel are 26 x 12 x 8 pounds.
3. Suncast SC3250 18-Inch Snow Shovel
It is a snow shovel by Suncast which comes with an ergonomic handle that is sure to reduce stress while using it. The key features of this snow shovel are mentioned as follows.
- It can work as a Snow pusher/shovel combo.
- The Poly blade of this snow shovel measures 18″ x 12″.
- It comes with a galvanized steel wear strip.
- It has an ergonomic handle which is 1-1/8″ in diameter with a steel tube and ribbed grip.
- The overall length of this shovel would be 52-1/2″.
- It comes in a green color.
- It also comes with a 10-year warranty.
- The blade material used fir this is the Poly.
- The material used for the handle construction is the Steel.
- The handle type is the ribbed grip.
- The handle length is 40-1/2″.
- It can work in both snow shovel/pusher ergonomic combination with S handle to reduce stress.
- It also features an ergonomic bent handle.
- The overall dimensions of this snow shovel are 52 x 18 x 3 inches.
- The total weight of this snow shovel is 8 pounds.
4. Suncast SC2700 20-Inch Snow Shovel
It is a snow shovel by Suncast which can work in a pusher or a shovel combo ad features a D grip handle. The key features of this snow shovel are mentioned as follows.
- It features a telescoping poly auto shovel.
- It comes with a non-stick 11″ W x 13″ H Grey blade.
- The overall length of the blade will be 36″ and the diameter will be 1-1/8″.
- It has a poly coated ribbed steel core shaft with snap lock fasteners and the D grip.
- It is a 20-Inch Snow Shovel/Pusher Combo with wear strip and a D-grip handle.
- It is a deluxe snow shovel/pusher combo with wear strip.
- It also has a no-stick graphite blade.
- It has a galvanized steel wear strip.
- It has a comfortable grip steel core handle.
- The blade measures 20 by 13-inches in length and 51-inches overall.
- The overall length is 51-inches with the blade length being 20-inches.
- The total weight of this snow shovel is 4 pounds.
- The overall dimensions of this snow shovel are 4 x 20 x 51 inches.
Shoveling snow can be a fun activity but can prove to be disastrous if not done in the right way. You need to make sure you are following a proper technique so as not to hurt your back and arms. Also, going for an appropriate kind of shovel type and size is also equally important. You will need to choose your design wisely and start shoveling that snow away.