# Snow Shovels: Quality or Price? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 10, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093 "2011-01-10T14:39:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/21 "2011-01-11T00:36:49Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Then I got one of those shovels with a huge bend in the haft and almost cried in joy the first time I used it; it’s wonderful for your back. We had a winter storm over the weekend, and I spent a hour shovelling snow today. My back can feel it. Maybe I should look into one of those shovels. However, since they’re not among the choices offered by the OP, I’d go for the medium one. I need something that lasts more than one storm (we get a few every winter), but I don’t want something heavy–deep storm snow is heavy enough; no sense in adding to it. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/22 "2011-01-11T00:45:51Z")
Where do you live and how big an area do you need to clear? When I lived in the Northeast, I swore by the shovels with a handle bend midway. Excellent for snow of six inches or more that you had to lift and move. For less snow, a shovel that can be pushed along the ground is better, and will have a straight handle. For nearly every snow, the best tool is a plastic tarpaulin. Lay it down beforehand in the area that you want clear. With lighter snows, just lift it up and drag it away to the side . With heavier snows, much easier to shovel as the snow is on “teflon”. It scoops right up, leaves no thin ice coating. When you’ve removed enough, pick it up and toss it to the side. 100% clean and dry surface. Indispensable if you park your car on a gravel driveway that can’t be easily cleared. ---
**Author:** ![tiltawhirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@tiltawhirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltawhirl)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/23 "2011-01-11T01:02:07Z")
If I still shoveled my own driveway I’d want to get one of [these.](http://www.amazon.com/Wovel-W0208-Wheeled-Snow-Shovel/dp/B001I7JWTO) ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/24 "2011-01-11T01:25:47Z")
Still want more deets – Lived in Western NY for a long time, and always went for the cheapest, or whatever a friend gave me who was moving out of town. They never broke, IME, but then again, I never had to sweep my entire driveway clean – just enough to let the tires through. Push broom for the roof, hood, trunk of the car for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/25 "2011-01-11T01:39:41Z")
I pay a condo fee. Someone else buys the shovels. ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/26 "2011-01-11T03:19:34Z")
I’ve shoveled with one too many a broken shovel to go for the bargain. I would get the middle shovel though because, like others have said, an old school live forever shovel is damn heavy when its full. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/27 "2011-01-11T03:23:36Z")
I’d buy the cheap one. I have bought the [cheap one](http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xoc/R-100145739/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053). Twice. That link shows it for $20, but the price tags still on the shovels in the garage show I only paid $13.99. The older one is about ten years old, and is split in two in the scoop, so it doesn’t scrape down to the pavement any more. The newer one is probably five years old. The bent handle is definitely worthwhile. I live in Michigan, by way of credibility (but not the U.P.). ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/28 "2011-01-11T03:33:45Z")
The old flat-head throwers will last forever, but they also don’t scoop snow as much as scrape it away. They’ll bend and distort, making it all the more difficult to get a surface “pavement clean”. Also, unless it has a Teflon coating, snow _will_ stick to it, making it even more awkward to use. All the silicone spray in the world won’t help. A good Made in the USA thrower shouldn’t cost more than $30 or $40 at the very most. $20 will get you a deep thrower that will last for several seasons. If you’re in a snowbelt, you’ll probably have an arsenal of shovels – a couple of regular throwers, a pusher, a scoop and a roof rake – along with a snowthrower and a couple of ice choppers. (Born and raised in the City of Buffalo, FWIW.) ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/29 "2011-01-11T03:40:59Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > [http://lawn-and-garden.hardwarestore.com/83-528-scoop-shovels/aluminum-scoop-with-wood-handle-655753.aspx](http://lawn-and-garden.hardwarestore.com/83-528-scoop-shovels/aluminum-scoop-with-wood-handle-655753.aspx) You’re a-scarin’ me chief (and I though I was the intuitive one). I bought this exact model this morning, hours before you posted… > [@Al\_Bundy](#): > > I have a bunch of shovels and never paid a dime for any of them. They all came from other people’s trash. Spring time is when people throw good shovels out. Sometimes they need a minor repair, pop rivets or handle stabilization. I would never pay more than $10 for a shovel in any case. Price is not the key issue. If a shovel is poorly constructed, I would not even pick it up for free. Al, that is a Great answer. Why is it that I’d bet I’d find a cookie-tin of wood-screws next to a cookie-tin of nuts (all with a matching bolt) on a work bench in your basement? And the drill with the phillips head & regular screw-driver bits goes w/o saying. (a nickle says its on the side of the bench opposite the wood vice.) 😃 > [@tr0psn4j](#): > > I wouldn’t know what to do with a snow shovel even if I bought one. I live in So Cal. 😃 And the First snow-ball of the season goes to… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/30 "2011-01-11T03:43:05Z")
I bought each of the ones mentioned in the OP. And if I were assembling my collection again, I would buy two shovels: one of those plastic wonders with the curved handle that’s easy on your back, and something with a bit more metal to it, like a dirt shovel or maybe one of those grain shovels. Neither is perfect for all situations. My curved-handle shovel is excellent for getting great loads of heavy wet snow out of the way, with little more than a braced thigh and a twist of the hips to send the snow sideways—no bending needed. However, those plastic shovels with metal trim suck at chipping set-in ice and packed snow: that’s where a flat-end dirt shovel comes in handy, or possibly one of those all-metal scoop shovels. I did get an expensive steel shovel once that was too darned heavy to swing around and I hated it. Consider the weight of the tool. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/31 "2011-01-11T03:45:47Z")
I have cheap plastic ones, medium-duty metal scoops, and a really heavy-duty monster that could scoop coal on a steamer. I mostly use the metal scoops. The plastic blades tend to leave a thin layer of snow. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/32 "2011-01-11T03:53:51Z")
I use two - a medium-price plastic large shovel with metal trim (plastic simply won’t scrape to the sidewalk) and a flat metal spade for serious scraping. I think I will look into an ergonomic-handled one for our next shovel. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/33 "2011-01-12T13:08:36Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > I’d buy the cheap one. I have bought the [cheap one](http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xoc/R-100145739/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053). You’re not kidding it’s cheap: > [@](#): > > $0.00 /EA-Each At least that’s what the link currently shows for me. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/34 "2011-01-12T14:00:53Z")
Medium. There will be other snows. I’d just have to replace the cheap one anyway. The expensive one as described is too heavy to use. However, I would pay more for a ergonomically designed bent-handled push shovel if it were made of a light but unbreakable plastic. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/35 "2011-01-12T14:31:02Z")
Given the OP, the cheap one. It will work as a stall until I can find one that is a good fit. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/36 "2011-01-12T14:37:16Z")
I just moved a few months ago to the city with the world’s largest per-capita snowfall\* and, I can honestly say the best shovel is a selection of shovels. At my job we had 10 people shoveling the edge of an entire small parking lot, and each tool had its uses. If I had to pick one though, the heavy-duty snow blower wins out. But… even that would have been almost impossible to use without shovels to lower the huge snow walls… So yeah. \*That’s not really the right phrase. I mean my town has the most snowfall for a city of over 300K population. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/37 "2011-01-12T14:39:52Z")
_deleted double post_ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/38 "2011-01-12T15:16:06Z")
Stay away from plastic shovels with galvanized steel “wear strip” riveted to the bottom edge. They catch on every little defect in the cement. All-plastic shovels glide along easily in comparison. If your plastic shovel is leaving a thin layer of snow behind either you have an improperly designed shovel (wrong angle of attack) or you need to hold it at a different angle. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/39 "2011-01-13T03:19:00Z")
Our experience is exactly the opposite - we were trying to shovel with plastic shovels, and it was just frustrating as hell to not be able to get right down to the pavement. Then we bought one with a metal strip, and it works like a damn. Yeah, it does tend to catch, but not enough to make me not use it. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093/40 "2011-01-14T18:04:43Z")
I have [this shovel](http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100686341/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053), and it’s the best designed hand hold I’ve ever used. I wish it had either a longer handle, or a bend in it though. Still doesn’t beat the handle that I designed in my Freshman Engineering Design course in college though. I’d probably integrate a few of the ideas in that handle to mine, and make the ultimate shovel handle if I was in the shovel making business. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snow-shovels-quality-or-price/567093.md?page=1)