7 Best Snow Shovels For Winter Storms, According To Experts

We all love a beautiful snowfall, especially around the holidays. We love waking up to a beautiful layer of white fluffy snow and enjoying the day playing and sledding outside with our friends and family. Of course, the snow is all fun and games until it’s time to get the car out of the driveway and get back to work or school. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to shovel your way out of the snow with a flimsy shovel or a shovel that’s not designed for removing snow at all. That’s when having one of the best snow shovels at your fingertips becomes a necessity. 

Before you reach for your shovel and start plowing away at your driveway, it’s important to take a moment and consider your safety. Shoveling snow is an incredibly strenuous physical activity and it’s one of those chores that isn’t meant for everybody. According to the University of Vermont, shoveling snow is one of the most intense physical chores you can do. Researchers in the Agricultural Department estimate that you’re moving over a ton of weight every 15 minutes. So, if you spend over an hour shoveling your driveway, you’ve moved over four tons of snow. That’s an incredible workout, regardless of your fitness level. 

If you’re tired of shoveling snow, then you might be interested in a new snow-melting road surface. According to a recent study from researchers at Drexel University, adding paraffin wax to the mixture used for building basic concrete surfaces helps melt snow and ice, without the need for salt, deicing chemicals, or snow shovels. The innovative surface works by harnessing the energy released from paraffin wax’s special “phase change” properties. Phase change materials (PCM) such as paraffin wax are incorporated into the concrete using porous lightweight aggregates or embedded pipes. If it means we won’t have to shovel snow or put down potentially harmful chemicals to melt the ice, then let’s start building. 

So, which shovels are the best for helping you remove all that snow around your home? StudyFinds did the research, visiting 10 home improvement and outdoor maintenance websites in an effort to bring you a consensus list of the best snow shovels. Our list comprises the seven most frequently listed shovels from across these sites. Have a favorite shovel that we didn’t mention? Feel free to share your findings with everyone in the comments section below!

The List: Best Snow Shovels, According to Reviews

1. Yeoman BustR Snow Shovel 

The top spot on the list of the best snow shovels belongs to the Yeoman BustR Snow Shovel. This simple yet effective snow shovel makes clearing the surfaces around your home easy and quick. As Real Simple explains, this shovel is effective and powerful enough to clear a two-car driveway and a set of concrete steps in around 20 minutes – that’s fast.

The Yeoman BustR features a combination blade that’s useful for pushing snow, scooping it up, and tossing it away from your surfaces, notes Travel and Leisure. Even though the 18-inch blade is smaller than some of the other top options on the market, the BustR easily clears your spaces and works through the snow with ease. Yeoman’s BustR is also equipped with two padded handles that make it comfortable to use. The handle is padded, but Yeoman incorporated a padded area along the shaft of the shovel to make lifting and dumping loads of heavy snow easier on your hands. 

One of the hardest parts of shoveling snow is breaking through the ice and hard, packed snow to get down to the surface you’re clearing. The BustR’s reinforced blade makes it easy to bust up the ice and keep moving, explains The Spruce. Factor the reinforced blade into the shovel’s angled design and it’s the perfect combination snow shovel for quickly clearing your outdoor decks, porches, steps, pavers, and driveways. 

2. Snow Joe Shovelution 

Next up on the list of the top snow shovels is the Snow Joe Shovelution. Snow Joe produces a wide range of snow removal tools including cordless automatic snow blowers and more. However, it’s the Shovelution that stands out amongst its tools. The Shovelution features a dual-handle system for pushing and scooping snow with ease and saving you from agonizing back pain in the winter months, explains Forbes. One of the biggest concerns with shoveling snow is attempting to fling a heavy load and hurting your back.

The unique dual-handle design helps keep you safe but also makes dumping loads of snow easier, adds Tech Gear Lab. The flexible lower handle acts like a spring when you’re throwing heavy loads of snow. Of course, there are a few obvious disadvantages of this design. It makes pushing snow a lot more difficult and the second handle can get in the way when you’re pushing snow across a long surface. Still, this is one of the most lightweight shovels you’ll find, so as with most things in life, there are plenty of tradeoffs. 

As USA Today notes, the Shovelution is great for both heavy, slushy snow and light fluffy powder. Snow Joe equipped the Shovelution with a pivoting shaft that allows you to break it down for easy storage, making it a great choice for keeping in the trunk of your car or your front door closet for easy access.

3. True Temper Mountain Mover Snow Shovel

Next up on the list of the top snow shovels is the True Temper Mountain Mover Snow Shovel. The Mountain Mover is designed with user-friendly features that make snow removal tasks simple. As Popular Mechanics explains, the Mountain Mover features an ergonomic solid handle and curved shaft. The blade is only 18 inches wide but still works well for pushing and scooping snow off of your surfaces. 

However, the blade is made of plastic, so if you’re in an area that experiences heavy snowfall, then you might want to consider something more durable. Forbes agrees, though, the Mountain Mover is a solid option for basic home use. True Temper equipped the Mountain Mover with a nylon wear strip that minimizes wear and tear on your shovel. The oversized handle is perfect for those cold winter days when you need extra thick gloves. 

USA Today agrees that the Mountain Mover is a low-cost option for keeping your decks, walkways, and small or medium-sized driveways clear of snow. The Mountain Mover is also a great option for anyone who needs to supplement a larger, plow-style shovel. It’s affordable and effective, two things most of us are looking for in a snow shovel. 

4. The Snowplow Original Snow Pusher

This push-style snow shovel is like having a small snow plow at your fingertips, explains Popular Mechanics. It works great for clearing an inch or two of snow from your driveway and it’s ideal for clearing unpacked snow quickly. 

The Snowplow Original Snow Pusher works great for a range of different surfaces, notes HGTV. You can flip The Snowplow over and use it to break up ice and packed snow before plowing it off your surfaces. The best part is it’s lightweight and long enough to make clearing snow easy and prevent you from tiring out too quickly. 

The Snowplow Original Snow Pusher is designed with durability in mind, adds Travel and Leisure. The blade is made with ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene to keep from scratching your decks, porches, driveways, and pavers. The blade is 36 inches wide and the shovel itself is 47 inches long, making it easy on taller individuals who constantly have to strain their back from bending over to push the shovel around. Storage is easy as this snow shovel includes a wall mount for easy hanging. 

5. Garant 24-inch Sleigh Shovel

Next up on the list of the best snow shovels is the Garant 24-inch Sleigh Shovel. This uniquely designed snow shovel is a great choice for anyone who needs to clear large amounts of heavy, wet snow with ease. As USA Today notes, the Garant Sleigh Shovel is designed like an excavator bucket that can move and hold a lot of snow.

The handle is reminiscent of a lawn mower’s handle, making it easy to hold onto and move around, furthers HGTV. The edge of the bucket features a galvanized steel strip that helps you cut through packed snow or ice without damaging or chipping the edge of the bucket itself. The large, curved U-shape handle helps save your back from straining and allows you to use both hands as you push the snow off your surfaces. 

The 24-inch wide blade helps you clear a large path on each pass with the shovel, adds Forbes. The large bucket eliminates the need for tossing snow and the easy-to-use handles make dumping snow out of the bucket quick and painless. Simply turn the bucket over to clear the snow off of your shovel and keep moving. The Garant Sleigh Shovel makes clearing large surfaces quick and relatively easy. 

6. Bully Tools Combination Snow Shovel

As the name implies, this is a combination snow shovel that works well for pushing snow and scooping it out of the way, explains US News and World Report. The combination snow shovel and snow pusher make it easy to clear both small and large surfaces such as decks and porches or long driveways. 

As Forbes explains, combination snow shovels need to be balanced with the correct amount of width for clearing and a large enough surface for scooping, and the Bully Tools Combination Snow Shovel checks both of those boxes. The polypropylene shovel comes equipped with a thick edge that keeps it from wearing out over time while the fiberglass handle is durable enough to stand the test of time. 

If you’re like a lot of people, you like a shovel that makes nice, tidy rows when you use it and that’s exactly what the Bully Tools Combination Snow Shovel does. USA Today highlights the box design of the shovel that cuts through the snow efficiently and cleanly as you clear your surfaces. This shovel is 56 inches long so it’s a great choice for taller individuals. You won’t have to strain your back by bending over to push rows of snow. 

7. True Temper Steel Snow Shovel 

Rounding out the list of the best shovels for clearing snow is the True Temper Steel Snow Shovel. This no-frills traditional-style snow shovel works great for packed snow or snow on top of layers of ice, explains Real Simple. Snow that has melted and turned to ice is a pain to deal with, especially when you have another layer of snow on top of that. The steel bucket helps you easily break up those layers and clear your surfaces with ease.

Better Homes and Gardens agrees that if you only have room for one snow shovel, this steel snow shovel just might be your best bet. One of the best aspects of the True Temper Steel Snow Shovel is its durability. Steel is extremely durable and won’t chip or damage from breaking up layers of ice. The sharp, thin steel blade also makes it easy to get under heavy snow and remove it with ease. 

If you live in an extremely snowy climate such as the upper midwest and northeast, then you’ll want to consider this steel snow shovel, explains Travel and Leisure. You’ll appreciate the extra wide D-grip handle that’s designed to fit thick, chunky winter gloves. Keep in mind that you will need to assemble this shovel, but once it’s put together, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better all-around snow shovel. 

Sources: 

• Popular Mechanics
• Tech Gear Lab
• The Spruce 
• Forbes
• USA Today
• Real Simple
• Better Homes and Gardens
• US News and World Report
• Travel and Leisure
• HGTV

Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This article may contain affiliate links in which we receive a commission if you make a purchase.