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Metal blades, however, can scratch decking and other wooden or stone surfaces. Each has pros and cons: A steel or aluminum blade is best for clearing off all ice and hard-packed snow because these metals are light yet extremely strong and with sharper edges. Snow shovel blades, which need to be lightweight yet rugged, are routinely made from one of three materials: polyethylene plastic, steel, or aluminum. For driveways and larger areas, either a push shovel or a combo is typically faster and easier to use. A combo shovel has a slightly wider, curvier blade than a traditional shovel for both scooping snow and pushing it away.A traditional shovel is better suited to walkways and smaller areas where a push shovel may have trouble maneuvering. Pushers are excellent for driveways because they clear snow faster and with less effort.In contrast, a pusher has a longer, narrower curved blade. A traditional shovel comes with an almost flat, 18- to 24-inch rectangular blade.The difference mainly comes down to blade design. There are basically three types of driveway and walkway snow shovels: traditional scoop shovels, pushers, and combination shovels/pushers. To help, we put together the following considerations to keep in mind while shopping for a new snow shovel. Buying the best snow shovel might seem like a basic task, but only a cool customer truly knows what goes into choosing one. Photo: Tom Scalisi What to Consider When Choosing the Best Snow Shovelįreeze! Don’t go grabbing just any shovel off the rack. BEST FOR WALKWAYS: The Snowplow “the Original Snow Pusher” 24″ Wide.BEST FOR PACKED SNOW: MANPLOW RevolutionX Snow Pusher with U Handle.BEST HEAVY-DUTY: The Snowcaster 30UPH 30 inch snowpusher.BEST LIGHT-DUTY: True Temper 1641000 Aluminum Snow Shovel D-Grip.BEST SNOW PUSHER: The Snowplow “the Original Snow Pusher” 36″ Wide.BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: True Temper 1573700 Poly Snow Shovel, 18-Inch.BEST OVERALL: Snow Joe Shovelution Strain-Reducing Snow Shovel.Read on to see how each performed and to understand the features that make for a good snow shovel. For the driveway, we drove a vehicle over to pack down the snow. We carefully researched top snow shovel models and then tested them on a driveway (75′ x 8.5′), a deck (12′ x 8′), and a walkway (150′) with about 4-5 inches of snow. Plus, thanks to the high-quality, well-designed snow shovels of today, driveways and paths are cleared quicker than ever, and more safely, too, so users can avoid being among the more than 11,500 people injured shoveling snow every year. Shoveling snow by hand causes no harm to the environment-and heck, it’s great exercise. Recent studies have shown that chloride contamination due to salt treatments is toxic for wildlife, agriculture, and people-long after the snow has melted. Not all methods of ice and snow removal are quite so eco-friendly as using a snow shovel. Removing snow from your driveway the old-fashioned way might not be fun, but it’s a good-for-the-earth way to clean up those wintry messes.
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