Cool Tool: The Snow Plow Shovel
My parents and I agreed that we would cut back on Christmas gifts this year, but that didn’t stop “Santa” from delivering an awesome new Snowplow shovel to my front porch the week of Christmas.
Readers in warmer locations might not appreciate the value of a great snow shovel, but for my corner lot in Minneapolis it is essential equipment several months of the year.
A good shovel must be sturdy, light in weight, and capable of cleaning down to the concrete. The Snowplow meets these criteria better than anything I’ve used before.
What set the Snowplow apart are its beefy blade brace and ultra-high-molecular-weight (UHMW) polyethelene blade. The blade is thick, and–bolted to the brace– it is incredibly stiff. This stiffness helps the Snowplow break up compacted snow and clear down to the concrete. The UHWE plastic is also inherently slippery and I haven’t seen a single flake stick to the blade.
The chief downside I can find to the Snowplow shovel is limited availability. Right now the only retail locations carrying the shovel are in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Local readers can find the Snowplow in many neighborhood hardware stores. Otherwise, you can order it from the company website.
Check it out– this is one excellent tool.
9 Responses to “Cool Tool: The Snow Plow Shovel”
I could have used that last week! I had to borrow my neighbor’s shovel to clean my sidewalk for the first time ever.
http://1916bungalow.blogspot.com/2008/12/morning-after.html
By Joe on Dec 30, 2008
Haven’t tried this one. We have multiple shovels – for heavy snow, light snow, ice, etc. We have a large corner lot in Chicago and it’s a LOT of sidewalk to clear. With the combo of snow and ice we’ve been getting, we’ve really been getting a workout. Wish all of our neighbors were doing their part. Walking to and from the train has been more of a challenge so far this eyar.
By Anne on Dec 31, 2008
@Joe: As rarely as Portland gets heavy snow, sharing a shovel seems like a good idea to me.
@Anne: I haven’t tried the Snowplow on ice yet, but glare ice can be a challenge for any shovel. I keep sand and ice melt handy in the winter to tackle the slippery spots.
Maybe clearing the sidewalks will among your neighbors’ resolutions for the New Year.
By Josh on Dec 31, 2008
I hope that shovel reaches Michigan soon! It sounds great!
By Sandy on Jan 1, 2009
I live in Upstate NY, and am in need of a nice snow shovel! I bent the handle of the push shovel from Walmart, although they did give me a refund no questions asked.
What size do you have? I see that they have some huge sizes available, but I’m not sure if I want anything larger than 30″.
Melnor shovels seem to get positive reviews, but this shovel looks to be of even higher quality.
By Keith on Jan 7, 2009
@Keith: Thanks for the question! My shovel is the 24″ size. I find it to be plenty big for my sidewalk and small driveway.
By Josh on Jan 8, 2009
I just bought one of these at Diamond Lake Hardware in Minneapolis.
It is a great snow shovel. I debated the 36″ vs the 24″. I thought the 36″ would plow my front walk in one fell swoop – but I realized that 36″ is a lot of snow to push. So I got the 24″ and it is perfect and is better suited to my front steps.
The first day that I tried it – I plowed the neighbors walks too as I was having so much fun – albeit there was not too much snow.
I love good solid tools. This one fits the bill. Diamond Lake has a good supply as of last Friday.
By Ed on Jan 11, 2009
Correction: I just measured – I bought the 30″ model.
Almost makes you wish for snow!
By Ed on Jan 11, 2009
Thanks for adding your review, Ed. Just don’t wish too hard for that snow– we seem to be getting plenty as it is!
By Josh on Jan 11, 2009