These Are the The Best Snow Shovels, According to Reddit Users

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Really, there’s no best snow shovel for every snowstorm. If you have a home project to tackle, you need the right tool for the job—and likely more than one. The same goes for shoveling snow. Everything from snow conditions to your own physical comfort play into which shovel to use. As such, investing in a few different kinds is the smartest way to be prepared.

While we certainly have our own recommendations for the best snow shovels based on personal experience and testing, Reddit users post plenty of opinions on the topic in the forums. We parsed through several subreddits to see which brands and models folks like to use and, perhaps not so coincidentally, several of the best snow shovels Reddit users prefer are the same ones we do.

Best Snow Shovels

• Best Snow Pusher: The Snowplow Original Plow Shovel

• Best Runner-Up Snow Pusher: Manplow RevolutionX Snow Pusher

• Best For Heavy Snow: Garat Sleigh Shovel

• Best For Your Back: Snow Joe Shovelution Shovel

• Best Scoop Shovel: True Temper Scoop Shovel

What to Consider

Snow shovels are designed to scoop and lift, scoop and push, or simply push. There are traditional scoop shovels, snow pushers, and combination shovels that do a little bit of both, plus variations on each type. Beyond that, here are a few considerations to keep in mind before investing.

Conditions

As we mention above, the best shovel for the job depends on snow conditions, including total accumulation. That’s why having more than one in your arsenal is the way to go. For heavy, wet snow, there’s no getting around using a combination shovel to scoop and lift. A snow pusher works best on light, powdery snow and can clear a lot of ground quickly if conditions are right. If there’s a layer of ice or packed snow to break up, most combination shovels feature a steel strip at the edge, though a good sidewalk scraper is more effective. Some Reddit users say that a garden shovel works in a pinch.

Material

Both aluminum and plastic polymer shovels are equally lightweight and similarly priced, but we recommend the latter because metal shovels need maintenance to prevent rust. Metal shovels are also more likely to get stuck on debris or pavement. Sure, you might have a metal shovel longer if you take care of it, as plastic can crack, but these show shovels are pretty durable overall and we don’t think the tradeoff is worth it. Handles are usually wood, fiberglass, or in the case of some snow pushers, aluminum.

Size and Weight

Most people do fine with blades that are 18- to 24 inches wide to tackle snow removal around their property. If you live in a region that typically gets wet snow and ice storms, a lightweight shovel is key. The majority of the snow shovels we write about, and that Reddit users recommend, weigh roughly 3 to 5 pounds.

Safety

Shoveling snow is basically a full-body workout. And just like playing sports, pushing your body beyond its limit can lead to injury. Forgetting to bend at the knees or twisting to dump snow are definite no-nos. For a deeper dive on the topic, check out our best advice on how to shovel without hurting yourself.

How We Selected

We took a deep dive into popular subreddits, such as r/BuyItForLife, r/homeowners, and r/HomeImprovement, as well as subreddits from destinations that get a ton of snow, like r/Edmonton, r/Minnesota, and r/Buffalo, and spent hours reading through threads with detailed comments from active community members about snow shovels.

We looked for commonality among recommendations and sought to find a range of shovel types for different applications. We then vetted every model covered below, taking into account brand reputation, price, availability, and our own testing of, and personal experience with, the best snow shovels.

Original Snow Pusher

This shovel is primarily designed to push snow, ideal for removing a lot of light snow quickly. It features a plastic-poly blade and fiberglass handle with a D-style grip, and comes in multiple widths from 18- to 48 inches. It’s also safe to use on any surface, including wood and concrete.

While the manufacturer says you can flip the shovel over to break up ice or packed snow, it likely won’t be very effective. For mixed conditions, use this snow pusher along with a combination shovel.

But if your driveway is often blanketed with several inches of powder, this snow shovel may be just what you need.

Reddit user Evilgoat uses the 30-inch at home and the 42 (or 48)-inch at the family business. “I’ve tried many shovels and sold many at the family hardware store, these are by far the best I’ve ever seen.”

Reddit user teddyburiednose agrees: “I have a couple of their Snow Plow pushers and they are excellent.”

RevolutionX Snow Pusher

Rather than having a D-style grip like the model above, this snow pusher features a wide aluminum handle with a comfort grip. Its design requires slightly less bending and may be more comfortable to use if you have shoulder problems or less range of motion in the upper body.

It features a polyethylene (plastic) blade that’s rotatable and there are add-on handle and bar accessories sold separately for specific jobs or to improve comfort during the job. We also appreciate that the snow pusher comes in widths up to 60 inches.

“The Manplow shovel is amazing at moving snow!” says Reddit user Alibobalimomali.

Shovelution Shovel

Shoveling can be a grueling activity, especially for those with back issues. That’s why we—and several Reddit users—recommend this dual-handle snow shovel.

The handles are designed to act like a fulcrum, which eliminates the need to bend while scooping and tossing. At just over 3 pounds, it’s the lightest snow shovel we cover, and we appreciate the thick steel strip at the front to prevent wear and tear on the plastic-poly blade. It’s also reasonably priced.

“It helped me eliminate how far I needed to bend down while throwing snow,” says Reddit user quiksurf68.

Reddit user sfbiker999 uses the Big Joe Shovelution when snow is too deep or wet for a pusher shovel and that it hasn’t cracked even while scraping ice. Also, that the extra handle “makes a huge difference in reducing back strain when lifting heavy snow.”

Sleigh Shovel

This is essentially a push shovel that also scoops—and doesn’t require bending over. The poly-plastic shovel has a strip of galvanized steel at the front to prevent the edge from wearing down, and molded runners for smooth gliding.

It isn’t designed for lifting, though at a hefty 11.7 pounds, using it to clear a large area may be too much of a workout for some. We wish the handle had a rubberized grip for comfort.

Still, Reddit users attest to its merits, and we appreciate how well it works if paired with the right job.

“My friend’s dad used to have one of these and it was soo legit, pushed the snow right off the driveway” says Reddit user diggory_venn.

Reddit user MomentsInTruth owns this shovel and says “... I spare my back completely and don’t have to bend at all, and probably on the whole end up less tired and sore, but all the pushing and walking will tire your arms, chest and legs more than you’d expect, like a row machine and a jog.”

Grain Shovel

Grain shovels aren’t snow shovels, but several Reddit users who live in snowy climates swear by them.

“Live in Massachusetts, the grain shovel has never failed me, lite fluffy, wet heavy, frozen ice/slush,” says Reddit user CamelHairy.

This model features a plastic-poly blade and 48-inch hardwood handle topped with a cushioned grip. It’s also surprisingly lightweight at just over 4 pounds. Though keep in mind that using this shovel to scoop and toss snow may require some muscle, particularly if you’re dealing with wet snow.

“I am 6’2” so the long handle keeps me upright while shoveling,” says Reddit user woholi. "If you are shorter, or want to keep this as the shovel in your car (which everybody up north should have in the winter), the slightly shorter D-handle variant is also great.”

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