Best Snow Shovels: How to Choose and What We’d Buy

The best snow shovel for most driveways is an 18-inch poly-blade combo with a D-grip handle — wide enough to clear in reasonable time, light enough to lift safely all morning. Blade width, blade material and shaft geometry matter more than brand, and choosing wrong turns a 30-minute job into a back injury.

Snow shovelling sends roughly 11,500 people to U.S. emergency departments every year, according to research compiled by Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Most of those injuries are soft-tissue strains from lifting too much weight in a bad posture. The right shovel does not prevent all of them, but it changes the odds.

Blade width is a load decision, not a coverage decision

The instinct is to buy the widest blade available on the theory that fewer passes means less work. That holds only until the shovel is full. Every extra two inches of blade width adds several pounds to a scoop of wet snow — and you lift that load repeatedly, in the cold, often before dawn.

Blade width	Suits	Trade-off
12–15 in.	Walkways, steps, anyone with limited strength	Many passes, but a manageable load every time
18–24 in.	Standard driveways	The usual right answer for general use
26 in.+ (pusher)	Pushing light snow off wide flat areas	Not designed for lifting; strictly a pushing tool

In wet, heavy snow, size down. A 24-inch blade full of slush is a load most people should not be lifting repeatedly. If your driveway is long enough that pass count matters, a dedicated pusher paired with a narrower scoop is a better answer than one oversized blade. For a broader look at driveway-clearing options beyond shovels, see our guide to snow removal tools for driveways.

Pusher or scoop — and why it is a back-injury question

A pusher has a wide, shallow, flat blade designed to move snow ahead of you without lifting. A scoop has a deeper, curved blade for picking snow up and throwing it. Because pushing eliminates the lift entirely, it removes the single movement most associated with shovelling injuries.

Most properties need both. The honest advice is to push whatever can be pushed and only lift what must be lifted — the ridge at the end of the drive, the strip along the garage door, the steps. Combination blades that try to do both adequately tend to do neither exceptionally, though they are the practical choice when you want only one tool.

Blade material

Snow shovel blade material determines weight, durability and how well the blade handles packed ice.

Material	Strengths	Weaknesses
Poly (plastic)	Lightest; flexes without cracking; snow does not stick	Can crack in extreme cold; poor against packed ice
Aluminium	Light with more rigidity than poly	Bends permanently under heavy force
Steel	Cuts through packed snow and ice	Heaviest and most tiring; can mark surfaces
Poly with steel wear strip	Light body, protected leading edge	Strip eventually wears and needs replacing

Poly is the right default for most homeowners. Choose steel only if breaking ice is a routine part of the job rather than an occasional one.

Shaft geometry: the change most people feel immediately

A bent shaft keeps the blade angled forward so you stay more upright while lifting. Research published in Applied Ergonomics found that bent-shaft shovels reduce lumbar flexion by roughly 16 percent compared to straight handles, lowering spine compression and shear forces. Cornell University’s ergonomic shovel design work covers the underlying mechanics and recommends adjustable-length shafts to fit different body types.

The trade-off is real: bent shafts are less comfortable for pushing and slightly awkward for chopping. If you push more than you lift, a straight shaft with a good D-grip may serve you better. A second grip partway down the shaft — built in on some models, or added with an aftermarket clamp — improves lifting posture on any handle.

Our picks

Five snow shovels and pushers that cover the main residential use cases, from a light all-rounder to a dedicated wide-blade pusher.

Snow Joe Shovelution — best all-round

The Snow Joe Shovelution (SJ-SHLV02) pairs an 18-inch polycarbonate blade with a spring-assisted second handle partway down the shaft. That second grip is the point: it gives you leverage for the lift without bending as far, which is the same principle as a bent shaft delivered differently. At 3.6 pounds it is one of the lightest combo shovels available. The blade is shatter-resistant polycarbonate rather than the more common polyethylene, so it handles cold temperatures without cracking.

Blade: 18 in., polycarbonate | Weight: 3.6 lb | Handle: aluminium with spring-assist D-grip

True Temper 1603072 — best ergonomic bent shaft

True Temper’s 18-inch ergonomic combo puts a poly blade with a steel wear strip on a bent steel handle with an oversized D-grip. The manufacturer claims 15 percent more leverage than other ergonomic handles in its range. At roughly 5 pounds it is heavier than the Shovelution, but the steel handle and wear strip make it more durable for scraping packed snow off concrete. A good choice if you regularly clear after the plow has gone by and left a compacted ridge at the end of the drive.

Blade: 18 in., polyethylene + steel wear strip | Weight: ~5 lb | Handle: bent steel, D-grip

Garant Alpine — reliable poly combo

The Garant Alpine (APM18KDR) is a conventional 18-inch poly blade on a straight wood handle with a steel wear strip along the leading edge. No ergonomic features, no second grip — just a well-made combination shovel that pushes acceptably and lifts well. It is the kind of shovel hardware stores have stocked for decades, and if you want one tool that does the basic job without paying for features you may not use, this is the category it belongs to.

Blade: 18 in., polyethylene + steel wear strip | Weight: ~4 lb | Handle: wood, straight

Bully Tools 92813 — best dedicated pusher

The Bully Tools 27-inch poly pusher is a pushing-only tool: wide blade, shallow profile, fiberglass handle with a D-grip. At 27 inches it moves a lot of light-to-moderate snow per pass across a flat driveway or patio. Do not try to lift with it — at that width, a full scoop of wet snow is more weight than the shallow blade can hold and more than most people should be hoisting. Pair it with a narrower scoop for the end of the drive and the steps.

Blade: 27 in., polypropylene | Weight: ~5 lb | Handle: fiberglass, D-grip

Emsco Bigfoot — best for walkways and lighter users

The Emsco Group’s Bigfoot is a lightweight poly combination blade around 18 inches wide, built for people who need a manoeuvrable shovel rather than a heavy-duty one. The slick poly surface sheds snow well and the low weight makes it practical for walkways, steps and anyone who finds a standard combo shovel too heavy to use for long. It is not the right tool for scraping ice or clearing heavy wet snow — for that, step up to the True Temper with its steel wear strip.

Blade: ~18 in., poly | Weight: ~3 lb | Handle: metal, D-grip

Specifications and availability change between seasons. Confirm current blade width, material and shaft type on the manufacturer or retailer page before buying — models are revised within the same product name. If your property is large enough that a shovel alone is not practical, our driveway snow removal equipment guide covers plows, blowers and tractors, and our ATV snow plow roundup covers blade-and-mount options for ATVs.

Shovelling without hurting yourself

Safe shovelling technique matters as much as the tool you use. These five habits reduce strain and lower the risk of the back injuries and cardiac events that send roughly 11,500 Americans to emergency departments every winter.

1. Push rather than lift wherever the surface allows it.
2. Clear during the storm rather than after it — two passes over six inches are far easier than one over twelve.
3. Bend at the knees and pivot your feet to throw. Never lift and twist through the spine.
4. Take smaller scoops in wet snow, and give up on filling the blade.
5. Warm up first and stop if you feel chest pain, breathlessness or lightheadedness. Cold-weather exertion is a documented cardiac risk, particularly for anyone over 55 or with existing heart conditions.