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

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A snow shovel is the one piece of winter equipment nearly everyone owns and almost nobody chooses deliberately. That matters more than it sounds: shovelling is physically demanding work performed in cold weather, and blade width, blade material and shaft geometry change how hard it is far more than brand does.

This covers how to choose, then what we would buy.

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 roughly three to five pounds to a scoop of wet snow — and you lift that repeatedly, in the cold, often before dawn.

Blade width	Suits	Trade-off
12″–15″	Walkways, steps, anyone with limited strength	Many passes, but a manageable load every time
18″–24″	Standard driveways	The usual right answer for general use
26″+ (pusher)	Pushing light snow off wide flat areas	Unusable for lifting; strictly a pushing tool

In wet, heavy snow, size down. A 24″ blade full of slush is a load most people should not be lifting repeatedly.

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

A pusher has a wide, shallow, flat blade and is designed to move snow ahead of you without lifting it at all. 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, and 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 do both adequately do neither exceptionally.

Blade material

Material	Strengths	Weaknesses
Poly / plastic	Lightest; flexes without damage; snow does not stick	Can crack in severe 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 people. 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 reduces how far you bend forward during the lift — research on shovel ergonomics puts the reduction at roughly 30–40% — by acting as a lever that shifts effort from the lower back toward the arms and legs. Cornell’s ergonomic shovel design work covers the underlying mechanics.

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 grip may serve you better. Add a second D-grip on the shaft — or buy a shovel with one — and the lifting posture improves again.

Our picks

Garant Alpine — the all-round driveway shovel

A conventional combination blade in the standard driveway width band, built around a poly blade with a wear strip. If you want one shovel that pushes acceptably and lifts well, this is the category it belongs to. Check current price.

Emsco Bigfoot Combination — for mixed pushing and lifting

A combination design intended to push across open runs and still scoop at the end of a pass, which suits a driveway plus footpath in one tool. Accept the usual compromise: it is not the best pure pusher or the best pure scoop. Check current price.

Snow Dominator — for volume on open ground

A wide-blade tool aimed at moving a lot of light snow quickly across driveways and patios. Best treated as a pusher; at that width, a full lift of wet snow is more than most people should be handling. Check current price.

Ergieshovel — for impact resistance and a second grip

Built around impact resistance with a D-grip handle, which is the feature that most improves lifting posture. A sensible choice if your snow is routinely heavy or if you are chopping compacted material at the kerb. Check current price.

Specifications and availability change between seasons. Confirm current blade width, material and shaft type on the product page before buying — manufacturers revise these within the same model name.

Shovelling without hurting yourself

1. Push rather than lift wherever the surface allows it.
2. Clear during the storm rather than after it — two passes over 15 cm are far easier than one over 30 cm.
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 plus heavy exertion is a documented cardiac risk, particularly for anyone with existing heart conditions.

Frequently asked questions

What size snow shovel should I buy?

18″–24″ for a standard driveway, 12″–15″ for walkways or if you have limited strength. Size down in wet snow — every additional two inches of width adds three to five pounds to a full scoop.

Is a snow pusher better than a snow shovel?

For clearing wide flat areas, yes — a pusher moves snow without lifting it, which removes the movement responsible for most shovelling injuries. You still need a scoop for the ridge at the end of the drive, steps, and anywhere snow must be thrown rather than pushed.

Are ergonomic bent-shaft snow shovels actually better?

For lifting, measurably so: a bent shaft reduces forward bending by roughly 30–40% and shifts load off the lower back. For pushing, a straight shaft is generally more comfortable. Choose based on which motion dominates your driveway.

What is the best snow shovel material?

Poly for most people — lightest, snow does not stick, and it flexes rather than bending permanently. Steel only if you routinely break ice, accepting the extra weight. Aluminium sits between the two but bends permanently under heavy force.

How do I stop snow sticking to my shovel?

Poly blades shed snow better than metal to begin with. Beyond that, a light coat of silicone spray or cooking spray on a clean, dry blade before you start makes a noticeable difference in wet snow near freezing.