- Shoveling snow might not be much fun, but it need not be a loathsome burden, either. All you need is a great snow shovel to help you get the job done.
- The DMOS Alpha Shovel is our top pick because its serrated blade easily cuts into and lifts large blocks of snow and because the shovel disassembles and packs down small enough to fit in the trunk, in a closet, or even in a backpack.
Shoveling snow is a task few people enjoy, but with the right snow shovel, removing snow from your stoop, driveway, deck, and walkways need not be a daunting chore. With proper shoveling technique on your part, even a decent shovel will make the process faster and easier, while reducing the chance of injury.
According to one major study, an average of 11,500 injuries and emergencies related to snow shoveling were treated in US medical facilities between 1990 and 2006. Cardiac arrest was the main cause of death among snow-shoveling victims. When done improperly, snow shoveling can be hazardous for both adults and children, the study said. Lower back injuries were the most common.
And don't be fooled by the fluffy stuff: An average cubic foot of snow weighs approximately 62 pounds. If you have to remove a foot of snow on a 12-by-30-foot driveway (about 360 square feet), for example, that might involve moving as much as 22,300 pounds. You can see how so many people can injure themselves.
How to choose the right shovel
When choosing the best snow shovel for your property, first think about yourself. If you have any physical issues due to age, injury, or illness, then opt for a tool that uses wheels, focused leverage, or even a motor to help minimize the effort needed to move that snow. If you're healthy, a more traditional snow shovel might be fine, but you still need to consider the volume of snowfall you'll be facing and the terrain at hand.
Even a fit person can be overwhelmed by hours of shoveling and should consider an efficient tool, even if it costs more. Keep in mind that a bigger shovel is not always better — a shovel that's too wide for your narrow stoop might be counterproductive, for example.
Before snow falls, lay down some salt on the area you'd need to shovel to prevent ice from forming. If safe to do so, try to shovel during snowfall rather than waiting for it to accumulate toward the end.
Here are the best snow shovels you can buy:
- Best snow shovel overall: DMOS Alpha 2 Shovel
- Best ergonomic snow shovel: Snow Joe Shovelution Snow Shovel
- Best electric snow shovel: Toro Power Shovel Electric Snow Thrower
- Best small snow shovel: AAA Aluminum Sport Utility Shovel
- Best classic snow shovel: Suncast Snow Pusher Snow Shovel
- Best snow pusher: Manplow REV42 Revolution Snow Pusher
Updated on 12/4/2019 by Les Shu: Updated pricing, links, and formatting. Updated our overall recommendation to newer, improved model.
SEE ALSO: The best ice scrapers for your car to keep your windshield clean
The best snow shovel overall
When fully assembled, the collapsible DMOS Alpha 2 Shovel is as capable as any classic snow shovel, easily tossing scoop after scoop of snow.
The DMOS Alpha 2 Shovel is a clever and capable tool that can help you move snow all day long, and then pack down small enough for storage in a cramped closet, on a garage shelf, in your car's trunk, or even in a bag. The secret here is that the shovel's handle is both collapsible and detachable. The shaft telescopes out to a generous 63 inches, giving taller users plenty of length for proper leverage, and it can be shortened down four times for users of differing heights.
When fully collapsed, the handle can be detached and stored within the shovel, creating a package small enough for easy storage and with the grip making it easy to carry around. As the Alpha is fabricated out of rugged but lightweight 6061 aluminum, it only weighs 4 pounds 6 ounces.
This is the newer version of the one I tested, the original Alpha. The Alpha 2 uses stronger aircraft-grade aluminum and it's a tad heavier, but it is otherwise similar to the original. As for performance, the Alpha is the best snow shovel I have ever used, and it's still one of my go-to shovels. The slender, serrated edge of the shovel's blade cuts into all sorts of snow with ease, lifting fresh powder, heavy slush, and icy chunks alike. The long handle makes lifting effortless and tosses large scoops of snow, while the all-metal construction ensures that the shaft won't bend or break and the scoop won't crack or buckle.
Though this shovel isn't cheap, the durable construction ensures it lasts for years.
Pros: Collapses for stowing, serrated blades cuts into packed snow, lightweight but rugged
Cons: Expensive
The best ergonomic snow shovel
The ingenious two-handle design of the Snow Joe Shovelution Shovel can reduce back strain by as much as 30% when compared to a traditional snow shovel and speed up the snow clearing process.
Lower back injuries make up the bulk of snow-removing injuries. With its Shovelution Shovel, Snow Joe created a unique design for reducing the strain that shoveling puts on the lower back.
It is essentially a regular snow shovel with a straight handle and an 18-inch shovel blade that's curved to help you collect loads of snow. But right above it, Snow Joe designers added another handle on a short, pivoting rod. This lower handle is spring-assisted, moving up and down in response to your shoving-motions and helping to counterbalance the weight of each shovel full of snow.
By keeping your lower hand well above the main shaft, the Shovelution Snow Shovel allows you to stand up straighter as you work, reducing the strain put on the back's lumbar region. The spring-action second handle also helps you fling aside that heavy snow with less effort and with reduced shock at the end of each toss, thereby further limiting the effects on your joints, muscles, and skeletal system. The second handle is a small addition that creates a major improvement.
Pros: Reduces back strain, speeds up snow-removal process, good price point
Cons: Initial use is awkward
The best electric snow shovel
The Toro Power Shovel Electric Snow Thrower can clear snowfall of up to a half-foot deep with a single pass, and you never even have to lift it off the ground.
I've used the Toro Power Shovel Electric Snow Thrower to move snow piles as high as 6 inches, off my driveway, stoop, and the sidewalk. This electric shovel can help you clear an area quickly and with much less effort than a traditional shovel requires. I also know firsthand, though, that with snow any deeper than that, or with snow that's particularly wet and heavy, this thing bogs down and loses efficacy rather quickly.
The Toro Power Shovel Electric Snow Thrower is perfect for people who live in areas prone to moderate snowstorms that come a few times per season. As noted, it can't really handle deeper snow. But for lighter precipitation, it clears the stuff right down to the pavement, pushing along easily without the strain that manual shoveling places on the knees, arms, and the back.
This electric shovel is best suited to mid-sized properties, as it tosses snow a distance of about twenty feet. If you have a large driveway or patio you want to clear, some of that snow is going to fall right back onto it. For clearing sidewalks, stoops, or smaller or medium-sized driveways, though, it's a great tool. The thrower cuts a 12-inch swath as it moves along, enabling most users to clear a 1,000 square foot area covered by four inches of snow in about 20 minutes.
Consumer Reports called the Toro Power Shovel Electric Snow Thrower lightweight and maneuverable but it came to the same conclusion that I did about handling wet snow.
Pros: Minimizes effort and backache, quickly clears shallower snowfall, lightweight
Cons: Can't handle deeper or wet/heavy snow
Check out our buying guide on the best snow blowers.
The best compact snow shovel
The Lifeline AAA Aluminum Sport Utility Shovel weighs less than 1.5 pounds and folds down to just over 2 feet long, making it perfect for storing in the trunk of a car.
Sometimes a snowstorm can happen out of nowhere. So, it's a good idea to keep the Lifeline AAA Aluminum Sport Utility Shovel around in your car or home.
This low-priced, compact, and multipurpose shovel can be stowed in the trunk, in a closet, or just about anywhere else. It's lightweight (approximately 1.3 pounds) and it can adjust from 25 to 32 inches in length, allowing for comfortable use by people of varied height. The blade is smaller than that of most traditional snow shovels, but it can still scoop up more than enough snow to clear the stoop and steps outside your home, to carve out a narrow footpath, and to help you dig your car out of the snow.
Pros: Compact size ideal for storage in car or closet, adjustable handle length, low price point
Cons: Too small for serious shoveling jobs
The best classic snow shovel
The Suncast Snow Pusher Snow Shovel isn't fancy, but it is effective. For the person who prefers a durable, functional tool over a newfangled, gimmicky product, this is the snow shovel to choose.
The Suncast Snow Pusher Snow Shovel doesn't have a unique, ergonomic handle design. It doesn't have wheels, a motor, or anything fancy. What this shovel does have is the ability to help you safely and comfortably move and toss hundreds of pounds of snow as quickly as you can.
The Suncast Snow Pusher Snow Shovel measures 51-inches long, giving you plenty of leverage as you lift it to toss away snow. The ribbed shaft improves hand-grip and is made with a steel core, so it won't bend even under the strain of wet, heavy snow.
The shovel blade has a protective galvanized metal strip across the edge and is fabricated from rugged polyethylene. The deep scoop of the shovel allows you to lift large volumes of snow with each heft, but the shovel can also be used to simply push lesser accumulations of snow off of a sidewalk or driveway.
Pros: Basic but reliable, long and sturdy handle, works as shovel or pusher
Cons: Blade catches easily on some surfaces
The best snow pusher
The extra-wide blade of the Manplow REV42 Revolution Snow Pusher can clear 42-inch swaths of sidewalk, driveway, patio, and more in a single pass.
The Manplow REV42 Revolution Snow Pusher is not technically a snow shovel — it's not designed to lift and toss scoops of snow. Instead, it is an extra-wide tool for clearing a 42-inch swath of snow in a single pass.
The broad polyethylene blade is designed not to damage the surface, so you can use the REV42 on cobblestone, brick, wood, etc, yet it's rugged enough to shove heavy loads of snow aside without bending your body.
For quickly clearing most driveways and walkways, it's hard to beat a big snow pusher like this. If the snow piles up more than 7 or 8 inches high, the REV42 becomes ineffective, as snow spills over the top of the blade.
That said, for most suburban homes or for clearing swaths of city sidewalk, the Manplow REV42 Revolution Snow Pusher is a great alternative to a more traditional shovel. And thanks to its clever reversible blade, it will serve you for years, too: When the edge of the pusher becomes too worn down and uneven to be effective, just remove the blade, flip it upside down, and enjoy a like-new snow tool.
Pros: Clears huge swath in one pass, reversible blade extends working life, will not damage terrain
Cons: Not effective with deep snow