Travel Products Travel Accessories The 8 Best Snow Shovels of 2023 True Temper’s Mountain Mover 18-inch Poly Combo Shovel edges out competition. By Nathan Borchelt Nathan Borchelt A long-time veteran in the travel and outdoor space, Nathan Borchelt has been writing about adventure travel and doing rigorous gear testing and written recommendations for decades. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 4, 2022 Fact checked by Nick Blackmer Fact checked by Nick Blackmer Nick Blackmer is a librarian, fact checker, and researcher with more than 25 years’ experience in consumer-oriented content. Travel + Leisure Fact Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews Tips for Buying a Snow Shovel FAQ Why Trust Travel + Leisure We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. 8 Best Snow Shovels of 2022. True Temper / Outsunny / Arva Winter may deliver a glorious white wonderland, but with all that snow comes the inevitable task of shoveling all that snow, a necessary and sometimes back-breaking activity. But it doesn’t need to be a real chore, provided you have the right tool for the job. In evaluating each shovel, weight, price, and overall functionality were taken into account, working off real-time usage as well as input from professional gear testers and verified customer reviews. We also sorted and rated the products based on the types of snow-clearing jobs that are out there, from clearing more fragile surfaces like wooden decks or pavers to quickly removing massive amounts of snow with minimal effort. The top snow shovel, the True Temper Mountain Mover 18-inch Poly Combo, makes things easier thanks to an ergonomic handle that’s gentle on your body and allows you to move snow with confidence thanks to a push- or scoop-oriented blade. But there are other choices: shovels that come with a wheel to reduce fatigue even further, electric snowblowers that make quick work of big jobs, snow pushers and sleigh shovels that don’t require scooping and tossing, and those that are best suited for handling ice and hard pack. These are the best snow shovels: Our Top Picks Best Overall: True Temper Pusher Snow Shovel at Amazon Jump to Review Best Electric: Snow Joe Cordless Snow Blower at Amazon Jump to Review Best Budget: True Temper Snow Shovel at Home Depot Jump to Review Best Wheeled: Outsunny Snow Shovel Rolling Pusher at Amazon Jump to Review Best Pusher: The Snowplow Snow Pusher 30-inch Wide Model at Amazon Jump to Review Best Metal: True Temper Aluminum Combo Blade Snow Shovel at Home Depot Jump to Review Best Sleigh: Garant 24 in. Sleigh Shovel at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Car: Arva Ski Trip Shovel at Arva-equipment.com Jump to Review Best Overall True Temper 1603400 18 Pusher Poly Snow Shovel Home Depot View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Acmetools.com Why We Love It Inexpensive and ergonomically designed, the Mountain Mover can handle shoveling up to 12 inches of snow and can be used as either a shovel or a snow pusher. What to Consider If you’re tackling a massive job post-blizzard, you may want something like an electric snowblower or a sleigh-style shovel. Ready to shovel or push snow, the True Temper Mountain Mover boasts an 18-inch poly combo blade that’s lightweight and plenty strong, along with a nylon wear strip lining the edge, which both protects the shovel and prevents gouging your deck or patio. The curve in the steel handle makes it easier on your back for optimal, less straining shoveling, and the oversized D-grip at the end is wide enough to accommodate the largest of gloves or mittens. All this well-thought-out simplicity also keeps the price affordable. Price at time of publish: $43 The Details: 3 pounds | 54 inches | Steel handle, poly combo blade with a nylon wear strip Best Electric Snow Joe 18-inch 48-volt Cordless Snow Blower Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Basspro.com Why We Love It With a 18-inch-wide clearing path and a cordless setup, this snowblower will make quick work when serious snow removal is required. What to Consider The charger and battery are not included unless you purchase a bundle, and the runtime tops out at 40 hours, so you may want more than one battery. The myriad benefits of having a huge patio or deck or a really long driveway become something of a curse after a storm with heavy snowfall. Save your back and go with the 24V-X2-SB18 48-Volt Cordless Snow Blower from Snow Joe. Capable of clearing a 18-inch-wide path in a single pass, the cordless feature frees you from the entanglements of an extension cord, and the adjustable chute control rotates 180 degrees to spray the snow up to 20 feet in any direction. Those with wooden decks will appreciate the integrated scraper bar, which clears snow right to the ground without gouging into the surface you’re trying to clear. And if things go dark, the blower also has an LED headlight to help with visibility. With an accessible price, it’s a worthwhile investment. Price at time of publish: $295 The Details: 37.5 pounds | 23.6 inches | Steel auger, plastic body Best Budget True Temper 34.5-inch Steel Handle Plastic Blade Mountain Mover Snow Shovel True Temper View On Home Depot Why We Love It Low on price and easy to operate, the True Temper 34.5-inch Steel Handle Plastic Blade Mountain Mover Snow Shovel delivers. What to Consider A lack of an ergonomic handle shape means you’ll have to work harder. Crafted with a steel handle and a poly blade that’s shaped for both shoveling and pushing snow, True Temper’s 34.5-inch Steel Handle Plastic Blade Mountain Mover Snow Shovel makes quick work of small-ish snow removal projects. The wide poly D-Grip handle adds leverage whether you’re shoveling or pushing and is wide enough to accommodate your gloves or mittens. The 18-inch, impact-resistant blade is gentle on decks and pavers, so you can rest easy knowing your hard work won’t cause any damage. Price at time of publish: $18 The Details: 3.2 pounds | 51 inches | Poly blade, steel handle Best Wheeled Outsunny 15.75-inch Metal Angle-adjustable Handle Steel Snow Shovel Rolling Pusher Amazon View On Amazon View On Home Depot Why We Love It This easily adjustable wheeled shovel will clear up to 5 inches of snow in one pass–without forcing your bend. What to Consider The reinforced steel blade may damage softer materials like pavers or wooden decks. Save your self from the constant bending required by a conventional snow shovel by going with the Outsunny 15.75-inch Metal Angle-adjustable Handle Heavy-duty Snow Shovel Rolling Pusher. The 10-inch rubber wheels make it easy to line up the 29-inch-wide blade and push away the snow while standing upright, while a steel-reinforced blade can clear up to 5 inches of snow in a single pass. Better still, the handle can be adjusted to five different angles to accommodate different people and can be angled left or right to help clear snow in all directions. Because when it comes to major snow, the more help, the merrier. Price at time of publish: $95 The Details: 20 pounds | 45.25 inches | Steel The 8 Best Ice Scrapers of 2023 Best Pusher The Snowplow “The Original Snow Pusher” 30-inch Wide Model 4.2 Amazon View On Amazon View On Ace Hardware Why We Love It Designed to save your back from heavy lifting, this pusher makes quick work of moderate snow thanks to a 30-inch-wide blade that’s suitable for moving snow on concrete, pavers, roofs, and wood decks. What to Consider The 30-inch model hits the sweet spot in terms of coverage versus weight, but Snowplow also offers 24-, 36-, and 48-inch wide models. Outfitted with a 30-inch-wide poly blade, the Snowplow “Original Snow Pusher” can move serious volumes of snow without you having to actually bend over and shovel. The palm-friendly fiberglass handle helps cut down on weight with a D-style grip that’s wide enough for your gloves. A simple-and-strong tuff brace support system that anchors the blade to the handle affords maximum control and energy transfer. And if you hit any ice or stubbornly packed snow, you can flip the shovel over and use the cutting angle to eliminate the frozen impediments. Price at time of publish: $60 The Details: 5 pounds | 47 inches | Poly blade, fiberglass handle Best Metal True Temper 20-Inch Aluminum Combo Blade Snow Shovel 4.8 The Home Depot View On Home Depot View On Tractor Supply Co. Why We Love It It employs lightweight materials that don’t cut down on functionality when faced with hard-packed snow and ice. What to Consider People that have to handle seriously packed snow or ice may want to upgrade to heavier steel models, and the hard blade material can damage softer surfaces like pavers or wood decks. Built to combat frozen, hardened snow that you need to lift and throw, the True Temper 20–inch Aluminum Combo Blade Snow Shovel leverages a lightweight, sturdy, and rust-proof aluminum blade with a patented design that provides the capacity of a scooper and the functionality of a pusher shovel. Steel reinforcements help extend the life of the blade, while a comfort-promoting curve in the aluminum handle helps keeping you going for longer. An oversized poly D-grip handle at the end also helps accommodate both shoveling and pushing by giving your fingers plenty of room. Price at time of publish: $54 The Details: 5.5 pounds | 38 inches | Aluminum The 8 Best Car Covers of 2023 Best Sleigh Garant 24 in. Sleigh Shovel The Home Depot View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Ace Hardware Why We Love It It’s a great way to clear truly massive amounts of snow without straining your back or your bank account. What to Consider The steel lining on the tip of the blade may dig into wood or other sensitive materials. If you're facing massive amounts of snow and don’t want to invest in an electric snow blower, go with the True-Temper 24-inch High-capacity Poly Sleigh Shovel from Garant. Outfitted with a deep blade, this tool will allow you to push away large quantities of packed snow in a few passes. The large poly blade comes with a steel wear strip on the end to help dig into ice and clear surfaces. Price at time of publish: $69 The Details: 10.48 pounds | 55 inches | Poly with a steel wear strip and a steel handle Best for Car Arva Ski Trop Shovel Arva View On Arva-equipment.com Why We Love It Built for handling the after-effects of an avalanche, the Ski Trip Shovel is the optimal item to stash in your trunk, where you hope to never have to use it. What to Consider As it’s designed to be carried in a backcountry backpack, you may want a stuff sack to keep the handle and blade together. Designed for backcountry skiers and snowboarders as part of their avalanche safety kit, the Arva Ski Trip Shovel is ideal for stashing in your trunk. The telescoping aluminum shaft measures only 13.7 inches when collapsed to help cut down on clutter, while the blade measures an equally pack-friendly 9 inches. The shovel assembles quickly via a pin lock mechanism, and the shaft itself can extend from 22.4 to 28.3 inches to accommodate a range of users, while the lightweight aluminum blade provides 9 inches of snow clearance, with an easy-to-hold T-grip handle. Price at time of publish: $75 The Details: 1.3 pounds | 31.4 to 37.3 inches | Aluminum Tips for Buying a Snow Shovel Invest in a shovel that puts less strain on your body Shoveling snow can be a back-breaking experience, which is why you should look for shovels with ergonomic handles that help you strike a shoveling posture that puts less strain on your frame. It’s also important to lift with your legs by bending at the knees and position the shovel closer to your body, as it improves control and prevents over-reaching. And taking frequent breaks is important, especially during big jobs. Pusher-, wheeled-, or sleigh-style shovels do reduce some of the strain, but you still need to generate momentum to push packed snow and ice, while snow blowers considerably reduce any sort of hard strain on your body. Get the best shovel for your intended use First consider the average volume of both the amount of snow that falls in a typical storm, and the total area you’re going to need to clear. For most urban and suburban homes, a manuel shovel will be sufficient to clear your walkway, driveway, and patio, whether it be a standard shovel or a push-type shovel. For larger projects (like clearing decks, long driveways, or other large surfaces), consider using a sleigh shovel or a shovel with wheels, which are designed to move larger volumes of snow, or invest in an electric, wireless snow blower. And if you plan on shoveling a wooden deck, pavers, or other fragile surfaces, look for a shovel with a protective layer at the tip of the blade (or a non-metal shovel), which helps prevent gouging. Inversely, if you anticipate lots of ice and hard snowpack, go with a metal shovel or those with an ice-breaking feature. Finally, if you’re in the market for a shovel you can keep in your car in case of emergencies, look for ones with detachable, telescoping handles, so it doesn’t take up too much space in your trunk. Consider who will be pitching in Some projects are a one-person job, but the bigger the surface to be cleared, the more people can actually do the work, so if you’re buying an inexpensive shovel and have family or friends that could help, get more than one. Also be sure that the shovel length is suitable for everyone – handle length should position the snow closer to your body to make the load easier. Some shovels (like wheeled models) have an adjustable handle to accommodate different heights. Frequently Asked Questions Do you burn calories shoveling snow? Shoveling snow is definitely a high-intensity cardio exercise that works your legs, arms, back, and core as you scoop snow and toss it aside, though naturally the degree of the workout depends on the amount of snow you’re clearing, the intensity of your movements, and the amount of time it takes. According to Harvard Health Publishing, a 155-pound person who shovels snow for 30 minutes burns about 225 calories. Using a snow blower reduces the total calorie burn, while using a pusher- or sleigh-style snow shovel will burn less calories than those that require you to lift your snow load to clear it. When should I start shoveling snow? It’s best to not let the storm end before starting to shovel the snow, especially with storms that dump a lot of snow. Simply put, the denser and wetter the snow, the heavier the snow, which adds strain to the experience. Waiting can also increase the likelihood of denser snowpack and ice formation, another potential hassle for quick snow removal. Look for a lull in the storm, and start to shovel once there’s at least an inch or two on the ground, and then treat the surface with something like calcium chloride to help prevent ice from forming. And as new snow collects, get ready to do another pass. How do I keep snow from sticking to my shovel? Before heading out to shovel, spray the blade (front and back) with a generous coat of cooking spray (or wipe it on with a paper towel), which will prevent snow from sticking to your shovel. Why Trust Travel + Leisure Nathan Borchelt has been writing, reviewing, and testing outdoor products for decades and has cleared away more feet of snow than he can remember. In evaluating each shovel, we considered the effectiveness and strength of the blade, the ergonomics of the handle, the weight and durability of the materials, and the blade width and height. We also explored solutions for clearing massive amounts of snow via electronic and push-style shovels, including sleigh designs and wheeled models, as well as those that focus on cutting through ice and dense hard pack, consulting both verified consumer reviews as well as professional profiles of each product. The 12 Best Winter Gloves Love a great deal? 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