I've tried pam but find it wears off after a few shovelfuls. The best non-stick tip I know is to keep snow shovels outside in the cold, on an unheated porch for instance. When an object is warmer than the outdoor temp, the snow melts slightly and freezes onto it. Goes for skis too.

I use my worn out snow shovels for pony manure (a two handed procedure together with a regular garden shovel) and as dustpans for sweeping out the barn. They get demoted when their useful life as a snow shovel is through.

I can't imagine owning a single snow shovel! I think we have at least a dozen "active" snow shovels including the ones in our cars and the ones on the porches. Then there are the partially destroyed and re-purposed ones out in the barn. I never feel that we have enough and always buy a couple more when I encounter them at the hardware store. I live in fear that they will stop making the old style type, as they are harder to find now amidst the gimicky and plastic ones.

Lots of good input here, thanks! I agree that I need to go to a store and try shovels, but I'm afraid that this late in the season the good shovels will be sold out and the ones left will be shovels no one wants, so having some idea of the advantages/disadvantages is great.

Lightweight and smaller is definitely an issue - my upper body strength is lacking. These are the snow removal implements I'm using now, the shovel and a broom.

The shovel blade is good for pushing a load to the edge of the driveway but if I lift it the load sometimes slides off. The straight handle can rotate with a load, especially if I'm wearing thick gloves. In that case a D-loop handle would be better. The long shaft, though, is good for pushing a light load without bending over.

Snow here is usually wet and slushy and the blade has a metal edge which I guess is good for asphalt, but not so important when shoveling a mulched or gravel path.

Any tips on shoveling gravel paths? I've been either carefully pulling the snow off or making sure the shoveled path is narrower than the whole path (so shoveled gravel stays on the edge of the path. I won't get into what happened when a relative tried a snow blower on a gravel path....)

Claire

Claire, One thing I've done to keep slippery handles from rotating is to wrap them with fiberglass tape. Probably any tape having a rough surface would work.

I have no ideas for shovelling gravel paths. We had a pea stone gravel driveway for years and it was impossible to plough, snow blow, or shovel without losing half of the gravel. Now our drive is crushed stone and we still lose some of the stone to the snowblower. I live for the day when we can pave it.

Ah, spedigrees, I hadn't thought of wrapping the handle with tape. I bet the Grip Tape Lee Valley sells would work. I used it to wrap an old pitch fork I inherited which was splintering. Worked great.

Thanks,
Claire

I have a push style similar Claire's above, but it is plastic. I like that kind for walking while pushing small amounts of snow (today), but it really doesn't work very well for shoveling (tomorrow). That's when I need a shovel with deeper sides and a bit of a scooped middle and also a bent handle. The handles on both, bent or not, are too long for short people, but I just make do. Both have a metal strip edge. I think that is key for getting a good scraping.

Great advice, everyone! I also have multiple snow shovels - its very true that it depends on the type of snow. I prefer the large curved ones that you just push along, but lately that doesn't work now that we have to heave the snow high up on the existing snow banks. Also, when we have the wet, heavy snow, and the frozen granular stuff, it doesn't push along as easily.
Dreaming about talking about getting out in the garden... funny how the sore muscles from gardening is so much easier to take than the sore back from shoveling! Anyone want to chip in for a bribe for the NE weather forecasters?
(its snowing AGAIN - winter snow and freezing, GO AWAY!)
Susan

These posts are very helpful for me, thanks! I now know a whole lot more about snow shovels than I did a few days ago, and I know that I definitely need another, different, shovel for everything that isn't an asphalt driveway.

It's snowing now and more coming, so I figured this is not good time to try to find shovels in a local store. I went back into the tool shed to see if I could find something that would do for now, and I found this snow shovel that I had overlooked before (it didn't look like anything I would want to use, but what did I know). It's steel (feels like lead) and is too heavy for me in general but I'm hoping to get a better idea of what I like from using it. The D-loop handle is good, the blade is flatter, and I can check if the height is too long, too short, or just right. I'm slightly above average height.

Some of the rivets are loose but it only has to last one storm. My father probably used it for years.

Claire

Claire,
You've got the good basics right there along with the broom. I think the weight of your recent addition will
be a factor in putting it back where you found it though!
The CT tv stations are saying this is part 1 of 2 coming today. They are trying to get creative for this repetative forecast, I'll give them that.
Now all you need for your snow shoveling
"equipment" is Advil. Good luck.
Susan

Oh yes, Susan, that shovel is going back into the tool shed as soon as the storm is over. I decided to try it out by shoveling a few inches of snow off of some bird feeding areas. After a few moves I put it away and got the pusher. My back gave me the early warning alarm: too heavy!

If my father was still alive (and still shoveling snow) he'd be getting a nifty new snow shovel for his birthday.

Claire

Interesting exchange. . .growing up in MA, we had the whole collection of
shovels that's been discussed. . .then, I lived in NYC for years and everyone
else did the shoveling (except when I owned the house on 9th Ave. - can you
believe that NYC law requires you keep 18" shoveled out
INTO THE STREET,
regardless of what might be parked by the curb? I got the summons
to prove it!)

But I digress. . .when I first had to dig out my house here in the 'burbs, I
was completely unprepared - no shovel ! A generous neighbor loaned me their shovel. . .and that's when I became totally hooked on ergonomically
designed snow shovels, the ones with the bent handle. What a difference!
My grasp of physics isn't the best, so I can't explain "why". . .I know I just
kept comparing the neighbor's ergonomic design, with another friend's
straight-handled shovel. . .the difference was just night-and-day for me.
Now, I am taller than most (6'4"), so that may have something to do with
it, but I would certainly encourage you to find someone you know with the
ergonomic design so you can at least give it a try. I find the D-loop handle
to be essential, too.

While we're at it, here's a goofy method a friend used to clean the snow off her pea-gravel path leading to the bird feeder: she carefully "skimmed" the snow off the top, down to about 1" above the gravel - then she used a few passes with her weed torch (the same one she uses to kill the weeds on her
gravel paths) on that remaining inch of snow !

Carl

hmmmm...... do weed torches come with ergonomic handles? Maybe I should have had heating cables installed under the gravel..... or how about a floor steam cleaner, if they have one approved for outdoor use....

This feels like cabin fever combined with snowstorm saturation. Second, more serious, wave of snow is on the way.

Claire (who definitely will try an ergonomic snow shovel)

Has anyone tried a snow scoop like this? It would only be good on paved surfaces but looks easy to use.

Claire

Hello Claire and Carl,
I think I saw on a Boston TV station last week that they are using some type of big heated snow melter on the streets, somewhere around the Boston area... so one man's weed torch is another man's snow melter. They are just using a bigger one. I love the thinking that goes way outside the box! (I'm in marketing, can you tell?)
Carl, I'm going to go with your recommendation and pick up the bended shovel - its one I don't have yet. They can't be out of shovels everywhere yet! (I think). They named this storm today: Denis. That can't be good.
Susan

Claire, I don't know if there's a weed torch with an ergonomic handle, but
I'm sure you could just bend it and see if it helps. Just for the record, I was telling a TRUE story about the weed torch, not goofing on you. . . :>)

And, Susan, you're right: they now have huge trucks, which are wired for heat, and they use your standard front-loader to fill the truck, which promptly turns the snow into water. . .they've been using them in New York City for a number of years now. . .they are particularly useful at intersections, where huge mountains of snow get piled up from plowing. These "melting trucks" are
stationed next to the nearest storm drain, and as fast as they are filled, the
melted snow flows directly into the sewer system ! Very efficient. . .

Carl

I believed you, Carl (you can't make this stuff up..., actually you can, but usually don't). It just sounded surreal, although weed torches themselves are a little surreal to me.

Claire

I now have a crazy mental picture of a person gone mad with a blow torch outside in the snow! All this snow has taken on a new level of cabin fever that I will call "snow fever." What happened with Denis? He liked Connecticut so much, decided to gift us with a little something extra... 18" in my backyard. TV stations said we have now set an all time record for snow since they started tracking it in 1945. Bradley airport is 74" for the season so far, 60" of that was in the month of January. Hope everyone is safe and taking care of their backs. I came in for a rest and to warm my toes - the only part of me that got cold. Guess I need new boots.
Susan

Claire, that snow scoop looks like it would be sooo easy...but, my question is, where do you put that stuff that you've just scooped? Where I live, you can't push it into the street--it has to be piled somewhere. The piles on the side of my driveway are now 5 1/2 feet tall, and when I pull the car in, I feel like I'm threading a needle!

Emily, with a sore back in Western MA

Susan and Emily: "Snow Fever" is a good term - we haven't had as much snow here as most everybody else - there's something to be said about being near the snow/rain line (that something is usually slush and/or sleet and/or freezing rain and/or ice). I guess the downside of that snow scoop is that you still have to shovel the product if you don't have an empty lot next door to scoop it into.

I've been looking on line for snow shovel suppliers and some hardware stores, TruValue and Aubuchon for example, say you can order the shovels for delivery to your local store.

I didn't even bother with the steel shovel today, I just used the old pusher and managed to break the metal edge off. The worst part was dealing with the snowplow debris which was actually formed into big almost round balls (the snow on the street was very wet). At the risk of appearing gross, I started getting an image of snowplow droppings, like those you see if you've ever followed a horse carriage down the street. I was very unhappy with that snowplow.

Claire

Hi
Claire, I think we are both developing a love/hate relationship with the plows! Oh yay - they are coming down the road - Oh no! look what they just did to the end of my driveway. I think you have officially contracted snow fever - I recognize your symptoms.
Emily, I think you have it just right... we are now making snow tunnels out there because the driveway sides are above the roof of the car. I saw on tonight's news one school had to cancel for Friday because the school buses can't fit down the street - tunnel syndrome. My cat that likes to be outside, went out the door today and looked up to the sky - he's never experienced the tunnels like this before. Probably wondered where he was... step out the door and its a different world than before.
Thanks, everyone, your good sense of humor is keeping me smiling!
Susan

OK, I read in the Globe this morning that hardware stores are getting weekly supplies of snow removal equipment so stocks are good. I decided, today being Friday, that I should get myself to the local Aubuchon hardware store before the weekend shopping blitz.

I am so grateful for the advance information I received on this thread - I took a look at the inventory, which was good, asked a few questions of the guy at the store, and chose these two shovels:

an ergonomic all purpose shovel/pusher with a metal edge for the driveway, etc. and a scoop type poly shovel for the wood porch, deck and stairs.

I also bought an after-market ergonomic handle that I can attach to any shovel.

I'm hoping the rule goes that if I'm ready for the next storm it won't happen.

Thanks all,
Claire

Great work, Claire. Never was a post so timely!
Susan

Very smart selection. A sedate gray for asphalt, a lively red for trail blazing, and a lovely shocking yellow accessory to brighten either of them. Now you are shovel savvy AND chic.

Jane

That's the way, Claire, single-handedly keeping the economy alive ! :-)
I'll be curious to hear your reaction to the ergo-handle. . .

Carl

Carl said: "That's the way, Claire, single-handedly keeping the economy alive !" My credit card has a fine civic spirit and is always ready to help. I try to control it but sometimes don't win - it's very good at rationalizing a need.

Having a new red shovel makes it easier to neaten up the porch stairs and the deck. Up to now I just cleared whatever was necessary to safely walk.

I made a half-hearted attempt to use the ergonomic shovel but there really isn't enough space that needs snow removal. In fact, the temperature is hovering just above freezing and ice abounds. I even shoveled some snow back onto the paths to cover the ice. Reminds me that sometimes stomped paths are better than shoveled paths.

The ergonomic shovel so far is comfortable, although it insists that I grip the shovel where it wants, which is not the stance I'm used to. It may well be right, I just have to learn to use it. The real test will be when we get another snowstorm and I can compare how I felt last week with the old pusher to how I feel with the new shovel(s). I'm hoping that test will come next year.

Claire

Jane,
Clever you...coined the new phrase of
THE WINTER OF 2011:
"SHOVEL SAVVY AND CHIC"
Claire, you are the poster girl!
Susan

We have 2 new metal shovels, an they both lost their edge in the ice - they're now useless and will have to be hammered straight before they can be used again. A heavy duty plastic one fared better, but that may just be because we don't expect it to be able to chip ice.

A shovel with a simple pole (no handle at the end) works best for me because I have hand problems. I have to remember not to hold the thing by the end because the impact against my hands is much less that way. Sorry I'm probably not describing this very well!

That's how my metal snow shovels get demoted to barn duty, when the edges finally detach after being bent by ice and straightened out repeatedly for several years. But I expect my snow shovels to cut through crusty snow so they must be metal to join my collection. Actually I'm envious of Claire's old style heavyweight that everyone else told her to put back in the barn. It would be welcome to join my shovel battalion any day.

I know what you mean, I think. The impact from gripping the end of the shovel handle is damaging to your hand?

Yup - if you're holding the shovel by wrapping your hands around the "pole" you can't do quite so much damage to your hands - less jarring impact on those tender bones and joints, I guess. Even so, I'm aching so much now that it feels like June, not January!

>My credit card has a fine civic spirit and is always ready to help.

LOL - I know what you mean, mine's like that too. It makes me feel good to do my part - or a little more - to keep my local shops open. And when you're 'splurging' on snow shovels, nobody's likely to accuse you of being self-indulgent.

Have you tried anything like the Spenco cycling gloves? You could wear these under warm mittens or gloves.

Back in the day when I did excessive/obsessive cycling I used to use something similar to these (in my case it was gel pads that I wore under well-padded gloves). It made a big difference in holding the handlebar for very long rides, although I guess it depends on where your pain is. They're not cheap but pain is very costly to the psyche and your credit card would understand.

Claire

The first wave of snow is over here, about 4 to 6 inches of light fluffy stuff. When it started turning into light sleet/freezing rain I decided to go out and shovel while it was still relatively easy to lift. I know there's more to come but I'd rather deal with it in manageable segments.

I compared two shovels: the new ergonomic bent shaft shovel with the metal edge, and my old pusher retrofitted with the ergonomic handle and sprayed with silicone spray, but missing the metal edge. The new ergonomic shovel is very good - easy to push and easy to lift. It's the better of the two, but the old pusher with the new ergonomic handle was a fairly close second. I set the yellow handle at about the same height as the grip on the new shovel and it's much easier to lift. The silicone spray is good also (last time just getting the snow off the shovel was a hassle).

I'm glad I bought the new shovels, but for $8.99 plus tax you can retrofit an old shovel a lot cheaper.

I also love my rubber stair treads on both the wooden porch steps and some granite steps that can get very slippery.

Claire

We've been using an electric shovel for a few years. It works really well for us. It's not a heavy piece of equipment to use or take care of and store. it's electric and it fits our situation. Our driveway and walkway are not that big, so this is just right. Sometimes the snow is too deep for this but it's very simple to just break the snow down to the right height with a manual shovel.

Thanks, Claire, I'll drop by the cycle shop and see if they have those - they look promising.

PM2, that's interesting - I've never heard anything about those little electric models. Then again, I DO like swinging a shovel, it's usually so quiet on my street in the snow. And, I think the only electric gizmo that would work in the kind of snow (mostly ice) we've had this year is a chain saw.

Thanks to this thread and the recommendations of a friend, I bought 2 red plastic snow shovels this afternoon. (I'm sure the royal blue ones would have worked as well) What a change from my husband's heavy, battered, bent lip piece of......

He was speechless when he got home and found the driveway shoveled. I didn't make any promises about tomorrow, however.

Feeling good after ibuprofen and ice on the shoulder.

The plow went by, and on the second sweep the driver stopped and scolded me about putting the snow in the street; said he was supposed to call the police and report it. Can you imagine? Him up about 8 feet in a plow that covers half the street, talking to a 60 year old woman with a red plastic snow shovel? It was so ridiculous I just stared at him and put my hands out as if to say "what can I do?" and gave him a helpless smile. My interior thoughts were something like "so sue me" and "I bet the cops have better things to do, like pull a mother with a van full of kids out of a snowbank"

He'd probably already worked a 40 hour week by Tuesday, but I really wasn't feeling very sympathetic. However, the replay in my imagination makes me smile at the absurdity of the encounter.

Marie

dtd, I actually enjoy shoveling and you are the only other person in recent memory who I've ever heard say they did too. I suppose it doesn't come up in conversation often though. [g] But of necessity, we've needed something more.

I have noticed the cape has gotten more of a mix and I don't envy you the icy conditions. You are right, the electric shovel would not be a good solution for that.

We haven't yet gotten to the 9 and 10 foot levels that we had in 2008 & 2009 (I think) but there's a lot of winter left. I'm not sure how we currently compare to those winters, but I think we've gotten a bit less snow than much in inland MA and CT. Also, I think having lots of snow in a rural area is easier than in city or suburbs because we have more room to put the snow, so the piles aren't quite as high.

At our house I do much of the shoveling, just walkways, steps, and landings outside the doors along with the ramp up into the garage since DH mans the plow for our 1/4 + mile of drive. Unlike Marie's experience, he encourages me to move snow in the path he will be plowing since there's not too much space near the doors to pile snow. Around here driveway snowplowers aren't allowed to dump snow in the road, but I can't imagine anyone fussing about someone with a snowshovel dumping a bit into the road!

I do my snowclearing with 3 tools. I go out often with a broom to sweep away light fresh snow. If it's early in the season, it goes to the side, but by now it's getting swept into the drive, and then the plow moves it to a lawn area. If too much has accumulated or it's heavy snow, I have a straight-handled aluminum shovel that's shaped like an old-fashioned coal scoop. I don't lose snow over the sides, but it's light and can't hold too much snow for me to lift. If it's icy, I use a steel flat bottomed shovel or a tool that resembles a hoe, but without the curve in the neck, so it's a small, straight-bladed tool that chips well. All my tools have straight handles, but I'm short enough that I probably don't need the ergonomic shape.

As far as snow removal over gravel . . .
Our driveway is gravel (compacted knitpack, which is crushed granite in many sizes that compact well) and is cleared with a plow, part of which goes onto the lawn. We always hope that the ground freezes before the first snow, since that cuts down on the amount of gravel that leaves the driveway, and having feet on the plow so that it's raised just a bit helps also. But one of our spring chores that needs to be done after snowmelt and before the grass greens up is to rake gravel out of the lawn and back onto the driveway.

I think my tool of choice for clearing gravel paths would be my broom. I'd sweep to just above the level of gravel and then stamp the rest smooth and sprinkle with a bit of sand that matched the gravel color if it got really icy. Alternatively, you could just stomp a path to wherever you need to go over gravel. I put on my snowshoes and stomp a path out to my compost pile after each snow of more than a few inches. In a couple of passes it becomes firm enough for me to walk on with just my winter boots, even when the snow is deep enough that the compost piles are hidden under the snow (over 3.5 feet.)

Stay safe and warm today!

I hadn't thought of snow shoes as a tool to stomp paths - I've got a couple pairs of those in the cellar..... I've just been stomping with my boots.

It rained most of the morning here and a lot of the snow is morphing to slush. They're forecasting a very rapid drop to freezing temperatures this afternoon so that slush is going to ice up. I'm keeping a close eye on the temperatures and considering going out with a heavy rake (found one in the tool shed) and scarifying the slush so the ice will at least have some texture.

Two new snow removal tools; snow shoes and rakes.

Claire

WOW! What an enjoyable shovel full. Thoroughly enjoyable.
=^. _ .^=

Scarifying the slush actually worked better than I expected. I went out as the rain let up and quickly raked a whole network of paths. It was fast and easy. Shoveling was out of the question because the slush was on top of a thick layer of ice which would have been exposed and slippery. This morning the frozen raked paths were not very slippery, which I really appreciated when I got to the end of one path and hit some exposed ice. Hopefully the paths will be safe until we get a real melt to get rid of the underlying ice.

You can even pretend the raked paths are a Japanese garden feature.

My snow fighting arsenal now includes three shovels, a broom, and a rake.
Claire

Did GOOD! This is truly using an enemy element and making lemonade out of, well, ice. Looks like it's time for the lady from Fine Gardening to come for Picture of the Day: 'In Plymouth... Colonial Pathways for the Winter Garden'. Actually, that's not a bad idea.

Jane

Your paths look pretty cool, Claire. They definitely have a zen garden kind of look to them.

I too have the electric broom shovel in my collection. It's easy on the back, but not on the ears. (We live in the country.) I scoffed at it at first (I bought it from the previous owner with all her outdoor tools as she was moving into senior housing). But it definitely does not work at all with heavy wet snow nor with this icy snow we had this week. I think it's the tool for all those who like to mow -- it's kind of the same, figuring out how far into the unmowed/unshoveled stripe to go. But we have had SO MUCH snow that the only thing that works now is the trusty shovel with woman power rather than electric. Everyone ready for the storm predicted for Saturday? hehe Do you think we'll ever see the daffodils?

SJFlynn: It's OK to post links to websites, I think pixie_lou thought you were associated with the Wovel and were sneaking in an advertisement, particularly since you just registered with GW today. If you were referring to a product you are interested in but have no financial connection to then there's no problem here and you're welcome to the forum.

I'd forgotten about this thread and enjoyed rereading it.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Mon, Jan 12, 15 at 13:35

I think you really need at least two shovels.

The new shovels with the curved ergonomic handles (for some reason they are usually yellow) are great for deep, fluffy snow.

You want one with a metal edge for when the snow either gets compacted into ice or melted and refrozen.

You want one with a plastic edge for surfaces you don't want to damage. (Eg. stairs, marble)

A push broom is actually useful for dustings of snow.

This post was edited by edlincoln on Mon, Jan 12, 15 at 11:15

I think you really need at least two shovels.

The new shovels with the curved ergonomic handles (for some reason they are usually yellow) and great for deep, fluffy snow.

You want one with a metal edge for when the snow either gets compacted into ice or melted and refrozen. I tend to think that one should NOT be ergonomic, since a straight handle gives you better leverages and makes it easier to kind of hack at ice.

You want one with a plastic edge for surfaces you don't want to damage.

A push broom is actually useful for dustings of snow.

This post was edited by edlincoln on Mon, Jan 12, 15 at 17:51

The best snow shovel is, by far, the one being used by someone else!

This is my latest snow-removal arsenal - two shovels, one ice chopper, one broom and one car brusher-off. The gray ergonomic shovel has a metal edge and is used for driveway and paths. The red shovel has no metal and is dedicated to the porch.

You can also see the extension cord running to the heated birdbath. The rubber mat on the gravel path is a new experiment, meant to deal with the inevitable ice we get in the far southeast MA.

The black lump on the bluestone path is my little red wagon with a cover. If we get significant snow the wagon will come up on the porch.

{{gwi:2128245}}

I'm hoping not to use any of it this winter, but that's likely a fantasy.

Claire

My hands can get sore, particularly while chopping ice, so I wear some old padded bike gloves under a regular pair of warm gloves.

{{gwi:2128246}}

Claire

I'm with Bill on this one! I had a couple of issues with my shoulder and had to have surgery last month, so this season I'll be out of the snow shoveling business for sure - I'm not allowed to lift more than 1 pound!

Too bad, because shoveling snow helps keep me sane in the winter, and although DH is good at a lot of things, snow removal isn't one of them. I like a nice wide path, so when it melts and refreezes it doesn't leave a sheet of ice behind. Can't seem to talk him into that!

We haven't had to get the shovels out yet, so I guess that's a good thing.

Sorry to hear about the shoulder surgery, DTD - one pound isn't much to lift, except maybe a container of ice cream. Come to think of it, shoveling ice cream into the mouth isn't a bad way to spend the winter except for the mounds it leaves on the body.

Claire

Sorry to hear about your shoulder surgery too, DTD. I'm sure you will make a lot of progress with PT and hopefully be ready for the gardening season in the spring. Sounds like you picked the right time to have your surgery and recovery. :-)

I was just looking over this thread again. This year, we are thinking along the line Bill is thinking tooâ¦lol My husband does all the shoveling lately but this year he's dealing with Tendonitis on his elbow and even using the electric shovel, is problematic. It has to be lifted and moved often enough to become a problem when your arm is not 100%. And even the adaptations for shovels for ergonomics don't seem to be workable.

So as much as I enjoy the snow, we're really glad we haven't had much of it so far too.