Recommend me a snow shovel

[mc6]

The guy who owned my condo before me left a snow shovel and broom in the utility closet.  Yesterday after receiving a foot of snow outside DC I used them for the first time outside.  The shovel must've weighed 20 lbs before it even had snow on it.  Now I know why he didn't take it with him.

Got any recommendations for a particular material or shape you've had success with? 

[wtjbatman]

KISS... go to Walmart and buy a plastic shovel for $5. It will weigh nothing and do a great job of, um, shoveling snow.

Trust me, I live in Minnesota.

[Frugal Mama]

Here's the one we use in our home in New England.  It has served us well for over 7 years.   http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-1655/Grounds-Maintenance/Deluxe-Snow-Shovel-51-Poly?pricode=WU336&gadtype=pla&id=34610099002&gclid=COjc0OmlzrwCFZTm7AodEzkAMQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Mrs WW]

A snow shovel sled/sleigh works really well on our wet heavy snow.

[lcg377]

I shovel for our apartment building, and live in MN, so have tried many types of shovels over the years! My favorite always come back to the heavy plastic blade with a wooden handle.  If you want to get fancy, you can buy a can of silicone spray and spray the blade before you shovel, to make the snow slide off easier. 

[TacosForever]

I shovel for our apartment building, and live in MN, so have tried many types of shovels over the years! My favorite always come back to the heavy plastic blade with a wooden handle.  If you want to get fancy, you can buy a can of silicone spray and spray the blade before you shovel, to make the snow slide off easier.

A fellow Minnesotan thanks you for the silicone spray tip! /bows

[ritchie70]

The guy who owned my condo before me left a snow shovel and broom in the utility closet.  Yesterday after receiving a foot of snow outside DC I used them for the first time outside.  The shovel must've weighed 20 lbs before it even had snow on it.  Now I know why he didn't take it with him.

Got any recommendations for a particular material or shape you've had success with?

I'd say you're doing it wrong - you shovel every three inches or so at the latest.

That said, I have two snow shovels. One is a big wide pusher. It's about as wide as a push broom, heavy plastic with metal edge. Like you said about yours, it's heavy on its own, but I use it for most of my shoveling.

I also have a cheap one I bought at the grocery store - wood handle, plastic blade and plastic grip at the end of the handle. I use it on sidewalks or if the snow is too deep for the other one.

I have to admit I feel pretty bad-ass shoveling when all the other neighbors are using their snowblowers. I was a little jealous of them once this year when there was a LOT of snow to be moved.

[GuitarStv]

I shovel for our apartment building, and live in MN, so have tried many types of shovels over the years! My favorite always come back to the heavy plastic blade with a wooden handle.  If you want to get fancy, you can buy a can of silicone spray and spray the blade before you shovel, to make the snow slide off easier.

This is the conclusion that I came to when I lived in northern Canada.  (Averaged 6 - 8 ft of snow each winter, had a long driveway, and my parents laughed at the idea of buying a snowblower.)  Your standard heavy duty plastic shovel/wood handle is about as good as it gets.  Weird bendy shovels, very wide shovels, heavy metal shovels . . . they all suck in comparison.

[Rube]

I'm a big fan of the Suncast plastic wide push shovel with metal blade and a scoop shovel with a crook in the handle (which I can't currently find). I haven't been using them lately anyway. We've had several dumplings of heart attack snow with more on the way. The snowblower is a necessity.