We needed a new snow shovel. Faced with brand after brand, choice after choice, design after design, I went with the Suncast SCH2790.
This Suncast shovel has a shock-absorbing D-handle grip, 20″ plastic scoop, steel core handle, and galvanized steel leading edge wear strip.
I ordered it for $30 from Amazon, and it has since sold out and become temporarily unavailable.
I didn’t need a pushing shovel, I haven’t read good things about ergonomic handle shovels, and although I wanted one with an auxiliary lifting handle, I figured I’d do just fine with a traditional shovel design.
Although 51″ long, I wish the handle was half a foot or so longer.
Oh, and the “shock absorbing D-handle grip” was NOT what I expected. I expected a cushioned handle, but what I got was a handle with spring section. But, it seems handy.
So far, I’m not complaining. There’s a small sharp plastic part on the side of the D-handle, which I’ll slice off as soon as I have a chance, but other than that, the shovel arrived in good shape.
The shock absorbing part is very strange, but works well. It’s rigid, but gives in a little when pushed hard. Instead of transmitting a lot of return pressure to my hands, especially when hitting hard ice, the spring stores some of the force.
Shoveling will make you all kinds of sore, so any kind of relief is going to be well appreciated.
I threw out the label, as it came off with the bubble wrap that was taped around the scoop for shipping, but I believe it said the shovel was made in USA. Sorry, I should have tried harder to save the label.
See Also: Favorite Winter Tools & Supplies
I used the shovel this past weekend, and it didn’t give me any reason to doubt my purchasing decision. I bought a Suncast shovel years ago, for digging out my car in poorly plowed dorm parking lots, and the name stuck in my mind. Aside from that, I didn’t know a thing about Suncast.
I think that shovel was the Suncast SC1350 ($22 via Amazon), which is a more basic 18″ shovel, also with steel leading edge wear strip.
Is this the best winter snow shovel? Probably not. But I spent some time searching for well recommended models, and came across many gimmicks that received very mixed responses.
I need a couple of more snow storms worth of testing before I can tell you how well this Suncast shovel holds up over time. My basic Suncast never broke down on me after a couple of years of use, and so I hold this one to high expectations.
With there being so many unconventional designs, I decided to go tried and true, not knowing about this model’s shock-absorbing handle. There will always be opportunities to try out one of those unique and ergonomic designs.
Back to the point – Do you have a favorite brand/style/size or winter snow shovel that you would consider “The Best?”
The more popular models are probably all sold out by now, but hopefully your input will still help with others’ research efforts for next year.
And if you’re looking for snow-clearing gear for your car, check out these recommendations:
Why I keep an Avalanche Shovel in My Car (via GearGuyd) – I’ll need to replace mine soon, since 6+ winters of snow-chopping and asphalt-scraping hard use has really roughened up the front of the blade.
I Still Love Mallory Heavy Duty Snow Brushes – After 6 winters of use, my first Mallory snow brush is still going strong, albeit with a slightly worn scraper blade.