The best snow shovel is an 18 inch poly combination blade with a wear strip, because it pushes light snow and still lifts a wet load without wrecking your back. Our picks below cover that shovel plus a pusher for light snow, a metal blade for frozen crust, a sleigh style shovel for long driveways, and two designs that take the lifting off your back.
Disclosure: some links in this guide are affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Spear Head Spade earns from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you, and it never changes our honest, use-based recommendations.
Most people own one snow shovel and use it for everything, which is why shoveling feels worse than it needs to. Snow is not one job. Six inches of dry powder on a long driveway wants a wide pusher you never lift. The frozen ridge the plow leaves at the driveway wants a metal edge that cuts instead of skidding.
One thing up front: we make garden spades, not snow shovels, so every pick below is somebody else's tool. We ranked them on blade width against blade weight, wear strip material, and handle geometry.
Best snow shovels at a glance
| Snow shovel | Best for | Blade | Handle | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| True Temper 1603400 (best overall) | Mixed jobs: pushing light snow, lifting the rest | 18 inch poly combination blade, nylon wear strip | 54 inch total, 37.4 inch ergonomic handle, oversized D grip | amazon, about $37 |
| Garant Yukon YPM18EAKD (best bent handle) | Long sessions without stooping | 18 inch blade, pushes and scoops | Curved lightweight aluminum handle | amazon, about $93 |
| Suncast 24 inch Steel Core pusher (best pusher) | Dry snow 3 to 4 inches deep on paved surfaces | 24 inch curved resin blade, angled ribs | Powder coated steel shaft, comfort D grip | amazon, about $40 |
| True Temper 1641200 aluminum (best for heavy or wet snow) | Slush, packed snow, plow crust | 18 inch aluminum blade, steel wear strip | Ergonomic steel handle, oversized D grip | amazon, about $55 |
| The Snowplow Original 36 inch (best sleigh style) | Long driveways, decks, rinks, no lifting at all | 36 inch virgin UHMW polyethylene, non-stick | Thick wall metal handle, patented brace | amazon, about $76 |
| Snow Joe Shovelution SJ-SHLV20 (best for seniors) | Anyone who should be lifting less | Impact resistant blades, sold as a two pack | Spring assist second handle, D ring grips | amazon, about $79 for two |
What is the best snow shovel?
The best snow shovel for most driveways is an 18 inch poly combination blade with a wear strip and an oversized D grip, like the True Temper 1603400. It pushes light snow and lifts the heavy stuff without the weight of a wide blade. Add a 24 inch pusher if your driveway is long.
That answer holds because 18 inches is the honest limit of a blade you plan to pick up. A shovelful of dry powder weighs almost nothing, so wide blades feel great in December. The same blade full of March slush is a heavy load swinging at the end of a lever. Buying one shovel means buying for the worst snow of the year, not the best.
The combination blade is the other half: a nearly flat pusher blade will not hold a load, and a deep scoop blade drags when you push it.
The best snow shovels, by job
1. True Temper 1603400: best snow shovel overall
Buy this one if you are buying only one shovel. The 18 inch combination blade is built for both shoveling and pushing, so one pass can shove the loose top layer down the walk and then lift what is left. At 54 inches with a 37.4 inch ergonomic handle, your upper hand sits high enough that you lever rather than bend, and the oversized D grip fits a winter glove.
The nylon wear strip is the detail that matters for anyone with a deck, a patio, or stamped concrete. True Temper says it prolongs blade life without damaging deck, patio, and other ground surfaces, so the same shovel goes from driveway to back steps without leaving marks. On plain concrete you would rather have steel, which is pick four.
Get it on amazon for about $37. Where it loses: a nylon strip wears faster than steel on rough concrete, and 18 inches is slow going on a three car driveway.
2. Garant Yukon YPM18EAKD: best bent handle snow shovel
An ergonomic snow shovel earns its keep in the second half hour, not the first. The Yukon uses a curved handle specifically to reduce back strain, which in practice keeps your upper hand higher and your spine straighter through a long session. The 18 inch blade both pushes and scoops, so it works like the overall pick with a shaft that does more of the ergonomic work for you.
The handle is aluminum, which keeps the tool light and is why Garant rates it for intensive use, and Garant also rates the shovel resistant to very low temperatures. It ships as a tool free knock down, so there is no hardware to lose in the snow.
About $93 on amazon. Where it loses: an aluminum shaft is cold in your hands, and it costs more than double the overall pick for the same width.
3. Suncast 24 inch Steel Core pusher: best snow pusher for light snow
A pusher is the fastest way to clear a driveway, as long as you use it on the snow it was built for. Suncast is direct: this one is most effective on dry snow 3 to 4 inches deep, on smooth paved surfaces. Inside that window you walk the driveway pushing a 24 inch curved resin blade and never lift anything.
The build suits a tool that gets shoved into things: a steel shaft with a rust resistant powder coat, an angled rib pattern that helps keep snow from sticking, and a comfort D grip sized for control. The curved blade is what Suncast credits for efficient clearing, and it separates a pusher from a flat plow blade.
About $40 on amazon, and the best second tool most households can buy. Where it loses: on gravel, on wet heavy snow, or on anything past about 4 inches, it stops being a shortcut.
4. True Temper 1641200 aluminum: best for heavy or wet snow
Wet snow and plow crust defeat plastic blades for the same reason: a thick poly edge flexes and skids across a hard surface instead of getting underneath. This 18 inch aluminum shovel keeps a thin rigid edge with a steel wear strip specified for concrete and asphalt, so the blade cuts into a compacted mass and slides along the pavement rather than riding over it.
The aluminum blade is light for a metal one, which is why you buy metal at 18 inches rather than 24. The handle is an ergonomic steel design meant to reduce back strain and hand fatigue, with an oversized D grip for gloves, and the blade shape lets you push as well as lift.
About $55 on amazon. Where it loses: a steel wear strip will scratch composite decking and pavers, so keep this one off delicate surfaces.
5. The Snowplow Original 36 inch: best sleigh style shovel for big driveways
A sleigh shovel is any wide blade on a frame you walk forward and never lift, and this is the version we would spend money on. The blade is virgin UHMW polyethylene, which Snowplow calls the highest wearing, impact resistant, cold weather adaptable material available, so snow slides off the face instead of clinging the way it does to generic plastic.
The build targets the failure point of every wide pusher, the joint where the handle meets the blade. Snowplow patented its TUFFBRACE connector for that and uses a metal handle with twice the wall thickness of industry snow shovels, rated for concrete, blacktop, pavers, decks, roofs, and ice rinks.
About $76 on amazon. Where it loses: 36 inches is unmanageable on a narrow walk or a set of steps, and it cannot pick anything up.
6. Snow Joe Shovelution SJ-SHLV20: best snow shovel for seniors
The Shovelution is an ordinary looking shovel with a spring assisted second handle on the shaft, sold as a two pack. That handle changes the mechanics of the lift. It acts as a fulcrum, so the load pivots over it instead of hanging off your lower back, and Snow Joe puts the lifting leverage in your lower hands. The D ring grips and overall geometry are designed to improve posture and reduce how far you bend.
That is the right feature set for anyone who should be lifting less, including older gardeners and anyone who has learned what a driveway does to a back. The blades are impact resistant, so the tool stays light, and the better technique is built into the handle rather than something to remember at hour two.
About $79 for the two pack on amazon. Where it loses: you buy a spare whether you want one or not, though that still works out around $40 a shovel.
Where a garden spade beats a snow shovel
Our own tool is not on this list because the Spear Head Spade is a garden spade, not a snow shovel, and a 40 inch spade is a poor way to move powder. It earns a place in the winter shed for the jobs a snow shovel is bad at: chipping the packed ice a plow leaves at the mouth of a driveway, cutting the vertical face off a snowbank so it stops collapsing across the walk, and breaking a frozen crust into pieces small enough to lift. The blade is a sharpened spear point in tempered carbon-manganese steel, 33 percent thicker and 25 percent harder than standard shovel stock, sharpened tip to tail. Break the ice with the spade, then move it with the shovel.
How to choose a snow shovel
Five decisions cover it. Get these right and the brand matters much less.
- Blade width against blade weight. Eighteen inches is the ceiling for a blade you lift, and 24 to 36 inches is the range for one you only push. Every extra inch is a faster pass and a heavier load, so buy width for pushing and restraint for lifting.
- Wear strip material. The strip along the leading edge is what dies first, and where metal versus plastic gets decided. Steel lasts longest and cuts packed snow and ice, and it will also scratch composite decking, pavers, and stamped concrete. Nylon and coated poly suit light dry snow and wooden decks, protect the surface underneath, and wear out sooner.
- Handle length for your height. Stand the shovel up beside you. The grip should land between your waist and the bottom of your ribs. Too short and you stoop over every load, too long and you cannot get the blade under anything. Most 54 to 58 inch shovels suit adults around six feet.
- D grip against straight shaft. A D grip gives you a defined hand position and control when you turn to dump a load, and it is the only sensible choice in thick gloves. A straight shaft is lighter and lets you slide your hand to change leverage. For weak grip strength, choose the D.
- Storage and reach. The shovel you actually use is the one hanging inside the garage door, not the one behind the mower. Folding and knock down models exist for a reason, and a 36 inch pusher needs a wall you have measured.
One habit worth building: clear early rather than deep, because two passes during a snowfall move half as much weight per pass as one heroic effort afterward. Our guide to winterizing the garden covers what to do before the ground freezes, and our ergonomic tools and techniques guide goes deeper on working without paying for it the next day.
Frequently asked questions
Is a metal or plastic snow shovel better?
Plastic is better for most people: it is lighter, it does not stick as badly, and it will not gouge a wooden deck or pavers. Metal wins on packed snow, ice, and frozen crust, where a thin hard edge cuts instead of skidding. Many gardeners keep one of each.
What size snow shovel should I buy?
Eighteen inches is the right width for a shovel you lift, and 24 to 36 inches for one you only push. Wider blades clear faster but load heavier, and wet snow at 24 inches is more weight than most backs want. Match the width to the job.
What is the best snow shovel for seniors?
A light shovel with a second assist handle or a curved shaft, so you push and lever instead of lifting and twisting. The Snow Joe Shovelution adds a spring assisted upper handle that carries part of the load. Pair it with a pusher and lift as little as possible.
How do you shovel snow without hurting your back?
Push more than you lift, keep every load small, and turn your feet toward where the snow is going instead of twisting at the waist. Lift with your legs rather than your back, hold the shaft close to your body, and clear in layers during a long storm rather than one deep pass.
Do snow shovels need wax?
No, but a coat helps. Silicone spray or paste wax on a poly blade makes wet snow slide off instead of packing, which is the main reason shoveling gets slow. Reapply every few storms. A non-stick blade with ribbing does most of this on its own.
The bottom line
If you buy one snow shovel, buy the True Temper 1603400: an 18 inch combination blade with a wear strip and a handle you can hold in gloves, for about $37. If your driveway is longer than two cars, add the Suncast pusher or the 36 inch Snowplow. If your back is the limiting factor, start with the Shovelution. And if the plow keeps sealing the end of your driveway in ice, that is a job for a sharpened garden spade, not a snow shovel. Considering a powered option? Our guide to the best cordless snow shovels covers what a battery can and cannot do.
