You don't actually want a snow shovel for heavy snow. It works like a plow and cannot sustain the weight of being fully loaded with snow. Instead you want a square shovel. While smaller than a snow shovel it can be used to both break the ice underneath and load up on snow. Remember, kids, water weighs about 7.4 lbs per gallon and we're looking at about 2.5 gallons of water on that shovel. 15-20 lbs per swing is bad on both aluminum and you; even if he had a "good" snow shovel.
Metal scoops for wet heavy snow, plastic long blades (or good leaf blowers) for clearing light accumulation, and 2 stage snow blowers for this shit. Moving to MN taught me the right tool for job. And F the plow guys who just keep coming around pushing g big chunks of wet snow and ice right back into your drive after you finished.
For a moment, I thought when the end part lightly hit the side of the house, I was expecting any snow on the roof to fall off right where they were walking to.
You have to get right on it most of the time. Wait too long and you face ^that^. Snow frequently falls very close to the freeze/thaw point; but a few hours later very cold air comes along and makes it hard as a rock and pretty much unremovable.
that snow shovel design is genuinely one of the best you can have. the plastic didn't give out, the wooden shaft did. as long as you can break through to the surface under the ice, you can clear the ice. I usually don't because you can just take off the top layer and salt the rest and it's a lot less work for the same result. some versions of it are made of metal or have a metal blade, and they are not as good because the metal catches and doesn't spring back as easily
I've got that exact shovel and it works great...FOR IT'S INTENDED PURPOSE OF PUSHING LOOSE SNOW. It is not meant to scrape up ice off of asphalt. I have a metal shovel for that. It's like complaining that a screwdriver breaks when you use it as a chisel.
I feel bad for laughing because I know this man's frustration. If you've lived somewhere that gets a decent snowfall each year then you probably understand it as well.
I moved to a snowy place a little over a year ago. Haven't had to shovel yet because I live in an apartment, but if/when I get a place of my own I guess I'll have this to "look forward to".
If you can, get a snowblower and make sure to clear the snow before walking or driving on it (driveway) if possible. Those two things will save you a tremendous amount of work. Also, it may sound pointless but clearing away some snow, while it's still snowing, will help if you are going to have a heavy snowfall.
That said, I fucking hate snow and I want out of here. Lol.
It's fine for smooth pavement and such. But it's the worst fucking thing in the world if you have some poorly laid brick path where everything catches on to it
The arguments that broke out between me and my brother over what constituted "half the driveway." Towards moving out age I literally just did it all because it was good exercise and I ain't having this argument anymore. And I liked it. Now I'm old. And don't. Hey its gonna blizzard here tomorrow. My total sidewalk-age is probably more than that driveway...? At least more for effort. Where you from originally?
Its a snow pusher shovel. Not meant for throwing snow, or breaking up ice. Its meant for keeping walkways /driveways clear by doing continuous pushes into piles. Works great, but gotta use the right tool for the job.
I have owned many a plastic shovel in my days but never one with that shape and angle since the regular ones ahve worked just fine for every kind of work except pure ice
These work nice if its fresh snow, or only a few inches, like just keeping a walkway clear. Much less bending, no throwing, and goes quicker, but its situational. Regular snow shovel is great as an all-arounder, but its nice to have one of these in addition for situations where it works.
I hate those kinds of handles. It's a physical job, it's not simply about "the right tool" it's what feels comfortable and keeps you from getting stress injuries
I have a feeling that this might be a materials problem. The design is essentially identical to the one my Dad bought when I was a little kid, and that lasted until after I left home. New plastics are typically pretty shit compared to the ones from the 80's, and the commercial-grades ones used in the 80's were kind of shit compared to the ones from decades earlier, etc. I've got a feeling that the shovel above would flex if you tried bending it with your hand(s)...
That's simply not true. Yes theres been a rend of cheap Chinese goods using super cheap and substand plastics. But old plastic was not better and absolutely not pre 80s plastic. There's amazingly strong modern plastics. Just not in the 5$ shovel.
100% it was, I was there, and the newer formulations are substandard. I'm not talking about $5 shovels, I'm talking near-identical equivalents built decades apart with shittier materials.
You are a chemist with a background in plastics? Or you just used consumer goods back then and are basing it on that. Because that doesn't counter what I said. Plastics used in consumer goods have often gotten cheaper and worse as consumer goods fell in overall price. In the industrial world there are ridiculously strong and advanced plastics in use and available that would not have been possible.
Listen dude, quit fucking around with this idiotic credentials talk, as if I need a degree in chemical engineering to know that the consumer-grade plastics decades ago weren't as pathetic as they are now. I don't even care about the price, and yes, I'm aware that foreign manufactured goods are produced to a certain price point. That's not what I'm talking about, I've handled/used examples from different years over that span, and I'm fucking telling you that the new ones are dogshit, 5$ or not.
Plastic shovel with a metal edge for the driveway. Childs shovel for the deck/stairs. 3 piece shovel in the car. 2' wide shovel with a 12' handle for the roof. Spade for when the plow guy drops his road boogers in the driveway and I don't find them until they are frozen solid.
If you live with snow, you live with multiple snow tools - some of which you also use in the garden. This guy must have just moved there, because he would be using something else for this. That plow works great ONLY when the snow is fresh and shallow, and the surface under is very smooth.
i have this exact shovel and it has the metal edge. the issue is it's more of a pusher, especially if you notice the handle shape, which is designed for 2 hands at once.
those are heavy, as someone whos spent 30+ hours shoveling snow in the last 2 months, a light shovel is nice. if that was his only shovel, he needed to shovel during the snow. braced shovels are good for pushing, but if your digging your way to your car and the snow bank is at eye level a shovel thats lighter than the snow your moving makes it easier.
They gotten better over the years, I now call them "medium to medium-heavy duty" gear. Rather than breaks on first try. Just the other day I was there and saw a nice ratchet... The switch for clockwise - counter clockwise said.. "on, off". Brilliant and funny design.
thats a light weight shovel not meant to scrape ice off the ground. his problem was the ground wasnt frozen when it snowed and hes not leaving an inch or so of snow to avoid the ice.
sure its a cheap shovel, but you can break any tool if you use it wrong enough. use a drill as a hammer and youll break your drill. use a snow shovel as an ice scrapper and you break your shovel.
I don't even think its necessarily user error. I mean, the error was buying something so cheap its barely usable for anything, I guess that is user error if you look at it the right way. But even a decent snow pusher should be able to hold up way more than this. This is such a small amount of snow. Even if its been hardened, this shouldnt happen from a quality shovel. I live in the midwest and grew up in a very frugal household. I've used all sorts of shovels. Never had one break from this^
LegionPothIX
You don't actually want a snow shovel for heavy snow. It works like a plow and cannot sustain the weight of being fully loaded with snow. Instead you want a square shovel. While smaller than a snow shovel it can be used to both break the ice underneath and load up on snow. Remember, kids, water weighs about 7.4 lbs per gallon and we're looking at about 2.5 gallons of water on that shovel. 15-20 lbs per swing is bad on both aluminum and you; even if he had a "good" snow shovel.
Xbgt1
I think he would be better off with a bag of salt
sometimesarobot
Yeah that shovel's angle was all wrong
nintendolunchbox
I expected snow to fall off the roof at the end
JackieTreehornProductions
Metal scoops for wet heavy snow, plastic long blades (or good leaf blowers) for clearing light accumulation, and 2 stage snow blowers for this shit. Moving to MN taught me the right tool for job. And F the plow guys who just keep coming around pushing g big chunks of wet snow and ice right back into your drive after you finished.
surroundedbytwits
/gallery/xqreFsG
OtisTDrunk
malicart
Plastic shovels are the dumbest tool ever invented after the wet paper tool bag.
kaijuuGold
got my fam a torch broom for this reason
Sidewaysgts
When I hear people say things like “I wanna live somewhere where it snows” - this is the kind of stuff that immediately comes to my mind first.
discostewsm
For a moment, I thought when the end part lightly hit the side of the house, I was expecting any snow on the roof to fall off right where they were walking to.
chaylar
that is flat metal shovel snow.
jappie348
Feel it trough the screen? You can just SEE it
ArcadiaBerger
You feel so DUMB when you break a tool.
StephenDaniels
You have to get right on it most of the time. Wait too long and you face ^that^. Snow frequently falls very close to the freeze/thaw point; but a few hours later very cold air comes along and makes it hard as a rock and pretty much unremovable.
CrazyCatLad
Nuke that fucking snow from orbit, my dude.
usernametakenisthestoryofmylife
Wrong tool. That's a snow pusher, not a shovel.
malicart
It is garbage no matter what.
AyatollahBahloni
PutThePRNDLinD
Rookie mistake, you don't need to push that kind of snow, people just shovel it.
StopCallingMeIAmNotYourBrother
Even a metal pusher will break if you try to use it to lift shovel wet snow. Wrong tool for the job.
Haiddon
that snow shovel design is genuinely one of the best you can have. the plastic didn't give out, the wooden shaft did. as long as you can break through to the surface under the ice, you can clear the ice. I usually don't because you can just take off the top layer and salt the rest and it's a lot less work for the same result. some versions of it are made of metal or have a metal blade, and they are not as good because the metal catches and doesn't spring back as easily
Davedavedavedavedave
Need a chipper, my dude
oldguyexlurker
JStengah
I've got that exact shovel and it works great...FOR IT'S INTENDED PURPOSE OF PUSHING LOOSE SNOW. It is not meant to scrape up ice off of asphalt. I have a metal shovel for that. It's like complaining that a screwdriver breaks when you use it as a chisel.
inchoroi
We moved *way* up north a few years ago. The first thing I bought when we put in a bid on the house here? A snow blower.
EmeraldLight
Congrats on the money
hipifreq
Use a steel transfer shovel to break the ice. A snow shovel is just for snow
friendsofsandwiches
sometimes that's all the place carries.
Nim449
Time to find another place
PleaseRespectMyAsshole
I feel bad for laughing because I know this man's frustration. If you've lived somewhere that gets a decent snowfall each year then you probably understand it as well.
3Davideo
I moved to a snowy place a little over a year ago. Haven't had to shovel yet because I live in an apartment, but if/when I get a place of my own I guess I'll have this to "look forward to".
PleaseRespectMyAsshole
If you can, get a snowblower and make sure to clear the snow before walking or driving on it (driveway) if possible. Those two things will save you a tremendous amount of work. Also, it may sound pointless but clearing away some snow, while it's still snowing, will help if you are going to have a heavy snowfall.
That said, I fucking hate snow and I want out of here. Lol.
swedeonamoose
Ngl that shovel looks badly designed to begin with.
nik282000
And yet he still bought it.
Mohareb
It's fine for smooth pavement and such. But it's the worst fucking thing in the world if you have some poorly laid brick path where everything catches on to it
IWantToHugEveryCat
As an ex professional snow shoveler from Finland I agree with you.
PineappleLoopsBroether
That’s a kids shovel. Man I don’t miss shoveling snow. We had a huge driveway growing up.
GravyEducation
The arguments that broke out between me and my brother over what constituted "half the driveway." Towards moving out age I literally just did it all because it was good exercise and I ain't having this argument anymore. And I liked it. Now I'm old. And don't.
Hey its gonna blizzard here tomorrow. My total sidewalk-age is probably more than that driveway...? At least more for effort. Where you from originally?
kwyjjibo
Its a snow pusher shovel. Not meant for throwing snow, or breaking up ice. Its meant for keeping walkways /driveways clear by doing continuous pushes into piles. Works great, but gotta use the right tool for the job.
swedeonamoose
I have owned many a plastic shovel in my days but never one with that shape and angle since the regular ones ahve worked just fine for every kind of work except pure ice
kwyjjibo
These work nice if its fresh snow, or only a few inches, like just keeping a walkway clear. Much less bending, no throwing, and goes quicker, but its situational. Regular snow shovel is great as an all-arounder, but its nice to have one of these in addition for situations where it works.
GravyEducation
I hate those kinds of handles. It's a physical job, it's not simply about "the right tool" it's what feels comfortable and keeps you from getting stress injuries
circlebreaker
I have a feeling that this might be a materials problem. The design is essentially identical to the one my Dad bought when I was a little kid, and that lasted until after I left home. New plastics are typically pretty shit compared to the ones from the 80's, and the commercial-grades ones used in the 80's were kind of shit compared to the ones from decades earlier, etc. I've got a feeling that the shovel above would flex if you tried bending it with your hand(s)...
Haiddon
the point is that it's flexible. it springs back easily. it wouldn't be nearly as good if it were rigid
BrdCdn
That's simply not true. Yes theres been a rend of cheap Chinese goods using super cheap and substand plastics. But old plastic was not better and absolutely not pre 80s plastic. There's amazingly strong modern plastics. Just not in the 5$ shovel.
circlebreaker
100% it was, I was there, and the newer formulations are substandard. I'm not talking about $5 shovels, I'm talking near-identical equivalents built decades apart with shittier materials.
BrdCdn
You are a chemist with a background in plastics? Or you just used consumer goods back then and are basing it on that. Because that doesn't counter what I said. Plastics used in consumer goods have often gotten cheaper and worse as consumer goods fell in overall price. In the industrial world there are ridiculously strong and advanced plastics in use and available that would not have been possible.
circlebreaker
Listen dude, quit fucking around with this idiotic credentials talk, as if I need a degree in chemical engineering to know that the consumer-grade plastics decades ago weren't as pathetic as they are now. I don't even care about the price, and yes, I'm aware that foreign manufactured goods are produced to a certain price point. That's not what I'm talking about, I've handled/used examples from different years over that span, and I'm fucking telling you that the new ones are dogshit, 5$ or not.
grumpabeme
I like using a plastic grain shovel. That works to break up some ice as well.
InablueMule
I use an aluminum but should get a plastic. Lotsa designs ,not all work for every kind of snow.
grumpabeme
Honestly, it also depends on what type of snow your area typically gets what type of snow shovel works best.
InablueMule
We get every kind.
GTPTB
Aluminum grain shovel for me. With the long handle for extra catapult action.
Foire
The ya…est of the yeets, heck yeah. :D
oopsydsy
Plastic shovel with a metal edge for the driveway. Childs shovel for the deck/stairs. 3 piece shovel in the car. 2' wide shovel with a 12' handle for the roof. Spade for when the plow guy drops his road boogers in the driveway and I don't find them until they are frozen solid.
LinemanMatt
I'll just keep living in the desert thanks. I was walking around in shorts & a t-shirt today.
oopsydsy
It was 4 when I woke up. I wore 5 layers of clothing to work and by the end of the day it was 25 and I was down to 3. It was a good day.
PutThePRNDLinD
It's a snow shovel...not an ice shovel.
xxPaulCPxx
If you live with snow, you live with multiple snow tools - some of which you also use in the garden. This guy must have just moved there, because he would be using something else for this. That plow works great ONLY when the snow is fresh and shallow, and the surface under is very smooth.
Snooj
I wouldn't even call it a shovel, it's a plow or a pusher. The wide base isn't meant for conditions like that. You want a shovel or a scoop.
akambe
It's not even a snow shovel. It's a snow pusher.
astrangehop
Grain shovel usually works great. Gotta wax it so the snow doesnt stick though.
malicart
Just keep it outside, it will stay cold and the snow doesn't stick.
thedill2000
Good show shovels have metal bars on the tip for exactly this reason.
SayRamrod
i have this exact shovel and it has the metal edge. the issue is it's more of a pusher, especially if you notice the handle shape, which is designed for 2 hands at once.
malicart
Good snow shovels are made of metal and wood.
ProphetofEntropy
those are heavy, as someone whos spent 30+ hours shoveling snow in the last 2 months, a light shovel is nice. if that was his only shovel, he needed to shovel during the snow. braced shovels are good for pushing, but if your digging your way to your car and the snow bank is at eye level a shovel thats lighter than the snow your moving makes it easier.
thedill2000
Idk, my lightweight one with a metal tip works real good. Here in Denver at only get deep snow a couple times a year though
IAlwaysUpvoteLowBudgetCreativeWork
still shouldn't break that easy.
TheStealthHippopotamus
Depends on how many years he’s been using it. Every tool breaks given enough time
imnotinthewitnessprotectionprogram
Must be Harbor Freight
RandomHeroNC
It'll either break first use or last forever
azgrak1
Not all Harbor Freight is garbage anymore. Icon wrenches are made by former Snapon engineers. They actually test out as really, really good.
Canigetbannedagain2
They gotten better over the years, I now call them "medium to medium-heavy duty" gear. Rather than breaks on first try. Just the other day I was there and saw a nice ratchet... The switch for clockwise - counter clockwise said.. "on, off". Brilliant and funny design.
ProphetofEntropy
thats a light weight shovel not meant to scrape ice off the ground. his problem was the ground wasnt frozen when it snowed and hes not leaving an inch or so of snow to avoid the ice.
Drives11
It looks like it literally has a metal scraper on the bottom, which it would only have if it was meant for scraping ice.
ProphetofEntropy
wear edge. "so people think it will last"
Atomic2
His problem is he has a garbage tier shovel. Something sold at a gas station for like $10 or something.
ProphetofEntropy
sure its a cheap shovel, but you can break any tool if you use it wrong enough. use a drill as a hammer and youll break your drill. use a snow shovel as an ice scrapper and you break your shovel.
Atomic2
I don't even think its necessarily user error. I mean, the error was buying something so cheap its barely usable for anything, I guess that is user error if you look at it the right way. But even a decent snow pusher should be able to hold up way more than this. This is such a small amount of snow. Even if its been hardened, this shouldnt happen from a quality shovel. I live in the midwest and grew up in a very frugal household. I've used all sorts of shovels. Never had one break from this^