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| Most helpful customer reviews 36 of 37 people found the following review helpful. I found this product more ergonomic, more efficient, and more effective than single-shafted shovels I have used, including the S-curved or crooked “ergonomic” shafted shovel, when it comes to pushing, scooping/lifting/dumping, and/or sliding/dragging/transporting snow to where it needs to go at large clumps at a time. The downside would be that, when using it for scooping/lifting, the dumping movement can be difficult compared to the single-shaft shovels. Ergonomics is key with choosing a snow shovel because it is so easy to throw one’s back out or otherwise injure oneself during shoveling. Usually this comes from having to bend over constantly, as standard single-shaft shovels require. The “ergonomic” crooked-shaft shovel is an improvement but is not designed for optimal push/plow style snow-moving. I list the pro’s and con’s of the product as follows: PRO: 1. for pushing it is efficient, effective, and ergonomic. it’s hard to imagine another design better for pushing snow. The mouth of the blade is wide enough for pushing in broad, efficient swathes. of course, most standard pusher shovels also feature wide heads, but this product allows for greater force and leverage for pushing due to two shafts splitting the burden between two points of force rather than concentrating all the burden at the center point. And because the grips are bent at a 90 degrees up from the main shaft, it allows for greater leverage in pushing from the hands, versus a straight shaft where there is limited space to place the hands for pushing position at the butt end of the handle. For pushing snow, the two parallel hand grips of the subject product are ergonomically superior to the single-shaft variety (including the crooked-shaft or S-shaft “ergonomic” shovel) for reasons that should feel obvious upon use. It allows for better body alignment for effortless forward thrust, with both arms sharing the burden equally supported by the torso both upright and symetrically square behind it, thus saving the back and/or legs from unnecessary strain. In contrast, the use of a single/straight shaft push shovel would require the body to be somewhat profiled, as one hand must grip further forward than the other. (I am not aware of any single-shaft push-shovels with crooked “ergonomic” shafts, but I haven’t looked for them either) The rear hand and the rear side of the body ends up with most of the burden, plus the back must be slightly inclined forward for heavier pushes. also, unlike some prior commentors, I had zero problems with the metal edge catching the pavement, but note that I have asphalt for sidewalk and for driveway rather than concrete, so maybe that explains the difference. If anything, there were a few times when I repeated the same push-movement (i.e., drew back and plowed over the same area again) to pick up a layer snow that had been left behind at the first attempt, but not more than what happens when I use single-shaft plastic-headed snows shovels. Warning though: At the beginning of the job, there was far too much snow to move and no hope of using the shovel to push/plow–I had to rely on scoop/lift mode for the first hour at least. later when there were loose clumps here and there that needed quick moving, the pushing functionality came in handy and helped me get the job done quickly with little effort. 2. Ergonomic scooping/lifting. 3. Dragging/sliding/”wheelbarrowing”. Often there’s no nearby place to dump snow. When that happened, I simply placed the snow-filled shovel scoop on the ground and dragged it where it needed to go, while keeping my hand low and my arm straight down. In the alternative, sometimes I pushed it forward with the scoop ahead rather than behind, depending on what was more convenient at the time. none of the contents of the scoop should spill out en route while I held the handle low. thus, it served a function not unlike a wheelbarrow. not sure if single-shaft shovels could do the same without spillage. 4. Sledding. Ever used a shovel as an impromptu sled? I haven’t tried it with the subject product but is likely to be at least as effective if not more so than the standard shovel. likely to be more comfortable at the seat area due to the large scoop. i have yet to try this, but i would consider having the handle end face downhill, sitting in the scoop, leaning forward and gripping the handhold nearest the scoop, kicking off with my feet and then placing both heels in the crooked part of handle as i slide down. should work. if it does i’ll take my 4-yr-old for a ride in my lap. CONS: 1. Too heavy for hurling snow. Due to its twin-shaft design, it is more difficult to release snow than with the single-shaft shovel. When I use a single-shaft shovel, after scooping I usually swung/flung the contents of the shovel back over my shoulder, thereby hurling it like a catapult shot to the target vicinity (because the movement flows from the scooping movement and uses the same momentum). The subject product is noticeably heavier than the single-shaft shovel and does not lend itself to big swinging movements for catapult-hurling or lacross-stick-style slinging, unless you are purposely going for a workout for workout’s sake, which is usually not my goal when I have a driveway and sidewalk to clear after a blizzard. This “con” did not detract from the usefulness of the item, however, as I simply used other methods of releasing snow. (see below.) 2. Twist-dump can be awkward. The twist-dump method is relevatively cumbersome because it requires grip-changing with the hands to avoid awkward positioning of the wrists and elbows. I found that if my left hand were gripping at the foregrip, then dumping snow to my right placed my left arm in an uncomfortable arm-bar position that came close to hyperextending my left elbow. In hindsight, it would work better to dump to the left, over the front shoulder, which would require turning my left hand supine, which is a weaker position ergonomically. the left elbow should bend as well and stay low & close to your side. I’ll try it after the next snowfall. This “con” did not detract from the usefulness of the product, as I was able to adapt as needed. 3. I read on the Amazon product description that the scoop is reversible for close-quarters maneuvering, but I have not tried that functionality. I would most likely switch to a smaller shovel for that, rather than removing my mitten-shells and then removing my liner gloves, exposing my fingers just to fiddle around with detaching and reattaching parts that are already cold and wet. No matter, I did not purchase the product with the reversibility function in mind. 4. generally heavier than the standard shovel. despite its ergonomic advantages, it is still not optimal for use as a lifter by waifish pregnant people, like my wife. for pushing, its optimal for use by anyone, waifs and expectings alike. in summary I found that the Pro’s outweighed the Con’s (for me anyway) and so I recommend this product. However, I paid less for it at Home Depot, where I think it was $35, than the $50 marked here on Amazon. then again i bought it about two months ago, maybe it’s gone up since then. –Mike 14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. |
ergonomic, efficient and effective at moving snow
Love the design, not sure about the wear strip
