I would have never dreamt in a million years I would find myself deciding if the “make” and “model” of a shovel mattered.
A shovel is a shovel is a shovel.
Unless it has been ergonomically designed, attaches to the family pet and allows him or her to fly through the depths on the sidewalks with the greatest of ease, clearing the way for the mailman and all other holiday splendor, O.K. Back to reality!
For shovelers 101, yes, the make and the model of your shovel is in direct proportion with the make and model of your spine. In other words, how much sweat and pain do you want to exert during shoveling? A good shovel is a choice.
A friend who owns a large local and reputable landscape company tells me that Garant’s Alpine 30” is the shovel of choice for his snow removal crews. Upon a recent conversation, he said “the old plow type shovels are always left behind at the shop since the discovery of the yellow Garant Alpine 30” and we discovered it at Ace Hardware”. Based on good information, I will be giving this shovel a whirl this winter.
If you are looking for the “plow” type I suggest trying the red Garant Nordic with a 24” blade, which resembles the good old fashion “plow” shovel, the Nordic has less of an angle than the Alpine and does not have the re-enforced sides This shovel is great if you are merely pushing a cpl inch snowfall and not picking it up.
Of course with any shovel it helps if you keep them clean. With polymer types you can spray them with a silicone coating and the snow flies off of them. For metal blades use WD40 – it will have the same effect – even PAM cooking spray or other thin organic oils will work just as well.
Keep in mind; shoveling has been called the greatest cardio workout! So if you want to keep your heart and back completely out of the equation, than the only good shovel is the one in someone else’s hand!! 😉
A great product can often be as a hidden treasure, so by all means, if you know of one – share –
