Round point
Round point shovels are good for digging in soft to medium hard soil. They can penetrate the soil by stepping on the top edge of the metal shovel head and working the tip into the earth.
Square point
Square point shovels are not very good for digging in undisturbed ground. The blade is more blunt than a round point or spade shovel with sides slightly curved up. It is hard to get the shovel to penetrate undisturbed ground. Square point shovels are good for moving heavy loose bulk items like topsoil and stone less than 3”. This type of shovel is especially good for shoveling a delivered pile of bulk material off a paved or cement surface. When filling the shovel shove the shovel along the smooth top surface of the driveway under the stone and it will bury deep into the pile making it easy to get a full shovel.
Spade shovel
Spade shovels are good for digging. They typically come in 4” and 6” wide and will penetrate medium to hard undisturbed earth. These work better than rounded shovels for make straight dug out holes and trenches. These shovels don’t work well for moving heavy materials from a pile to another location or for filling up wheelbarrows. The lack of sides and the fairly flat shape make it so they don’t hold much material.
Scoop shovel
Scoop shovels are good for moving bulk lightweight materials like fine mulch. They work similar to the square point shovel except they have much higher volume capacity. Just like the Square point shovel, the key to getting good scoop shovel full is working off the bottom of the pile shoving the shovel in along the smooth hard surface into the pile. Scoop shovels are not for digging but they can be useful in the winter if you need to move a snow pile which has grown unexpectedly large. You can also use a scoop shovel to sit on and slide down a hill although this is not recommended.
Trenching shovel
Trenching shovels are constructed as a narrow scoop with a slight banana shape. They do penetrate undisturbed soil nicely. The shape allows digging of narrow trenches by being able to get a shovel full out of tight spots. The slight banana shape and curved edges allows it to be able to get more soil out the hole or trench each time than a spade shovel.
Snow Shovel
There are more shapes and sizes of snow shovels than any other type of shovel. Snow shovels typically range in width from 18” to 36” with a 24” plastic pusher combo the most common. These days snow shovels are mostly curved up towards the back which helps the snow roll over itself as it is pushed forward.
Nearly useless is the old flat shovels which are meant to get a shovel full of snow then throw it on a pile. The idea with the pushers is that when shoved quickly forward the snow rolls or shoots forward like a wave in the direction you are thrusting the shovel. This snow spraying forward is desirable because then you do not have to physically lift the snow and throw it. The thrusting of the shovel moves more snow with less effort. Most of the pushers like that now incorporate an 8" or 10" long flat portion of the shovel so when some snow does need to be scooped up say near the edge of a driveway or walk, it can do that also.
The other choice to make is plastic or steel construction. All steel shovels are very durable will last a long time but tend to be very heavy. Every time you move the shovel you are moving extra weight. A large steel shovel would typically only be preferred by a big aggressive shoveller. Plastic shovels are lighter; they do wear out quicker, which typically is not a big issue. If you do it professionally you may go through a few shovels a year, still not a big deal if it works for you.
Some plastic shovels come with a metal strip on the leading edge. These types of shovels (and the steel shovels) clean up stuck ice and snow better than a shovel without the metal leading edge, but the metal strip or metal shovel is more likely to get caught on sidewalk ridges and other pavement irregularities. If walks are heavily maintained often times the professionals prefer a non-metal lip on the plastic shovel. As a plastic shovel wears down it often wears down nicely so the leading edge is flat and continues to function nicely even when a substantial amount of plastic is wore down.
Shovel Summary:
There are numerous other variations of handle configurations, scoop shape size, and metal plastic combinations. Each manufacturer tries to out-do the other with a new and improved handle or whatever, but basically its still work to shovel snow. Preferred shovel size is typically related to the size of the shoveller. Smaller people generally will want to work with a small 18” shovel. Larger or aggressive shovellers typically prefer larger shovels sometimes up to 36” wide.
When shoveling snow, especially if you are not physically active, pay close attention to posture and hand positioning. Keep in mind general lifting rules, in other words be nice to your spine. When you lift a shovel full of snow the closer the snow is to your body the less heavy it will seem. Consider your best techniques given your own physical condition.
There are often short and long handle choices for shovels. Short handle shovels force you to have the shovelhead closer to your body. This may be beneficial for shovels which are designed to have a lot of weight and/or volume where you may want the extra leverage and control.
Even the best shovels are not indestructible. At some point in a landscape construction you will find yourself reefing back to pry a rock or root loose. A shovel is not a pry bar, before reefing on your shovel consider that it’s a 1” round stick, which has a breaking point. Consider this especially if you are physically fit and over 200 lbs. Your foot pressure can be enough to bend the head, and you will be able to break the handle easily when using a shovel as a pry bar.
Boulders
