This is a mixed review of the Snowcaster highlighting some of its strengths and some of its weaknesses. After assembling the Snowcaster (this would be slightly easier if the directions or the sheet the bolts were attached to indicated which bolt is which) I immediately went out to tackle the fallen snow. I live in Chicago, we get all kinds of snow–light & fluffy and wet & mushy. The snow I attempted to remove was a mixture of the light and fluffy newly fallen snow and the previously accumulated heavy wet slushy kind.
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The Snowcaster is GREAT for light fluffy snow. You can clear a long sidewalk effortlessly in minutes after a light fluffy snow fall. The Snowcaster hugs the ground tightly making it easy to remove those pressed down chunks of snow that you need to hack at with other shovels. I would give the Snowcaster 5 out 5 stars for use in this type of snow.
Heavy wet snow is more of a problem for the Snowcaster. It requires a lot of effort pushing that stuff around. I am big guy and I can put my weight into it, which really helps. With much effort I was able to move the heavy slushy snow left on the street in front of my house by the snow plow. This is the heaviest snow around because it includes all of the ice and slush. Taking a little at a time and with a lot of room to maneuver I was able to move this forward and out off to the side clearing away a nice parking space on the street for me to place my lawn furniture (a Chicago thing). This was a laborious task, but I think it was easier to do with a Snowcaster than with a traditional shovel. And my snowblower typically chokes on this slushy stuff. If you do it right, you can theoretically still use the Snowcaster to push heavy slushy snow with a lot of pushing and angling. The Snowcaster in this scenario would get a 2.5 out of 5.
The Snowcaster falls flat when the snow has accumulated off to the sides forming a berm higher than the curled Snowcaster blade. A berm of snow taller than the top of the curled Snowcaster blade makes it very hard to push the snow off to the side leaving no place to put the snow–thereby forcing you to push the snow forward. Eventually the accumulated amount of heavy wet snow on the blade gets too heavy to keep pushing forward. If you are trying to clear a typical city sidewalk under these conditions the Snowcaster is not the ideal tool to use. In this situations (heavy accumulated snow, high snow berm on both sides, and a narrow sidewalk) I would give the Snowcaster a 0 out of 5. This isn’t the fault of the Snowcaster, it just isn’t designed for this type of work.
The only other problem is that the Snowcaster hugs the ground. That is not a bad thing–unless you have cracked concrete or some other type of uneven surface. Once you hit that uneven surface you stop dead in your tracks until you are able to maneuver the Snowcasterup and over the obstacle (losing much of the snow in the process). While attempting to use the Snowcaster over uneven surfaces is a negative because of the ground hugging, the ground hugging can also be a positive. The Snowcaster easily removed the crushed snow packed down by a car tire—amazingly peeling it right off the payment without much effort.
I highly recommend the Snowcaster for removing the light fluffy stuff, I give it 2.5 stars on the heavy slushy removal tasks, but I give it a Zero star rating for the task of removing an accumulated amount of heavy slushy snow in a narrow (sidewalk) space with high snow berms on both sides.
After looking and looking for a new snow shovel I finally selected the Snowcaster 36″ Bi-directional Wheeled Snow Pusher.
I am an older female and after last winter’s constant snow and cold, I had to have something that I could handle easier than the traditional snow shovel. Usually my husband shovels but he was hurt in an accident at work last December and so the job fell to me for the winter and I had a hard time with the traditional metal snow shovel. Of course we had more snow and colder temperatures in southern Michigan than we have had for years!!! I figured I better be ready this year!
Putting it together was not hard with the proper tools but I did add a few washers. It is kinda strange looking as it angles to one side and it flops over easy so you can push snow to either side you want. You can also push snow straight by angling the handle. It looks light weight in the picture but it seems well made and the plastic blade, while not tipped with metal, seems thick and substantial enough for the job. I would not want to try to push a foot of heavy snow with it but it handled a couple of inches of wet snow easily.
We have had one snow fall since I received it and I went out to try it while it was still snowing with a couple of inches on the ground. I cleared the concrete apron to the garage in less than 10 mins and it was easy. I went back out after the snow quit and did the apron again and having had a little practice it took even less time to clear the snow! This time I went along the concrete seam instead of trying to cross the uneven seam and it worked better. Once I get the pattern down I will be set. We did have another storm that left about an inch of ice (non-slippery kind…more like a really thick hoar frost) and I just had to try the snow pusher on it. While it did not clear it clean, it worked well and it did take the top layer off so salt would have worked better (if I had some).
End result? Easy to put together with tools. It took longer to get dressed for the outdoor shoveling then the shoveling! Not a good choice for steps or a very small porch. Pushes snow to the side rather than straight (though you can push straight. It has not snowed since my first use so in that respect, it has done its job!!! I am actually looking forward to using it and I know I should be careful what I wish for, but I wish it would snow!!
I look around at things sometime and marvel at how little we’d all have if it had been left up to me to invent stuff.
This Bi-directional Snowcaster and its design would still be unavailable.
It’s lightweight yet sturdy. with hard plastics and a metal handle. Arrives packaged well, and ready to assemble.
It’s gonna take you longer than “10 minutes” but if you take your time and follow the well-drawn instructions, you’ve got something.
The nuts and bolts come in a blister pack, and it’s best to open each blister as you progress. You’ll only need the wrenches mentioned in
the instructions. I’d forget the Pliers they mention, and use a 3/4″ wrench on the outside bolt for the wheels. A lot of complaints here about the
wheels coming off, and now I can understand why…the 3/8″ self-locking nuts are tough to get seated. Best advice is to tighten then down
until you have blood blisters, then get a pair of work gloves or some small hand towels and tighten them some more.
The wheel bolt should be at least flush with the top of the nut when you’re done. I like to lay on a drop of Gorilla glue between all washers and nuts,
to remove all doubt.
When you’re putting it together it will feel like you’re putting it together crooked, and you are. That’s the beauty of the design….you’re pushing the snow away from you, and to one side or the other, at the same time. Brilliant. The frame has 2 “legs”, one short and one long. The long leg
assembles on your left side, and from there it’s pretty simple.
In 65 degree weather ( in February no less) there’s not much to do but admire how well it hangs on the wall in the shop, and look forward
to the next snow day. But meantime, it’s highly recommended.
** Update **
It’s still February, but we’ve recently gotten our share of the snow, so out came the Snowcaster. Sweet.
Up and down the driveway like a champ. It’s true what they say about wet vs dry snow. The wet heavy snow is much more of a chore simply for its weight.
Still, this tool performed. It took a second or two to realize that you always want the “short side” of the blade on the same side your pile will be.
When you change directions just flip it over 180 degrees and keep steppin’. I taped some 1″ foam pipe-wrap on the handle and made short work of this little storm.
I keep the shovels around now for “touch up”. Believe me, you want this.
The proper tool for the job, when that job is clearing up to three inches of non crusted sky dandruff. So far this season we’ve had smaller amounts of precipitation, not enough to bring out the two stage snowblower but enough that the sidewalks required clearing. I have a corner property with a 7′ wide brick sidewalk… That was a lot of shoveling with the conventional shovel, then there was the driveway. Takes about an hour with a 24″ shovel for the sidewalk under 2-3″ of the white stuff. I saw one of these in use at a local convenience store and wondered how it would do on my brick. I bought one and the shipping had it here 3 days later, assembly was quick (could have been quicker if the parts card had the washers labelled), but it was still under 15 minutes to assemble take apart, and re assemble with the right washers in the right places. Later the same day we got a covering. just enough to make the brick not visible. I used the snowcaster, moreso to see which areas the blade would catch, it went surprisingly well and only caught on the brick edges that raised an inch or so. This past Saturday we had a storm that dropped about 2″ Before I had to leave for work. I ran the Snowcaster up and down the walk, did two of my neighbor’s walkways, a walkway across the street, and the driveway in less time than it normally took to do just my Front walk. I was able to stop at lunchtime and get another pass done, along with a couple parking spots on the street. A couple hours later the sky dandruff turned to freezing rain, When I finished my shift I got home to a 1″ ice crusted covering on the sidewalk. I again used the Snowcaster, it was tougher to get through and the white stuff was definitely heavier, but a minor adjustment in tactic got the walkway cleared in about a half hour. At one time I had a single-stage blower, the Snowcaster seemed to clear closer to the brick and it clears a wider path. In the deep stuff I will defer to the two stage blower, but if I have the ability to be home and make a run with the Snowcaster every couple hours rather than lug out the beast and feed it gas, That’s what’ll happen. If I had a larger driveway, or if the huge sidewalk were all level concrete I would consider going up to the 70snc model for the heavier duty blade, but the 30snc blade has the flex I currently need for the brick. We’ll see how it does for longevity, but it appears to be sturdy enough and replacement blades are available.
While I was using it on parking spaces, I had two neighbors stop and watch in awe at how fast it was clearing spots on the street. There was also a carload of younger guys that stopped and asked where to get one.
Right tool for the task at hand: It is too wide for my 24″ walkways to the door, and not at all useful on the steps so I still need the shovel for that stuff. If you are only doing 50 foot of front walk this is probably overkill, but you could quickly go down the block to help out the neighbors… quietly and without them knowing unless you tell them. Most townships require a minimum 24″ path shoveled on sidewalks, one pass with this and you have a path wide enough for dog walkers. The angle of the blade nets you about a 32″ path, and easily pushes the white stuff to one side. If you want it wider, flip it over and walk back to keep the berm to the curb side.
A few points on the product before my review. First, the shovel is made of a heavy plastic, there is no metal edge, all plastic. The handle is held on to the frame with a single pivot point on both sides. So the handle pivots freely through the full range. In other words, there is no way to keep the handle up, when you let go of it, it will fall to the ground. I could not find any way to get the shovel to stand upright in the snow. I could rest it against the garage but that was about it. Regular shovels can be just stuck into the snow to hold them up when needed. The wheels are like lawn mower wheels, the all plastic type. The metal handle appears sufficiently strong for the job.
One thing I could not understand from reading the detail on the web was, what are the wheels for. One review mentioned it made it easier to push in the snow, another said it took the weight off your back. I didn’t find either to be the case for me. The wheels appear to serve one purpose, to keep the blade correctly positioned on the ground. The wheels and the blade are attached to the frame, so they are fixed. When you set the blade on the ground it remains in the same position regardless of the handle position. So a tall person or a short person would have the exact same blade angle to the ground. I don’t see any further advantage, in fact I didn’t even notice the wheels while pushing.
Waited a while to get the chance to test this shovel. In my first use on a couple inches of snow it did not work well. The snow built up in the front of the blade and started pushing over the top. In addition, the snow did not work its way down the blade, like a snow truck blade. It was frustrating to use because the snow went left and right of the blade and over it. All this in 10-12 feet forward into 2″ of snow. One other thing I didn’t like is that when you get the snow up to the edge of the lawn, it is very difficult to push it onto the lawn. So another snow shovel is needed to move the snow up on the grass area.
I went back to the videos on youtube to try to see why those blades seem to push the snow to the right/left without the snow coming over the top of the blade. It appears the user is holding the shovel handle at a slight angle, not exactly straight. So, on the next snow fall, we had about 1.5″ on the ground at the time I started. I held the shovel at a slight angle, in addition to the fixed angle of the blade. And indeed this time the snow would move to the right/left of the blade, depending on blade position. And the snow did not come up over the blade. So the blade is not correctly angled in my opinion, but can be corrected by pushing a little more on one side of the handle. With this technique it was great to use, I moved a lot of snow in little time. I can almost shovel the sidewalk in one path, a second path is needed to fully clear it. Which is no problem since you have to come back anyways. I had little issue with the blade catching the pavement separation edges or cracks. When I did run into a problem I found I could grab the handle and push one side down and the other pull up to get over it. Once I knew where the stop points are I was able to get past them without stopping by angling the blade one way or the other across the section. The sides of the blade do catch the grass on the edges. Not sure why it is more noticeable with this shovel compared to my regular shovel. It took a few minutes to get a technique figured out, now I can move fast without that sudden stop on the side of the blade into the grass.
The blade is a soft plastic but thick enough to be sturdy. After my first couple of uses the blade does show some wear. It will not last as long as a steel edged blade but perhaps it will last long enough. I attached photo of the blade wear after a couple uses. There is still plenty of blade left but it does wear easily.
The negative points, the blade is not correctly angled but easy enough to correct. The shovel cannot be left standing up in the snow. The handle pivots so you cannot pull down on the handle to lift the blade, so basically you can only push the snow to a point then come back with another shovel to move the snow up onto the grass. The blade rides close to the pavement so it will not ride up onto the grass, it stops quickly.
One improvement I think would be useful is a lower locking point in the handle to the frame. That way the handle could be used to tilt the blade up, perhaps to push snow up on the grass. Also an upper locking point so the handle can be left in the vertical position. Both of these would be easy to implement into the frame
Overall, it greatly helps to have a wide blade that is angled when shoveling a typical 2 car driveway or larger. It really does make the job faster and easier. There is little going back to clean up missed snow. This shovel can be pushed straight without stopping for a long distance, this allows you to accomplish more work. There is no need to stop and lift the snow, just keep pushing and deal with the snow when you get to the end.
Oh my goodness, this snowshovel is AMAZING!!!!
I first heard of shovels with wheels only a few days ago. My reaction was like Veruka Salt in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” — “I want one now!!!” So I pored over reviews on Amazon and ordered this one. It arrived on Tuesday, and several inches of snow arrived on Wednesday, so the timing was lovely.
I chose this shovel because it has a wide blade, on a diagonal angle, and because the description said, “Assembles in 10 minutes.” In particular, I wanted a diagonal blade and not a V-shaped blade because I figured a V-shaped blade would push the snow out on both sides and leave a trail that I would need to come back and clean up, while a diagonal blade would leave snow on just one side, so if I made a row of parallel passes with this shovel and planned them right, then there should be no left-behind snow to come back and clean up.
When I went to assemble this shovel, I was daunted by the sheer number of pieces to put together. It arrives in 26 pieces!!! Plus, the instructions identify the pieces only by name, not by picture, so I found it difficult to figure out which pieces of hardware were needed for each step of the instructions. I would have liked a lot more pictures! The hardware arrives encased in plastic on top of a piece of cardboard that has drawings of each item printed on it, so it seems to me that they could also have printed the names and part numbers for each part. But I can assemble Ikea furniture, so I bravely waded in to putting this together. Before I started, I sat down with a permanent marker, the hardware, and the instructions and figured out which piece of hardware was which. Looking at the quantity of each item helped to match it up with the instructions. I used the Sharpie to write on the cardboard and plastic so that I would know exactly which step each piece of hardware was needed for. I don’t think I had the same wrenches that the instructions said I would need, but somehow in 25 minutes I got the shovel assembled and ready to use, and I think I did everything correctly. I really wish they would assemble the whole thing at the factory, rather than making customers do it. I would have paid more for a shovel that didn’t need assembling.
Anyway, I have cleared snow with the shovel three times since then. It is SUPER EASY and MUCH FASTER than using a traditional shovel. The first snow I cleared was only about a quarter inch deep, but the two snowfalls since then were each about two inches of light fluffy snow. The shovel worked fantastically and very quickly for each of those. I don’t know how it would do with snow that is deeper or more wet and heavy.
In more detail: I expected the snow to slide off the diagonal blade of the shovel sideways as I walked, so that I could just walk straight up and down the sidewalk and clear all of the snow. Actually it doesn’t work like that. You start out walking straight forwards, and you can clear a lot more in one pass than with a traditional shovel. But the blade of this shovel does fill up with snow — it doesn’t all slide to the side and out of the blade. So eventually I need to push the shovel in an arc over to the side of the sidewalk and dump out the snow. Before I tried using this shovel, I worried that it wouldn’t be able to push the snow off the sidewalk and up onto the grass because the grass is taller than the sidewalk, so the shovel wouldn’t be able to push the snow upward to get it to go there. But so far this has been fine — I just push the snow to the edge of the sidewalk and leave it dumped either on the grass or in a line right next to it. Sometimes I use my foot to push the scoop over and dump out the snow onto the grass, and that works well. But I think that if there were big piles of accumulated snow next to the sidewalk then you would not be able to use this shovel.
The blade of the shovel is super-duper wide, so I can clear a *lot* of snow in one pass. I really like that, but it does mean that at my house the shovel can be used only to clear wide flat areas (the sidewalk, the driveway, sometimes I clear part of the street, too) — it is too wide to be used on the narrow path from my driveway to the front door. I need to use a traditional shovel to clear that part. But that part is small, and the part that I can clear with my Snowcaster is big and awesomely quick, so I don’t mind using a traditional shovel for that one small part of the job of clearing snow.
The blade of the Snowcaster does get stuck when I encounter bumps on the pavement, or cracks that line up with the blade. But so far I have been able to nudge the blade with my foot and get it going again fairly easily.
I like that the Snowcaster can be hung on a wall and it hangs down completely flat. There is so much junk in my garage that I really appreciate that this takes up less space. You could hang it flat on pegs on the wall.
You can very easily flip the blade of the snowcaster to be angled in either direction.
It looks durable. I hope to be able to use it for many years to come.
In case it’s useful to mention this: I am a 5 foot tall female located in snowy Michigan.
In summary:
Pros:
* CLEARS SNOW SUPER DUPER FAST!
* EXTREMELY EASY TO USE!
* Much better for the environment than a snowblower.
* Won’t throw snow in your face like a snowblower would.
* Seems durable.
* Doesn’t take up much space in my garage.
* Blade is angled, not v-shaped.
Cons:
* Assembly.
Misc:
* I am not sure that this would work with very deep snow or if there were piles of snow already at the sides of the area being shoveled. If we get that kind of snow this year, I will report back on how it went.
———-
December, update:
My snowcaster is now in its third winter, and I love it more than ever! When there’s light snow, I often clear all the sidewalks in my neighborhood, because it’s as easy as just walking up and down the block with the Snowcaster.
I have now cleared heavy snow with it too. I originally wondered how that would go, once the snow is too deep to push off the sidewalk onto the grass. As it turns out, I either leave the snow piled up along the edges of the sidewalk, or I push it out into the street and pile it up in a line along the curb. It works great and is SO MUCH EASIER than a traditional snow shovel.
This is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever purchased.
(For the record: I am a real person who paid full price for this snow shovel. And I do not work for the Snowcaster company or make any money if you buy one. I just really, really, really like this snow shovel!)
———-
February, update:
My snowcaster is still working great to clear lots of snow. And it’s still one of my favorite purchases ever!
———-
January update:
Still going strong! This morning we had perfect Snowcaster snow – I could just roll the shovel along and the snow spiraled right off the side of the blade. I love that!
First Impressions:
For something so simple there are a lot of pieces that have to be put together. A large percentage of this tool is made of plastic. Instructions could be clearer.
I purchased this pusher last year because I have used a different type of pusher before and really prefer pushing to shoveling. My old pusher is getting some age and the videos of this pusher looked very promising. It took a bit to put this tool together due to the number of pieces (bolts/nuts/washers) and the black and white instructions provided. I knew there would be some pieces to put together but I would have paid a bit more so they could have had the bulk of the tool preassembled. Once assembled I just had to wait for snow. It takes a little getting used to maneuvering the pusher especially doing the flip to change directions. The Snowcaster does a very good job of clearing light to moderate snow. If your driveway has cracks or uneven sections it is best to hit the crack at an angle vs directly. A direct hit can be very hard on you and the Snowcaster alike because you will come to an immediate stop. The tool is fairly light and easy to maneuver once you get used to it. I made it through a winter season with the Snowcaster but after 1 season with few snows (3-4) I notice that the plastic blade is already showing signs of it being grinded off. That is kind of to be expected when you rub plastic across concreate over and over. That brings me to my biggest concern about the fact that the blade itself is made of plastic. If they would replace the blade with a metal blade I feel like it would probably last longer than I predict this tool will last with light to moderate use. I know metal may add a bit of weight to the tool but I feel making the blade as well as the key joints out of better materials will take this from a good design to a wonderful design.
Conclusion:
I think this is a good pusher design but I believe it could be better if metal were used instead of plastic. I think improvements could be made to the instruction included. I think that this plow does a great job once a person gets use to operating it. This is best used on long flat areas of concreate with no more than 4 inches of snow. It is much quicker than shoveling and does a better job than many snow blowers I have used. The cost could be lower considering the amount of effort customer must do to put it together and the fact that due to the plastic construction it will not last forever with continual use. I would like to see them cut the price if they are going to continue to make it from plastic or keep the price the same but use metal that would last longer.
My Snowcaster came yesterday, and though I had no idea there was snow in the forecast, I went ahead and put it together. I’m really glad I did!
It took me about 20 minutes, but all the parts were there, everything fit together, and I couldn’t believe how light it was. But I hung it up in the garage, thinking it would be quite some time before I could use it.
I awoke this morning to two inches of powder on my huge shared driveway. I do the whole thing so my older neighbors won’t have to mess with it (including the circle drive in front of their house). Time to get out the shovel!
Though the Snowcaster is really lightweight, it does exactly what all the videos said it would…gets right down to plowing the snow out of the way. I have 75 feet of driveway, and though I had to stop about 2/3 of the way each time to clear the scoop, it worked beautifully. When it was necessary to turn to blade around, a quick flip was all it took. Again, this thing weighs nothing.
Full disclosure, we had some rain yesterday, and that froze a tiny surface layer of the snow, so it was very, very easy to get the powder off. However, had this been a wet snow like we had last week, it would have taken MUCH more effort to use this thing. So as others have said, it’s probably best for 2-3 inches of non-wet snow.
I agonized over whether I should spend $80 for a snow pusher, but I’m VERY glad I did. After all, a replacement shovel like the ones I already had, is at least half that price. This thing is well-made, and even if I did break something on it, all the parts are replaceable.
So if you’re on the fence, BUY IT. It will be a great tool in your arsenal against the snow. It cut the time it takes for me to do my huge driveway, from 90 minutes down to 27.
TL, DR: Works great on 2-3 inches of lighter snow, well-made, does the job in 1/3 the time!
EDIT 3/20/19
Little did I know, this was one of the more fierce snowstorm seasons we’ve had. Unhappily, many of the snows were just too deep to use the Snowcaster on…it works best in about 3″.
But, it’s so fast and easy to use, I ended up going out early (before the snow stopped) a few times, to stay ahead of it. It’s much faster than a shovel, and even on wetter snow, does a great job.
There were several times when I hit uneven expansion joints in my driveway – HARD. I was really expecting some damage, but the blade is still solid and intact.
I won’t say I’m looking forward to snow next season, but the Snowcaster helped me to not lug out my huge snowblower several times this year, and it was well worth the money.
I recently moved to a new house on a corner lot. My property has a ton of sidewalk, not to mention a two car driveway. I have a snowblower, but I wanted an option that I could use for those days when we only get a couple inches of snow. Does the Snowcaster work? Absolutely. Should you buy one? That depends.
I am thrilled with this snow pusher. It saves me so much time and more importantly, it saves my back and shoulders from unnecessary strain. Before getting this, I was spending well over an hour shoveling my property. After this, I can get it done in half the time, under the right conditions. This pusher is meant for light and fluffy snow, not wet and heavy snow, and certainly not snow that is half melted and stuck to the sidewalks. When snow is light and fluffy, it gets pushed to the edge of the sidewalk, or you can pile it up and use a shovel to move the pile versus moving a scoopful every foot or two. The latter is my preferred method because I like to really toss the snow further from the sidewalk.
The biggest thing to keep in mind with this snow pusher is that it’s designed for flat surfaces. If you have rough, cracked, chipped, or uneven sidewalks, this isn’t for you. I’m fortunate that my sidewalks and driveway are fairly even and flat. Because of that, this pusher makes quick work of moving snow. If you have rough or uneven sidewalks, you’re going to be dealing with the pusher stuttering across the ground and you’ll be damaging your blade. These blades aren’t meant to last forever. And while you can follow some of the tips in other reviews to add a metal strip to the blade for a tougher, longer lasting blade, it’s not the best idea. The benefit of this blade versus a metal blade, is that this one has a little give. It’s far more forgiving when going over a slight change of depth, like sidewalk cracks. It will flex and keep going across the surface unlike a metal edged blade that will slam into the crack and stop, shoving the handle back towards your body.
My biggest complaint about this shovel is that I was sent a defective piece of hardware. I’ve attached photos of the included hardware, and in my set, one of the 1/4 inch washers was too small. It wouldn’t fit. I had to make a run to the hardware store to buy my own washer to finish putting the shovel together. For $90, I expect the very basic hardware included with this shovel to be in working condition. Additionally, the instructions are a single sheet with only one diagram. It’s not difficult to follow and putting the shovel together probably only took me 15 minutes (not including the drive to the hardware store and back). However, for those with less experience following build-it-yourself instructions, these might leave a little to be desired. I’ve included a photo of the instructions as well.
Overall, I think that this is a very nice snow pusher that does a great job of clearing light snow. It’s much faster than a standard shovel and it requires a lot less muscle. I would recommend it to people with lots of sidewalk, but only if that sidewalk is even.
I wish I would have known about this years ago. I have a long driveway that took about an hour or more to clear with a normal snow shovel. Even longer when we’d get a wet snow. Therefore, in winter we often just left the driveway stay snow packed. This worked for a few years until the wife wanted to park the car in the garage. In addition, I needed to find a solution for a stamped concrete patio that need the snow to be cleared to prevent damage from the melting and freezing happening. Did some searching on amazon and on youtube – found this. I was skeptical. I knew I didn’t want a snowblower because the space it would take up in my garage. This seemed like the best idea. The wheels really carry a lot of the weight. This will not allow you to ‘throw’ snow but you can kind of shoot the snow by slamming it up against a mound of snow. The design takes a lot of weight off of your back that you’d have when lifting a shovel full of snow. I timed myself the other day – we had a light two inches of snow. Our driveway and patio would truly take me about 45mins to clear this amount of snow with a normal snow shovel. Due to the design of the snowcaster you’re always moving. I was able to get the area cleared in under 10mins. This would happen even faster if my driveway was able to have snow cleared to each side, however I have a large mow strip/curb along one sided so I have to work all the snow to the other edge. Finally – one issue with the snowcaster is due to the design. The blade sits just above the ground by design – if you have a rough driveway or irregular surface it could be problematic to use this. I have a few spots that mine gets caught but the majority of my drive is pretty flat, so no issues. I do have a stamped patio that I use this on and it works well – it doesn’t get as ‘clean’ as the flat driveway but it clears enough snow for the sun to come out and melt any remainder away.
I’m not sure at what amount this would be overwhelmed – I cleared about 4-5″ of heavy snow this morning. It took some effort but cleared it great.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Wholesale Shovels. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
In all – happy customer and worth the purchase. I actually cleared my neighbors drives the other day just because it’s that easy.
Summary:
Choosing the right drill bit for woodworking is important. Spade bits are a popular choice because of their speed and affordability, making them perfect for quickly drilling multiple holes in softwood. They are faster than other types of drill bits but create rough holes.
Key Comparisons:
Spade vs. auger bit: Spade bits drill faster, but auger bits are better at removing material.
Spade vs. Brad point bit: Spade bits are more affordable, while Brad-point bits make cleaner holes.
Spade vs. Forstner bit: Spade bits are faster, but Forstner bits provide cleaner holes.
Spade vs. hole saw: Spade bits are great for partial holes, while hole saws provide cleaner, larger cuts.
Spade Bit: Advantages
Quick drilling and ability to make multiple holes
Cost-effective and easy to sharpen
Great for woodworking and DIY tasks
Spade Bit: Disadvantages
Makes rough holes and can break pieces
Not as versatile as other drill bits
Use spade bits when speed is a priority; choose other bits for tasks that require precision.
To get good quality holes in wood, it is important to choose the right drill bit for wood that can complete your job.
However, woodworkers commonly use spade bits, twist drill bits, brad-point bits, and Forstner bits to make wooden furniture and cabinets. But, when it comes to drilling holes in wood, woodworkers choose spade drill bits to get their job done; why?
A spade bit is a wood boring drill bit that features sharp edges on both sides of the spade. Few people know that the spade bit was first designed in by The Irwins Tool Company for fast drilling and quick material removal.
Why spade bits are so unique in their category? Also, What makes spade drill bits different from other drill bits?
Here in this article, we will go through the different aspects that make a spade drill bit different from other drill bits. We'll also learn why to choose a spade bit over other drill bits, including the pros and cons of using spade bits.
There are many important reasons behind choosing Spade Drill Bits over other drill bits, such as
If there is any wood drill bit that is most commonly used by the woodworking industries, it is a spade bit.
The spade bit is the only drill bit that can drill multiple holes in a short time.
The most affordable among all other drill bits is the spade bit.
The cheapest drill bit among wood drill bits is a spade bit.
Spade bits are a popular choice for drilling large-diameter holes (1/2" or more).
They can drill holes much faster than other wood drill bits.
Spade drill bits are ideal for home improvement and DIY jobs.
Can perform multiple applications (industrial and non-industrial).
In softwoods, spade bits are the most effective. However, they can also drill through hardwoods, but the compact grain structure and high resistance may lead to a rough hole. Another advantage of spade bits is that they can be designed into any shape using a grinder to get the result as per requirement. You can use a spade bit for metal to drill aluminum and other thin metals.
To successfully use a spade bit and to get maximum output from it, drive the drill at maximum speed right from the beginning. Also, make sure the spurs come into contact with the wood first when drilling.
The spade drill bit is different from the auger bit, broad-point bit, Forstner bit, and hole saw. Let’s know
The important characteristic that makes spade bits better than auger bits is their speed. Spade drill bits are much faster than auger bits, although augers have a high material removal rate. Auger bits are designed in such a way that they can remove wood shavings and scraps more efficiently than spade bits while drilling.
When it comes to pricing, spade bits are less expensive than brad point bits. However, Brad-point bits make neat and clean holes as compared to spade bits.
So, pricing is the only factor where spade bits can outperform brad point bits.
Spade bits can drill faster than Forstner bits. The holes of spade bits are rough compared to the holes of Forstner bits. The Forstner bit makes neat, clean, and smooth holes. However, when you need to drill a large number of holes in a short amount of time, you will need a spade bit, not a Forstner bit.
If you are concerned about the quality of the hole, choose a Forstner bit (expensive but less messy), and if not, then choose a Spade bit (cheaper but messy).
In addition, when it comes to size, the difference between two Forstner bits is also available in larger diameters than spade bits.
Spade bits are better than hole saws when it comes to drilling partial holes. Another thing that makes the spade drill bit different from the hole saw is that wood scraps and shavings do not get stuck in the spade bit, whereas wood shavings and scraps get stuck easily in hole saws.
Hole saws can drill clean, smooth, and larger diameter holes than spade bits.
Spade bits are also known as "paddle bits" (due to their shape). They are used to cutting wood faster. When you are short of time and want to drill multiple holes, you can use spade drill bits. Use spade bits only if speed is more important than the clean hole. It's simple to redesign or alter spade pieces.
Spade bits are perfect for drilling precise holes in wood, plywood, and plastic. To keep the drill bit from getting stuck in the workpiece, prefer high-speed drilling with spade bits. Spade drill bits are available in a range of sizes from 1/4 inch in diameter to 1/2-1 inch. You may have our best drill bit set for wood.
Using spade bits, you can have the following benefits:
Spade bits are designed for speed. You can perform fast drilling operations.
They are perfect for construction work, electric/plumbing work, stud holes, and more.
They can drill flat bottom holes and complete holes.
Spade bits are easy to re-sharp.
Less costly.
PROS-
It can drill holes very fast.
Can make multiple holes in less time.
The most commonly used wood drill bit.
Average material removal rate.
Multiple applications.
Can drill flat bottom holes as well as complete and large diameter holes.
CONS-
Lack of versatility (drill only wood).
Make rough holes.
May cause splintering.
Can deform while drilling.
PROS-
Available in a wide range of materials and applications.
Drill bits can produce clean and accurate cuts.
They are highly efficient, saving time and effort by cutting holes faster.
Drill bits are easily available and cost-effective.
CONS-
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