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!!

Wife assembled and has a great angle. I push it and the snow goes to the side and forward. Then I flip it at the end of my push and go back the other way. It should be noted I am a young fitness guy 5'6" 160 pounds and the push fits well.

We are new to North Idaho and this with a snow joe double handle shovel have been great.

We have a 60x17 foot drieway and I use the gravel RV parking on the side for my car. I like to plow a small portion of the street in front of the driveway so we can back out easier. I also plow the mailbox to keep it clear. I create three large holes to push the snow and shovel it out. 2 on the front of the driveway and one by the front door.

The snow push saves a lot of time from using a shovel to push/shovel. I like to use the push and shovel it off from my push locations.

The push is great for clearing it down to the cement and several neighbors have complemented how clean we get it.

The push is good for 3 inches or less of fluffy snow. Real easy to push and clean fast. I have done 5 inches of fluff and really have to section it up then push to it the side. I shovel the pushed snow as it packs heavy. 1 inch of wet snow can be rough as it gets heavy for the snow push. If you use this often and keep up on the snow, it is great beacuse you are just pushing a small amount of fluffy snow. We had one storm dump 20 inches in 24 hours and it took 8.5 hours, but i keep it clear. Half was fluffy, half was wet.

Here are some stats for the above area I mentioned I clear. I push it to my 3 spots and shovel the spots out so I can use the spots again.

1/2 inch of fluffy. 20 minutes of push. 8 minutes of shovel.

1 & 1/2 inches of super wet. 60 minutes push . 30 minutes of shovel.

4 inches of 75% fluff 25% wet. 41 minutes push to clear to the side real fast.

4 hours of fluff. 1 hour push. 1 hour shovel.
3/4 of an inch fell while clearing and I cleared it again within the 2 hours.

Very quiet. Good workout.

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.

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December, 2017 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!)

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February, 2020 update:

My snowcaster is still working great to clear lots of snow. And it's still one of my favorite purchases ever!

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January 2021 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!

I've used the Snowcaster 70SNC for many years now and have found it to be one of the best tools for removing (hand-plowing) snow from smooth, hard surfaces (asphalt and concrete), if the snow is not too deep or heavy. It works best if the snow is 4" or less for light snow, 2" or less for medium heavy snow, and 1" for heavy snow. So, if I go out and "shovel" often, I've found I can usually get by using just this tool. And I live in northwestern lower Michigan where we can get quite a bit of snow each winter.

I have a technique that works very well. I have long driveway, so I start by going right down the middle, then work my way back and forth, creating and adding to a windrow on either side. (This way, I don't even have to flip the blade! But to not cause uneven wear, every other day I alternate the position on the blade "“ angling it either left or right. But know that, in general, there is very little blade wear.)

If the windrow becomes large enough and/or heavy enough that I make little progress, I switch to going perpendicular to the edge of the driveway, pushing the snow to the edge in many short passes. Then, every so often, such as every third day, I use a snow scoop to move the pile-up along the edge of the driveway to several feet back from the edge, making room for future snow. (Note that by using the Snowcaster and a snow scoop, I NEVER have to lift any snow "“ I am only ever MOVING it.)

For anything over a few inches for light snow, or any medium to heavy snow, the built-in angle of the blade to the direction of travel is not "sharp" enough, so I have to gently "force" the blade and wheels to sharper angle. With the factory handle of the Snowcaster, it's a bit difficult to maintain that angle. Because you are not able to push above where the most resistance is. (The center of effort is not aligned with the center of resistance.) A simple solution is to attach a dowel rod (3/4" to 1" in diameter works well) that's as wide as the blade across the top of the handle. See photo. This allows me to hold any angle I need to with the Snowcaster. I'd love to see the company install this modification, or at least offer it as an option. ALL users will benefit from this.

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.