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SnowBow lets you get straight ... to shovelling the snow

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The SnowBow's bow-shaped handle reportedly allows users to shovel snow with little or no bending
The SnowBow's bow-shaped handle reportedly allows users to shovel snow with little or no bending
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At the present moment, much of north-eastern North America is buried under one of the biggest snowfalls to hit in over 50 years. Much to the chagrin of home-owners throughout the region, that means a whole lot of shoveling. While it might not require a huge amount of energy to shovel one’s sidewalk – in fact, sometimes it can be kind of invigorating – it’s the bending and lifting that really makes it unpleasant. Various ergonomic shovels have been invented over the years to address this issue, such as the wheeled Sno Wovel. A simpler product is now available, however, in the form of the SnowBow.

When it comes down to it, the SnowBow is simply a traditional aluminum straight-shafted snow shovel, but with a bow-shaped handle attached at the top and bottom. The user keeps one hand on its regular shaft-top handle, while gripping the bow section with the other. This reportedly allows for both the plowing and tossing of snow, with little or no bending. It is also said to provide better leverage for lifting snow, and for scraping it off the sidewalk.

The patent-pending SnowBow is the end result of three years of research and 30 prototypes, and was invented by Massachusetts industrial designer John Mosher. He is currently building the shovels in his basement, where he can apparently crank one out every five minutes. For US$39.99, he’ll set you up with one.

Via InventorSpot

All photos courtesy SnowBow

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6 comments
Leon Li
Wow ... great idea -- this seriously makes me want to go out and shovel snow :-[ Just to show it whose boss (me)
claritysailingadventures
To say that shoveling snow doesn\'t take a whole lot of effort is a pretty cavalier attiude towards an activity that injures and kills numerous people every year, and not just old folks. Shoveling injuries are numerous and sometimes severe. This shovel will help.

Then again, I found that moving from Minnesota to Florida helps even more!
Leanne Franson
I\'d agree with claritysailingadventures: my father\'s 2nd wife was a widow because of her 35 yr old 1st husband dying of a heart attack at home from shoveling snow. An active outdoors kind of guy. Shoveling is sudden heavy cardio exercise we usually don\'t warm up for or plan for like 20 mins of cardio at the gym. Bravo for anything that can help us reduce the health costs of shoveling snow.
Rocky Stefano
I don\'t know about other people but I don\'t shovel snow like that. Its an unnatural position and seems awkward to use. You should be bending your kness when shovelling heavy snow. Standing up straight gives you no leverage. Sorry I\'ll use the straight shovel that\'s worked for me for 35 years.
biz boy
I\'m about to use my 20 year old snowonder snow scoop, made of fiberglass and a bit of metal conduit, on my 150 ft driveway. It\'s about as fast as a snowblower. These snow scoops have been around for decades, first built in Bemidji, MN. You never pick up the snow, you slide it! So I consider the idea above about as efficient as tying your shoelaces twice.
Gadgeteer
I think I would vastly prefer the Wovel wheeled snow shovel written up in one of the related articles below. No lifting necessary. Unfortunately much more expensive, though.
In case it gets unlinked in the future: http://www.gizmag.com/go/6490/