Customer Reviews

Snow Wolf SW0310 Wheeled Snow Shovel

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Today's 8" storm officially heralded in my second season using the Wovel, and I was reminded exactly how remarkable this silly-looking contraption is.

My house is one of four homes on a very small private street. Since we're responsible for our own snow removal, we co-own a large snow blower and take turns clearing the street. My three neighbors also use the blower to clear their driveways. As for myself, I don't particularly like the loud, polluting blower. Since I've always looked at shoveling as excellent exercise, I would typically reach for the shovel to handle my own driveway.

Although I'm pretty fit, I do suffer from occasional acute lower back episodes. For this reason, my wife picked up a Wovel as a holiday gift for me last season.

The first time I used it, I was amazed at how large a swath of 8" deep snow I could clear with a single scoop. I estimated at that time that the volume of snow I was clearing with one Wovel scoop was equivalent to around 5 scoops of a normal shovel. The factors that make this possible: 1.) the shovel portion of the Wovel is huge; 2.) the lever action of the Wovel allows you to lift and toss *a lot* of weight with minimal effort. The combined effect is that the shovel portion of the Wovel, which is large to begin with, can be used to lift and toss a pile of snow that is not just wide, but is also piled much higher than you would ever attempt with a conventional shovel.

I've seen some reviewers state that the Wovel is more effective than a snow blower. In my opinion, this depends on the snow blower in question, the area you're clearing and the snow conditions.

The street I have to clear is several hundred feet long. The Wovel is pretty cool, but at the end of the day, it's still a shovel; you have to stop clearing momentarily as you toss a load. Since the snow blower can clear and toss simultaneously, it can clear a path down the length of the street without stopping (i.e. it has a superior "duty cycle"). If I were dealing with perhaps 5" or less of lighter snow, I could probably clear the street faster with the Wovel than the blower ... but this is probably true of a conventional shovel as well, since you can "plow" light amounts of snow with a conventional shovel. But once you start getting into larger accumulations or wetter, heavier snow, the blower is going to win: the heavier the snow, the greater the blower's advantage.

Now it might be a different story if we're talking about a typical driveway instead of a street. My driveway is maybe 40 feet long. Although the blower has the advantage I described earlier, it also has overhead: it has to be physically turned around, and the "blast gate" probably needs to be rotated to throw the snow where you want it. My driveway isn't long enough to significantly exploit the blower's superior duty cycle. If you combine this with the fact that the Wovel is more nimble, then I would say that I will probably clear the driveway faster with the Wovel, perhaps even with heavier or deeper snow. *But*, if the snow is heavily crusted, packed, or slushy, then the blower again starts to gain the edge.

The Wovel does have some limitations. For example, you won't be using it to clear the stairs on your front porch. Also, you cannot effectively thrust and "slice" into snow. So, if you allow the snow that gets piled at the end of your driveway by the passing street plows to sit long enough to become hard, you'll probably need a conventional shovel to tackle it. (If you get to it right away though, the Wovel is an absolute God send. I cleared a knee-deep pile such as this from the end of our private road today in 30 seconds flat.)

Also, there is a slight learning curve in determining the most efficient pattern to use on your driveway. The Wovel is most effective when the snow can be thrown directly ahead of you. For this reason, it isn't practical to move in long straight lines, nor do you want to have to pivot to throw the snow off to one side. The best approach is to move in diagonal lines relative to the length of your driveway. I won't attempt to describe this further, but the Wovel includes a video that covers this concept in detail.

Lastly, although the Wovel does provide you with the mechanical advantage of a fulcrum and lever system, you are still using muscle power. If you decide to push yourself, you will find that you'll be getting a workout. That said however, it is still much easier than using a conventional shovel (I estimate I can clear a typical snowfall from my driveway in roughly one-third the time), and it is far, FAR easier on your back. I might have fatigued lats and shoulders after finishing with it, but I never experience any back discomfort whatsoever ... and as I mentioned, I have chronic lower back issues.

Oh, one more thing that is very minor ... and maybe this is just me: The Wovel might look a little gimmicky to some ... perhaps even downright silly. I do feel a little like the neighborhood "geeky eccentric professor" when I'm using it. Passers-by do often cast wry smiles, or make amused comments. But trust me, any initial skepticism disappears rapidly when they see it in action.

Pros:
The Wovel makes for fast, easy and efficient removal of snow. I can clear my drive faster with the Wovel than my neighbors can using their snow blowers (and it seems that they work harder trying, wrestling their snow blowers!). The folding design of the Sno Wovel is wonderful! It only takes a minute for me to disassemble and hang on my garage wall (so it also saves floor space over a snow blower). It works so well that I've started letting my 6 year old daughter clear away light snow (1-2").

Cons:
While clearing some snow I hit a patch of ice, that unfortunately has chipped a 2" chunk out of the middle of the shovel. This has also caused a 2-3" vertical crack. I would definitely recommend buying the available wear strip, which in my opinion should have been included with the shovel by the manufacturer. Very disappointingly, Structured Solutions II does not sell any accessories on Amazon so I would have incurred additional shipping costs buying the accessories from a different vendor (which I should have done, because I now have to buy a new shovel blade & a wear strip). I'm sure that there is some reason that the Wovel uses a plastic shovel (cost?), but a metal option would have been nice (at least that's how I'm feeling right now, looking at my broken shovel head).

Other notes:
1. Buy the accessory Wear Strip. You'll be glad you did.
2. Buy the accessory Ice Blade.
3. After you get your Wovel, put it together right away. Assembly can take a little while, so don't wait to put it together when you actually need it.

We got our Wovel last week and the weather has been pretty good, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to try out my new toy...until yesterday. We had a pretty heavy snowstorm yesterday and there was plenty to shovel. So I grabbed the box and put it together in less than a half hour and went out to shovel, umm, wovel, the driveway.

It was amazing. within one or two scoops I had the technique down. I cleaned off my drive way within 10 minutes in the middle of the snow storm.

When my wife got home I had her come out and see how easy it was to use. I finished our drive way and was doing the walks in front of our house and two other neighbor's houses. I decided to do my next door neighbor's drive and started doing it. His young daughters were watching me from the living room window and then he came out and asked it he could do it. He was quite amazed with it's ease of use. So then I did the sidewalk to the end of my other neighbor's driveway and then did her driveway.

Of course that was a lot of work but not as much as just doing my driveway with a regular shovel. When I came in the house I had only been out for about 35 minutes...WOW!

I love our Wovel and feel like I am contributing to my health and not contributing to pollution with a combustion engine.

Everyone needs a wovel!!!

The wovel comes together remarkably easily. The included instructions (with additional installation tips on DVD) are accurate and thorough. It's an easy, one man job requiring only a screwdriver and crecent wrench. All items were clearly indicated, making it the easiest "some assembly required" experience I've had. The parts are well made and tight fitting. I anticipate it to last many years with proper care.

After finishing my initial run with the Wovel there were three primary things that were very clear to me.

First, which was a shock for me, was the fact that it could forward plow in a single pass every bit as much snow as the big scoop shovel I'd previously used--quite possibly more. I expected it to be quite the opposite. The Wovel blades vertical orientation, allows it to move a great deal of snow at a time with less snow spilled over the sides than I'm accustomed to. This translates to far less going back over already cleared parts afterwards to clean up.

Secondly, I finished up extraordinarily faster than I'd ever before. No exaggeration, I finished in less than half the time it usually takes me to clear the same amount of snow. The wovel easily plows through the snow and afterwards throws it effortlessly up onto or over the piles. In contrast to the pained plowing of the big scoop and excruciating process of forcing the snow up onto hills, I am absolutely smitten with the wovel. The quality of my driveway clearing is the same as before and the resulting hills are pretty much the same, too. I did the same job faster, easier. While I won't attempt to compete with expensive multiple cycle blowers, I feel comfortable saying I could clear any reasonable sized surface faster and better with a wovel than a single cycle snow blower could.

Finally, the way I felt when I finished. A previous shoveling session left me drained, exhausted and sore. My initial shoveling session with the wovel left me feeling satisfied and invigorated. I worked my lower and upper body a bit, obviously, but nowhere near the point of fatigue. There was absolutely no strain on my trunk or neck.

The contrast between woveling and shoveling was, for me, nothing short of staggering. Short of expensive and complicated machinery, the Wovel is by far the best tool for snow removal. Added benefits are physical exercise, you don't emit toxic gasses into the atmosphere, no trouble starting it in cold weather, no need for fueling it or oiling it. For anyone who has snow to contend with and finding their current method less than perfect, I cannot strongly enough reccommend the Wovel. I conquered a winter of nearly 200 inches of snow in northern Maine last year with mine.

i bought two of these last year. Initially one for my Dad for Christmas and then one for me. I literally clean my whole front walkway with just one push. This actually feels like it tones my upper arms and helps my back, unlike my shovel which always hurts it. My Dad loves it. You scoop and throw. Once I watched the video, of how not to use it...I was tipping to the side...I realized how simple it is. I clear my driveway in half the time it took to shovel...and my back doesn't hurt.

I researched a lot of snow pushers and wheeled snow shovels before purchasing the Snowvel. I liked the claim that there was no strain on the back. And its really true. But it does give your shoulders, back of shoulders and upper arms a workout. Unless you work out regularly your upper body, do a little snow removal at first to get used to the muscles it will work out. NOTE: I'm a 5'5 female; if you're much shorter this could be tricky; there are adjustments, but I had it at the lowest and wished it could go a tad lower.

Set up takes more than the 5 minutes I read somewhere. It took me 40 minutes given the instructions are mostly pictures. They are mostly clear though at times I felt like i was taking the SAT again (part A is to C as B is to ?) Look closely; i had to repeat a few steps since i put screws in the wrong sides, etc.

I cleared a long drive, sidewalk and small cement patio in under 30 minutes; it moves a lot of snow! Its a little pricey given the wheel and shovel are plastic, but they are plastic so they will be flexible. I do wonder how long they will last with regular use but I know they sell replacement shovels and wheels and a wear strip for the shovel. The main handle and pole are metal and solidly built.

TIP: The rubber 'tire' or gasket that goes on the wheel at first appears too short; i put both ends on (end to end) and then stretched it over the wheel when it was an inch short the first time I tried following the instructions. Save yourself the time it took me and just start with the ends together. The plastic tabs should be used even if they've fallen off--just screw them down.

So, i've used the shovel once on medium weight snow and I'm impressed; i say bring on the snow, I feel prepared! Will work wonders on light fluffy snow and will be a bit more work on heavy wet snow, but all in all a nifty invention I think many folks will own before too long.

I was just looking through all of the products I've bought on Amazon over the past six months, the number of which is too embarrassing to disclose, and thought I should write a review or two. When I reached the Wovel in my past purchased, I figured I should type up a message. I've spent a lot of time with this device over the past 4 months.

My driveway is exceptionally large - about 650 feet long. 10% is 2.5 cars wide, 15% is 2 cars wide, and the rest is about 1-1.5 car wide. I live in Rochester, New York, which receives more than its fair of snow. I'm a first time home buyer and this was my first winter in my new home. I already made the investment of a (needed) riding mower and wanted to do whatever it took to avoid having to care for another engine in the garage. A snowblower would be a last resort.

My friends thought I was absolutely crazy. So did my family. Frankly, after watching me, my neighbors probably did too. If any of of those things would bother you, the Wovel probably isn't for you. This is for individuals who are willing to make decisions for themselves and not to impress others.

With all of that said, I think the size of my driveway is about the maximum of what this puppy can handle in a Northern climate. I'm 29 years old, in decent physical condition, and have a fair amount of will power when it comes to manual labor. Is the Wovel easier than shoveling? I cannot emphasize enough how great this simple mechanical advantage helps! Is it faster than a snowblower, as others have claimed? Well, that depends! My neighbor has a similar size driveway, is 70 years old, and has a midrange gas powered snowblower. Some things I've learned:

-When the snowfall is 1-2", I think the Wovel IS faster. I'm able to do a quick zig zag pattern up an down the driveway, taking very deep angles each way before the shovel fills up. My time: about 30 minutes for the whole thing (like I said, it's a good amount of surface area, so I'm okay with that amount of time) His estimated time: 35-40 minutes. It's not very tiring at all - nearly effortless other than walking.

-When the snowfall is 3-5", I think it's a bit closer. I cannot take very deep angles - more like 45 degrees. This means the shovel is filling up more quickly (obviously) and the amount of mass I need to move is much greater. It probably takes me about an hour in this case vs his 45 minutes and I can feel it in my chest and arms. If you like a good workout, this isn't a bad thing. I still have energy afterwards and feel pretty good!

-When the snowfall is 6-9", things become challenging. I can still zig zag, but only for the narrow part of my driveway. It's very tiring and I find myself looking up in dread at how much of my driveway is still covered in snow. It will take 100+ minutes and he's done WELL before me. Still, I view it as a good workout and it's not the end of the world.

-When the snowfall exceeds 10"... well, I don't like to talk about that. It's happened three times this year and really tested the durability of this tool. The steel is quite solid and holds up, but I don't. I generally can only do half of my driveway at once, and it's at a snail's pace. He's done in WELL under half the time it takes me. I have to work from the middle outwards, at 45 degree angles. It's slow. Probably takes 3 hours in total. Fortunately, my neighbor and I get along well and the last time we got a foot he took his machine over to help me out.

Bottom line: buy this tool over a snowblower if you:
-Live in an area that gets snow of more than 1-3" often, but very rarely over 3-5" if you aren't a fan of mild physical torture
-Hate the idea of owning a snowblower at all costs
-Live in an area that gets a ton of snow and are looking for some pretty solid outdoor physical exertion during the winter
-Live in an area that doesn't even get that much snow but have a bad back. My back, even at age 29, is prone to problems. I've never felt back pain with this.

I'm giving this 4 stars out of 5. I was very close to giving it 5, but this is NOT a substitute for a snowblower in areas of the country that receive high amounts of snow. After a year with this, I'm happy, but still greatly envy my neighbor's snowblower. Thanks for reading, I hope this helps you make an informed decision.

-Mike

I purchased the Wovel last year and, luckily because of an above normal snowfall last winter, I was able to put it to the test immediately. I was extremely satisfied with the Wovel's ease of operation and I was able to clear my driveway and sidewalk of snow in about a quarter of the time that it would normally take me.....and with a corresponding one quarter of the effort. Most important, I was able to spare my back the stress and strain normally attributed to regular shovelling. I congratulate the brilliant minds at Structured Solutions for this product. Now, if only they could come up with something that will make cutting my lawn easier...

I bought a Sno Wovel last year and used it several times. I found it to be a great way to get some exercise and clear my walk/driveway all at once -without hurting a single muscle in my back! The flicking motion was easy to learn and is much more effecient than the typical snow shovel. My son (who is 11) loves to use the Wovel as well. Between the two of us we have our drive and walks done in no time - and save a ton of money by not paying a plow person. The Wovel also gets those annoying corners of the driveway that the plow cannot. I loved this product so much that I bought one for my own dad! Bring on the snow!

Since receiving my wovel, we have had a couple of fluffy snowfalls of around a foot, and also a couple of really wet snowfalls of 8 inches or so. The wovel plowed right through them with ease. I was torn between buying a wovel and a snowplow, and the wovel as the right decision. Previously I was using a regular snow shovel, and my back was always screaming after doing my driveway. With the wovel, I completed our driveway, sidewalk, and the neighbor's driveway, all in much less time than it would have taken to just do my driveway before. There is no strain on the lower back at all. It does give the upper arms and shoulders a good workout, but nothing uncomfortable.

I almost docked the wovel a star because the wear strip and foam handlebar covers should really be standard equipment with the wovel and not part of a fairly expensive accessory pack.