March 14, 2017
As a heavy blast of late-season snow sweeps through the Delaware Valley and much of the Northeast, the ingenuity of one Downingtown man could prove to be a relief to shovelers with bad backs.
"I've been testing and evaluating shovels professionally for over 35 years," inventor Howie Rosenshine writes at his website for the "Shovelution," an ergonomic device that found its way to QVC in December.
Rated the "Best New Tool" by Popular Mechanics in January, the Shovelution dons a spring-loaded second handle that eases up the angle usually required to brace and lift piles of snow.
Rosenshine created the shovel at Philadelphia-based makerspace NextFab Studio and soon landed a deal with Snow Joe, a tool producer in Edison, New Jersey. While the Shovelution is adjustable and can be clamped onto any shovel, Snow Joe helped Rosenshine by developing an all-in-one model now stocked by Amazon, Home Depot and Walmart.
Here's a demo of the Shovelution, with helpful anatomical analysis from Rosenshine.
The Shovelution retails between $20 and $30, a fair price to pay to stave off a day in bed with a bottle of Advil by your side.
