Mantis Snow Shovel

Now that winter is almost over, I figured it would be a great time to tell you about the Mantis 8112 Snow Shovel.   Actually I live in the Chicago area and this year the snow has been below average.  We have had one good ice storm, then about a 2″ snow fall.  While most people think that is a good winter and not having snow, I have two kids and have to say we have all been disappointed.  When Dan first told me that we were going to test out a new snow shovel, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.  I have been using shovels my whole life and haven’t seen anything that has blown me away.  Then he told me it was an electric snow shovel, the Mantis Snow Shovel.  Well that just confused me more because I couldn’t picture how it would work.  While my head was in a fog, he showed me a couple of pictures.  Then it dawned on me, not at all what I was thinking about when I heard about an electric snow shovel.  Once I came back to reality, I figured how cool could this thing could really be.  But before I tell you about the performance, let me just tell you about the snow shovel and paint you a little picture.

Okay sorry there really isn’t much to tell you about the Mantis Snow Shovel.  It’s an auger with a handle that attaches to your outlet.  Yes that is pretty much about it, plain and simple. So here is the deal, this is designed to work with snow up to 4″ deep and will clear a 12″ path per pass.  I am not sure how many amps this unit is because no matter where I looked, it wasn’t listed (hopefully by now someone will list it).  The handle does move to different sizes for storage or to provide the proper height for different sizes of people.

So the performance.  When I picked up the unit, it is pretty light weight.  So in my head I thought great, what will this do?  Throw the snow 2″? Let me tell you, after using the Mantis Snow Shovel I will never laugh at another snow shovel again.  This is extremely easy to use and will throw the snow about 20′, yes 20′.  Even when I went through heavy snow, it really didn’t have a problem propelling it into my neighbors yard, just where I like it.  I have to say this snow shovel really did surprise me.  Now since this is electric, not everyone can use it.  You will need an extension cord and an outlet close by.  For people who may live in the city or have a small path or driveway, this may be the perfect solution for your snow problems.  No gas, spark plugs or engines to deal with.  Just plug it and go.  If you do have a larger driveway or need a more portable option, check out the snow blowers we have covered.