Extreme Max 21-Foot Shingle-Saver Roof Snow Rake Review

There are two kinds of roof rake, and this is the traditional kind done well: a wide poly blade on a long pole, with small rollers along the blade's bottom edge so that as you pull, the blade rides just above the shingles instead of sanding them. Extreme Max sells it with enough aluminum sections to reach 21 feet, which covers the eaves on most two-story houses and the whole roof on a single-story.

The 24-inch blade is a sensible width — wide enough to clear a band in a few pulls, narrow enough that a full load of snow doesn't overwhelm the pole. And the pole is the main limitation of any drag rake: at full extension it flexes and your arms are overhead, so you'll clear in shorter sections and take breaks. The rollers help more than you'd expect; they let the blade glide rather than catch.

The case for spending more on the Avalanche! is simply effort: it lets gravity do the work and your shoulders will know the difference on a long gutter line. The case for the Extreme Max is everything else — price, storage, reach, and the fact that it works fine on low-pitch roofs where a slide rake struggles. For a house that needs raking a few times a winter, it's the right amount of tool.