DeWalt 32 in. Fiberglass D-Handle Scraper

Why I picked up this compact scraper

I keep a few long-handled spades and pry bars in my truck for rough work, but I wanted something shorter and more controllable for winter scraping and small-scale demo. The 32-inch DeWalt scraper immediately appealed as a crossover tool: compact enough to live behind a truck seat, stout enough to chip ice, and narrow enough to get under roofing, tile, and stubborn roots. After several weeks of putting it through winter cleanup and a bit of tear-out, I’ve got a clear sense of where it shines—and where it doesn’t.

Build and ergonomics

The business end is a 7-inch forged carbon-steel blade pinned to a fiberglass shaft with two stainless steel rivets. That pairing is smart. The forged blade takes an edge quickly with a file and has the stiffness you want when you lean on it. The stainless rivets haven’t loosened or corroded in wet, salty conditions, and the blade-to-handle junction feels reassuringly tight.

The D-handle is fiberglass with an over-molded grip. In practice, the handle does two things well: it damps vibration when you’re chipping at ice or concrete residue, and the over-mold keeps your hands planted when things get wet or muddy. The overall length—32 inches—is the defining ergonomic trait of this tool. It makes the scraper easy to control close to your body, great in tight areas, and far less fatiguing for repetitive, shallow scraping. The trade-off is leverage and posture. If you’re over about 5'10", expect to bend more, and if your job involves deep prying or long lever-arm work, you’ll be wishing for more length.

There is a detail worth calling out: the pitch between the handle and blade. Compared with a traditional drain spade, the blade sits at a more acute angle relative to the shaft. That geometry favors a push-scrape motion with the blade riding relatively flat to a surface—excellent for planing down ice or adhesive—but it can feel awkward for straight-down stabs or deep vertical chops. It’s not a defect; it’s a design choice that emphasizes scraping over digging.

The finish is a multi-step black hammer-tone coating. It has held up better than I expected. After chipping salt-crusted ice, scraping asphalt, and working in damp soil, I’ve had minimal rust spotting. There’s also an integrated hanging hole at the end of the handle, and the compact length means it fits in a standard storage rack or even a milk crate in the bed of a truck.

On ice and snow

This is where the scraper earns its keep. On a January morning with half an inch of refrozen slush bonded to the driveway, the forged blade cut cleanly without flexing. The 7-inch width hits a nice balance: wide enough to clear reasonable swaths, narrow enough to concentrate force under your hands. The short length lets you keep your weight over the blade, so you’re pushing through with your legs rather than levering with your back.

The over-molded D-grip is a real advantage in the cold. With gloves on, I still had purchase on the handle without that plastic-on-ice slip you get with smooth fiberglass. Vibration through the shaft was muted—noticeably less numbing than a steel-handled mason’s chisel or a cheap snow scraper. If you live where freeze-thaw cycles make skating rinks out of driveways, this geometry and length make sense.

A tip from use: dress the leading edge lightly with a bastard file before the season. The factory edge is serviceable, but a few passes make it bite quicker into bonded ice. The forged carbon steel takes that edge and keeps it, even after scraping aggregate.

Around the yard and in the dirt

As a root cutter and surface edger, it’s strong. The forged blade lets you make clean chops to sever small to medium roots hugging a fence line. The compact length helps you work in close quarters without over-swinging. However, when I tried to drive it deeper into compacted soil to expose a buried edging stone, the short handle and the blade angle made me feel crowded over the work. I could still get it done, but I had to take shallower bites and reposition more than I would with a longer spade.

The same is true for trench starts or post-hole cleanouts. If your workflow depends on plunging straight down and then prying out material, this tool will feel limiting. The angle that excels for scraping keeps the blade from squaring up perfectly in a vertical stab unless you choke way up and stoop more than ideal. For shallow excavation and chopping, it’s fine; for deep digging, it’s not the right geometry.

Demo and flooring work

Underlayment and adhesive scraping are natural fits. I used the scraper to lift old vinyl tile and to shear off mastic left on a concrete slab. With the handle angle putting the blade flatter to the surface, I could keep a consistent attack without digging into the substrate. The narrow width snakes into corners and along baseplates. The fiberglass handle was a plus when levering against studs or scraping along cut nails—less chatter and less sting in the wrists than a steel shaft.

It also performed well freeing shingles stuck along a valley where my roofing shovel couldn’t fit. The compact length lets you brace against your thigh and push with control, and the blade didn’t deform under lateral load. Again, if you’re thinking of using it to pry long runs or peel large sheets, you’ll be working harder than you would with a long bar, but for targeted tear-out it’s solid.

Durability and maintenance

After several weeks in wet conditions, the blade shows scuffing but no warping or loosening at the rivets. The hammer-tone finish resisted the usual bloom of rust I expect after exposure to salty slush. The stainless rivets are a good choice; they haven’t shown the orange halos that cheaper fasteners develop.

Maintenance is simple: rinse off grit, wipe dry, and hang it. The hanging hole is handy and actually gets used because the tool is short enough to sit on a pegboard without interfering with the floor. Touch up the edge as needed—two minutes with a file keeps it cutting clean. The fiberglass handle seems to shrug off abrasions that would chew up wood.

The Lifetime Limited Warranty is a nice backstop. I didn’t need it, but it’s comforting on a tool that you’re going to hit, pry, and generally abuse.

What I’d change

• Handle length options: A 36- to 40-inch version would make this tool more back-friendly for taller users and add leverage for prying without sacrificing control.
• Slightly tweaked blade pitch: A touch more open angle would make vertical chops feel more natural while retaining the scraper-first character.
• Edge prep from the factory: A more aggressive factory grind would reduce the urge to file before first use.

None of these are deal breakers; they’re refinements that would broaden the tool’s sweet spot.

Who will appreciate it

• Homeowners and facility folks who regularly scrape winter ice and packed snow off small to medium paved areas.
• Remodelers looking for a stout, compact scraper for underlayment, mastic, and light roofing tear-out in tight spaces.
• Landscapers who want a short, accurate chopper for surface roots and edging where a full-length spade is overkill.

If your primary need is deep digging, trenching, or heavy prying, choose a longer spade or a dedicated pry bar. This scraper can do some of that work, but it’s not optimized for it.

Recommendation

I recommend the DeWalt 32-inch scraper for users who prioritize control and scraping performance over leverage. The forged 7-inch carbon-steel blade, vibration-damping fiberglass D-handle, and durable finish make it a reliable, low-maintenance tool for ice removal, adhesive and underlayment scraping, and targeted demolition. The compact length and blade pitch are assets in those scenarios. Just be aware of the trade-offs: taller users may find the ergonomics less comfortable for long sessions, and anyone expecting it to double as a deep-digging spade will run up against its geometry and leverage limits. Used for what it’s designed to do, it’s a sturdy, efficient addition to the truck or shop.