Anyone ever use this thing?

http://smartashshovel.com/

And, if so, why is it any different from a $3 Home Cheapo shovel with a bunch of slots cut in it with a die grinder?

The shovel has a slotted, hinged lid. By jiggling the shovel in the firebox, the ashes fall through the slots into the bottom of the shovel. The shovel is then removed from the firebox and inverted over an ash bucket. The hinged lid opens and lets the ash fall into the bucket.

If it were just a slotted shovel, you'd end up removing all the large embers and leaving the ash in the stove.

It's kind of like a portable ash grate.

I'm not interested...much easier just to shovel the ash out when it has burned down.

I have been having a lot of trouble with coal and ash buildup, so I was looking for a way to sift out ash and toss live coals to one side, then scoop out only ash afterward.

Welcome to EPA woodstove technology. Nearly everyone including me had trouble with that. Coals and ash build up between loads making it difficult to keep going without scooping out hot coals unless you simply wait for the coals to burn down. I solved it with a 30" deep firebox. I rake forward most of the coals during reload and still have plenty of room in the back. At the next cycle what I raked forward is burnt down to pure ash. I just remove them, rake forward the coals in the back, reload and the cycle continues.

Don't let Dennis see that video what with how the guy dumps the ashes into the pail.

I thought of making an ash scoop with a grate over it to do what that does. In the end I decided to make a combination ash hoe and coal rake. I start by pushing everything to the back with the hoe and then flip it over to rake the coals forward. Then I reach in behind the coals with the shovel to remove the ashes.

I went and watched the movie. If I had any notions of purchase (which I didn't) they quickly evaporated after watching the vid. He looked like a slammer and jammer to me.

I thought he was just being a "SmartAsh" ;-)