How to Choose the Right Rake

Where would we be without the humble rake? Leaves and garden debris would go ungathered and soil would remain lumpy and difficult to sow in — all in all, garden chores would be a lot more difficult. Take a look at the rakes below and you’ll probably see some that look familiar and maybe some that don’t. It turns out, there are many types, and choosing the right rake for the task at hand will make things a lot easier on you. Let’s take a look at a few rakes you can use to make your lawn and borders look beautiful!

What to look for in a thatch rake

Some thatch rakes are one-sided but this model has two — the sharp crescent-shaped blades remove debris, and the round side is for cultivating. Use it when you’re done to prep the area for seed. Adjustable lawn rakes let you choose the angle that works best for the amount of thatch you have.

How to use a thatch rake

Metal leaf rake

Clean up the lawn or your border with leaf rakes.

What to look for in a metal leaf rake

Adjustable rakes heads allow users to adjust the spread of the tines for different tasks.

A grabber tool built into the head eliminates the need for bending down to retrieve swept leaves.

A padded grip, usually made of rubber or foam, provides additional comfort and reduces hand fatigue.

A collapsible handle saves space and makes it easier to store the rake in a garage or shed.

What Customers Are Saying

This bow rake has close to 400 customer reviews on Amazon. Ninety-three percent of those reviews are 4- or 5-star reviews and only 5% are 1- or 2-star reviews, giving the products an average score of 4.7 stars out of 5.

While customers said the product was heavy, they liked that most of the weight was in the head. They said that this allowed the head to break through compact soil without requiring too much force. However, some customers expressed a desire for the handle to be longer.

Our Experience

This rake came fully assembled, allowing our team to quickly unwrap it and start using it. Since bow rakes are designed for raking and leveling fine materials like dirt and sand, we tested this product with dirt. We were able to rake dirt into a pile and level it with the back of the head without any dirt collection on the tines.

Types of Chain Saws

Even though they all have the same purpose, a lot of thinking goes into making the decision of choosing the right chain saw. Questions like “how often will I use it?” “What is my budget?” “Do I want one where I have to refill the tank or one where I can just plug it into the wall?” begin to linger in mind.