Shrub rakes are similar to lawn rakes, but they have a narrower head that can fit in tighter spaces, such as around bushes and along fences. Bow Our range of garden trowels are ideal for smaller digging and planting, such as moving potted plants or digging out weeds. For more heavy duty digging, we have a number of shovels and spades that come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials, so you can find just what you need, no matter the size of your project, budget or expertise. Leaves, pine straw, and other materials shouldn’t collect on the tines while you use the rake. Having to stop and clear your tines of materials can slow down your task and increase the time you spend in your yard. Ergonomics Most tines are made of metal or plastic. Metal tines are more durable, but they’re heavier and tend to make garden rakes more expensive. Rakes with plastic tines aren’t as durable as metal rakes, but they’re more affordable and lightweight. Occasionally, you’ll find tines made of resin that give you the durability of metal and the flexibility of plastic. Head Width Each rake performed the task it was designed for. We included leaf, shrub, and bow rakes in this review, so the leaf rakes raked leaves, the shrub rakes collected pine straw, and the bow rakes raked dirt. Tine Buildup

Five common types of rakes exist: lawn/leaf rakes, shrub rakes, bow rakes, thatch rakes, and hand rakes. Lawn/LeafGarden forks are great for lifting, loosening and turning over soil, as well as digging up plants and weeds. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or you’ve just discovered your green fingers, we have something for everyone with a range of sizes and styles, from traditional to professional and industrial quality forks.

Task efficiency—We gave each rake a rating on a scale of 1-5 based on how efficiently it performed its designated task. A hand rake is a smaller version of a shrub or bow rake. It has a shorter handle and fewer tines, and it’s designed for use around smaller plants like vegetables and flowers. Its short handle gives you ultimate control of where the tines touch. Material The leaf rake that comes along with this unit has 15 springy round tines. They can withstand pressure and can adapt to different surfaces as compared to rigid tines. Due to the size and nature of some items, we're unable to despatch them via our usual delivery services. The handle on this rake has grooves for better gripping and a rim to prevent your hands from slipping down the pole. We were also able to extend and shorten the pole’s length depending on our height and how far we wanted to reach. Our ScoreAfter finishing our tests, we rated each rake based on its ease of use and comfort using a scale of 1-5. Extra features like adjustability and grip material, along with the handle’s length and the head’s width, factored into the ease of use score. The comfort score was based on how tired our arms and hands felt after performing each task. Scoring Rakes can weigh less than one pound or more than four. Their weight depends on their size and the materials used in their construction. Lighter rakes are good for tasks like raking dry leaves, while heavier rakes are good for heavy-duty tasks like moving dirt or leveling sand. White Glove Delivery is available on many lawnmowers & other highlighted products and is offered free to customers within a 30-mile radius of our showroom. Learn more. Flooding: A layer of leaves can prevent excess water from draining, which can cause your grass to become waterlogged and cause flooding in your home.

This type of rake removes the layer of organic material between your lawn and the soil’s surface, also known as thatch. Thatch rakes have sharp metal tines or blades that can be used to break up thatch. Hand

Even though this product is designed as a lightweight rake for easy handling, it has a sturdy construction and a stainless steel handle. You can use the expandable rake all-round the year to efficiently clean up dead grass, debris and leaves from gardens, lawns and flower beds. Even, it will help with getting rid of debris between bushes, shrubs and perennials. 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 Each testing metric was worth five points and a rake’s final score was an average of the three metric scores.

Lawn rakes are typically used to clear your yard of leaves, but they can also be used for clearing other debris like pine straw. They have a long handle for a wide reach, and their metal or plastic tines fan out in a triangular shape. Shrub The telescopic handle permits the rake to extend from 31.5 to 63 inches in length to ensure lesser fatigue when using and for longer reach. Additionally, some rakes have extra features that make them easier to use. For example, rakes with telescoping handles allow you to change their length, while others have grips to prevent your hands from slipping during use. Other factors that affect a rake’s ease of use include its weight and head width. A rake that’s too large or too heavy can be cumbersome to handle. Testing Process During our task efficiency tests, we counted the number of times we had to pause and clear the rake of leaves, pine straw, or debris. Ergonomics Because this rake’s head is adjustable, customers were able to use it for both small and large raking tasks, saving them money and storage space. However, several customers said that the rake was flimsy and that both the pole and tines bent under a slight amount of pressure. Our ExperienceFor clearing away the autumn leaves and drawing lines in your soil to plant vegetables and vibrant flowers for the summer, our wide selection of garden rakes will help you keep your garden looking neat and tidy. A rake’s head width refers to how far the tines on the rake fan out. Rakes with a wider head are good for clearing a lot of material at once, but if you’re doing more detailed work around plants, a rake with a smaller head may be a better option. Weight The rake head in this product from Docamor expands from 7.5 to 23.2” in width. This extension feature will help when you will have to deal with big piles of leaves or when you will have to reach small spaces like between shrubs. If you’re looking for a versatile rake, consider one that weighs 2 or 3 pounds. Not only does this allow you to complete a variety of tasks, but it also prevents your arms from getting tired during use. Yard Size