How do I choose a rake?

Asked by: Emilio Power

How To Buy the Right Rake

1. To move light, dry, fluffy materials, use a light-duty or standard-duty leaf rake.
2. To move heavy and wet materials or mixed materials like dirt and leaves, use a heavy-duty rake, especially those with steel tines and a spring that helps the tines flex backward without being permanently bent.

What do you look for in a rake?

Handles and width of the rake



Leaf rakes come with fiberglass, aluminum, or wood handles. Any of these work well, and you just need to make sure that they are lightweight and maneuverable. It is also a good idea to purchase a rake with a grip, which will help prevent against blisters.

What type of rake is best?

A bow rake (view example on Amazon) is generally considered homeowners’ best bet for leveling dirt, sand, and other materials that are heavier than leaves. The tines of a quality bow rake are made of metal and are shorter and thicker than those of a leaf rake (and spaced more widely).

How do I choose a leaf rake?

Choosing a Leaf Rake



With a range of widths, tine spacing and materials, some yard rakes are best for lightweight leaves, some are rigid enough to double as a lawn dethatcher, and still others rugged enough to clean out a shrub bed. You may find it’s best to keep multiple rakes around for various yard cleanup tasks.

Whats the difference in rakes?

Leaf rakes are shaped the same as lawn rakes, with a long fan-shaped set of tines. The key difference is that rakes designed for raking up fallen leaves will be made from plastic, not metal like lawn rakes.

Are metal or plastic rakes better?

A plastic leaf rake is actually more effective for removing large amounts of fallen leaves. They’re also suitable for lighter jobs like sifting soil. Meanwhile, metal rakes are better for more hardcore gardening chores. These include moving gravel and branches of trees, as well as mixing fertilizers into the soil.

What is a standard rake size?

22 inches to 30 inches

Standard rake sizes range from 22 inches to 30 inches, which describes the width of the rake head at the widest point. If you have a specialized application such as raking leaves from between bushes or clearing long-neglected areas, select a product fit for that job.

What is the difference between garden rake and a lawn rake?

Leaf rakes are typically made of lightweight wood for the handle, along with either plastic, bamboo or steel tines. In contrast, garden rakes must move heavier soil, so their tines are usually made of metal, such as steel, to withstand their heavy-duty application moving soil for tilling.

Whats the difference between a lawn rake and a leaf rake?

Leaf rakes are sometimes referred to as lawn rakes or fan rakes. However, they differ from lawn rakes because they have plastic tines which are only designed to move leaves, grass clippings, and other very lightweight materials.

What kind of rake is best for sticks?

leaf rakes

Our recommended rakes are mostly leaf rakes, which have long handles and tines made from metal or plastic that fan out in a triangle shape — but we made sure to include a shrub rake, a bow rake, and other multipurpose rakes as well.

What is a metal leaf rake used for?

Metal rakes are ideal for moving larger piles of leaves or thatch, especially if you are trying to rake when they are still wet and heavy. Also, there are metal rakes with adjustable tines. Again, they cost a bit more but take more abuse than plastic or bamboo.