Ever been bothered by the pile of fallen leaves covering your gorgeous garden and messing up your landscape? It's okay to pick up one or two by hand, but things get cumbersome when you're dealing with a backyard, the presence of multiple plants and trees, and the fall season.
Fret no more, Gardenite's Expanding Metal Rake has got you and your backyard's back. Whether you're planning on grabbing the leaves off your lawn or you have a small garden filled with debris, this leaf rake can get the job done. We've picked out the best leaf rakes on the market. We've also created a buying guide reviewed by a master gardener and homestead blogger to help you explore the different types of leaf rakes out there and perhaps end up with the most fitting one for your needs.
Image | 1 ![]() Gardenite | 2 ![]() True Temper | 3 ![]() Professional EZ Travel Collection | 4 ![]() TRG Inc | 5 ![]() Corona | 6 ![]() Homimp | 7 ![]() A.M. Leonard | 8 ![]() GardenHome | 9 ![]() AshmanOnline | 10 ![]() Garden Depot |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Expanding Metal Rake | Clog Free Poly Leaf Rake | High Quality Adjustable Rake | The Groundskeeper II Rake | Fixed Tine Leaf Rake | Garden Leaf Rake | Narrow Shrub Rake | Leaf Scoops | Bow Rake | Gardening Hand Rake |
Features | An Extra-Long, Flat-Tined Leaf Rake | A Poly Leaf Rake With a Clog-Free Design | A Fully Adjustable Leaf Rake | A Gentle Leaf Rake for Getting Around Plants | A Straightforward, Lightweight Leaf Rake for Covering More Ground | A Leaf Rake With an Adjustable Handle for Kids | A Long and Durable Shrub Rake | A Convenient Handheld Rake and Scooper | A Heavy-Duty, Multi-Purpose Rake | A Handheld Rake for Small Gardens |
Price | $29.95 | $26.22 | $29.99 | $39.95 | $42.95 | $19.99 | $22.03 | $13.59 | $30.99 | $6.00 |
Type | Leaf/shrub | Leaf | Leaf/shrub | Leaf/thatch | Leaf | Leaf/thatch/shrub | Shrub/thatch | Leaf | Leaf/thatch | Shrub/leaf |
Number of tines | 15 | 12 | 15 | Steel tines, fiberglass handle | 25 | Stainless steel | Steel tines, wood handle | Plastic | Steel tines, wood handle | Metal tines, plastic handle |
Rake width | 7-22 in. | 24 in. | 7.5-21.75 in. | 28 | 19 in. | 11 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 11 |
Handle length | 63 in. | 48 in. | 37-68 in. | 21 in. | 54 in. | 8 in. | 8 in. | 15 in. | 14 in. | 6.25 in. |
Material | Steel | Polypropylene tines, wood handle | Aluminum alloy | 55 in. | Steel tines, aluminum handle | 34-55 in. | 54 in. | - | approx 60 in. | 16.5 in. |
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Here are our 10 best choices for leaf rakes. We made our choices based on the points listed in the buying guide below, as well as reviewer comments when available.
*Please note that these products were chosen after extensive research by mybest writers. The choices are not necessarily affiliated with or recommended by Amy Jeanroy.
$29.95
Type | Leaf/shrub |
---|---|
Number of tines | 15 |
Rake width | 7-22 in. |
Handle length | 63 in. |
Material | Steel |
2914912
$26.22
Type | Leaf |
---|---|
Number of tines | 12 |
Rake width | 24 in. |
Handle length | 48 in. |
Material | Polypropylene tines, wood handle |
$29.99
Type | Leaf/shrub |
---|---|
Number of tines | 15 |
Rake width | 7.5-21.75 in. |
Handle length | 37-68 in. |
Material | Aluminum alloy |
GK102R
$39.95
Type | Leaf/thatch |
---|---|
Material | Steel tines, fiberglass handle |
Number of tines | 28 |
Rake width | 21 in. |
Handle length | 55 in. |
RK 62061
$42.95
Type | Leaf |
---|---|
Number of tines | 25 |
Rake width | 19 in. |
Handle length | 54 in. |
Material | Steel tines, aluminum handle |
$19.99
Type | Leaf/thatch/shrub |
---|---|
Material | Stainless steel |
Number of tines | 11 |
Rake width | 8 in. |
Handle length | 34-55 in. |
$22.03
Type | Shrub/thatch |
---|---|
Material | Steel tines, wood handle |
Number of tines | 10 |
Rake width | 8 in. |
Handle length | 54 in. |
$13.59
Type | Leaf |
---|---|
Material | Plastic |
Number of tines | 12 |
Rake width | 15 in. |
Handle length | - |
$30.99
Type | Leaf/thatch |
---|---|
Material | Steel tines, wood handle |
Number of tines | 16 |
Rake width | 14 in. |
Handle length | approx 60 in. |
$6.00
Type | Shrub/leaf |
---|---|
Material | Metal tines, plastic handle |
Number of tines | 11 |
Rake width | 6.25 in. |
Handle length | 16.5 in. |
A leaf rake should be your reliable partner in the backyard. It must be efficient in collecting all the leaves and debris so it doesn't take forever to cover the whole area. Here's a buying guide differentiating the types of leaf rakes that includes tips on picking out the best one for you.
There are four main types of leaf rakes. You have your typical leaf rake, those used for shrubs, ones that dethatch your lawn, and a hybrid that looks like a handheld claw scooper. Each has its unique capabilities.
A leaf rake is the typical wide-angled rake that lets you cover a lot of ground, collecting leaves quickly. Some leaf rakes come with a rake head spreading as much as 30 inches wide to lessen your work of going around the backyard during the fall season.
Leaf rakes vary in their widths and handles. Choose one that is most convenient for you in terms of your yard's size with the width of your rake or shape of the handle (more on this below).
These are smaller-sized rakes which make them handy to use in a garden or flowerbed. You can even get one that is handheld. While shrub rakes can't collect all the leaves on a lawn, their narrow heads let you access the space in between plants with ease.
Choose one with a long handle to reach the back areas in case your garden is dense. Shrub rakes are also great at spreading your compost or mulch around garden plants without breaking their stems or healthy leaves.
Thatch rakes are typically used in spring to remove thatch, the straw-like covering made of living or dead plant matter, from grass. Such debris can be ground zero for pests and diseases, plus block sunlight, water, and all the good stuff meant for your lawn.
However, for autumn use, they can aerate and remove leaves as well. Go for a thatch rake with short teeth or tines (less than an inch) to grab and cut through accumulated thatch without pulling on the roots.
As the tines sweep through the surface, thatch rakes also pick up small leaves and other debris, making them multi-functional. You can also get one with dual features such as a soil cultivator on one side to prep an area for seeds.
It may not really look like a rake, but leaf grabbers or claws do the same thing. Instead of pulling your leaves and garden debris into one pile, leaf scoopers go under and up, grabbing the leaves along the way.
You can get handheld ones which look like extensions of your hands and let you pick up larger amounts of leaves with each swipe. Or get one with a handle and a rounded compartment with toothed edges so you can rake and simultaneously grab the leaves for bagging.
The next consideration would be the material of your rake and the handle. The goal is efficient and convenient yard cleaning wherein you don't spend too much time sweeping or end up with back or shoulder pains from a handle that's too short or difficult to grasp.
Rakes usually come with metal or plastic tines. Aluminum, steel, and the like are known to be durable but steel is heavier compared to plastic ones. Meanwhile, plastic tines are lightweight, removing the extra burden on your arms and shoulders as you repeat the motion. The downside is that they're not as durable and don't last as long as metal ones.
To get the best of both worlds, you can consider a rake with resin tines made of a strong polymer material that is both durable and lightweight. There are a lot of rakes with poly heads that perform very well for garden owners.
The type of leaves and ground texture also play a role when picking the rake head material. If you're moving wet leaves, more strain is placed on the tines, which could bend or break those made of plastic. For light and dry debris on a well-maintained lawn, a lightweight, plastic rake is recommended.
One common pet peeve with leaf rakes is that their tines get clogged up with leaves. You can get one with tines connected at the edges to avoid clogging if you are dealing with an excessive amount of debris.
Rake handles could be made of wood, metal, or fiberglass. With wood, you get a nice, weighty material, but it's prone to rotting or breaking. Metal or fiberglass handles are lighter, with less risk of snapping or cracking. The choice of material is based on preference.
The handle's length is another critical consideration, and determines how far out the rake will go within your comfortable reach. Rakes typically extend from 36 to 67 inches. Take height and arm reach into consideration as taller people would need longer handles to use the tool comfortably.
Lastly, you have the handle's grip, which should be solid and smooth, yet comfortable. You will be holding the tool for an extended period and need it to stay securely in your hand without causing strain.
It's worth mentioning that a rake of the incorrect width could cause a lot of discomfort. For example, getting a narrow rake head to be used on a sizeable backyard would leave you tired. Meanwhile, getting one with a 30-inch-wide head to be used on a garden bed would risk hurting your plants along the way.
A narrower head means less strain on your back as it's easier to maneuver. For most situations, go for a rake with a head of about 24 inches wide. A better choice would be one that is adjustable to give you more options.
The rakes of old served one function: to collect your leaves and debris into one corner or pick them up. Today, they do so much more. You can get a leaf rake with an attached grabber, so once you collect a good amount of leaves, you can activate the mechanism and bring your haul straight to the bag.
You can also get leaf rakes with strong enough tines to cultivate the soil simultaneously, thus lessening your need for multiple separate tools. Metal tines could also be expandable wherein the tines could be spread out or brought close together manually depending on the destination, whether yard or flowerbed, for example.
There's always something that could be added to or improved in a backyard. Check out these other home and garden products to make your yard a beautiful, enjoyable space.
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