BLACK+DECKER Lawn Raker 600 W with Large Capacity Front Loading Grass Box and Heigh Adjustment System GD300-GB, Orange, 24x50x50 cm

Product Information

The Cobra S3840V 38cm (15in) Cordless Battery Scarifier & Aerator was a pretty straight forward setup – not too many bits to put together Being a relatively quiet machine makes this scarifier suitable for urban settings – you won’t have to worry about your neighbours complaining about the noise it’s making, and ear defenders are definitely not needed. I also appreciated the machine’s safety features, from its bright orange lead that remains visible even in dark grass to the button that needs to be pressed before the machine can be turned on. Lawn rakers have a plastic cylinder that is covered in sprung metal tines, which can pull out moss and thatch from your lawn in a combing action. Lawn scarifiers have the same plastic cylinder, but in their case it is covered with knife blades, which are capable of cutting into the lawn to remove thatch and moss. You can also use your scarifier on its lowest setting, to cut into the soil and improve aeration. Q: How to change lawn raker tines? For this reason, I think it’s a great machine if you want a scarifier at a budget-friendly price; however, consider another option if the aerating function is also important to you. You’ll probably have to spend a bit more to get a machine that’s a better all-rounder. This is another mid-budget electric scarifier and aerator that offers a lot of value, given what it costs.

There are many many manufacturers and many different prices so just get the best you can afford. Quite often a pre-owned machine makes sense and if you can grab one, perhaps a SISIS from a bowling club then do so. You’ll have a superb machine with all the variations you’ll need. Lawnmower Cassettes Qualcast mower raking cassette Also look at how easy the depth adjustment is on a given lawn scarifier, before buying it. If you plan to adjust the working depth often, you don’t want it to be a difficult process. What working width do I need? However, once assembly was out of the way and I had a good look at the machine, I was instantly impressed. It comes with five height settings, from -12mm to +10mm (most other scarifiers have just three or four), and there’s a single lever to adjust the height. You can adjust the height of the handles too or fold them away to easily store the machine. Being a 2-in-1 model, this product comes with two interchangeable rollers; one for scarification and one for aeration.

Personal account

The two separate scarifying and aerating drums can be changed over swiftly and both do their designed tasks to a good standard.
This NETTA product comes with a 30 litre collection box and a 10 metre power cord. Pros: So with that said, let’s look at what you need to consider when buying a lawn scarifier / raker: What to consider before buying a lawn raker and scarifier?

Using a lawn raker machine is much easier today compared to manual scarification with handrakes. Once a lawn has been raked, fresh grass can have ample space, air and nutrients to grow into a bustling lawn. As you progress and remove the tangles in your lawn you can lower the height of the blades, but try to keep the tines from actually going into the soil as it can damage or even break them. Q: What is the difference between scarifier and lawn raker? It has five heights to choose from, along with a 38cm working width, which is wider than all of the other scarifiers I tested. The height of the handles is adjustable too, or you can easily fold them down if you need to store the machine. So what does it stand up to? When I compare performance I have to say I prefer this over the Netta. Now I appreciate the Netta is a 2 in 1 and offering value in a different way but when strictly comparing the lawn raker / scarifier component I feel this has it edged, and at much less money! The Bosch ALR 900 is a great all-rounder if you’re looking for a lawn scarifier and aerator that just gets the job done.

Manual rolling drum – ideally you want a good number of metal spikes on the drum to create plenty of holes – as a guide, 27 spikes will give you about 180 spikes per square metre. The spikes should also be at least 5cm long to ensure they penetrate the ground deeply. The ‘Jet Collect’ system on the Bosch does seem to, perhaps, just make it the slight winner when it comes to collection of wet leaves on the lawn for example. The flow of air produced by this system seems to help prevent clogging of the collection box inlet and slightly improves compaction.

The Flymo lawnrake has been designed to be compact and the foldable handles help make it easy to store away. It measures 66 x 46.6 x 39 cm and weighs 12.3 kilograms.
The 12 metre cable length is longer than average and the extra few metres comes in handy.Manual scarifiers – in addition to strong, good-sized blades, a telescopic handle is a useful feature to make it as comfortable as possible to use - a soft-grip is also a bonus. Some types are designed so you can adjust how deeply the blades rake through the grass and thatch, which is extremely useful. Petrol scarifiers. If your lawn is larger than 100 square metres, you might want to invest in a petrol scarifier. Although they’re quite expensive, and can be a little noisy, they’re the best lawn scarifier, especially if you’re looking for maximum efficiency. These options aren’t the best lawn scarifier for beginners, but if you know your stuff, they can’t be beaten. The grass box on the Bosch ALR 900 does seem to be a little flimsy which is surprising for Bosch, having said that it does not seem to affect the performance in any way. I believe the collection box feels a little flimsy as it comes in two parts. Bosch have done this to reduce the storage space required for the collection box as it can be split into two sides when not in use. I was pleased with how much thatch and weed were removed – I mean I couldn’t finish a 10 metre line without having to empty the collection box. It really was aggressive. The battery died 4 times on a 100m2 section – I got about 20-25m2 out of one battery which is fine considering this is actually digging into the ground aggressively unlike some of the other electric scarifiers which aren’t aerating much at all. I have to say if I did it again I would be inclined to maybe cut the lawn first. The thing is I wanted to test it hard to see it’s limits and to be fair it really held up well: