Updated on Oct. 07, 2024
Roof rakes, leaf rakes, pond rakes and more. Here's our expert guide to knowing which ones you need and what to do with them to keep your yard tidy.
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The leaf rake is perhaps the most common type you’ll see in a homeowner’s collection. It usually has long, thin, flexible tines made from metal, plastic or bamboo.
This rake is perfect for gathering leaves, grass clippings and other lightweight debris from your lawn. Its flexible tines shouldn’t damage your grass or flower beds.
The garden rake offers a more robust construction with short, rigid, usually metal tines.
This rake is ideal for breaking up soil, spreading mulch and leveling out garden beds. The sturdy tines allow for more aggressive digging and leveling.
A thatch rake, sometimes called a dethatching rake, features sharp, hooked blades. It’s specifically for removing thatch, a layer of dead grass and roots that can build up on your lawn. Removing it improves water and nutrient absorption.
This is the only rake head you can put on a universal handle.
A shrub rake is smaller and narrower than a typical rake, with a fan-like shape for getting into tight spaces. It’s perfect for raking leaves and debris from around shrubs, bushes and flower beds without damaging the plants.
A landscape rake is large and wide with a long handle and short tines. Often used in new lawn installations and renovations, it’s great for spreading and leveling soil, sand and gravel evenly across large areas.
The bow rake, as the name suggests, comes with a bow-shaped frame that supports rigid tines, usually made of metal.
This rake is an excellent tool for heavy-duty tasks like breaking up compacted soil, spreading gravel or leveling mulch. The frame adds stability and durability.
A hand rake, the smallest of the bunch, features a short handle and usually three to five tines.
Ideal for close-up work in flower beds, planters and tight spaces, it’s great for weeding, aerating soil and removing debris.
A roof rake features a long handle and a flat, wide blade, often made of aluminum or plastic. You’ll use this rake to remove snow from roofs, reducing the weight and preventing ice dams.
A pond rake has a long handle and wide, flat tines, often made of metal or plastic. You’ll use this to remove aquatic weeds and debris from ponds and lakes.
Fruit picker rakes come with a basket and claw-like tines at the end of a long handle.
These rakes let you pick fruit from trees without climbing ladders. I wouldn’t be without mine, because it makes picking fruit and nuts so quick and easy. You can also get berry fruit rakes for easy harvesting of berry bushes.
