Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Garden rake buying guide

Updated: 21.10.2026

A Saturday of wet oak leaves, a barrow of gravel, and a hollow before you sow are three different jobs, and a garden rake buying guide should split them before you look at brands. On amazon.co.uk the live choice is a flexible leaf fan, a stiff bow for soil and aggregate, or a flat plate listed under rakes. The [Rake](/hub/garden-tools/rake) table holds the prices, stars and review counts. Peter F., DIY & tools editor, used those listings, not a lab test. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

A Saturday of wet oak leaves, a barrow of gravel, and a hollow before you sow are three different jobs, and a garden rake buying guide should split them before you look at brands.

Our top picks

OLLIDOT OLLIDOT 17-tine bow rake

Best overall

OLLIDOT OLLIDOT 17-tine bow rake
9.1/10about £19.99
View offer
KKTECH KKTECH 12-tine garden rake

Best value

KKTECH KKTECH 12-tine garden rake
8.8/10about £12.99
View offer
Jardineer Jardineer adjustable leaf rake

Alternative

Jardineer Jardineer adjustable leaf rake
8.7/10about £19.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Name the job before the brand
  2. 2.Match the head
  3. 3.Handle, length and weight
  4. 4.What this set costs

Name the job before the brand

Start with the pile in front of you, not with a title that lists leaves, thatch, soil and gravel in one sentence. Gardeners' World and the Basingstoke volunteer manual split leaf, lawn and soil rakes because the head decides what moves. Dry leaves and hedge clippings want a wide fan that skims the surface. A seedbed, clods or gravel you mean to pull want a short row of stiff tines, often with a flat back. Shallow hollows and a barrow of sand or topsoil want a plate. A spring-tine rake for thatch is a fourth tool, and none of these twelve is sold as a springbok. Fan against bow is on leaf rake or bow rake.

Match the head

A fan is a wide row of flexible tines. Plastic skims grass. Metal can reach moss, though that is not the same as scarifying. The grey OLLIDOT is 42 cm with 23 plastic tines. The Jardineer's title head runs from 17.8 to 58.5 cm. Do not call that rake a scarifier. A bow is the stiff head: the KKTECH 12-tine at about £12.99 (4.6 from 249), the OLLIDOT 17-tine at about £19.99 (43 cm head, 4.6 from 267) and the Walensee 17-tine at about £23.55 (4.4 from 2,046). A fan can sweep loose debris off gravel. That is not the same as driving a plastic fan through aggregate. A plate is not a third tine pattern. The DAKEPOLE is 76 by 25 cm and 5.84 kg. The COZCLAM is 90 by 30 cm and 5.32 kg. If you cannot lift about 5 to 6 kg, skip both and stay with a bow for a seedbed.
OLLIDOT OLLIDOT 17-tine bow rake

Testsieger

OLLIDOT OLLIDOT 17-tine bow rake
9.1/10about £19.99
View offer

Handle, length and weight

Most rakes at these prices arrive in screw or click sections. Walensee reviews, 4.4 from 2,046, keep saying the poles unwind while you work. A stripped thread on arrival is a description problem, not a technique tip. The Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9, expects satisfactory quality given the description, the price and the public claims. Length lines disagree inside single listings. The yellow OLLIDOT prints 128 cm, 165 cm and 203 cm, and one UK review says the assembled rake was two feet at most. The KKTECH title says carbon fibre and 130 cm, while the details say a plastic handle and the head-size field says 120 cm. Worcestershire's safe-use sheet says not to use a rake that is too long or too heavy.

What this set costs

Read these bands as this folder only. Entry is about £11.99 to £15.99: Bargain Factory, KKTECH, both OLLIDOT plastic fans, LSC and Harrms. Mid is about £19.99 to £23.55: the OLLIDOT bow, Jardineer, DAKEPOLE and Walensee. The top of this set is about £25.99 to £26.99: ZHJAN and COZCLAM. A 4.8 from 31 reviews is not the same evidence as a 4.4 from 3,397.

Common questions

What types of garden rake are there?
In this set you will see a leaf fan, a bow with a short row of stiff tines, and a lawn plate with no tines. Gardeners' World also separates a spring-tine lawn rake for thatch. None of these twelve is sold as that springbok, so a title that mentions thatch does not add the missing head. Match the tool to leaves, soil or a shallow hollow before you compare brands.
Do I need a leaf rake and a soil rake?
Many gardens do, because a fan skims debris and a bow bites clods and gravel. Thrive says a steel soil rake is not suitable for raking leaves off a lawn and can damage the turf. If you only clear a small patio of dry leaves, one fan is enough. If you also prepare a seedbed, the second head earns its peg in the shed.
Is a lawn levelling plate a rake?
Amazon lists these plates under rakes, but they are flat tools. The DAKEPOLE is 76 by 25 cm and 5.84 kg. The COZCLAM is 90 by 30 cm and 5.32 kg. They spread sand and topsoil into shallow hollows. They do not gather leaves, and a bow is not a substitute when you need that wide push.
What length of handle should I buy?
There is no single UK length in these sources. The English Garden mentions about 1.2 m as a familiar shaft, and the OLLIDOT bow is listed at 124 cm, which a 6 ft 3 in buyer found short. Check the dimension line against the title, because they sometimes disagree. Worcestershire says not to use a rake that is too long or too heavy for you. A longer shaft is not a cure for a bad back.
Why do cheap rake handles unscrew?
Most of these listings use screw or click sections so the tool packs down. On the Walensee, which has 2,046 reviews at 4.4, UK texts say the sections unwind during the stroke and have to be tightened again. Stainless on the title does not cancel that. If a thread is stripped when it arrives, that is a goods problem under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, not something you fix with a different stance.

Related pages

Best garden rake

Lawn levelling rake

Rake

How to use a garden rake: stance, stroke and storage

Leaf rake or bow rake: fan for leaves, bow for soil

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved for this set. There is no laboratory test.

  1. Basingstoke and Deane — volunteer guidance on rakes (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. RHS — Autumn lawn care (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. Worcestershire County Council — Safe use of rakes (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. Worcestershire County Council — How to use a rake (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. House of Commons Library — Faulty goods (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. HSE — Manual handling at work (INDG143) (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. Gardeners’ World — Garden rakes (retrieved 21.10.2026)