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Leaf rake or bow rake

Updated: 21.10.2026

The listing says the same rake will lift oak leaves, pull thatch and level gravel, and you are standing in the shed with one peg free. A leaf rake or bow rake is a real choice, because the heads do opposite work. A fan pulls debris across the surface. A bow bites soil and gravel. Neither replaces a spring-tine rake when the lawn is a mat of thatch. The locked figures sit in the [Rake](/hub/garden-tools/rake) table. Peter F., DIY & tools editor, did not run a lab test. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The listing says the same rake will lift oak leaves, pull thatch and level gravel, and you are standing in the shed with one peg free. A leaf rake or bow rake is a real choice, because the heads do opposite work.

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.What each head is for
  2. 2.Leaf rakes in this set
  3. 3.Bow rakes in this set
  4. 4.When to choose which

What each head is for

A leaf rake is a fan: many flexible tines, wide enough to skim a lawn or a path. A bow, sometimes just called a soil rake, is a short straight row of stiff tines, often with a flat back you can turn over. Thrive describes the steel version as short sharp prongs in a line, and says it is not for leaves on a lawn. The English Garden says a fan of metal, rubber or plastic can sweep surface debris off gravel without disturbing the stones. It is not permission to drive a plastic fan through a heap of aggregate. A bow on dry leaves snags the grass. A fan on a seedbed skates over clods. None of the twelve listings is sold as a springbok. A title that adds the word thatch does not create that head.

Leaf rakes in this set

The fans here split into plastic skimmers and metal heads you can narrow. The grey OLLIDOT, about £14.99, has 23 plastic tines, a 42 cm head and 1 kg, with 4.4 from 222 reviews. One UK review says it does not destroy grass the way a metal rake did. The yellow OLLIDOT lists lengths up to 203 cm, and one UK buyer found the assembled rake about two feet long. A bullet mentions light gravel. Do not buy it as a gravel tool. The Jardineer at about £19.99 is the adjustable metal fan with the deep sample, 4.4 from 3,397 reviews, about 700 g, title head 17.8 to 58.5 cm. Plastic skims. Metal reaches into moss more readily. Pulling some moss in a review is not scarifying.
OLLIDOT OLLIDOT 17-tine bow rake

Testsieger

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

Bow rakes in this set

The bows are for soil and for gravel you intend to move. The KKTECH has 12 tines at about £12.99, 4.6 from 249 reviews, and a UK review that cites gravel and clay. Its title says carbon fibre and the details say a plastic handle. The OLLIDOT bow has 17 tines on a 43 cm head, about £19.99, 4.6 from 267 reviews. The Walensee also has 17 tines and 4.4 from 2,046 reviews, and the title also says leaves and thatch. The reviews say the sections unscrew while you work. The ZHJAN ships a 25-tine head and an 11-tine head. Two UK reviews call the joint flimsy.

When to choose which

Choose a fan when the material is dry leaves, grass clippings or light litter on a lawn or a path, and you want the tines to give rather than dig. A plastic fan is the gentler skim if the sward matters. A metal fan is the one to consider when you also want to lift a bit of moss, and it is still not the RHS scarifier. Choose a bow when the material is a seedbed, clods, or gravel you mean to move. A sectional handle that unscrews, which is the Walensee pattern, eats the advantage of the stiff head. If the problem is a hollow and a barrow of topdressing, you want a plate, which is the lawn levelling rake. Thrive says many gardeners need one soil rake and one leaf rake.

Common questions

What is the difference between a leaf rake and a bow rake?
A leaf rake is a wide flexible fan that skims debris. A bow is a short row of stiff tines for soil and gravel, usually with a flat back. In this set the grey plastic OLLIDOT fan is 42 cm and 1 kg. The OLLIDOT bow is 43 cm, 17 tines and 1.64 kg. The shapes can look similar in a thumbnail. The tines do not behave the same once they meet the ground.
Can a bow rake pick up leaves?
It will catch some, and it will also dig into the grass. Thrive says a steel soil rake is not suitable for raking leaves up from a lawn and may damage the turf. A fan is the leaf tool. A bow title that also prints leaves or thatch, as the Walensee does, does not change the head you receive.
Will a plastic leaf rake scarify a lawn?
No. A plastic fan skims. Scarifying, in the RHS autumn guidance, is a spring-tined rake used both ways when you cannot see soil between the blades. The Jardineer is metal and some reviews pulled moss. It is still not sold as a scarifier, and a plastic head will not do that job either.
Is a metal fan the same as a springbok?
No. A springbok, or spring-tine rake, has long curved wires for thatch. A metal fan such as the Jardineer or the Bargain Factory is a leaf rake with stiffer tines than plastic. It can reach moss. It is not the tool the RHS names for a thatch mat, and none of these twelve listings is sold as a springbok.
Which rake for gravel?
Use a bow if you mean to move the gravel, clay or stones. The KKTECH reviews mention gravel and clay. The Harrms and OLLIDOT bows are listed for that work. A fan may sweep loose litter off the surface of gravel, which is the English Garden point. Do not force a plastic fan through the aggregate itself.

Related pages

Garden rake buying guide

Best garden rake

Rake

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

Lawn levelling rake for topdressing shallow hollows

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)