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Scarifier springs or blades

Updated: October 2026

The lawn is either dusty with moss or soft underfoot like a mat, and the spare is labelled scarifier springs or blades as if those were the same thing. They are not. Springs comb the surface. Fixed knives cut shallow slits. A 2-in-1 needs the drum that matches what you can see. This page says which listing in our [scarifier blade comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/scarifier-blade) is which element. Peter F. used STIHL UK’s domestic depths. We did not run a trial lawn. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The lawn is either dusty with moss or soft underfoot like a mat, and the spare is labelled scarifier springs or blades as if those were the same thing. They are not. Springs comb the surface.

Our top picks

Bluemars Bluemars BM-GP1003

Best overall

Bluemars Bluemars BM-GP1003
7.4/10about £39.99
View offer
Einhell Einhell 3420021

Rank 2

Einhell Einhell 3420021
9.0/10about £37.95
View offer
OTOTEC OTOTEC HO195W

Best value

OTOTEC OTOTEC HO195W
8.6/10about £15.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Moss and thatch are not the same job
  2. 2.Springs comb, and knives slit
  3. 3.Which spare in this comparison is which
  4. 4.If the grass comes up in sheets

Moss and thatch are not the same job

Moss sits in the sward, and you can still see soil between plants if you part the grass. A thatch mat is the brown layer of dead stem and root at the surface. If you cannot see soil, the RHS says scarifying helps. Gardeners’ World uses about 1 cm of thatch as a rule of thumb for too much. Those are observation tests, not a blade specification. The RHS points moss work at October or early November. STIHL UK puts powered scarifying in April and May once the soil is about 10°C, with a lighter pass in September. A lawn under a year old stays out of it. Moss you can lift with a rake is a spring job. A mat that parts in a brown sheet is a knife job, done shallow. Measuring a hub is on the scarifier blade buying guide.

Springs comb, and knives slit

Springs, wires, and tines flick and comb. They should stay off the soil. Fixed blades cut grooves. Lawnsmith says many machines sold as scarifiers are wire rakes. STIHL UK’s domestic depth is about 2–3 mm, and 4 mm only on a neglected lawn. Camon sells spring-tine cartridges for moss, and fixed blades with a cartridge claim of up to 10 mm. That 10 mm figure is the maker’s claim. It is not STIHL’s 2–3 mm, and this page does not tell you to scarify to 10 mm. Springs do not remove a thatch mat as thoroughly as knives. The first high pass is on how to fit a scarifier blade.
Bluemars Bluemars BM-GP1003

Testsieger

Bluemars Bluemars BM-GP1003
7.4/10about £39.99
View offer

Which spare in this comparison is which

The only spring refill here is the OTOTEC pack, about £15.99, 45 stainless springs, 1.6 mm wire, 12 mm coil, named for Parkside PLV 1500 A1, B1, C1 and C2 and PLVA 40-Li A1 and B1, 4.3 from 43 ratings. It is the moss spare for those drums, and it is useless on an Einhell knife shaft. Free length is not printed. Reviews say the springs were too long for a PLV 1500 B1. The Einhell 3420021 is the knife roller: 18 steel blades, 40 cm, for the petrol GC-SC 2240 P, about £37.95, 4.5 from 187 ratings. That is the thatch drum for that one chassis. The Bluemars listing, about £39.99, names the BM-GP1003 and describes a scarifier blade and an aerator roller, 5.0 from five ratings. It does not prove both drums are in the pack. Conversion bars comb. They are not the Einhell’s 18 knives.

If the grass comes up in sheets

Sheets mean the grass is rooted in the thatch, or the drum is already too deep. Stop. STIHL’s 4 mm is the neglected-lawn ceiling in their domestic advice, and Camon’s 10 mm is not the next step. Brown, with grass plants still standing, is what Gardeners’ World says you should expect. A peeled surface is the stop. A spring drum that peels the lawn was set too low. A knife drum that only polishes the moss was the wrong element, or it was still on the highest setting, which is where the first pass belongs. If the machine you own has only springs, you will comb, and a knife scarifier is a different hire.

Common questions

Do I need scarifier springs or blades for moss?
Springs. They comb moss and should stay off the soil. A spring-tine rake is still the RHS hand tool for a small patch, in October or early November. Fixed blades are for a thatch mat, at about 2–3 mm on STIHL UK’s domestic advice. Knives are unnecessary if a spring drum fits the machine and you can still see soil.
What if the lawn is spongy?
Part the grass. A brown layer rather than soil is thatch, and Gardeners’ World’s rule of thumb is about 1 cm before it counts as too much. That points to knives, shallow, on a lawn older than a year. Spongy moss on soil you can see still points to springs. The spare must match the layer and the model the chassis accepts.
Will blades pull the grass out?
They can, if the grass is rooted only in thatch or the notch is too low. A correct knife pass leaves the lawn brown, with plants still in the soil. A pass that lifts sheets has gone through the mat. Stop, rake, and wait. STIHL’s ceiling of about 4 mm on a neglected lawn is the figure to respect.
I have a 2-in-1. Which spare do I need?
The drum that matches the symptom and the part number. Springs or an aerator roller for moss. Fixed blades for a thatch mat. The Bluemars title mentions both for the BM-GP1003, and the listing does not prove both are in the box. The Einhell roller is 18 knives for one petrol model. The OTOTEC pack is springs for named Parkside drums.
Is a mower scarifier bar a spring or a knife?
It is springs or push-on tines on a flat bar, so it combs. It does not slit like the Einhell’s fixed blades. It can lift light moss on a rotary mower whose hub matches, and reviews say it does not fill the grass box. Thick thatch is outside that job.

Related pages

Scarifier blade for a lawn mower

Scarifier blade

Best scarifier blade: name the host before the stars

Scarifier blade buying guide: measure the old part

How to fit a scarifier blade and run the first pass

Sources

Buying notes from the sources below, checked for this page on 22 October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk captures of that date.

  1. RHS: autumn lawn care (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. RHS: moss in lawns (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. STIHL UK: lawn scarification (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Lawnsmith: types of scarifier and raker (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Gardeners' World: scarifying a lawn (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. BS EN 13684:2018+A1:2024 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Honda UK: lawn and garden maintenance (retrieved 22 October 2026)