How to Select the Perfect Rake

Rakes are one of the staples of the toolshed, but the well-equipped gardener will have several to choose from. How do you know which rake you need? Here are some guidelines for choosing the right rake for the job.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bow Rake
• Fan Rake
• Steel Fan Rakes

1. Select a small, short-handled fan rake to clean under shrubs and in tight areas of the garden. Fan rakes resemble folding fans.

2. Use a larger fan rakes for fallen leaves. Some types of fan rakes have replaceable tines.

3. Buy an expanding stainless steel fan rake if you love gadgets. These are not especially useful for anything other than pine needles but are darned pretty!

4. Select a metal bow rake for moving soil and leveling a new planting bed. Or choose the modern, plastic version of the old-fashioned bow rake, which has a closed set of tines on the back to be use used for picking up and moving mulch or leaves.

Tips & Warnings

• Look for lightweight tools with aluminum handles and plastic heads. Maintenance for these types of tools is easy - just wash them off before you put them away.
• Wooden handles need some type of oil treatment, and metal rake heads need a spray of lubricating oil several times a year.
• Using a small, metal Shrub Rake you can clear leaves from those hard-to-reach places around flowers, shrubs and trees.
• If you have to step away from your raking for a moment, always lay rakes with the tines facing down.