Great leaf rakes come in many designs. A number of leaf rakes feature traditional metal tines supported with a coil spring and a wooden handle. Others employ wider plastic tines to grab and draw more leaves at a time, making it easy to spread leaves across more ground or grab and draw mounds of wet leaves. Some leaf rakes use a thinner build or employ a staggered, dual-tine system to help maneuver between the shrubs. Steve Windham, landscape designer and founder of Root & Branch Gardens in Greensboro, North Carolina, suggests looking for a rake that’s “sturdy and well built.” He recommends a “rake with metal leaf tines that are kind of springy and heavy-duty,” with which you can “use a little finesse to get debris out of natural areas and go in between plants.” Heeding Windham’s advice, we scoured the internet to research the best leaf rake options on the market. We factored in material, repairability, and handle length in choosing our standout rakes. Our overall choice for the best leaf rake is the Bully Tools 24-Tine Leaf and Thatching Rake, with its strong, durable 49-inch fiberglass handle and tempered steel tines that combine power and dexterity. Here are our top picks for the best leaf rakes to suit all your yard work needs. Keep In Mind: Some people find it a little heavy. Although it is on the pricier end of the rake spectrum, this price is justified by the rake’s premium materials and construction. It uses tempered US steel for a 24-tine head that’s finished with a rust-resistant powder coating. The 16-inch-long tines that spread to 22 inches wide do an efficient job of grabbing leaves. With a 49-inch handle, the rake’s overall length is just over 66 inches. Coated with a polyester water-resistant finish, the fiberglass handle sports a comfortable rubber grip to help reduce fatigue during prolonged use. Bully Tools brand offers a limited lifetime warranty. Buy it for autumn leaves, and we think you’ll find yourself using it to move mulch next spring, clear fallen sticks after a summer thunderstorm, and rake leaves year after year. Price at time of publish: $60 Head Width: 22.5 inches | Handle Length: 49 inches | Weight: 3.85 pounds | Material: Steel, fiberglass Keep In Mind: Its thin tines make it unsuitable for heavy-duty raking. This lightweight metal rake features a set of steel tines that easily splay from 7 inches to 23 inches, condensing in size to fit in smaller places and expanding to cover more ground. These tines are supported with a 1-inch thick telescoping aluminum handle that extends from 32 inches to 63 inches, which makes it suitable for users of various heights and builds, from a child to a full-size adult. With such versatility, the Jardineer is ready for many different garden tasks and can be a few categories of rake in one, eliminating the need to purchase a separate rake for those tight spaces around shrubs. The only thing the Jardineer doesn’t do well is heavy-duty raking. This rake is not suitable for moving mulch, rocks, or thick, wet deposits of leaf material. However, if you’re looking for a rake that has features enough for the whole family and still delivers at a budget price point, then the Jardineer is the best leaf rake for the job. Price at time of publish: $23 Head Width: 7 to 23 inches | Handle Length: 32 to 63 inches | Weight: 1.4 pounds | Material: Aluminum body, steel tines Keep In Mind: Due to its weight, this rake may be fatiguing to use for raking fallen leaves. Unlike true leaf rakes, the Hooyman bow rake weighs in at 4.8 pounds for exerting force on denser substances. Against freshly fallen leaves, the heavy steel tines will feel unbalanced and require more effort than a thin-tined leaf rake would. This bow rake has a 65-inch fiberglass handle with a rubberized grip that is easy to hold in dry and wet conditions. Its 16-inch wide head is built with 1050 high carbon steel. It is further protected with a limited lifetime warranty. Price at time of publish: $44 Head Width: 16 inches | Handle Length: 65 inches | Weight: 4.8 pounds | Material: 1050 high carbon steel, fiberglass, tacky grip Keep In Mind: Taller people may have to bend for all the tines to make contact with the leaves due to the leaf rake’s curved design, and the plastic rake heads can become brittle when left in the sun for long periods. Generally, steel tine rakes are known for lasting longer than plastic rakes; however, this Bully Tools leaf rake flips that narrative. Weighing in at 3.4 pounds this rake uses a 50-inch fiberglass handle that’s perfectly finished with a polyester veil to remain comfortable in all weather and to prevent splinters. The thick polypropylene tines are supported with a wide crossbeam, while each tine features a vertical ridge meant to provide an extra dimension of support. While this polypropylene head is certainly built to last, it is still a smart idea to store your rake head out of direct sunlight to keep it from growing brittle from exposure. The one downside of this rake’s curved design is that taller people will find that without bending only the central plastic tines directly make contact with the leaves. Still, you can work around this. If you’re looking for an extra-large, sturdy rake for huge sweeps, then this is the best leaf rake for you. Price at time of publish: $41 Head Width: 30 inches | Handle Length: 50 inches | Weight: 3.4 pounds | Material: Polypropylene, fiberglass Keep In Mind: Pine needles could be problematic for ultra-thin tines. While the fiberglass construction makes this rake inherently light at 2 pounds, its lightness doesn’t detract from its solid build. The 55-inch handle and 21-inch-wide poly head hold up use after use. The tines may occasionally need adjusting or replacing, but thankfully, they are easy to procure. Because of this, we think that this is the best leaf rake for thatching and lightweight leaf raking jobs. Price at time of publish: $45 Head Width: 21 inches | Handle Length: 55 inches | Weight: 2 pounds | Material: Co-polymer head, fiberglass, steel tines Keep In Mind: You’ll need to buy the handle separately. The Gardena 3103 Combisystem is about as adjustable as you can get. The 1.4-pound zinc-plated steel rake head uses a spreading mechanism that widens from 12 to 20 inches, facilitating wide sweeps and detail work beneath the shrubs. A plastic dial adjusts the rake head’s tension and allows you to spread the tines. How well this rake works will also depend on the handle you choose. While the handle makes the overall cost of this rake expensive, it will be worth it if you’re interested in investing in multiple Gardena tool heads, such as their hand rake, root crop hoe, and lawn edger. Each connects to the same handle, freeing up storage space and guaranteeing Gardena quality across the bunch. Price at time of publish: $42 Head Width: 12 to 20 inches | Handle Length: Handle sold separately | Weight: 1.4 pounds | Material: Zinc-plated steel Keep In Mind: With no padding, you might feel some impact where the scoops meet your wrist. MekkaPro’s V2.0 edition comes with better reinforcements than the brand’s original leaf scoop, providing better stability when you’re handling loads of heavy, wet leaves. The 1.54-pound pair of wide-clawed scoops each measure 13.5 inches wide with an overall length of 17 inches, giving you a large scooping surface. While plastic is generally less sturdy than metal, these leaf scoops are built to last, adding significant structural integrity compared to the earlier edition. An attractive shade of green and brown, they’re a useful item to add to your autumn tool chest. Price at time of publish: $28 Head Width: 13.5 inches | Handle Length: N/A, overall length is 17 inches | Weight: 1.54 pounds | Material: Plastic Keep In Mind: The plastic tines might not last as long as some other metal tines. The dual rows of teeth mean that it pulls leaves from multiple tilts, grabbing thick piles of leaves and moving them in clumps in a way that single rows of tines often can’t. Because of this functionality, the dual-tine system can potentially speed up raking thick fluffy piles of leaves. The small plastic tines on this rake may be prone to breakage. Still, if used temperately, then this rake should last you awhile, and you’ll certainly love the way it grabs bunches of pin oak leaves. Price at time of publish: $90 Head Width: 26 inches | Handle Length: 60 inches | Weight: 2.75 pounds | Material: Poly Keep In Mind: It requires a separate pole purchase, and the net is subject to fraying after repeated use. The reinforced die-cast aluminum handle bracket prevents the net from bending when under a heavy load. Its aluminum frame is strong enough to handle wet plant material and won’t crack with an accidental drop onto the concrete. While we chose this pool rake for the durability of its lightweight metal frame, we should note that its net could be made of a heavier grade material and may be subject to fraying after repeated use. Still, it’s one of the sturdiest options around its price point. The handle is equipped with user-friendly EZ clip buttons that prevent your fingers from getting pinched or jammed while attaching or detaching a telescopic pole, which will need to be purchased separately to go with this pool rake. Price at time of publish: $25 Head Width: 19 inches | Handle Length: Requires separate pole purchase | Weight: 1.1 pounds | Material: Poly Keep In Mind: The rake’s handle is on the shorter end and might not be suitable for taller people. While this rake might not be as sturdy as some of the other leaf rakes we’ve highlighted, it is easy to repair. So if tines begin to pull out from the head, they can be refastened. The Bond is also one of the most affordable leaf rakes on this list, making it a worthwhile choice for those looking for a value price. Price at time of publish: $22 Head Width: 30 inches | Handle Length: 40 inches | Weight: 1.84 pounds | Material: Bamboo, wood, metal Keep In Mind: The Combi pole connector is sold separately. Constructed of high-quality steel, the 0.47-pound hand rake sports a 6-inch wide head and is coated for corrosion resistance. It has an overall length of 17 inches and features an ergonomic grippy handle. The rake is compatible with different Gardena pole attachments, including wood poles, curved poles, and metal poles. While the Gardena hand rake is at a higher price point than many other hand rakes you’ll find, it’s made to last and could easily be by your side for decades. Gardena even provides a 25-year warranty. Altogether, it’s the best leaf rake in the hand rake category. Price at time of publish: $20 Head Width: 6 inches | Handle Length: N/A; overall length is 17 inches | Weight: 0.47 pounds | Material: Steel, plastic Keep In Mind: The plastic head can become brittle with age, so don’t store this rake in the sun. This shrub rake features an 8-inch-wide resin head paired with a lightweight 60-inch aluminum pole that provides some bounce. The tines flex more than most plastic rakes and are less prone to breakage. They also curve in a way that grabs leaves with little effort. The plastic head can become brittle with age, so it’s best to store this rake away from the sun. While breakage is possible with the Fiskars rake, most people find the shrub rake to be a very well-made product that is in line with the brand’s other garden tools. Invest in it for an agile detail rake that’s easy to use and resilient enough for most lightweight detailing. Price at time of publish: $21 Head Width: 8 inches | Handle Length: 60 inches | Weight: 1.08 pounds | Material: Resin, aluminum
What to Know About Rakes Before Shopping
Materials
While today’s leaf rakes are made with a variety of materials, certain materials consistently make raking easier. Tempered steel is the most durable material for a rake head, especially when it’s coated with an anti-rust surface, and many of the best leaf rakes use it. Poly and resin heads are also durable and possess some benefits over steel, such as wider tines. Plastics can provide alternative designs like dual-tine heads. Rake handles vary in material. Steve Windham suggests a wooden handled rake with metal tines. Coated fiberglass and aluminum are also strong picks for handle materials. Consider the materials that will work best for your gardening habits before you buy.
Repairability
When buying tools, the best value investment is usually the one you can repair. This is certainly true when you’re looking for the best leaf rake. Some classic rake designs make repairs easy. You might be able to screw a steel-tine rake head onto any wooden rake pole after the original handle has worn down. It’s worth taking this into account before you buy. Often the cheapest tools aren’t built to last and can’t be repaired or repurposed, which means pricier but easier-to-repair items can save you money in the long term even if they cost more upfront.
Handle Length
Leaf rakes come with lots of different handle lengths. When you’re raking, the length of the handle can determine how much effort it will take to pull in leaves from a distance. When picking a leaf rake, it’s usually a good idea to find one that extends up to about the bridge of your nose when positioned vertically. If you’re shopping online, this can be hard to estimate. That’s why you should take a tape measure and measure that length, then compare it to the rake’s overall length in inches.
Your Questions, Answered
How often should you rake leaves?
The decision has much to do with your yard. “It’s important to leave leaves in beds as much as possible; it’s really important to insects and animals to have leaf cover,” says Steve Windham, landscape designer and gardening expert. “It’s important not to strip the earth of the organic matter that naturally falls.” Heavy leaf cover that piles up on grasses can be raked away and turned into mulch, but some leaf cover usually won’t hurt lawns and can be important for the health of garden beds.
What should you do with raked leaves?
Raked leaves can be invaluable for the health of your garden’s green spaces. Windham suggests you “rake the leaves off the grass and put them in your beds. When you build a trenched edge on the edge of a bed, you can use your leaf rake to drag leaves into the edge and neaten up.” However, sometimes you might find yourself with so many leaves that it can be impractical to spread them in your garden at one time. In this case, Windham suggests composting. “It’s also good if you’re going to rake up a lot of leaves to put them in a compost pile and make good soil for your garden instead of putting them in a bag for the dump. That’s a waste of good resources, as leaves are good for healthy soil.”
Who We Are
Gabriel Morgan is a freelance writer for Better Homes & Gardens who focuses on home products, technology, and good gardening practices. He covers topics such as space heaters, Christmas lights, and more. To find the best leaf rakes on the market, he factored in material, repairability, and handle length as he conducted extensive online product research, scoured gardening message boards, and consulted with gardening expert Steve Windham. Gabriel also considered his personal experience gleaned from years of raking for hire as a youth.
