The best garden rake is a perennially useful garden tool that more than earns its space in your garden shed. Handy for raking grass cuttings, clearing up fallen leaves, smoothing soil, or even hoeing weeds, a rake has multiple uses that'll guarantee its use all year round.
There are a variety of different kinds of garden rakes available. Your traditional garden rake has a row of short tines and is great for general garden tasks. A leaf or lawn rake with a fan of longer tines works best for leaf clean-ups, meanwhile, bow or soil rakes are great for more heavy-duty jobs.
Best garden rake at a glance:
• Best soil rake: Spear & Jackson 4850SR Traditional Soil Rake - View on Amazon UK
• Best leaf rake: Draper 31069 Plastic Leaf Rake - View on Amazon UK
• Best bow rake: Walensee Heavy Duty Garden Bow Rake - View on Amazon UK
What kind of rake you need really depends on what you're planning on using the tool for. We've covered all the main types of garden rake in our superb selection below - read on to find a rake to suit your gardening needs.
Best garden rakes
Best soil rake
Spear & Jackson/AmazonThis award-winning rake from trusted garden brand Spear & Jackson is soil rake with a handsome, traditional design. The classic hardwood shaft has been weather proofed for durability. Reviewers are pleased with the sturdiness this tool offers.
The rake's head is crafted from stainless steel that has been given a mirror polish treatment. This makes it resistant to rust and means soil will be less likely to stick to the tines. The head is 30cm wide and the overall length is 129cm.
Pros
- Mirror polished stainless steel head
- Weather-proofed for all season durability
Cons
- No rubber hand grip
Best leaf rake
Draper/AmazonMany gardeners are converts to modern plastic leaf or lawn rakes, opting to use this kind of tool when gathering fallen leaves or collecting up grass cuttings. Plastic rakes are lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, something reviewers appreciate, finding them a quicker option than metal rakes.
Such rakes are also less likely than metal versions to damage plants. This Draper leaf rake's wide head gives you 23 sturdy tines. This has a head width of 55cm, meaning you can cover ground relatively quickly. The head is securely fixed to the varnished natural wood handle.
Pros
- Weighs in at less than half a kilogram
- Attractive, natural wood handle
Cons
- Not as sturdy as a metal rake
Best bow rake
Walensee/AmazonWhile this rake can be used for lighter, everyday garden tasks, its heavy-duty construction and 'bow rake' design means it can tackle tougher jobs too. This can be used to loosen and break up compacted soil, levelling planting areas, and spreading mulch, topsoil, compost, sand, or gravel.
This larger rake has a 45cm wide head with 6cm tines for wide ground coverage and soil penetration. One reviewer gave this a glowing review when they used it to prepare fresh ground for a lawn, saying the main row of tines and the shorter secondary row were great for breaking up lumps of soil.
Pros
- A larger, wide 45cm head for greater coverage
- Robust and durable stainless steel tines
Cons
- Has a self-assembly design
Best on a budget
ABS Tools/AmazonThis wallet-friendly AB Tools option is great to have in the shed for occasional use. This garden tool offers a strong steel shaft that has a durable rust-resistant finish. There's a handy rubber comfort grip for non-slip raking action.
Despite the budget price, the rake's head is made from super-strong carbon steel and boasts 12 polished tines. Reviewers say it's solid enough to rake earth, even soil that's full of roots. This rake's head measures in at 32cm while the handle is a metre long.
Pros
- Comfort grip handle for ergonomic use
- Strong, carbon steel head
Cons
- Weighs two kilograms, making it a little on the heavy side
Best telescopic garden rake
Greenfields/AmazonThis innovative Greenfields option is great for anyone short on outdoor storage space as its telescopic design means both the head and the handle can be collapsed down. The 15-tine head can be adjusted from around 18cm to a full 56cm wide and locked securely in place.
The handle can also be adjusted - from 55cm to a full 75cm length. The tines are made from rust-resistant alloy steel and the metal handle has ergonomic finger grips. Reviewers like how easy it is to adjust this tool to your gardening needs.
Pros
- Finger grips on handle for an ergonomic hold
- Both the head and the shaft are adjustable
Cons
- Thin tines can bend under strong pressure
Best double-sided rake
Roughneck/AmazonAnother heavy-duty choice, this Rough-Neck 'Sharp-Edge' rake features exactly that. One side of the head has 14 recessed tines and the other boasts a serrated back blade designed for breaking up earth, levelling rocky ground, and scraping.
Roughneck states this tool is "built to last," as it's manufactured from carbon steel giving a corrosion-resistant finish and one reviewer agrees, stating it's the best garden rake they have ever used. This rake has a rot-proof, tough, and durable fibreglass handle that measures 150cm.
Pros
- Serrated back blade for heavy-duty work
- Lightweight handle made from fibreglass
Cons
- No hanging hook for storage
Best brush rake
Orientools/AmazonIf you've gone down the artificial grass route for your outdoor space, a standard garden rake could be too robust for your faux lawn. You can get specialist brush rakes for your Astroturf to gently maintain it and remove debris without damaging it.
This ORIENTOOLS option has a polypropylene plastic rake head and polyamide bristles. The alloy steel handle collapses down for space-saving storage. Reviewers say the brush-style design means it doesn't clog up with leaves.
Pros
- Polyamide bristles that glide over surfaces
- Collapsing handle for space-saving storage
Cons
- Niche usage
Best hand rake
Gaoge/AmazonA hand rake is not a replacement for a full-size garden rake but can offer some very useful functionality. A mini rake is great for clearing flower beds and vegetable patches from leaves and weeds, offering you a nimble way to work around existing plants.
This Gaoge hand rake boasts military-grade steel tines and a wooden handle. This comes in five-tine and seven-tine versions and in two different handle lengths. One reviewer says this worked well to clear their lawn of problem moss.
Pros
- Heavy-duty, military-grade steel tines
- Two different handle lengths for versatility
Cons
- Only really suited to small jobs
How we chose the best garden rakes
All of these garden rakes have been hand-selected by our team of Modern Gardens shopping experts. We carefully considered the type of heads, handles, and usability in our selection of the best. Our team has spent hours investigating and researching garden rakes to make it easier for you to find the very best, and we'd never recommend a product we don't believe in.
Where possible, we also test and share the latest and best products you should know about. And with help from Modern Gardens Magazine, Garden News and Garden Answers, we share expert gardening knowledge to help you get the most from your product.
How to look after your garden rake
As with all garden tools, you should take good care of your garden rake. A solid maintenance routine will see your rake last longer, meaning you won't need to replace it too often.
Cleanliness is the key to rake care. After each use, brush off debris with a stiff brush as this can cause even carbon steel to rust. If there is still residue after a good brush, you can give your rake a quick blast under the garden hose or a brief wash with soapy water.
Rakes with wooden handles will benefit from occasional treatment - a swift coat of varnish, for example, after you've rubbed it down with some fine sandpaper. You can also oil a rake's metal tines.
The final point to note is where to store your rake. A dry tool shed, garage, or your greenhouse is ideal. If you can suspend your rake from a hook, keeping it off cold and damp ground, it's advised.
FAQs
What is the best kind of garden rake?
It really does depend on what you want to use it for. The two main types of rake are sturdy, short-tined tools for general garden use, and long-tined, fan-shaped options that are great for collecting garden debris. Here's a brief rundown:
Soil rakes - Can be used to gather garden materials, best for use with soil and garden beds, for spreading garden mulch, and for smoothing gravel and sand.
Leaf/lawn rakes - Ideal for scraping up grass cuttings, clearing up offcuts after pruning, and moving fallen leaves. These can offer plastic or metal heads.
Bow rakes - Strong and sturdy metal rakes that are great for heavy-duty tasks, such as breaking up soil and dealing with rockier ground.
Hand rakes - A small-scale hand tool take on a rake. Great for working in a limited space, such as flower beds, and also useful for weeding moss out of lawns.
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Amy-Mae Turner is a Commerce Content Writer for Modern Gardens, Yours, Take A Break Pets, and A Modern Kitchen. When she's not pottering in the garden or mucking around in the kitchen, she can be found having doggy cuddles with her two beloved cockapoochis.