Fall is a sad enough season without piling on. You already have to deal with warm weather getting colder and the new school season starting up. That’s why we want to help you make fall leaf cleanup as simple as possible. The expert product reviewers at BGR bought every popular rake we could find, and we tested them all to see which options rose above the rest.
Our top picks
- Best overall: Lilyvane Heavy Duty Leaf Rake
- Best adjustable rake: Oliynedy Adjustable Metal Leaf Rake
- Best bow rake: Walensee Heavy Duty Bow Rake
- Best thatch rake: Walensee Thatch Rake
- Best leveling rake: Landzie Lawn Leveling Rake
Any of those rakes will help take the sting out of leaf removal, dethatching, and lawn leveling this fall. If you want to learn more about what makes each option the best in its category, keep reading down below.
1. Best overall: Lilyvane Heavy Duty Leaf Rake
Pros: Heavy duty, adjustable length, wide metal tines, long-lasting, inexpensive
Cons: Handle loosens during use for some people
Of all the rakes we tested, the Lilyvane Heavy Duty Leaf Rake was our favorite overall pick.
The great thing about this particular leaf rake is how versatile it is. If all you want is a simple rake that can get the job done efficiently, this model is as good as it gets. But it also has some great features that you can make use of if you want to, like an adjustable handle. Simply unscrew as many handle segments as you want to shorten the rake. This way, your kids can rake leaves while you relax inside the house.
Lilyvane’s leaf rake is a great heavy-duty option that withstood plenty of abuse during our tests. Despite how solid it is, however, it’s still lightweight enough that you won’t get fatigued as you use it.
We also absolutely loved the wide metal tines on this rake. Skinny tines inevitably get bent out of shape over time, but the metal tines on this rake are over a quarter-inch wide and will never lose shape.
The only real downside to speak of is a problem that some people mention in user reviews. They say that as they rake, the handle segments can loosen a bit. We didn’t experience this problem ourselves, though, and it can obviously be resolved by just tightening whichever pieces get loose.
2. Best adjustable rake: Oliynedy Adjustable Metal Leaf Rake
Pros: Adjustable tines, adjustable length, durable, inexpensive
Cons: Skinny tines can get bent out of shape
Anyone looking for a rake that can grab leaves anywhere should definitely get the Oliynedy Adjustable Metal Leaf Rake.
This model is adjustable in two different ways. First, you can adjust the handle length by unscrewing one of the segments. Unlike our top pick (Lilyvane Heavy Duty Leaf Rake), however, there are only two different length options instead of four. This model doesn’t use plastic cuffs though, so it outshines the Lilyvane rake in terms of durability.
Better yet, you can adjust the spread of the metal tines on the fly. You can set it at any width from 8 inches to 17 inches, making it perfect for reaching tighter spots that a conventional rake can’t fit in.
The only downside worth mentioning is that this rake has typical skinny metal tines, which means they will likely get bent out of shape over time. You should get at least a few good years out of it if you’re careful, though. Also, keep in mind that it costs less than $20.
3. Best bow rake: Walensee Heavy Duty Bow Rake
Pros: Heavy duty, adjustable length, wide rake head, thick metal tines
Cons: Handle loosens during use for some people
Of all the bow rakes we tested, the Walensee Heavy Duty Bow Rake was definitely the best.
Plenty of people prefer a bow rake over a regular rake because it can pull triple duty. A standard rake is only good for leaf removal, which you can obviously do with a bow rake as well. But a bow rake can also loosen soil and level your lawn, which a regular rake can’t handle.
Walensee’s bow rake has a heavy-duty rake head with 17 thick metal tines. It’s also triple-welded so it’ll last — if you’ve ever broken a rake head, you’ll definitely appreciate that detail.
Another great feature of this model is that the length is adjustable. But just like our top pick (Lilyvane Heavy Duty Leaf Rake), this rake uses plastic cuffs to join the handle segments. That means some people will find that they loosen over time.
4. Best thatch rake: Walensee Thatch Rake
Pros: Heavy-duty steel tines, stays sharp, adjustable handle length
Cons: Handle loosens during use for some people, wing nuts may loosen
The experts at BGR tested nearly a dozen different thatch rakes, but the Walensee Thatch Rake was our clear favorite.
Compared to the other options we tested, this Walensee rake stood the test of time much better than the rest. The heavy-duty metal tines stay nice and sharp, and they do a great job of pulling up all your dead thatch. Then, you can change the angle of the rake and use it to loosen and level the soil. That means it’s great for getting ready to reseed your lawn or for laying sod.
The adjustable handle lets you easily adjust the length of the rake, and there are four different length options in total. That also makes it easy to store since you can completely disassemble it if you want.
We did notice that the wing nuts can loosen over time. Needless to say, it only takes a few seconds to tighten them back up. Also, as is the case with our top pick (Lilyvane Heavy Duty Leaf Rake), this rake uses plastic pieces to screw together the handle segments. They might loosen a bit during use, but they’re easy enough to tighten back up.
5. Best leveling rake: Landzie Lawn Leveling Rake
Pros: Professional-grade, heavy-duty, works very well, also great for spreading
Cons: Some people say it can bend during use
Finding the best lawn leveling rake took a lot more time than the rest. After months of testing, we landed on the Landzie Lawn Leveling Rake.
This time around, we had some help. In addition to performing our own extensive tests, we also talked to five different landscapers so we could check out their favorite tools of the trade. Some of the options they offered were way too expensive, but two different landscapers mentioned the Landzie rake. That’s how we knew that we made the right choice.
Landzie’s lawn-leveling rake is a 72-inch model, and our preferred size option comes with a 36-inch-wide leveling rake at the bottom. There are also four other rake head options that range from 24 inches to 48 inches in width. The rake and head are made entirely of metal, so they’ll definitely stand the test of time.
This rake does a fantastic job of leveling your lawn, and it’s also great for other things. Examples include spreading topsoil, compost, peat moss, fertilizer, and even sand or small landscaping rocks. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth with this rake.
The only downside to speak of is the fact that some user reviews mention bending. Our guess is that those users were not using the rake as intended, though, because we had no issues whatsoever.
