True Temper 20201001 Steel Tine Leaf Rake with Hardwood/Steel Handle, 22 Tines, Black

I picked this up last-minute upon remembering that last year, Mom had said it would be faster if we both had a rake to use since it was taking so long and we were running out of time before the dump closed. The one we've been using is probably at least 50 years old and the steel tines move a lot like a spider's legs. So, while I still wanted a steel-and-hardwood rake, since I was getting it for myself to use, I wanted it to be heavy-duty because I'm not always as gentle with tools as I should be. TrueTemper is a brand name I know well and have come to trust. Was great to be able to get it within 2 days; just in time to use. It ships in 4 pieces. The 22-tine head is heavy and extremely sturdy. Each tine is probably 2x as thick as the tines on the old rake (flat instead of rounded). The 3-piece handle, by comparison, is surprisingly light ... likely due to half of it being the central grip. It became immediately clear that the two hardwood sections are the parts of the handle requiring the most strength and the central grip provides critical flexibility and "impact absorption". And this is why I really saw it minimizing the effort. The design and solid nation of the tines allows gravity to really take over. I was surprised by how many leaves it could gather just with a 1st pass of me lazily dragging it behind me and letting gravity and the tines do it all. A 2nd pass with actual effort would gather even more. And, a 3rd pass ... using it just like a broom to "sweep" the grass ... would often any stubborn leaves or twigs. Additionally, since the leaves were so incredibly dry, the repeated passes with such a heavy steel rake head was managing to break some of them up into little tiny pieces that could be left behind to natural fertilize the soil. When she came out to check on how things were going, Mom marveled at just how incredibly "clean" the grass was after I finished a section ... because of have few straggler bits were left behind. Now, don't think that the idea of making 3-4 passes over the same spot seem time consuming. It wasn't. I raked the lawn and filled up 7 leaf bags in just a couple of hours. 4 of them in 1 hour. With probably 2/3 of that time was putting everything into bags because the rake was able to pick up so much more from the ground than usual. That was great because, due to the previous day's rain and the very low morning temperatures, I'd gotten a later start than planned ... and had a hard 5pm deadline to get the trash bags to the dump before it closed. Even with the late start, I had 30 minutes to spare. Additionally, because it was so effective, I was able to do the whole lawn myself without us needing two people like last year. That's the sign of a good tool that's working FOR you and WITH you to get the job done .... rather than a person having to make a tool do its job. The end result was a very clean lawn ... that was cleared off in far less time than usual with far less effort than usual ... by one person instead of two. Pretty much turning a 2 afternoon job into 1. Big difference! Can't ask for better resumes than that!

EXCELLENT PRODUCT FAST SHIPPING WILL BUY AGAIN . THANK YOU .

It was a bit surprising how the full size rake fit in such a moderate size box. It assembled quickly and perfectly. Some moderate weather allowed use of the great rake!

I bought this rake for use in a 7 acre cemetery that I voluntarily maintain. I buy quality tools for the cemetery because they last the longest and withstand the abuse that our volunteers sometimes dole out. I've had the rake for 13 months now and it looks nearly new, despite the fact that it has often been in the bed of my truck, out in the weather. The wood still looks great and the grip is still intact and comfortable. The steel tines are wide, strong and flat on this rake and that quality means the rake does an excellent job of collecting nearly all the leaves and debris in one pass. I have bought several True Temper brand tools and have never been disappointed. They are quality tools at a fair price.

The rake head is fine, the handle is garbage. the instructions say to tap the handle into the metal core, but the wooden pieces are connected with a plastic sheath that can't withstand the tapping. Needless to say, I broke the handle putting it together and had to drill a hole and put a bolt through it to get it to work. Just go to Home Depot and by a rake, It'll work better.