Sun Joe Corded Electric Dethatcher & Scarifier with 8-Gal Bag, 12.6-Inch Cutting Width, 12-Amp Motor - Heavy-Duty Yard Trimmer for Gardening Care and Lawn Maintenance, AJ801E

So, I purchased this item after my boss told me about it. He showed me pics of his usage, and I figured, why not? It was relatively inexpensive, costing about the same as a one-time rental of a dethatcher from the local rental place. I figured if I get 2 uses out of it and destroy it, I'm ahead of the game. Plus, I could use it at my convenience and not have to worry about returning it. We take pretty good care of our lawn/yard (it's not perfect, especially in the area that used to have an above ground pool, but we try). It's a larger lot (about 1/4 acre) in our neighborhood, and we mow every week with a push mower. We alternate weeks of mulching and bagging, so we really didn't think there would be very much thatch coming up. Boy were we wrong. We started off with my husband cutting and bagging the grass in one direction, and, as he moved to a different section of the yard, I started with the Sun Joe going in the opposite direction, using the dethatching attachment. I followed him around the entire yard doing this. Because we didn't use the bag on the Sun Joe (see "cons" below), he then went OVER the thatched material with the lawnmower to bag it up - first in one direction, and then he did the entire yard AGAIN in the other direction to ensure that it was all picked up. We were going to use our Billy Goat blower, but figured that would make an absolute mess, so we opted for the mowing route. Total time for about 9000sf - 4 hours. And well worth every minute. I should have taken photos, but rest assured that I was completely and utterly dumbfounded at the amount of dead grass and compost-like material that we raised, and it takes quite a bit for me to be impressed by a yard machine. Pros: - easy to assemble - only tool needed was a Philips head screwdriver (also, make sure you push the angled handle portions of the metal tubes ALL THE WAY into the body of the machine - many review complain about this, but I can see where the issue is not pushing in all the way). The rest of the handle is assembled using large, easy to turn plastic thumbscrews. Very convenient. - the height/depth settings are easy to change. Simply push the green t-handle in and move it to the setting you choose. I tried the "0" setting first so as not to damage any grass, and found that moving it to the "-5" setting worked even better and caused no damage. On the areas where we had moss, I moved it to the "-10" setting. Moss no more. - works exactly as described and as needed - they're not inflating the value of this machine, I can safely say. Cons: - the bag. As most other reviews stated, the bag is a joke. True, but we just left it off. See above for how we picked it up without breaking our backs raking. Notes: seriously - make sure you're using the right size extension cord. I used a 12 gauge cord at 100 feet and had ZERO problems. Machine didn't shut off, overheat, or otherwise explode. Also, you can use a tiny bungee cord to wrap around the handle to keep it powered as you move through your yard. The angle of the power switch can get a little uncomfortable over time. Overall - 5 out of 5. I wouldn't change a thing - even the bag. It would take a REALLY big bag for it to be convenient, and the only other option would be a giant vacuum, so I can't count that against them.

So I started with the Greenworks dethatcher because it was cheaper, a neighbor said it was good enough, and others gave it great reviews. Had a problem with the assembly and availability issues led me to try the Sun Joe instead. While the SJ is a bit more money, the materials and design issue I had with the other unit were not an issue with the SJ. In both cases, I wish the machine had a on/off switch and then a deadman lever that I could hold with either/both hands (like a mower). Between futzing with the cord and such, I'd let go of the handle with my right hand. So I'd have to hold in the button and pull the trigger to get going. It'd be safer and easier to operate to have both hands on the handle and use a pull lever to engage the unit. Not a show stopper, but something to consider. This unit did a great job (!) chewing up the thatch and many others have offered nice reviews. Didn't have to run over anything twice or three times. So I won't discuss that. I will add that dethatching the whole yard was finished in maybe 30 minutes versus the raking I've done in the past (many hours). It also did a great job of pulling up thatch. In some places, perhaps too good of a job. I didn't use the scarifier. What remains a pain is cleaning up the thatch. The unit doesn't really save any time there. The bag that comes with the unit is awfully small. I'm not sure why they even bother with it. Some other reviewers mentioned running over the refuse with the mover. I found the mower gets filled pretty fast in the past when I raked the thatch. I tended to prefer the rake to a tarp method unless the thatch is really fluffy. The SJ got up even more material (esp. dried out moss), so the mower filled too fast. Worse, the mower made a LOT of dust in the air, making a mess along with some breathing concerns (fortunately it was breezy). And, the mower didn't do a good job of picking up bonus items like acorns. You have to set the mower somewhat lower than I like to use on the grass to pick up the detritus. So, the grass ended up being extra short, which is its own thing. So after a good test, I decided to bag the mower approach. Instead, I used a lawn sweeper that I got to avoid bending over to pick up leaves. It didn't have much more capacity than the mower, but it didn't create a huge dust storm. It also tended to pick up the twigs, acorns and other heavier items the mower whiffed on. It proved a better choice than the mower. My two cents...

Funcional máquina para principiantes, muy buen costo beneficio! Gracias por su atención.

Although it doesn't look it, and it doesn't feel it either because it's quite lightweight, this little machine has some serious power! Don't be fooled. It works very well. It's both a de-thatcher (power-raker) and scarifier. You can also control the depth which is great. The only negative comment (which others mentioned, too) is that the collection basket is too small (I'm guessing because the machine itself is compact and it's a question of balancing its weight). It fills up very quickly. I need to empty it every 2-3 minutes (of course depending on the particular function and depth). It doesn't bother me as much, because the machine does all the hard work. Raking with a heavy rake and bending over to pick up all that is a lot more work.

me gusto su fácil manejo y el resultado que logras con esta operación, se de verdad quieres tu césped no dejes de hacer esta labor para lograr un césped sano, bonito y disfrutable

What I liked was that it came with a scarifier blade. Don't need the dethatcher tines. The scarifier gets down to the soil level and prepares it for taking seed. In doing so it also dethatches at the same time. This is very light weight and did a much better job than I could have managed with a rake. I'm too old for that! This machine worked really well on our front lawn which has been neglected for many years. This was the first time is had been dethatched in over 20 years. It is lightweight so I can easily lift it up to get to different levels of our lawn. It is foldable and easy to store when you don't need it. I do recommend a heavy duty extension cord to prevent the motor from bogging down and overheating. I bought an AmazonBasics 12/3 SJTW Heavy-Duty Lighted Extension Cord and it worked really well. There were no real problems or complaints but at this price you need to have realistic expectations of what you are getting. It feels really flimsy because it really is. A few times the machine couldn't pull through the thatch and uneven ground and when I twisted the handle to free it, there was a lot of flex. The motor is very strong, up to the job, and never stalled out, but the chassis is questionable. Still it got the job done and am satisfied with the machine, so not a deal breaker for me. I didn't want a big heavy steel machine that I couldn't lift. The catcher on the back is almost useless. It works but has a very small capacity. I kept a bucket at each end of the lawn and emptied it after each pass. I just hate raking that much! Our back yard lawn was in much better condition so I just left the catcher off and did a light raking afterwards. Still not a deal breaker for me. A bigger catcher would mean bigger stronger chassis and a heavier machine which is not what I wanted. I'm only going to use this once a year so it was ideal for my purposes. So knowing what I know now, I would definitely buy it again. The scarifier blade works great. Relatively easy way of preparing the lawn for overseeing and Spring cleanup. Just remember to get a 12 gauge extension cord.

Es fácil de armar y cumple bien su cometido, de sus dos funciones solamente he usado la de retirar el pasto seco. El único inconveniente es que la bolsa de recolección es un poco incómoda de retirar y poner debido a la cubierta de protección que tiene la máquina y esto hay que hacerlo varias veces, a menos que se prefiera rastrillar al final. La probé en un área de unos 100 m2 y funcionó muy bien.