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Sun Joe AJ801E 12-Amp, Electric Dethatcher and Scarifier w/Removeable 8-Gallon Collection Bag, 5-Position Height Adjustment, Airboost Technology Increases Lawn Health, 13 inch, Green | Greenworks 40V 14-Inch Cordless Dethatcher/Scarifier, Battery and Charger Not Included DT40L00 | |
Working width | 12.6” | 13.7” |
Reach of tines | 10mm above and below soil | 5mm above and 10mm below |
Power type | Corded | Cordless 40V lithion-ion battery |
Warranty | 2 years | 2 years |
No. of depth positions | 5 positions | 3 positions |
Size of collection bag | 36 litres | 20 litres |
Cleaning Kings' Choice | Yes | |
Read our Review | Read our Review |
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Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon |
Keeping your lawn happy and healthy can sometimes seem like a daunting task and can often mean the difference between a good garden and a great garden. Thatch, or dead plant matter, can leave your lawn looking brown and dried out. By removing this, it allows your grass to breath, promoting health and luscious growth.
When you first start looking into dethatchers it can often be hard to pick the correct tool for you. There are many brands out there, offering many similar products, but how do you tell which is best for you? We at Cleaning King aim to help you find the best tool for you, saving you both time and money by helping you choose the right dethatcher for the job. Our buyer’s guide provides some essential information when it comes to choosing dethatchers, giving you factors to consider and showing what is important when looking at lawn tools.
Sun Joe is a well-known and trusted name within gardening tools and presents many options for affordable lawn care. This tool provides a 2 in 1 function of both dethatching and scarifying your lawn. By combining these functions, Sun Joe have created a useful tool ideal for small to medium lawns. This allows for easy and affordable lawn care, as you don’t need to pay and store another tool. This 13-inch machine has enhanced ranking abilities, covering a working width of 12.6 inches, with a depth of 10mm both above and below soil. Using the 5-position depth control knob. The spring steel tines utilise air boost technology for maximum thatch pickup as well as leaving your lawn aerated. The sun Joe dethatcher comes with a two-year warranty to ensure your Sun Joe maintains its performance through use and allowing for repair or replacement if any issues were to occur. The dethatcher is self-propelled, making the job easier and less exhausting, especially if you lawn contains hills or slopes. The light-weight nature of the machine due to the plastic exterior allows for fast work, with the powerful 12 Amp motor making short work of dethatching.
This model is corded, meaning battery life isn’t an issue. With a 12-amp motor, power isn’t an issue, the machine powering through thatch and, with the scarifier, grass roots with no issues. However, on larger lawns there may be an issue with reach as the cord limits movement, so an extension cord is highly recommened. This means this device is more suited to small to medium lawns and may not be appropriate for larger gardens. The thatch bag is detachable, allowing for easy disposal and can hold eight gallons of thatch, a considerable amount for any sized lawn. For safety, the air vents must be kept clear at all times to prevent clogging.
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Greenworks produce many high-quality and affordable gardening tools, their range covering all aspects of gardening tools, so of course their dethatcher is worth looking at. One of the key selling points is the inclusion of 20 flexible, stainless-steel tines. The tines can move to three positions of tine depth, covering up to 10mm below ground and 5mm above for fully dethatched lawns. Covering a 35cm width, Greenworks machine is able to cover large amounts of lawn in fewer passes, making your job faster and easier. With power of 3200 RPM output, there is plenty of power to complete any dethatching job, no matter how tough.
This dethatcher is both lightweight and quiet, making for an easier and nicer experience as you won’t be disturbing the neighbours. For compact storage, the handlebar folds down, and for ease of use it can be adjusted to the height you desire. The handlebar has been padded and ergonomically designed for more comfortable use and easier steering. The dethatcher comes with a 20-litre debris collection bag, allowing for easy waste collection and meaning you don’t have to rake up after you are done.
The cordless machine uses a 40V lithium-ion battery, the machine working without cables. This means you are not limited by cable length and allows you more access to a further space, making this an ideal choice for larger lawns. However, the battery life is short. It requires charging multiple times to complete a large area, extending the time it takes to complete the job which can be frustrating. However, the battery is a standard provided by Greenworks so is easy to acquire, charge and fix if any issues occur.
Reviews of the dethatcher reveal issues surrounding the over-complicated assembly of the machine. A lack of detailed instructions seems to lead to some confusion when it comes to assembling the dethatcher, as well as problems surrounding the height adjustment. Although well-hidden, the height can be easily adjusted by removing the centre cap from the wheel and turning the knob within.
Starting from scratch can be hard and finding the right tool can often seem like a minefield. There are many things to think about when trying to find the right dethatcher for you. Here are some key features to consider when looking to buy a lawn dethatcher.
Warranty– getting a warranty for your dethatcher is important as, over time, things can go wrong. This gives you a safety net and ensures you get the best performance out of your dethatcher, meaning you can get your moneys-worth. If anything goes wrong, you have an insurance policy to ensure your dethatcher can be fixed or replaced.
Working Width– Although the range of the Greenworks dethatcher is larger by just over an inch, Sun Joe’s model has a larger reach when it comes to tines, reaching to 10mm above ground in comparison to Greenworks’s 5mm. For a more thorough dethatching machine, Sun Joe is perhaps a winner; yet for a larger lawn, Greenworks covers a wider spread, allowing the job to be completed in less passes and making for somewhat quicker work. As well as this, Sun Joe have 5 depth positions compared to Greenworks 3, allowing for further adjustment when it comes to dethatching the lawn. Due to this, you can set the depth to your requirements, depending on wants and grass length, the Sun Joe offering more variety than the Greenworks dethatcher.
Power Type– The two models provide great examples of their power types, Sun Joe using corded and Greenworks using cordless. Sun Joe’s corded model uses a 12 Amp motor to power the dethatcher. The benefits of this corded power is an endless source of charge, meaning less faff through stopping to charge. However, there is a limit of how far the cable will reach, so without the aid of an extension cord you are limited. This means an extra purchase is required and highly recommended to use this machine. On the other hand, you have Greenworks cordless model. This allows for further reach as you are unlimited by cord length, perhaps allowing for better use over a larger lawn. However, the battery requires charge and, following reviews of the dethatcher, doesn’t hold charge well. The constant stopping to charge slows the progress of the job significantly and can be quite irritating. The battery and battery charger are also not included when purchasing the machine, adding an extra cost. However, the battery is standard in all Greenworks machines, making it easy to purchase and allowing it to be used between many different Greenworks machines.
Warranty– Both models of dethatcher come with a two-year warranty upon purchase, allowing for it to be repaired or replaced should any issues occur.
Collection Bag– The Sun Joe dethatcher collection bag holds 36 litres compared to the smaller capacity of the Greenworks dethatcher at only 20 litres. Users of the Greenworks model have commented on the small size of the collection bag, meaning it must be emptied more regularly and, often, debris can be left behind it, causing the lawn to need raking after dethatching.
In conclusion, through comparison there is a clear winner between the two models. The Sun Joe AJ801E Dethatcher and Scarifier shows itself to be superior to the Greenworks G40DT35 Cordless Dethatcher in almost all respects. Despite it’s smaller working width, the dethatcher reaches larger depths, with 2 more tine depth positions and a larger tine range above ground by 5mm. In addition, the Sun Joe model has the capacity to hold almost double the amount of debris in the collection bag.
The 2-in-1 functions provides the addition of scarifying your lawn without the need to purchase and store another device, making for easy and convenient lawn care.
The main point of comparison and, perhaps contention, between the two is the power source. The preferred power source is, of course, down to personal preference. But, when placed in direct comparison, the corded model seems to reign supreme. Although limited by the length of the cord, this can be fixed through the use of an extension cable, something that comes in varying lengths depending upon your need. The battery, although allowing more freedom with movement around larger lawns, limits the usage through the batteries capacity. Using a 40V lithion-ion battery, Greenworks has received many reviews stating the insufficiency of the battery life, this needing to be charged several times to complete one pass of the lawn sufficiently. As well as this, the battery and charger do not come with the dethatcher and must be purchased separately, making for an extra cost.
When it comes to dethatching your lawn, there is a lot to consider, and these machines should be looked at in relation to your requirements. However, for a small to medium lawn, there is a clear winner between these two models. The Sun Joe Dethatcher and Scarifier.
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It is recommended to dethatch your lawn at least once a year, usually around the end of March to beginning of April. If this is your first time dethatching your lawn you may need to do it a bit more frequently. It is a good idea to do it before the weather promotes rapid growth, such as before spring. This allows your lawn to grow healthier and happier. Depending on the type of grass, thatch may build up more quickly or in higher volumes so may require dethatching more often and, similarly, some will require a lot less. It is worth looking into this before buying a dethatcher.
Directly after dethatching your lawn you should collect any remaining debris. This is also a great time to aerate, reseed and fertilise your lawn to encourage healthy growing grass. Deep watering is also strongly encouraged after dethatching to help the lawn to recover and encourage root repair.
Thatch is the light brown layer that builds up between the grass and the soil, made up of compressed matter which decays rapidly. In moderation it can conserve water and protect the soil, but a large build-up of thatch prevents roots from holding soil and creates a breeding ground for pests and disease. Dethatchers remove the thatch above the soil without damaging the grass of the soil below. Sometimes known as a vertical mower, dethatchers use vertical blades to cut and loosen the thatch, bringing it to the surface, allowing for easy removal and letting your lawn breath. For healthier and happier grass dethatchers are great tools, preventing pests and allowing stronger and greener grass to grow.