VonHaus Lawn Scarifier/Aerator/Rake Electric 1800W – For Dethatching/Raking Grass of Thatch, Moss, Dead Leaves and Aerates Soil – 55L Collection Box, 10m Cable, 5 Cutting Heights, 38cm Working Width

I have had a problem with Moss growing in my lawn and it was quite spongy to walk on At the beginning of August I treated my lawn with Miracle Grow 4 in 1 which gave me excellent results and within 3 weeks the moss had turned black I did look into hiring a Grass Scarifier but found that it was going to cost me about £97.00 for a one day rental So after reviewing different manufactures I found the VonHaus 1800w Scarifier, Grass rake Aerator this item has a 2 year warranty and its Made in the UK before I purchased it I did watch a excellent video of the product on You tube I must add that I am really impressed with the quality of this machine, It certainly does what is described Its relatively easy to assemble its lightweight ,sturdy and has excellent performance I was also very impressed with the amount of all of the moss has been removed from my Lawn Of note I used the grass rake for removing the dead grass and moss firstly on the no 3 setting and did a second pass on the no 4 setting This machine is excellent value for money and I would highly recommend it I am really impressed with the achieved results Now all I have to do is do a over seed of grass seed

This is a well made and effective piece of garden machinery. It’s pretty simple and easy to operate. Straightforward mechanics mean there is less to go wrong, and it's easy to clean after use. The 1800w motor gives plenty of power for demanding scarifying operations. Changing the blades from rake to scarifier is very simple and quick. It’s not self-propelled, but that isn’t a disadvantage, and on the heaviest cuts it’s sometimes necessary to restrain the scarifier from pulling itself forward too quickly. As with all scarifiers, the thatch collection box is limited in its use. Heavy cuts fill it quickly and operating without the box and raking up the thatch after is preferable. For lighter use in dry conditions the collection box works fine. The machine folds up easily for storage too.

If, like me, you have reached the point of needing A&E after trying to rake the moss out of a lawn, then you are considering buying an electric lawn rake. I decided on this one for one reason. Power! This is an 1800w beast. Pictoral assembly instructions are a bit wanting, but OK all in the end. Steel handle, plastic body and interchangeable cassette for raking or scarifying (easy to do, two Allen bolts). But the written instructions/guidance that accompany are next to useless as they are clearly some generic nonsense that firstly asks you NOT to use the equipment outside! Come on Vonhaus... a little more thought please! Lots of reviews on lawn rakes talk about them cutting out after a few seconds, probably due to a thermal cut-off protection. Without actually being there it is impossible to say if this is down to the design, the operation, the conditions... or all three, but I had no such problem.with this model. Easy to push (big wheels) and on a large, slightly damp and spongy lawn (18m x 12m) I was able to make four complete passes with no cut-off problem, However, perhaps due to the sheer quantity of moss I was dealing with, the collection system was not overly effective. In fact, there was far more out of the collection box than in it. This wasn't too much of a problem in the end as it only required a much more gentle raking to then collect the moss from the surface - and oh my goodness, there was a lot! The biggest problem I had with this unit was what to do with the stuff it fetched out of my lawn. With the rake height set higher I might have had better results in terms of collection, but I was impatient to get the job done. As for scarifying - treat with caution! I think the solid-blade casstte on this baby has the power to reduce your lawn to a bare moonscape (which might be what you're after if you're re-seeding.) So, after one use there's no doubting it works. Easy to push, loads of power and not too noisey but the jury is out on the collection system, and oh my life... go steady on the depth you set. Of course, the power cord could always be longer... Quick note on the settings - not quite sure what '0' is for. Maybe useful for making a second pass to collect from the surface..? Needs further experimentation. Four depth setting seem adequate; I used '2' with big results. So, it worked for me, but remember that after using a lawn rake, you're lawn will probably look worse before it looks better.

Brutally efficient! Many settings, will do a light run, a medium run or a brutal run if you select harshest option. Very controllable so you can select how hard you hit the lawn. Comes with scarifier cassette and lawn skirting cassette, giving further options. Easily interchanged. Sorted moss but I was a little heavy handed so needed to do a few repairs (go steady to start with). Great tool, only downside is shortish power lead - you’ll probably need an extension cable. Value for money, good option.

Purchased to replace a Bosch scarifier that had given up the ghost. It arrived this morning, I put together and used it this afternoon. I used it with the aggressive roller left in place and started on the front lawn. I started on the lower settings but soon got fed up with that and set it to maximum (Setting 4). This machine got up loads of thatch, moss etc easily. Amazing! There was so much that the collecting basket could not cope. The best way I found was using the machine for four rows, without using the collecting basket (Easy). Stopping and then picking up the results, which proved to be the hardest bit. I used a lawn rake and a leaf collector to pick up the bulk before picking up the remainder with a lawn mower. Tomorrow I will change the roller and give the lawn a gentle rake before re-seeding. It really is incredible how much rubbish this thing gets out of your lawn - A builders bag and a half in my case. Well pleased! UPDATE: Used again today for raking as planned - this time I raked the whole area and then used a Gardena Leaf Sweeper to pick up the rubbish. Really time saving and efficient. You can find one for £99 online - Thank me later!

Difficult to know where to start with this review so I will write up what happened from delivery to first use. As per usual with Amazon, it was next day delivery, the unit was well packed to the point of being shoehorned into the box, hopefully I will not be returning and trying to refit in the same box? As mentioned in previous reviews, the instructions are a little vague and the assemble diagram is misleading, however, the choice is simple, if it doesn’t fit you have it the wrong way round, no force is required and it shouldn’t take too long to have the unit fully assembled. The unit comes fitted with the aerator, I swapped to the rake for first use and this is where you use the Allen key. I only mention as a piece of advice as again the instructions are vague. It’s a simple operation to swap over. The fist thing I noticed on first use is the width; in comparison with my previous lawn rake this unit has a nice wide profile. My lawn has lots of dead dried grass so needs some attention, the rake motor is powerful and doesn’t struggle as you lower the height setting. I initially started on 2 and quickly went to 4 which is the fifth and lowest setting to get the most from each pass. It certainly pulls up some rubbish from the lawn on the first pass but I think for best results I will need a second pass at right angles. I was a little shocked On my forth run as the rear wheel fell off, not wanting to give up so soon I set about trying to fix the problem. The wheel has a hub cap fitted that needs to be prised off. Not easy. Behind the hub cap was a Philips screw and washer so refitting to the axle wasn’t too much of a problem. One bitten, I decided as a belt and brace to check the other wheels and found they were secure so I might just of been unlucky? The capacity of the grass box is large which is selling point for me, however, I found I could only half fill the box before having to empty as it quickly backfills using the rake. The maximum capacity may be of more use with scarifier which I will use at a later date and I will update this review accordingly. In summary, this is a nice light weight and powerful unit which I would highly recommend, instructions need a serious updated to be of any use.

Had old scarifier so ordered this to replace. As others found, instruction/user book only showed diagrams which for me, were not clear. If there is a way to open a box the wrong way up -that's me so here goes. Cardboard box cumbersome but managed to haul the carriage part eventually out of the box then came the fun part. Some helpful reviewer left instructions as to how to remove and change the raker to use the scarifier which indeed meant using the Allen key, so here's a reminder. Do turn the machine upside down first and you will find the white plastic cover holding the raker in position [because it arrived with raker not scarifier attached therefore like others, I needed to swap over] so use the Allen key to unscrew and simply pull out the white plastic cover then tug on the raker to remove it. Notice first the rakes position though on the left side prior to removal because there is an entrance for the scarifier to be pushed into, so attach the scarifier starting from the left side and then slot it in position on the right. Remember to re-tighten the screws on the white plastic cover using the Allen key. You will only ever use the Allen key for the white plastic cover but keep it safe for future use. I felt great. Everything was going nicely. My cockiness soon dissipated. What did they mean by tension clips? which ones went where? why two hand bars? Then, having scrutinized the diagram, realized it was needed to stabilize the eventually built long handle section. Of course, I commenced assembling the handles first - well, why wouldn't I. Stop laughing. Then eventually came attaching it all to the carriage, only again to realize that the handle was too heavy, cumbersome, had the electric switch section with electric cable dangling and no way could I screw the handle to the section next to the wheels, especially with my Rheumatoid fingers. Of course common sense [if it had been in motion] would have prompted that the lower part of the handle next to the wheels should be positioned first. I had to remove all the screws from each handle section and start all over again. Just what were the long screws for I asked myself and just where did they go in somewhere near the wheels? Then decided to see if there were any pictures online which showed the side view which I found and consequently enlarged it. Aha -great then I also recognized I had put all of what appeared to be the yellow plastic corrugated clips pointing outwards whereas the picture showed them all pointing inwards so took them all apart again. Only then did I discover that the inner female metal part which the screw went through was moveable enabling me to push it horizontally to start off the screw and then move the plastic corrugated handle downwards and continue to screw in. So that is a tension clip! WOW! So, after hours and I do mean hours and hours of work trying to put the pieces together, I finally succeeded. Not so fast! Don't get hasty! What about the basket, the carriage for collecting the raked/scarified grass? Aha. Got you now. The only way to attach the sides plus the front long piece of the material to the black wired casing which eventually forms the basket shape to hold the waste grass material because unfortunately it also arrived not fully built, was for me, having tried brute strength to push the plastic into the metal, was to boil a kettle of water. Yes, I needed a hot cup of something, preferably by that stage with a bottle of brandy added to it. I poured boiling water all over the edges of the basket and also along the black wires which enabled the plastic to be easily pushed in to the wire. Well at least my fingers wee warm- a bit boiled but warmed. Then, checked if the appliance worked and YUP! it did. Overall, not a bad effort in assembling the appliance for an elderly female with RA over aged 70 years. A male would likely have put it all together in 30 minutes though. Did I really get a real sense of achievement? Well NO. It was a full day of time lost which I won't ever get back. In addition, when I attached my 50M electric cable to the machine because my lawn is long, it failed to work so changed the plugs Amp and then my b........ RCD socket also failed to light up which meant buying both, being mindful of my safety and after all, the cable was old. Anyway, I will not try using any cable without an RCD being mindful of H&S. Boy did I need that Brandy. Forget about me mentioning the HOT DRINK . I SUPPED WITH GLEA. Next day scarified only half of the lawn because it took far longer than other reviewers claimed and the basket failed when only half full leaving most of the debri on the lawn. I didn't go in for hand raking or shoveling it up so kept on emptying the basket at every straight line cut, going over the same line at least twice which anyway, was recommended by professional gardeners online. The machine is light when in use, propelling itself easily along. Just wish it would now stop raining so that I can complete the rest of my lawn. Hope this review helps others in assembling the machine. Yes, you may now lough at me. I'm not bothered.

Arrived when expected. A bit fiddly to construct but worked a treat! From a quick try it collected up so much thatch and old grass debris. Was very impressed even on setting 1! It’s my new toy! Couldn’t believe how many time I had to empty the basket for such a small space! Very impressive. A longer cable length would be better but not complaining as an extension lead worked perfectly