If seasonal autumn tasks include the decision to “Blow vs. Rake,” there’s a handy product that will eliminate the notion of this smack down – the Amazing Rake.  After all, you have to rake leaves up at some point, whether that’s to take them to your compost pile, get them ready for the town’s curbside pick-up or spread them on your own garden’s planting beds.  Whether raking the leaves off the lawn or blowing to a central point, you’re still going to have transport leaves up and away.

Recently, I took the Amazing Rake and a kind of companion, the HopperTopper, on a test drive (you can see the HopperTopper review here).

It might look more like a toy than a rake, but the Amazing Rake means business!

Simple Assembly

Right away, I was impressed with the Amazing Rake. The rake is incredibly lightweight, making it a cinch to unpack and use.

The six-step rake assembly is in itself rather “amazing.” It’s pretty intuitive (you can likely assemble the Amazing Rake without any instructions) but for the former Scouts who prefer to “Be Prepared,” there’s also a step-by-step set of assembly instructions with graphics.

Place the forked portion of the rake to align the male ends of the rake bottom over the female ends of the rake top. Lay the wishbone handle end strut across the rake head. Extend the telescope handle by a simple twist to loosen and extend the handle. Insert the rake handle through the slide grip and finally screw the rake handle into the rake head.

Voila!  A happy, bright, crayon-colored rake that will have you scratching (raking?!) your head wondering why someone didn’t invent this before.

The company also offers video “Assembly” and “How-To-Use” instructions on their website so you can get the full instructions on your smartphone or tablet to help you put it together outside.

The Amazing Rake is far more than just a rake.

Three Tools In One

There is no need to bend or scoop – the Amazing Rake is really like three tools in one: it rakes, scoops, and picks up.  It easily handles everything from leaves to grass clippings and prunings.  The company promotes another – “dog piles” – but as a gardener and horticulturist, I had a difficult time wrapping myself around that!  Not sure I want to use my newly christened “organic happy tool” for such an option… But, hey – if you have a canine that requires pooper scooper assistance, purchase a second Amazing Rake and scoop away.

With a simple push of the handle, the rake turns into a “scooper,” allowing you to easily pick up just about any garden debris.

Scoop & Pick Up Easily

It’s the scooping capability as a key feature that makes the Amazing Rake noteworthy.  You don’t have to “dig” or try to swoop up – rather it’s kind of a magic shovel-like assistant, readily catching the leaves and small branches to perform more of a “grab-n-go” function.  Dare I say it’s fun, too!

You should note that it’s rather a serious waste of good organic mulch to haul away all your leaves, so a good use of the Amazing Rake is to mulch the leaves into nearby ornamental or edible garden beds and borders. Can’t reach the back of the planting beds while raking?  No problem. Just use the rake’s jaw-like scooper to pick up and drop the leaves – front-end loader style – to the back of the garden bed or around the plants. You’ll be creating your own natural fertilizer!

Lightweight Rake

The rake is not only extraordinarily lightweight so that the repeated pulling motion of raking doesn’t get tiring, but the ergonomic and telescoping handle provides more control and customized performance for the variety of jobs the yard and garden presents. At 58 inches long, the steel handle is long enough for taller gardeners; for shorter individuals, just twist the handle, shorten it to the desired length and then twist again to lock it in place. The non-slip rubber coating on the handle makes it easy to handle (pun intended).

For those with less grip strength who find that traditional rakes pose a problem, the Amazing Rake offers a nice solution.  And it’s way better than having to carry a heavy (and noisy) blower.

If you’re raking the lawn (which is good for your top layer of soil vs. the blowing method), the Amazing Rake covers a fairly wide swath – it’s a smidge more than 17” inches across and measures more than 12” when the “jaws” of the rake’s scooper are fully opened in a wide yawn.

The lightweight Amazing Rake makes quick work of raking up leaves.

Recommendation

The Amazing Rake is an excellent tool for far more than just fall yard clean-up – it’s no wonder that it won a 2016 National Hardware Show Award. The parts are lightweight but solid, the finishes are good, and clean up is snap with just water or a soft cloth.  And one smiley face emoticon for it’s bright primary color (it comes in bright yellow, pink or green!) and fun factor, not to mention the fact that it’s made in America. The Amazing Rake sports a full, one-year warranty, too.

Where to Buy

You can buy the Amazing Rake at most national retailers, including Home Depot, Walmart, and online at Amazon. Suggested retail is approximately $31.

Amazing Rake

The Amazing Rake is an excellent tool for far more than just fall yard clean-up

$44.95

See it on Amazon