Bosch 060088A070 ALR Electric Lawn Raker, 900 W, 240 V

Product Information

All of the above can leave lawns weak, undernourished, and prone to moss. This is why it’s a good idea to try and resolve these underlying issues first to avoid persistent moss problems. How To Get Rid of Moss The Bosch ALR 900 is one of the best selling lawn rakes in the UK right now, but does it live up to the Bosch reputation for quality and functionality? Well, find out in my review below! In addition to using this machine to scarify a lawn, it can also be used as an electric lawn rake to gather up leaves and other debris. Due to the constant rain we’ve been blessed with here in Scotland, all of the leaves around my garden were heavy and wet. The collection box has a worth of only 28 litres, which is comparatively lower than many other models. So, keep in mind that you need to spend some extra time to dispose of the waste from your lawn, especially if the coverage area is bigger than usual.

Jet Collect’ system – This is innovative from Bosch, the drum has profiled air inlets that helps to not only make the collection of thatch, moss or leaves more effective but also the addition air flow pressure helps to compact the debris into the drum preventing clogging and increasing the amount collected.

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The aerating roller works just as well. You may find that you don’t actually need to use it once you’ve scarified, but, if you do, you’ll be happy with the results.

When looking for the best lawn raker, it’s important to consider the power source. Petrol powered lawn rakes are more suited for handling larger, wilder lawns while electric models are lighter and quieter for small to medium lawnwork. A manual lawn scarifier is quiet, easy to store and doesn’t require any maintenance other than scrapping the rust off.

My opinion of this AL-KO lawn rake and scarifier kept improving after I started scarifying my mossy lawn. It didn’t take long for the machine to pull all of the moss and thatch out, and its large 1500W engine prevented it from overheating when it was used for longer stretches. When you have a choice of working depths, you can start on the highest, going down through the settings until you find which is best for collecting the debris. It is much better to go slow, rather than choose too deep a setting to start with and puncture your lawn. Derek has real-world tested 61 products for DIY Garden, and is one of our most experienced testers.

In other words, scarifying promotes the health of your lawn resulting in green and attractive grasses. These are the reason why a lawn scarifier is crucial to maintain your land. We recommend that you scarify your lawn once a year, but you should follow the process only after its two or three years old. If you have a lawn, and you want it to be healthy, then you really should be using a scarifier or lawn rake from time to time and then get busy with a lawn aerator (or save time and buy a 2 in 1 like the VonHaus).
Scarifiers, also known as de-thatchers, remove grass cuttings, moss and other garden debris, by cutting into the soil and sifting your grass with blades. This action also helps to keep the soil free of weeds and healthy by improving the circulation of air and water drainage. When scarifying is ignored, the debris known as ‘thatch’ can form and cause a variety of problems for your lawn, such as making it seem ‘spongy’ or not draining water properly ( waterlogging). Dead thatch removed by a lawn rake scarifier

Only 4 height settings. This is a shame as most of the Bosch’s competitors have at least 6 height settings. There are five height settings to work with, and you can work deep down to -10mm as well as 10mm above the surface of the ground. You will like its large 30-litre nylon collection bag, which makes it possible for you to spend enough time scarifying and less time on evacuation. It comes with a rubberised handgrip rail so that you can be more comfortable during operations. But what bugged me was the collector. Perhaps I was having a dozy day but the frame (which way round it should go) took me a good few minutes to decipher. The user manual might want to work on that. When you compare the depths they need to be taken with a pinch of salt in my mind. Whilst the VonHaus is claiming 15mm it’s very hard to gauge. This is only -10mm but when comparing the two cuts this Makita really does seem to be ripping more material 🤔

With a sizeable 1500W motor, this machine is pretty powerful. It feels faster than the others I tested, and it’s also noticeably wider (36cm instead of the standard 32cm) meaning that it won’t take you quite as long to scarify your lawn. Not only will it save you time, but it does a great job too. Once you find the right height setting for your lawn, it’ll pull up moss and thatch without damaging healthy grass. It doesn’t leave the lawn quite as churned up as some of its competition, yet it effectively removes what it needs to. There is no level indicator or vision window on the Bosch ALR 900 so it can be little difficult to know when the collection box is full. The Flymo Lawnrake Compact 3400 does have a collection box window, this is a nice touch – well done Flymo. Lawnrakers or scarifyers involve more intense lawn care. These machines dig into the grass and create slits through your lawn to remove decaying, organic matter beneath the newly shooting live grass. Also, the power system is completely electric so it produces zero emissions and is one of the more quiet lawn rakes. Which is quieter? well there’s not much between them but I would say the Bosch is slightly quieter than the Flymo. The main takeaway from testing this machine is that it’s the best lawn scarifier to buy on a budget. However,if you also need an effective aerator, you may need to look elsewhere.

How do you know you have a thatch problem? Lawns with an undergrowth and thatch problem tend to feel excessively bouncy and springy. And if you try to look through the grass and into the soil, all you see is a confounding mess of dried grass, moss and decaying plant matter. A brand that has built its reputation on quality and innovation, AL-KO garden products are a favourite among both domestic and professional users. They usually go above and beyond their competition in more ways than one, so I had high hopes for their Combi Care 38E Electric Lawn Rake and Scarifier. Scarifying with the AL-KO Using a lawn raker machine is much easier today compared to manual scarification with handrakes. Once a lawn has been raked, fresh grass can have ample space, air and nutrients to grow into a bustling lawn. Scarifiers do require a bit of user effort. They need to be manhandled around corners and can feel a bit lively sometimes too. See here for advice on how to use a lawn scarifier. Overall this is an excellent electric lawn rake, due to it’s light weight, portability, good build quality and array of features.