Sun JoeCorded 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.

Every few years my neighbor and I rent a dethatcher to do our lawns and inevitably the thing is too powerful and rips the heck out of the grass until we get it set up correctly and then it pulls us across the lawn and you fight with it for a few hours and are beat by the time you are done. This unit is lighter and easier to control around the yard. The height adjustments make is super easy to dial in the setting you need and away you go.This is well worth the money and being a corded electric unit you can go all day without having to recharge a battery or worry about low/slow performance. We did find that the storage capacity of the bag is quite small and wound up leaving it off as it would fill after a pass or two. Using this to dethatch and then raking or blowing the dead grass into a pile is the way to go.The scarifier is a great attachment as well. It helps to loosen up the soil and areas of thick thatch. It also did a good job of loosening the top layer of soil where we needed to plant some new seed. All in all, this will definitely pay for itself by the end of next season.

First off, hat's off the the people who came up with this product idea. Regardless of longevity, it's nice to see an affordable homeowner de-thatcher. That said, there are some issues people should know about, or at least my experience and suggestions.1. The instructions mention NOT to use this product on moist/wet ground. Also, not to spray it off with water to clean it. These warnings should be taken very seriously. Not so much for fear of electrocution, but because the unit's electronics are definitely not well sealed. Yards to be de-thatched or scarified should be very dry in regard to both the grass itself AND the soil. Most homeowner's are going to expect to be able to just use their lawn equipment as they have time to do so. I would recommend being very careful with it comes to moisture with this product.2. Because it's not all that well sealed inside, it's not all that unlikely that you won't have a buildup of material inside from de-thatching etc.. Because it tends to build up between the framework and the electrical motor there is a potential for both overheating and possibly fire. I have found that after summer use, I need to remove the body screws and do a thorough cleaning using an air hose to remove all the buildup. Also, as stated above, if you even suspect you may have gotten moisture inside I would suggest removing the cover and taking the time to ensure there's no water inside before using this thing.3. Disassembly. I'm sure they would prefer you don't remove the plastic cover, but given the issues noted above, I think it's fairly likely that you will need to occasionally. I had to return my initial Sun Joe because of electronic failure. It worked until I went in for lunch, and when I came out it didn't. Sun Joe customer service is great, but their solution seems to be to just replace the unit (within 1 year). Not sure how they respond after warranty, so my advice is periodically do some under the cover cleaning and never use when there's any moisture on the ground. As for cover disassembly itself, it's not difficult but obviously make sure to unplug the unit first. The screws can be problematic because the channels fill up with muck so you will need to dig that out to get to them. The manufacturer definitely should have put plugs over the screw holes to avoid that problem. Also, the last screw is hidden under the stick on label.4. Use.... Everything else considered, I have found that for lawn de-thatching (or in my case moss buildup removal), it doesn't work all that well with the wire drum unless you use it on a negative setting, which they do not recommend. Since I mainly purchased the machine for this purpose I was disappointed with the result, but then decided to just go negative and see what happened. What happened was pretty much lawn removal and wear out of the wire on the drum. But, if that's the result you need before reseeding and you don't mind springing for a replacement drum for around $30, then there you go. That said, I found the metal scarafier drum to be just the ticket. It's designed to be used at a negative setting and it works very well for moss removal at the -10 setting. Doesn't maim the grass too much and does the job. Might need to cross hatch the lawn to get it all but it's a good result. So in my opinion, set the wire drum aside and just go with the heavy drum for the whole show.So in summary, good product but could be better designed on the inside to avoid malfunction of electronics and buildup of dried material under the cover. Plugs over the screw holes would be great but probably won't happen anytime soon so just sub small pieces of electrical tape or whatever to keep the screw channels clear of debris. Definitely store inside a dry area and do not even plug it in if you see signs of moisture on the product. It isn't sealed all that well.