7.10.2011

I really wanted to give this 5 stars, but there are a few things you should know about this lawn raker before you buy, to give you an informed viewpoint from another regular Amazon buyer with a very mossy lawn.I buy a lot of items on-line & always come to Amazon for the reviews first (& usually buy from here too). The "4.5 Star rating" sold this item for me, even though a few of the reviews weren't good. However, read on & make your own mind up...Background Info:My lawn has been suffering from moss for some time now. I have had "Green Thumb" here to kill the weeds & moss, & to feed & condition the lawn. But, I still have masses of moss partially hidden under the grass (which can't usually be seen when the grass gets longer).But, after cutting the lawn, the moss is plainly visible, & covers about 75% of the lawn area.I have been to various web sites & learned that moss stifles the grass at root level. If the moss is eradicated, the grass will grow stronger & thicker. I also learned that Autumn (August - November) is the perfect time to scarify the lawn. I purchased a moss killer, specially for Autumn use, & set about following the instructions...2 weeks later, I was ready to cut the grass & use my new lawn raker / scarifier.The Good:This item is very easy to set up. Just follow the instructions & you'll be using it within 5-10 minutes.The option to collapse it without having to dismantle the whole thing is an excellent idea, especially if you have limited room in your shed. 4 large thumbscrews allow the handles to fold away, so, all fairly simple.The 4 height settings for the depth of raking / scarification are really easy to adjust - only 2 levers & you're good to go.The large capacity collection box holds a lot of moss, dead grass & leaves.Leaves amazing stripes in your lawn for a professional look.The Bad:Unless your lawn is perfectly even (tennis court-esk), the tines will miss some of the moss in the lower parts & dig into the soil in higher parts. I thought my lawn was fairly level, but soon found out that it wasn't by the moss left behind in places & bald patches in other places. Set on height level "2", there was a lot of moss left behind all over. But set on "1", cut a little too deep at times. Settings "3 & 4" didn't seem to catch anything, except some of the leaves on the surface.The electric cable isn't long enough for anything bigger than a small garden, however, if you have an extension cable for your mower, your already sorted.Although the collection box is bigger than some other lawn rake / scarifier's, it still fills fast (probably due to the effectiveness of the product). There isn't a viewing window, so you only know it's full when it starts to leave moss/grass behind.The Verdict:This isn't the "Quick Fix" that I thought it was going to be in terms of moss removal. However, as with all things, if you want a good job doing, you're going to have to put in the hard work. If you're buying this purely as a lawn rake, this is excellent. But, if it's scarification you want, be prepared to scarify every time you cut your lawn (according to the experts). This lawn rake does a good job, & for the price, works well - but doesn't remove all moss in one go & you'll find yourself using it more than you thought.Having not tried any other lawn rake / scarifier, I can't comment how good this is in comparison to the more expensive ones. Having said that, this does a more than adequate job, is within the price range of the average gardener & has many benefits that other makes do not have (Collapsible, Large capacity collection box, Jetstream, etc...). Weighing it all up, I would still recommend the Bosch ALR 900.

12.10.2012

The Bosch name is very reputable. The machine requires some relatively simple assembly prior to operation.The bolts and wing nuts supplied should do the job, however, one of the bolts is too short and none of the wing nuts supplied would pick up the thread.I resolved this issue with the use of a hexagon nut instead. Upon assembly the collection box seems a bit flimsy and flexible.After assembly and a quick read of the operation manual, a bit of a novelty this for man, I setup and attacked the front lawn.The machine has four height level settings, easy to adjust. The lower the unit the more fierce the attack on the thatch and moss.I did try manual raking of the lawn and was getting no where,hence the purchase. The machine does a great job, first pass with level setting high - test run.Second pass I lowered it by another one and started ripping out thatch and moss, two and half collection boxes in less than 30 minutes and I was done.I left the lawn for another week allowing the rain and proprietary weed and feed to do its work.I then attacked the lawn again but this time on the lowest setting. The lowest setting also scratches the ground and this was evident.The lawn has been allowed to get into a very poor state and I collected another two boxes of dead vegeitation/moss. The collection box holds very light thatch and moss so sturdiness and strength does not seem necessary.I inspected the tines afterwards and saw no signs of damage to them. The ground was soft from the previous days rain and this would seem a sensible time to do this sought of deep scarifying.The bare patches were reseeded and has recently started to germinate.Looking forward to having a front lawn consisting of grass instead of moss and weeds next spring.I think the machine is worth the money and does the job. I did purchase spare tines at the time of purchase as other peoples reviews indicated they were easily broken.I have not experienced this yet, perhaps I am more careful.When wanting to change direction with the lawnraker, tip it slightly backward to raise the tines from the floor then turn to face the direction you want to go.Return the machine back to the floor and carry on in a forward direction. Avoid turning whilst tines are in contact with the ground/lawn.A couple of spare tines are included with the machine should you need them.May 2014The lawn has undergone another weed and feed treatment.The lawn scarifier has been out of the shed and working really well.I have no issues with it, get one if you need one.May 2016This unit continues to perform satisfactorily and as yet I've not had to replace a single tine.Overall I'm finding this product to be excellent and decided to upgrade it to a five star rating.June2017 updateI have examined the tines, with the power off. I found three tines were damaged.Replaced them with spares I bought way back and returned to service.Still doing a great job.

19.4.2009

The new Bosch ALR 900 seems well up to the job of scarifying as well as raking the lawn. The machine was easy to assemble and the instructions were clear and simple to follow.The 900 watt motor never seemed under pressure when I used the machine continuously throughout the day for scarification.The 50 litre collection box (which is large for an electric model) does fill quickly but, even so, it is an appropriate size for this machine which is quite light and relatively maneuverable. The box empties easily into a standard dustbin bag.The wire tines remove a considerable amount of debris from the lawn and you need to be prepared to dispose of plenty of moss and thatch after use.The "jetstream"

6.10.2009

What a wonderful scarifying lawn rake. I have been labouring for years with a good old fashioned hand rake, scratching away for hours trying to get rid of the perennial lawn thatch that accrues over time. This is doubly so in my garden as we have 4 guinea pigs which run around a very large movable run on the lawn. With all the scraps of hay and other bits that get left behind, we move the run every 2-3 days, there is a lot of mess that needs picking up!I decided to give my arms a break this year and purchase this Bosch electric lawn rake and what a joy it is. Within 5 minutes of getting it out of the box, it was assembled and ready to go. I read up a little bit before hand,

19.4.2017

My old Flymo lawn raker suddenly decided to stop working a few weeks ago, so it was time to buy a new one. I'm a fan of Bosch electrical products and this one had good reviews, so I took the plunge.When you open the box the raker requires assembly. You don't need any tools, and all you have to do is attach the lower part of the black handle to the body of the raker (two bolts, which are provided), and then the upper part fastens to the lower part (two more bolts, which again are provided.) The bolts are fastened with large plastic wing-nuts. The collection box is made of two halves, one of which fits inside the other for storage, so you separate these and snap them together in the correct way.

21.5.2015

As the reviews and comments of others are on the whole so very useful, here are mine.The positive side of the Bosch ALR 900 rake is that after reading the tales of woe of others, Bosch has heeded their words and changed the length of the screws to hold the handles together. Unfortunately, it is still a bit fiddly and it helps enormously if there are two of you: one to hold the handles in place, another to screw them together.Though Bosch makes no reference to the fact, there is a right and wrong way the handles go together. The right way has the double set of holes on the same side as the electric cord. Other than needing to assemble the thing twice because of this,

3.9.2015

OK ord 18 Mar arrive 21 Mar not much more to say which hasn't been said elsewhere. It is nice and robust, strongly built and has enough power. I've used it frequently since to keep the moss etc at bay and I'll be using it to deal with fallen leaves etc. I use it to straighten up the grass before mowing and then afterwards. Not one tine has broken or come loose. You just get it out of the shed, plug it in and away you go without any fuss. I've got a nice Hayter lawnmower but it still leaves stuff behind for the lawnraker. I have found that using the old sturdy rake after the lawnraker will still serve to rake up more debris so its not perfect but I now know that in the years ahead when I'm too

21.8.2013

Large lawn, hand raking, thought what the hell and bought this. You get what you pay for in this age so I paid extra and bought a named brand strong machine. With the machine the job is done better, no more sweat, pain to the arms and shoulders and the job is completed in just a fraction of the time. When you mow the lawn, and take just the top off and leave it medium-longish then go over it with the machine the flat bottom of the machine rides on the top of the grass and it is a grass rake to get out all the rubbish out (which it certainly does) and not touch the ground. If you cut the lawn short then the settings on the front wheels come into play and then you can rake or scarify right down to setting number 1 and even leave grooves in the ground to re-seed.

21.5.2016

I paid slightly cheaper else where but well worth the money even though it will only be used twice a year ie Spring and Autumn.Used after 2nd grass cut this year. I initially started on the highest setting so as to not destroy lawn. Within only a couple of minutes, the collection box was full with dead yellow grass and moss that was in between the good stuff. I filled 3 wheelie bins!I then lowered to the 3 highest setting and went back over my lawn at 90 degrees. This time it was just in some places scratching the soil and leaving a bare patch but at the same time getting more crap out.On finishing, my lawn l@@ked liked a rugby pitch in winter.

12.7.2010

First of all I would suggest that anyone purchasing this should read the instructions carefully. I did but then did not use the lawn rake until a few weeks later and discovered that the viewing window in the collection box was in fact where a flap from the main body of the machine should go. I ended up covered in dust and dead moss.Its a lot bigger than I thought it would be but the collection box can be easily and quickly dismantled, without tools, for easy storage. Its lighter than it looks. The ALR900 is larger than my Qualcast Elan 32 lawn mower.When I did start using the lawn rake correctly it seemed to be OK for the first few meters and then left clumps of moss and grass.

9.2.2015

Delivered within the time of date said and well packaged. For people who do not do this for a living this is for your own garden or like me for work around at my customers and my own parents garden. It removes the majority of moss,dead growth i then treat the lawn to kill what's left of the moss and feed the lawn. When the moss that is left turns brown/black use the lawnraker again. It will miss parts in the garden when the ground is not level. So a rake will be needed there. To resolve the dips in the ground so this does its job top it up with lawn dressing once a fortnight from March-September at 1cm at a time when the dips are small. Or if they are big fill it with soil and last inch with lawn dressing and compact it down and over seed it.

5.12.2010

We have a large garden & the moss had been getting worse over the past few years. I knew I had to do something this year so I treated the grass with an autumn weed & feed plus moss kill, double treating a couple of places. When I saw the amount of blackened moss, I knew the trusty hand rack would never cope. Bought this 900 watt machine in preference over the Flymo, memories of earlier under powered Black & Decker lawnrakers that burnt out their motors far to easily.Used it first on the second highest setting on an 8 metre square section & quickly produced 5 bin bags full of dead moss, mightily impressed. I took the moss to the recycling centre. The next day I did the rest of the grass, 30m by 8m,

26.8.2015

As others have said, you'll be amazed how much material this removes from your lawn. I was astonished. I set it low, but not on the lowest, and the output filled a large green wheelie bin. By the time I'd finished all the lawns, I'd filled the wheelie bin 3 times and the grass still looked reasonably OK. On one very mossy lawn, which I planned to overseed, I used the lowest setting and it scarified very well, leaving the lawn looking slightly "ploughed" which was perfect for seeding. The amount of moss and thatch removed was huge.Quick to use at walking pace, seems powerful (nothing seemed to slow it down) and the collection was effective. On a dry day, it creates a lot of dust. On the minus side,

23.8.2011

Tired of raking out moss by hand, so ordered this. Firstly, it performs as advertised. I have generated a huge amount of moss and other junk from a 300 sq m lawn: let's hope the grass recovers! I found I needed to use the lowest setting to really get at the moss properly, but the motor had absolutely no trouble in providing all the power needed. Unlike other reviewers, the tines (sp?) all stayed on throughout.There are though some concerns. I never thought I'd say this about a Bosch product, but it feels a little cheap. We have the equivalent Bosch electric mower (Rotak 34) and it is much more solid and better built. The moss/grass bin is quite flimsy and does not fit properly tight unless fiddled with a bit.

2.8.2011

I did a lot of shopping around before buying this product, and read a lot of reviews.Having used a much less sturdy electric lawnraker (the kind that has an open basket at the front, that incidentally falls off when half full!), I have been extremely pleased with my purchase.Although easy to assemble, it did take me a while as I needed an extra pair of hands to fit the top section of the handle in, but after a lot of frustration with the screws we had success. This has put me off loosening the handle to fold for storage though, incase I have to go through the hassle of getting the screws in again!It does a fantastic job of removing the moss and old clippings, and the lawn immediately looked so much better.

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