Sun Joe 15-Inch Electric Powered Lawn Dethatcher with Scarifier Blade Reel and Collection Bag - 13-Amp Corded Yard Power Rake Tool Machine for Grass Thatch Removal, AJ805E

i just bought it to replace the older one that had pooped out after 5 years of use ..MY OH MY this newer model is a lot better than the 13 inch model . it had more power - works faster and the settings allow for a much deeper cleaning range ! ***** Sunjoe gives you a FREE 24 month warranty included with it ... so don't fall for paying for the 0ne and Two year warranty that is sold on the Amazon site !

This little unit dethatched my yard in only a few hours. It took my sister three days to do my yards by hand when it was last done. As noted by many the bag is rather small yet I can totally see why. After doing just my back yard my green waste bin was about 3/4 full so it does pull up a lot especially if you set it on it's deepest setting. I left out my front yard so that my lawn crew has room for when they come. All in all I am impressed with the motor and tines. The unit it's self is pretty stable yet the door which hold the bag in place broke a pin after two empties. I did a little research and found this is a common issue with many to include said pin being broken upon arrival (flaw with the pins I suspect) . I followed someone else's recommendation and simple installed a 1 1/2" bolt in place of the cheap plastic one. I like using it due to it being so easy to use. FYI~ another common issue I found while doing my research is the air intake port for the motor can get clogged. I am not sure how well mine did as I have not checked yet. I do know that any motor (whether electric or gas fired) that can not be properly cooled will overheat and burn out.

The SunJoe Dethatcher is a great machine, does the job well with very little learning curve. I did my back yard with it a week or so ago and I have seen improvement in the lawn already, I typically mulch when I mow, didn’t realize how thick the thatch was until the lawn start looking ragged. The machine pulls itself along so there’s little effort required, it doesn’t seem to bog down when it hits thicker spots. I suggest try adjusting the angle of the handle (there’s an adjustment knob) to see what works best for you. I started on the middle setting and didn’t think to try another setting until I was almost through. Turns out the setting that pushes the front of the machine closer to the ground did a better job for what I was doing. I’m looking forward to trying the scarifier drum this fall when I’ll scarify then over-seed. My only criticism is the original machine was broken when I received it, a small nylon hinge pin on the back flap was broken. I contacted the manufacturer who told me this pin was not a replaceable part, instead the sent me a new machine. This part can’t be worth a dollar and from the looks of it would be simple to replace if they could send a new pin. That would have wasted a lot less resources. With that said, the replacement was mailed out right away and both the damaged one and the replacement were delivered well before the estimated delivery dates.

Bottom line, it is a great corded electric de-thatcher and scarifier. Easy to assemble, almost don't need the instructions. The outside housing is made from a flexible, but sturdy plastic of some sort. However, I don't see any issues with durability at all. The de-thatcher and scarifier drums are very well made and should last for year. I did find it was easier to remove the drums using a T handle hex key, than with the include hex key. Depth adjustment levels work well and the machine does an excellent job. The machine is light weight so you will have to pay attention to keep it flat to the ground. All in all, this is much better and easier to use for a yard than a huge gasoline powered beast. I have had too much fun de-thatching and scarifing my yard. Looking forward to using it again this fall.

Honestly, this little machine works great. The big problem I have with it is, as of the time of this review, you cannot purchase a replacement tines tool. The manual clearly states on page 15 that replacement part, "Replacement Dethatcher Tines, Part AJ805E-DTNS", is available as an accessory. But good luck finding one anywhere. So what this means is, once you put enough wear and tear on the spinning dethatcher tool (the tines don't last forever and eventually they'll be worn down), this unit will be absolutely useless. When I called the company to try and find out why I can't find part AJ805E-DTNS, they told me I have no option but to send the unit back to them and I'd get a "store credit." As if I'd buy anything from them again after this.

The lawn on our new-to-us property has been neglected for the last few years and things are pretty matted, so I bought this thing to help give new life to the property and give things a bit of a head start for next year as we head into fall. I scarified the backyard yesterday, a couple hours after receiving it, and man, it works really well! Starting out going north-south, then doing a second pass going east-west, it ripped up a pile of dead grass - so much so that I could only do a couple of passes before having to empty the pointlessly undersized basket, so I quickly decided to run it without the basket and just leave the door down. A little later I ran across some small washed rock that had worked their way out of the flower bed over time and the pin that holds the door to the body broke. This was annoying, but I fixed it by sliding an equivalent bolt into it's place and finished the yard without any other issues. After both passes from just the back yard, and using the lawnmower to pick up the spoils, our green bin was completely full, so I guess I'll need to wait until next week to do the front yard. Over all, I'm impressed. Things to note: The body is definitely cheaper plastic, so I don't know that it'll last 10 years or anything, and I definitely wouldn't leave this outside in the elements, but the scarring blades are in perfect condition after the back yard, even with hitting some rocks. I haven't tried the dethatcher tines yet, as I needed to start with something more aggressive, but I have no doubt they'll do a solid job.

This thing really works, I didn't know I had so much dead grass. Easy to put together, light weight and easy to use. Highly recommend it

I am changing my rating from 1 to 4 stars, because once I got in touch with SnowJoe, the issue was quickly resolved to my satisfaction. While they did not have the missing parts in stock, they shipped a replacement unit free of charge. This may seem like a bit of overkill for to missing handlebar parts, but I can't complain as the issue was indeed resolved at no additional cost to me. I am leaving the review at 4 instead of 5, as the fact that spare parts are not available does concern me. I have bought a couple of Snow Joe / Sun Joe products in the past without any issues. This time however, it has turned out to be a disappointment so far. The box sat in my garage for a couple of weeks before I went to assemble it, and when I opened the box I found that it contained 4 lower handlebar pieces and no middle handlebar pieces instead of 2 of each. Ok, I should be able to contact SnowJoe support to get this straightened out. Easier said than done. Their website seems overloaded, and just hangs when I try to create an account to register my product. Tried several browsers, and I am an IT professional. I know a poorly designed/underdimensioned web page/server when I see one. Email support you say? Sure, I sent off an email to [email protected] with pictures, description of the problem and a copy of my Amazon receipt. I get an email from the Snow Joe postmaster that my email can't be delivered, because the help@snowjoe mailbox id full. Seriosly? What serious vendor let their support email box fill up?? i wanted to send an email because I don't have time to spend hours on hold on a support phone line, but I guess I have no choice now - this machine is unusable without the missing parts, and the Amazon return window is past due. I will think twice before buying another Snow/Sun Joe product in the future.

Sun Joe dethatcher/scarifier works great. However (there’s always a “however”), the hex key needed to switch out the cartridges wasn’t included. Not a real problem as my wife is a big fan of IKEA and we have those things all over the place. The depth adjustment lever designed to raise or lower the deck kept slipping from the highest position down to the lowest. Problem solved with wrapping a bungee cord around the lever and looping over to the opposite handle to keep the lever secure. Other than that I’m very pleased with how the Sun Joe works.

The unit works well for small city lot. Beware though, the recommended extension cord 14/3 is costly but more importantly if you live in Canada and have to order any parts I was told by the customer service they don’t ship to Canada. I was missing the hex wrench to change out the heads and was informed on this fact. Hopefully I won’t have any problems down the road.