12 Types of Rakes: Different Rake Tools and Uses

A rake is a type of gardening or landscaping tool with a handle that ends in a head. You can use a rake for scooping, scraping, gathering, or leveling materials, such as soil, mulch, or leaves. Some rakes have flat heads; others have sharp metal tines that can break up [compacted soil](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/soil-aeration-guide) or rocks. When looking for the right rake, it’s important to consider the many different types of rakes and their specific purposes. To identify a rake, you will need to consider the size and shape of the rake head, the type of handle, and whether it has plastic tines or metal tines. Homeowners might have various rake types on hand for regular yard work, such as cleaning up leaves and debris or gardening. Here are twelve different types of rakes: 1. __Berry rake__: You can use this type of rake, which you can hold in one hand, to gather berries. It has a similar shape to a dustpan and has tines on the outer edge that you can use to scrape a branch or bush to collect the berries. 2. __Concrete rake__: A heavy-duty metal rake, a concrete rake has a flat edge for smoothing out or spreading wet [concrete](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/diy-concrete-patio-guide) and another side with a slight curve to it for scooping concrete. 3. __Garden rake__: With a long handle and a wide head, a garden rake is often metal. The rigid tines make it useful for breaking up soil for a garden bed or for leveling out dirt or sand. Other names for garden rakes include bow rakes, ground rakes, soil rakes, and level-head rakes. 4. __Hand rake__: A small rake with a short handle, hand rakes typically have a metal head and a wooden handle or fiberglass handle. You should be able to hold it in one hand, making it a useful tool for removing [weeds](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-weed-your-home-garden) or loosening soil in flowerbeds. 5. __Hay rake__: A large agricultural rake, a hay rake is made of metal and designed specifically for collecting or gathering hay for baling. Farmers pull these rakes behind tractors. 6. __Lake rake__: With a wide metal head and a very long handle, lake rakes are useful for skimming the surface of water to collect floating debris, algae, or aquatic weeds. Other names include pond rakes or algae rakes. 7. __Landscape rake__: A wide, heavy-duty rake, a landscape rake is for large projects, such as leveling out a wide field, yard, or other large area. Workers often operate these rakes behind tractors and call them tractor landscape rakes. 8. __Leaf rake__: Wide rakes made of light materials like plastic, leaf rakes are good garden tools for raking up leaves in your yard without damaging your lawn or garden. The head of a leaf rake has a fan shape or triangle shape with bent tines for scraping up dead grass and grass clippings. You can use a leaf rake to gather piles of leaves, which you can then haul off in a wheelbarrow or use in a compost pile. 9. __Roof rake__: To scrape debris or snow off a roof that might otherwise clog your gutters, consider using a roof rake. These have very long aluminum handles and an ergonomic head that is flat and shaped like a scoop. 10. __Shrub rake__: Possessing short tines and a narrow head, a shrug rake enables you to access small or hard-to-reach, tight spaces that you wouldn’t be able to with a wide leaf rake. 11. __Stone rake__: Similar to a garden rake, a stone rake consists of durable materials and has a wider head for handling more difficult jobs, like spreading rock. Other names include tarmac rake or gravel rake. 12. __Thatch rake__: Thatch buildup is organic material that accumulates between soil and grass, preventing nutrients and water from transferring between the layers of soil and vegetation. A thatch rake—also called a dethatching rake or scarifying rake—has long, sharp, and curved tines that can break up the thatch and pull it out. Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com/) and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community - and the world - a better place. There are many types of rakes, which you can differentiate by their length and handle material or by the size of the head and tines.