Sun Joe Electric Dethatcher & Scarifier, Corded, with 8-Gal Bag, AJ801E

This review has two parts: 1. Product Review 2. Snow Joe Customer Service Product Review ----------------------- Let's start with the challenge I had to solve for. I have an lawn that spans 2000 sq. ft. that has never been dethached in the last 7 years. The lawn health has been steadily decreasing and no amount of chemical fertilizers or weed control have been able to restore the lawn to its early glory. After giving up on the chemical treatment path, I tried aeration. Presumably it helped, but I saw no real improvement in the health of my lawn. Finally, I hit upon dethaching. My lawn has become a patchwork of living and dead grass. I picked up the Sun Joe AJ801E for three reasons: 1. It had the highest powered motor (amp consumption) on Amazon for dethaching 2. It had a scraper / scarifier, which presumably will allow me to more easily reseed targeted areas of my lawn. 3. My "Mow, Blow, & Go" gardener claimed that all the dethacthers for a lawn my size were rented out to golf courses. Assembly is super easy, but I had some issues with one of the metal arms not fitting correctly into the main dethatcher. More on that later.... Product performance: I ran the Sun Joe at 0" across a small section of my lawn. In one pass across 10ft of lawn, the catch bag was full of thatch! I was shocked. Looking at the lawn, I could barely tell that the Sun Joe had actually lifted anything out, but the full bag told me otherwise. I ended up covering 200 sq. ft of my lawn, having to run multiple passes to get all the thatch. This little machine is super efficient, but I found the catch bag filling up way faster than expected. I've got another 1600 sq ft of lawn to cover, but will have to attack it one week at a time. Just covering 200 sq ft filled my yard waste bin. Pros: - Easy to assemble. - Efficient in picking up thatch. May need multiple passes if your lawn has been neglected. - Safety switch makes it impossible for my young children to accidentally turn this on. - Dethacther and Scarifier rollers are easy to swap Cons: - Small catch bag - Safety switch is a bit of a bear when you need to stop and empty the catch bag often. - Assembly requires some force to get the bent metal arm into the main dethatcher or the screw holes will not line up. - Changing the Dethatcher roller for the Scarifier requires a 10mm wrench. Not a big deal if you have a crescent wrench or socket set. It just took me by surprise since I thought they would use sizes a little more common for the American do-it-yourselfer that has minimal tools. Time will tell if this holds up over the 2-year warranty, but so far I am really happy with the performance. Customer Support --------------------------- All too often we hear about poor customer support. I am here to tell you that Sun Joe has top-notch customer support. When assembling the Sun Joe, you must insert the metal poles / arms into the main unit. If you look at the product picture, I'm referring to the black metal arms that support the power switch and push point. The portion that connects to the actual unit is bent at approximately 135 degrees. You must use a bit of force to get the arms into the main unit or the screw holes will not line up. On the unit I purchased, I was not able to push in the metal rod far enough to line up the screw holes, even after putting my weight into it. I was reluctant to use a rubber mallet for fear of bending the actual metal rod. When I called Sun Joe, the gentleman listened to my concern. He immediately said they would ship a new one out. Here is what totally blew me away.... Sun Joe support never questioned my ability to follow instructions, troubleshoot, or even verify that I followed the instructions correctly. I was preparing myself to verbally defend myself, which is exactly what you need to do when calling for support from nearly any other manufacturer. Nope. Not here. Sun Joe sent a brand new unit and provided a pre-paid slip to send the old one back. They didn't even ask for any credit card information to secure a deposit! Sure, I could have gone through Amazon to do the return process, but I wanted to give the manufacturer a chance to own the problem. No question about it, Sun Joe actually made it easier than Amazon.

I bought the Sun Joe Electric Lawn Dethatcher & Scarifier after reading positive reviews on Amazon. At 70 years old, I was reseeding part of my lawn that had been overrun with nimblewill. I tried dethatching manually with a rake but found it exhausting, so I decided to give this machine a try—and I’m very glad I did. Unboxing & Setup: The unit arrived in its original Sun Joe packaging, well protected and clearly labeled. Assembly was simple and only required a Phillips screwdriver. The instructions were clear, and everything fit together easily. It even comes with a separate scarifier attachment for slicing grass roots to promote new growth, which I haven’t tried yet but appreciate having included. Performance: I used the dethatching roller on a section of my lawn, and the results were excellent. The machine was easy to push and handled the job quickly and efficiently. It lifted a surprising amount of thatch without bogging down, and the motor showed no sign of strain. I do recommend mowing the grass quite low before using it—it helps the machine work even better. Pros: Very effective at removing thatch Easy to push and maneuver Straightforward assembly with good instructions Solid power for an electric unit Great value for the price Cons: The collection bag is small, but I simply used the dethatcher without it and raked up afterward—it worked fine for me. Value & Verdict: Considering the cost of hiring someone to dethatch my lawn, this Sun Joe has already paid for itself. It’s easy to use, saves a ton of physical effort, and I expect it to last for years based on the solid performance so far. Highly recommended for homeowners of any age who want to keep their lawns healthy without the back-breaking work of manual dethatching.

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.

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.

Can't say how well it worked and easy to operate. Nice to have and now I can thatch anytime I want. Grass looks so much better and easy to maintain with water and fertilizer. Highly recommend. 10,000 square feet of lawn.

The dethatcher prongs wore out. The scarifier blades wore out. And the cylinder stopped turning. So why am I giving this 5 stars? Two reasons: First because it is the most effective tool I've ever used for preparing a lawn for new seeding or renovation. Secondly, because SunJoe customer Service is fantastic. This is not a commercial machine. And, it is not a tiller. But it is a must-have for the resident who wants to make a drastic improvement to his ugly yard. It costs $115. I figure it can handle about an acre of heavy use before blades need replacing. What do you spend on seed and fertilizer per acre? A small fortune, if you have repeated failures like me. The SunJoe scarifier can allow you to "slit-seed." No raking required. That saves time (money) and gives better germination results. With SunJoe, I can prepare a strip of ground in less than 1/10th of the time I spent with a manual garden rake. For detailed videos, search YouTube for SunJoe Scarifier/Dethatcher by David Deutscher. Basically, I used SunJoe to bring my ugly yard down to bare ground. It yanked up my poisoned crabgrass/moss/thatch. Then I used the scarifier to cut slits in the exposed ground. Used a rotary spreader to sow fertilizer and new seed. Afterwards I did use a rake to cover the seed. But, later discovered that raking was not necessary. I accomplished the same thing by turning on my water sprinklers. It was quick, easy, and fun. It resulted in the fastest and most lush new lawn I've ever seen. Is that worth $115? I don't know how it performs on an already established lawn. (I used the deepest settings for everything.) My advice would be to start with shallow settings and go deep only if necessary. Obviously, the deepest settings will create the most wear&tear on blades and prongs. Your SunJoe may last for many acres. On the second day, I broke my SunJoe. Maybe I hit a rock or a root. Perhaps my compacted soil was too hard for this tool. The cylinder stopped turning. I contacted SunJoe and they sent me a brand new replacement which arrived only a few hours after I had taken the broken one to Kohls for free return. Now, that's customer service. SunJoe has knowledgeable and courteous reps to handle your inquiry. However, you might have to first make contact with a seller's rep who will have no clue about the problem you are describing. Just roll with the punches and ask him to connect you with a SunJoe representative. If you want to see the results of my SunJoe renovation project, search YouTube for Jonathan Green Ultra grass seed by David Deutscher. SunJoe gave me a yard in two weeks that previously took a month or more. My recommendation is to purchase both the SunJoes Dethatcher/Scarifier and the SunJoe Tiller. The tiller is useful when dealing with extremely compacted ground or when penetration deeper than a half inch is required.

Had it for 5 years. It worked great! Definitely worth it even if used just once a year. I used to rent one but that weighed over 200lbs. $50 to rent for a few hours and a pain to pickup and dropoff. This one I can carry with one hand and honestly, it works just as well and removes as much thatch as the heavy one. I got my money's worth for sure. I even lent it out a few times. Yesterday I grazed a paver with the scarifier and the gear that connects the motor to the drive belt shattered into pieces. Belt was still like new. Would have preferred the belt to break but I guess it's not designed that way. It's made of die cast aluminum and it's not a replaceable item. If not for this, I figure I would have gotten a few more years out of it. I'm definitely buying another.

Assembly was fairly easy except for a few small hiccups. The first section of the handles require significant pressure to shove them into place. After I had the handles assembled I discovered that the provided cable clips are too small to use and the cable is at least eight inches too long. To solve this I took the top part of the handle back off in order to wrap the extra length of cable twice around the handle and then reassembled the handle. I was unable to remove the scarifier attachment which seemed to be seized in place so I decided to scarify my lawn first. Within a few feet the grass collection bag was full, which in my opinion makes it completely useless. The cover where the bag attaches goes down to the ground and closes with sufficient force to keep objects from flying up during operation. If you look at videos online of people using this machine you will see that no one is using the worthless grass collection bag. Scarifying my lawn went well. The raking was no fun but I expected that. Then I still had the problem of removing the scarifier. I watched a video online, which only confirmed that I was doing it correctly, but it wouldn’t budge. I finally used a pry bar to move it to the right so the shaft would come out. Getting the thatcher installed was the same issue in reverse. So, it really does fit tight! I thatched part of the lawn before it started raining. It was removing even more dead grass than the scarifier. Altogether, in spite of a few complications, I am impressed by what a good job this does. For the price this small machine does an amazing job. If it only works twice I will have recovered the cost and avoided the hassle of renting a big commercial machine. Another bonus is not needing to borrow a truck to get it, have one of my sons use it because those are too big and heavy for me, and then returning it within the four hour rental time. I can use this machine myself any time I want to. It’s lightweight and starts easily with the push of a button! Kudos to Sun Joe!

Funcional máquina para principiantes, muy buen costo beneficio! Gracias por su atención.

I done a lot of research and there were two or three products that kept coming up. I settled on the Sunjoe finally based on the reviews, YouTube videos and price and that it comes with a scarifier. It wasn't a huge out of pocket expense so if it didn't pan out I'd chalk it up to another one of life's lessons. The product came in a good box and was well packaged. Assembly was simple and instructions were clear. The product is amazingly life weight and all plastic construction except for the handle bars. At first I thought it was cheaply made but boy was I wrong! Using the Sunjoe worked better than I could imagine. I used it on my front lawn which hadn't been dethatched in years. I used the mid setting and as you can see it pulled up loads of dead moss and grass. I ran the machine in one direction and then used my lawnmower with a rear bagger to collect all the debris. I then used the Sunjoe again at right angles to the first and it pulled just as much as before. Using the machine is easy as it's almost self propelled due to the rotary action of the roller. The important thing is to go slow and let it do it's job. Sometimes you have to hold back on the machine as it has a tendency to pull forward when it hits a large clump of moss but it has no problem going through anything. The machine sounds like a angry vacuum cleaner when you use it but it's not loud. I highly recommend this product and am very pleased with the results. Don't know what else to say but I give it 10 out of 10.

Now, this is a product that requires a review to highlight how great this product is. I am the type that tends to believe bigger is better and with this product I didn't go wrong. I was initially hesitant to get the 15amp model in fear that it would occasionally trigger/blow the 15amp breaker, but it did not. We have a 1.3 acres lot and although it is not all grass, we have lots of grassy area that needed thatching. In a nutshell, this Sun Joe unit works like a charm without any issues. I highly recommend this product. I had seen it positively shown on a YouTube video and it truly was right.

Best money I've spent on a power garden tool in a while. This is just perfect for my needs and saves a tonne of manual effort for regular lawn care. When configured as a power rake, it pulls thatch out of the grass like a champ -- and I thought my lawn was already pretty good so I was shocked (!!) at how much thatch it was able to pull. I'll never do this by hand again (my back is loving it) When configured for scarification, it does a fair job -- but doesn't seem to penetrate as much as I would have hoped. It could be the soils are already too compacted (making it difficult for the machine) or maybe I need to sharpen the edges with a grinder to help it power through the soils. I'd never done this task myself before, so could also just be I need more practice! Be sure to read the instructions as you do need to adjust the height properly otherwise if the machine is too low, you will rip the tines out of the dethatcher. It is all in the paper manual but who reads those (especially after it is already assembled). My only real complaint with this tool is that it can be a little hard to see at a glance what height setting you are at, and it could be marked better for which "range" you are in (dethatching vs scarifying). Again though, the settings are all outlined in the instruction manual as long as you have it handy. Other than that, no complaints. I may take some dark paint (marker) to make the settings easier to read right on the machine itself.

me gusto su fácil manejo y el resultado que logras con esta operación, se de verdad quieres tu césped no dejes de hacer esta labor para lograr un césped sano, bonito y disfrutable