Ditch Single-Use Lawn Aerators: The Ryobi Tool That Also Dethatches Dead Grass

There are two common problems that can impact the health of your lawn. The first is thatch: dead grass and other debris lying on the surface. The second is compaction, which prevents air and nutrients from getting to the roots. People who keep their lawns lush and well manicured tackle this by dethatching (or scarifying) and aerating (perforating the surface). Often, two different tools might be required, but the 18V One+ HP Brushless 14" Dethatcher/Aerator from Ryobi claims to make life easier by performing both tasks with one machine. Let's look at how it does that and whether it lives up to the hype.

There are a bunch of Ryobi tools to help whip your lawn into shape, many of them running on 18V One+ batteries. The Dethatcher/Aerator comes with two of these, and if you have others from the range, they will also fit. Being cordless, it's light and easy to maneuver, and there's no need to worry about a cord getting tangled or gas and the associated noise and fumes. There's a useful LED battery charge indicator, and folding handles make for easier storage.

Switching from one function to the other is simply a question of changing from the scarifying reel to the aerator reel. Height adjustment is a particularly useful feature. Beginners have a tendency to set the scarifying too deep, which can do more harm than good. The Ryobi can be set at maximum, then lowered in steps to achieve the optimum result.

The Ryobi 18V One+ HP Brushless 14" Dethatcher/Aerator currently costs $479.00, including two 4Ah batteries and a single charger (sadly, you can't charge both at once). Many cordless devices are also sold as "bare tools," allowing you to make savings if you already have compatible batteries. Unfortunately, that's not the case here.

Customers on Ryobi's own website give it an average rating of 4.4, and most are happy with the overall performance, although a number are disappointed with the battery run time. One owner thinks the bag is "useless" because it filled up too quickly. Feedback from Home Depot, Ryobi's official distributor, echoes several of these sentiments. Although easy to use and effective, short run times are frustrating, and the bag again receives criticism.

Having a single machine that can perform two important jobs should make the Ryobi dethatcher and aerator one of the essential tools for healthy green grass. However, it does have a couple of drawbacks. It's a competitive market with a wide choice in terms of specifications and price, so potential buyers will want to check out the competition to find out which model suits them best.