SunJoe vs Greenworks Electric Dethatchers - FULL COMPARISON

[@jakestoe]

Bought the SunJoe last fall. I scarified my front yard this spring and overseeded. My front has never looked so thick especially with two large maple trees that shade it almost all day. Used the dethatcher a few weeks ago on my backyard and pulled mass amounts of dead debris after 3 passes. Aerated and overseeded with JG BBU and is just now in the baby stages.. SunJoe is a beast for how small that thing is.

[@christopherhillhouse2409]

I'm glad you pointed out that you could start the Sunjoe with one hand because my left arm is paralyzed so thank you for that extra detail! I just ordered one also because it works great.

[@lucychillery-watson7861]

Lightweight is good and what did I use it for it’s a lawnmower kzbin.infoUgkxTPN04aT-Qdjr_KS3ql7ng8wnU3wwsCqk also recommend Yes it is lightweight so hence not as robust as our old one. But if you take care it does the job really well.

[@Audiotrooper42]

This is exactly what I needed in order to finally pull the trigger. Thank you for the content Jimmy.

[@Wrightn221]

I have Green works. It's been with me for many years. I need to use it

[@kristiwagner4046]

I got the sun joe and wow this yard hard not been done. Wow it was exhausting but well worth it.

[@FullTimeGT]

Thanks you so much for your time to compare these products. I've been on the fence between Sun Joe and Greenworks, and after seeing your review I'll jump and buy the Sun Joe dethatcher. Continue your good work, it's appreciated!

[@doncline6372]

I mowed my TTTF to about 2” and then set the SunJoe at lowest dethatch setting. It was the first time dethatched in 3 summers. I was really impressed with what it brought up. Next year, I am going with the scarifier and try what one of the comments said about using it to lift up thatch, seed, and then go back over. Sounds like a great idea. I had someone aerate and they tore up areas that caused more issues than what it was worth. Thanks for the great video!

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Sounds like a good plan! Thanks for watching

[@davondd]

So Don are you saying dethatch and remove it, then seed, then use the scarifer to cut the seed into the soil? Just asking and wanted to know if compost or additional to soil is needed? Thanks either way!

[@doncline6372]

@@davondd I ended up on my front yard using the Sun Joe power rake attachment sand going over it twice. Both times I used my mower to pull up all the dead grass. Then I used the scarifier attachment as aggressively as I could. Again I used the mower to go over to pull up the dead material. After that, I seeded but changed my mind and used a “garden weasel” and ran it over the worst areas. I was just concerned I might bury the seed using the scarifier again. On my side yard which didn’t have as much dead grass, I used the scarifier twice, picking up the debris both times, and then seeded. Again I used the garden weasel. My side yard is showing the better overall establishment after 10 days. On my backyard, I power raked it twice. It is slower germinating. If I had the opportunity to do it again I would have power raked twice and then scarified. I just don’t think the power rake stirred up the soil enough. I did use the garden weasel in spots. All areas received GreenView Fairway Formula Seeding Success mulch. It spreads real nice with a Scott’s rotary spreader plus it has fertilizer. I used peat moss last year using a peat spreader but this is easier and didn’t have the chunks to contend with. Hope this helps.

[@davondd]

@@doncline6372 thats really great advise, thanks a lot Don.

[@williamjohnson9727]

Great review Jimmy. I've been on the bubble about these two machines. Sun Joe looks to be more of what I'm looking for. Thank you so much.

[@10Flat]

I have the SunJoe. It’s a great machine. One note: it has thermal overload protection to protect motor. To restart hold button in for at least 7-10 seconds. This will reset overload relay.

[@WatsitTooyah]

Should let her cool down in the shade when that happens.

[@richarde1355]

Good to know - thanks fud the tip! Mine quit working - wonder if this thermal shutoff needs reset? Have to try it!

[@10Flat]

@@WatsitTooyah Yes I agree. Was more concerned about someone putting in in the shop for repairs never realizing this feature. One more thing. There’s a printed circuit board under the shroud. Never turn unit upside down to wash. You run the risk of shorting it out. I take the shroud off and clean board after extended use. Great machine good luck 🍀

[@Kasper210]

I bought the greenworks years back and used it in our front lawn that was struggling. the material it pulled up was insane. turns out we had a front moss, not lawn. very little actual GRASS left after

[@scottterry4590]

I've had my sunjoe for 3 months and was amazed by the amount thatch that is pulled from my lawn. I highly recommend it, easy to use and surprising how it holds up.

[@UrbanDadLife2024]

I have the Greenworks and love it, looking at getting the Sunjoe for the scarifier. I'm English and next years project is for me to use pure English lawn car practices on my back KBG/PRG lawn - scarifying is something my Dad would do after aeration in the fall. After scarifying the grass will produce lots of sideways shoots, which will result in a thicker sward.

[@cuongx7764]

I was on the fence on deciding which dethatcher between the two to purchase. After watching your review, I made my decision. Thank you for this very helpful video!

[@steveotto5776]

Great video. I've read a few reviews on both machines but this was a really helpful "head to head" comparison.

[@LawnNOrder]

One trick I learned on my SunJoe is to use a bungee cord to hold the discharge flap up. This allows for a cleaner discharge of the pulled out materials. Good review.

[@gary4738]

Thank you SoCal, I will try that trick as I get a lot of clumping discharging.

[@tpohlen]

Great minds...I did this too and worked perfectly

[@bt5252]

Best video showing the difference in performance between dethatching and scarifying for the SunJoe!

[@magicmike872]

Just discovered this channel and I love it. I’ve learned a ton just by watching a few videos. Thanks!🎉

[@frankb.1728]

Great review Jimmy! Purchased a SunJoe for myself last fall after viewing the Ginja’s review of both machines. Absolutely love the scarifier attachment as well! Used it when renovating 3000 square feet of my 10,000 square foot lawn this fall. Your lawn, as always, is looking great!

[@JoNathanB1976]

Same

[@benharrison1069]

A couple of comments - Yes, take the bag off of the SunJoe and let the material that it pulls up with either attachment sit on top of the grass. Then use a rotary mower with a bagger on it to suck up or vacuum up that material. If you are overseeing then definitely use the SunJoe with the scarifier attachment because not only will it pull up the extra material, but it will act like a slit seeder as you scarily so you will do one pass to pick up dead material then vacuum that material up with a rotary mower. Then do your over seeding and go back over it again with the scarifier to slit seed that grass seed into the ground and give it seed-to-soil contact. Finally, spread your starter fertilizer and water frequently. The SunJoe, in my opinion, is a great machine and well worth the money.

[@ramibn1]

i have sunjoe and it works great for me this is the 2nd season im using it, haven't used scarifier that comes with it yet (planning next year). Cant speak for greenworks as i never tried it .. but i believe both will work just great...

[@Garminrules]

Have the sun joe for 4 yrs now does great job.

[@DarrelHall]

I just purchased the Green Works. Then I watched your video and canceled the order and got the Sun Joe. Thanks.

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Glad I could help. Hope you like it.

[@stevenostrander7058]

Awesome review I appreciate your time and diligence it save me a lot of time. Thank you again be safe and stay healthy

[@trustone8540]

I know this is going to get lost in the comments but I just wanted to say that sometimes I go out in my garden, cover myself with dirt and pretend I'm a carrot.

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Cool beans 👍

[@KenYoungIII]

you too?

[@trustone8540]

Yes!!! I love it

[@dallaswiller]

Famous Biden quote

[@nsant]

Happy Gilmore accomplished that feat no more than an hour ago

[@retiredhappy466]

Excellent comparison video! Definitely helps with my upcoming purchase. Thanks.

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Thank you

[@MidwestMoney]

Awesome video! You just sold me. The rental place never called me back so I'm gonna do it myself. I just bought the Sun Joe AJ801E for $138 at Walmart.

[@Rick-tb4so]

I bought a SunJoe and it kicks ass. Its hard to believe how much it can pull out of the lawn..

[@douglasbuck8986]

I got the Greenworks - does exactly what it says it will do. No attachments but comes with a replacement set of tangs(what ever you call them)............. 2 years no problems............. so far so good.

[@davidk609]

I would've loved to have seen you run the SunJoe over the same area you used the Greenworks to see if there was an even amount of thatch in both sections of your yard by demonstrating additional thatch being pulled up by the SunJoe machine missed by the Greenworks. Otherwise a great video.

[@chrisgreen177]

He did in the outro of the video. He was using the SunJoe, and went over the Greenworks area, and there was a significant amount of thatch raked out that the Greeworks missed.

[@ciceronx]

To be clear, he was scarifying the area which will naturally pull up more material due to what it is doing.

[@mooz007]

Great video Jimmy! I was on the verge of buying the Greenworks dethatcher but will definitely be getting the Sun Joe Dethatcher for sure! I actually have a Snow Joe Thrower (electric as well) and a Sun Joe cordless air compressor and I am very happy with both of those Joe products.

[@MeisterofMyLawn]

Wow! Never detached my lawn before but that sun joe has got me sold.. great video!

[@MikeinNJ]

Sunjoe makes a great product there’s no denying. I try and buy gas powered equipment only but I’m starting to have a small sunjoe collection lol

[@ManTimeT.V.]

Hey there! Great review. I'm looking to purchase the 15" sunjoe dethatched with scarifier. My question is, what is the main purpose of the scarifier? Why would you scarify over dethatching? Or can you do both, say, in the spring time and maybe end of fall? I would imagine that scarifying would be good for spring time. Could a guy dethatch and then scarify the lawn and overseed every spring? That would be a great way to thicken up a lawn. Thanks for the video!

[@robertwatson4133]

Found my Sunjoe online for 127.00 love it did a great to prepare go seeding

[@BLUELEADER78]

I got the sunjoe a couple of days ago. Since then have found a secret setting... if you pull the height adjustment know away from the machine you can put the machine on the ground, front wheels off the ground, for maximum scarifier depth. It's a powerful machine but I kind of wish it had a throttle control. Seems a bit fast for scarifying.

[@adalbertojulia3448]

Just ordered my sunjoe should be here Thursday, thank you for the review, btw the mountain background in the beginning of video was breathtaking.. God bless🙏

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Thank you

[@jennifermckee-landreth4838]

Thanks so much for this review! It made my decision between the two brands really easy.

[@FrenchieFrench1555]

I have one for several years, I love it. You need to leave the rear door a little open to let the grass out and to cut the front lip 1 1/2" so that it does not plow in the ground at all time. I prefer using the scarifier attachment even to dethatch.

[@RWilli26]

I used my sunjoe on 38,000 ft2! Gotta want it and it was paid for and no renting. It got a workout in 1 week. It wasn’t that bad.

[@JimmyLewisMows]

You're the real MVP

[@karenmckillip8685]

1) your yard looks fantastic 2) I bought the SunJoe and am excited to use it in the spring.

[@DavidBealeakaFKD]

Just bought a Sun Joe - have not yet assembled it. Alternative was the tow behind because we have a large yard (almost an acre) but will take it slow and do it in sections.

[@michelebrown7215]

Got our SunJoe this week. Cant wait to get started!

[@ericpaulus857]

I have seen at least one other comparison that had the exact same results yours did...the SunJoe got significantly more “junk” out. Led me to purchase the SunJoe and have been very happy with what it’s done. Great review!

[@graceortiz9494]

You always do a good job with the reviews. Nice comparison. Did not know about the sun Joe before getting my green works. Wish I did.

[@Striperman]

same thing with me Grace :(

[@justinblalock8875]

Great comparison of the two! I have the greenworks and have to say the height adjustment is confusing. The manual clearly says when setting “I” is at the bottom the dethatcher is on the highest setting. In reality, when “I” is on the bottom it’s actually on the lowest setting.

[@bollera.bolljr2414]

nice comparison , bought the Sun Joe 2 yrs ago , do my lawn (10,000 ) aq ft twice a yr , only problem is there are no replacement blades for the Sun Joe , so I would imagine when you wear it out its disposable !

[@ricky2106]

This was great. I had ordered a greenwork so I canceled and ordered a sunjoe! Thanks man!

[@ronaldnayman4841]

Thanks for the comparison, I now know which one to get. Great job!

[@michaelm9350]

Thanks!

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Thank you so much. Appreciate you watching!

[@Striperman]

I love the scarifier attachment. It will be on my must buy list for next year but for my Liberty 43 :)

[@cathypeyton4142]

I’m very impressed with your sun joe comparison. We mow three acres so do you have a recommendation for a larger implement?

[@jimjim2822]

Thank you… great video. I used my SunJoe with the dethatcher blade and was absolutely amazed. I have not used the scarifier yet but after seeing your vid will consider this in the near future!

[@gaberimey9265]

That pile at the end is an unbelievable amount of material!

[@stash7714]

I bought the sun joe a few months ago, it is awesome

[@GrillMasterJohn]

U I 7

[@LoungeFly02]

I'm not good with lawn care: when you scarified, you said (at 10:30) that you would do that in both directions. Did you mean in a grid pattern or in parallel lines? Also, do you clean up after scarifying before overseeding? Thank you, sorry for my ignorant questions.

[@algorel4763]

The Scarifying attachment makes the difference. It’s great for seeding, does double duty.

[@jeffreynorman4398]

I have sprinkler heads would the scarifier attachment hit them?

[@algorel4763]

@@jeffreynorman4398 Yes, it will enter the soil 1/8” you would have to ovoid them.

[@kenschmidt6522]

Nice review! I was deciding between these two. Very helpful.

[@carmelakeating-dv7vb]

Thanks so much for all the information I’ve been back-and-forth in my head which one I wanted to buy, you made up my mind. 😊Thank you!!

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Glad I could help! What did you decide to go for?

[@jeffkaege6660]

THanks !! You video was helpful, I was about to order the Greenworks.... but changed to the SunJoe!!

[@robertahl6833]

Greenworks works great if you dethatch your lawn in the early spring before it turns green

[@joegardepe73]

I just bought the sunjoe last week and used the scarifier attachment yesterday. Wow could not believe how much thatch this thing pulled out of the yard.

[@Joe26003]

I bought a SunJoe about 10 years ago. It only has the spring loaded rake tines! Thatch my yard every year. The older one over heats after about 20-30 minutes of continuous use. I hope they over came that issue. Does wonder for the lawn every year!

[@vtroygohokies3230]

Make sure you are using properly rated extension cord

[@leeh5210]

I was pulling for the greenworks but you sold me on the sunjoe. Great video

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Thank you

[@brianhlp30]

I hit the subscribe button when you cleverly incorporated your kids comparing their heights to the machines. Good stuff man. Thanks for the inspiration. Peace

[@bootitwill]

thx for doing the review. that was helpful, and great that you spent the time on this. One comment: im a bit leery of trusting the material results because the section closer to your house is more shaded based on your sun angle. this corresponds to the greenworx patch. the sunjoe patch appears to get much more sun and as a result, would probably have more organic buildup over time. so perhaps that is that reason why the sunjoe pulled more stuff. you could go over each section with the opposite dethatcher and see if it pulls more material, but that would be for another day.

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Thanks very much. Regarding your theory, the house is west facing and that front yard gets tons of sun all day.

[@GF-zh7sv]

I had a greenworks, when it broke down I bought a sun Joe. Both worked, I prefer the sun Joe, I think it's a bit better personally

[@vinnypinatelli221]

I just used my green works one for the first time and I like it but its not the greatest so im gonna buy the sunjoe for the same reason you did thanks for the reviews loved it

[@YardGuy]

Jimbo. Epic product review video man. Great work.

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Thank you

[@gloriamenchero1926]

Thank you for your video. It help me decide which machine to buy.

[@aquienpuedainteresar4188]

I prefer the looks of the looks of the greenworks but the sunjoe is more versatile. I had mine for over 2 years and unly recently stopped working. Luckily I had an extended warranty and after emailing them I had a brand new one within 5 days. I bought mine refurbished, including warranty was just slightly over the brand new price. Still get the warranty its super cheap and peace of mind .

[@jonpenguin303]

Bought the Sun Joe. Does a fantastic job dethatching my lawn. 3rd time using it however the trigger handle snapped off inside the housing. Opened up the housing and despite several attempts to fix it ended up sticking a piece of wood to bypass the safety switch. It still works but turns on as soon as it is plugged in. I have had absolutely no luck finding parts. If this were better built I'd recommend but Sun Joe needs to upgrade the quality first. If anyone knows where I can find replacement parts it would be greatly appreciated.

[@johnmack1399]

Sun Joe all day baby! Love mine!

[@Ke-qv3md]

I bought the sunjoe. You are right about the bag I walk 5 steps and had to empty it. But other than that I liked it.

[@Brettsgrasscapades]

I tried to tell people the sun Joe is far superior but got lots of "you did the wrong setting on the greenworks" comments.

[@rymaster4385]

I agree, scarifier is the way to go, I have both units too. My front yard is 7,500k and I need to break it up so I have enough room in the yard waste can.

[@TheRealChilly]

Still conflicted on which to get. But beautiful lawn, home and community. Americans definitely have great looking neighborhoods.

[@michaelkaras9397]

Very convincing reason to buy Sun joe. Thanks.

[@keithsce]

Great video! Just wondering whether the handle for the Greenworks machine folds for more compact storage?

[@djmerrell9644]

Thanks for the review! And great shirt you're wearing... I love Raising Men Lawncare Service!

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Love what Rodney is doing. He's a great person.

[@NBSTL68]

I think you really need to test this on a crappy lawn, not a golf course quality lawn. Most of what I saw from the Toro bagger looked like was living green grass. Who makes a decent sized width for bigger lawns?

[@Jamorant12grizz]

everyone ditches the bag but i won’t, just have to keep a compost bag handy i think that those piles of thatch you have are due to the bag being full and regurgitating. it’ll save me the picking up of raking

[@smetljesm2276]

Why is the difference in performance so big? What is the mechanical difference between the tine/spring attachments and power output between them? Does the sunJoe have a setting more close to the ground?

[@Bertminator]

He had the greenworks set to "Middle" at 8:12, NOT "Low"

[@pauljames5703]

Greenworks dethatcher works just fine for those of us who don’t level our lawns. Every comparison video has the SunJoe winning, for obvious reasons but the Greenworks dethatcher works.

[@JoNathanB1976]

Yeah but they're the same price. So you get so much more with the Sunjoe at the same price point. Knowing what I know now as a Sunjoe owner, I cringe when I see the Greeneworks Dethatcher in KZbin videos. I'm left wondering, so they just not know?

[@pauljames5703]

Jonathan Brothers, true. I believe the SunJoe is better from what I’ve seen on KZbin. As a Greenworks owner, that runs it on the middle section, I can’t complain about the amount it has pulled up. I’ve read most people run the SunJoe incorrectly since they put it on the lowest level which is for the attachment.

[@YoYo-uh3xj]

@@JoNathanB1976 no they are not the same price. On average Sunjoe is 35 dollars more expensive and has more quality control issues.

[@Bertminator]

For the Greenworks at 8:12, you set it to "middle", not Low. So you didn't have it set right

[@wiredawg2005]

Great vid, thanks for posting and awesome lawn...

[@GregAspenson]

Already broke a couple of tines off the dethatcher attachment on the Sun Joe. Looked everywhere for the replacement part and it's out of stock everywhere. Luckily the scarifier attachment is available for alternative if more tines break off.

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Scarifier is an excellent alternative

[@GregAspenson]

Jimmy Lewis haven’t tried it yet, but from the looks of it, it does a great job.

[@letzchat321]

Mine didnt break yet , did u have any rocks, and did u clear the area of rocks objects before using

[@GregAspenson]

lets chat, not sure when it happened. My neighbor used it too, so he may have hit a rock, pavement, or a tree root.

[@letzchat321]

@@GregAspenson true root typically doesnt break it Possibly ur neighbour didnt clear rocks/ stones

[@jamesanthony5681]

What machines(s) would you recommend to take up an existing lawn with weeds, etc. and completely re-seed, Approx. 1,900 sq. feet.

[@JimmyLewisMows]

You can rent a sod cutter. That will get the majority of the material out of the space.

[@2010stoof]

I'm looking at the sunjoe 15", but I also have almost 18000 sq ft of lawn, so I don't know if I'm just better off renting one. I'd like to own one though. 2 rental periods is price of one of these machines.

[@harvey66616]

A reply a year later, you might not find that useful. But just in case: I just got the 15"/13A Sun Joe for my ~17,000 s.f. lawn (i.e. about the same size as yours). Contrary to others' recommendations, I did use the bag. It slows the work down a _lot_, but the upside is that when I was done, the yard was already clean. No need for another pass to rake up the debris. In theory I could use a bagging rotary mower, but a) I've found that the rotary mower doesn't actually pick up 100% of the material, and b) I no longer own a (lighter) rotary push mower, and my riding mower is too heavy for me to be running it around during the wet spring season when I want to do the dethatching. Much if not all of the extra time I spent dealing with the bag, I'd have otherwise needed to spend collecting the debris after the fact. That said, lawns as big as ours are, I think, definitely on the upper end of how much lawn you'd want to work with one of these lightweight tools. They go slow, and frankly a much larger lawn you might have trouble finding an outlet close enough to use to reach the entire lawn. But I'd say my experience was a success. I'll note that the manual suggests dethatching several times a year. On a half-acre lawn, that could get old. I'd guess all said and done I spent about 6-8 hours on the job. Mowing with my push reel mower takes 90 minutes, but the dethatcher is a lot slower because: 1) it works better when you walk slowly, 2) when using the bag, you have to stop every 50-75' or so to empty it, and 3) it's a good idea to do two passes, doubling the time it takes. I don't (and won't) mind spending 6-8 hours every couple of years, but I'm definitely not going to be going out doing that several times in a single year. For what it's worth, lots of resources suggest _not_ dethatching too often. The thatch is mainly a problem when it prevents overseeding from reaching the soil. Otherwise, the thatch is helping as a built-in mulch to help keep water from evaporating too quickly from the soil. At least in my region, we are seeing more and more periods of hot drought during the summer, and I'd be concerned that a regime of frequent dethatching would be counter-productive.

[@OofRoof]

So what would you recommend for a large yard?

[@lakeforkwiring]

Beautiful yard ... thank you for doing the perfect video for me ... I was just wondering which one was better for me to purchase. I will definitely be subscribed to your Channel thanks for putting out some awesome info.

[@Impractical_Engineer]

Would be nice to see the amount of material raked up like you did for each side then swap the sides and see if each can bring up material with the other dethatcher.

[@Camerashooter]

Great video... thanks for posting. Just the info I was looking for,

[@jaredbralley5035]

Are you in a cool season area? What grass type do you have? Do you dethatch, scarify, and then overseed? Thank you!

[@JimmyLewisMows]

Kentucky bluegrass. And I just scarify before overseeding. It’s a more aggressive way of dethatching.

[@jaredbralley5035]

Thank you. Have you used Peat Moss? If so, how thick of a layer would you apply? Seems to be a very expensive cost if applying 1". My yard is roughly 1200 sqft which, if doing my math correctly, would require about 33 bags and cost $800.@@JimmyLewisMows

[@blaiseducdaumont1280]

Thank you. What size / gauge extension cord did you use with the Sun Joe?

[@sabata2]

Welp, This isn't the first video I've seen going over the SunJoe... but it is the one that convinced me to buy one.

[@rarityd]

Should I started the job with the scarifier instead of the power raker? or should I run the power raking first and then the scarifier ...

[@JimmyLewisMows]

If you know you want to be more aggressive then I would just run the scarifier. Plan on at least 2 passes.

[@jjadaddy]

Maybe a dumb question, but would it not make sense to just use the scarfire, and not even use the dethatching attachment?

[@raymondmarcotte2931]

What kind of grass do you have. Is this recommended for Bermuda? I have heard no because the way it grows.

[@jamesliu3688]

Hi, When do you need to use scarifier? Can you use it for Preparing soils for seeding?

[@JimmyLewisMows]

I tend to favor the scarifier as it removes more material. You can absolutely use it to prepare soil for seed!