wrote in message
...
In rec.gardens d wrote:
Sure it does... Buy a rake

You must have missed the word "power" in the subjectline...

Typical of asking for product advice on usenet. You'll get a few dozen
responses from idiots who failed to read the post, and answer what they felt
like answering, or you'll get people who tell you "don't do it this way".
Like you, I've never seen anything like that, look at Black & Decker's
website directly, doesn't seem like as useful of a machine as you think.

http://xrl.us/fox7

http://www.blackanddecker.co.uk/prod...&mktid=2&lid=1

For my needs, I purchased a shove sized lawn coring/detacher from home
depot, it takes me about an hour or two to core the lawn, and gives me a bit
of exercise in the process.

Good luck
-S

You should take a look at the power requirements for this tool. If it
is made for European use, it is likely to require 230/50 power, so you
would need a power converter also.

I doubt they build them for the US market. European, particularly
English, lawns are often only slightly larger than a decent dining room
table, so they provide tools for that small environment; rarely do you
see an American lawn that small.

wrote:
In rec.gardens d wrote:

Sure it does... Buy a rake


You must have missed the word "power" in the subjectline...

--
SPAMBLOCK NOTICE! To reply to me, delete the h from apkh.net, if it is
there.

Didn't miss it. You said inexpensive and low-end. Can't get much
lower than a rake that you power yourself. Plus you didn't specify how
big a lawn we were talking about. For a small lawn like most of the
new homes I see, this would be a one-hour job.

That said, somebody used to sell a thatch rake that was built like a
reel mower. Not powered, but still an improvement over a rake. I
thought it was Lee Valley, but I can't find it on their site.

Honda's mini-tiller also has an attachment for de-thatching, but your
getting back into the 400 range.

Since this is a tool you generally don't use more than once a year,
most companies don't seem interested in building anything other than a
commercial grade tool. It's also tough to recommend buying something
for once a year use (although find a good deal on one and I'd consider
it).

In rec.gardens Warren wrote:
wrote:
Thatching, mostly. I'd rather have a $100 machine I own, rather than
spend $50 to rent one.

Even if the one you own takes 5 times the effort of the commercial-grade
rental, and is only durable enough to be used twice? And you have the
storage space for a machine that'll sit unused for three or four (or more)
years?

My experience is that it'll be used every year. Multiple times every
year if you count lending it to friends, family and neighbors.

I may be going out on a limb here, but I would think that if it's this
difficult to find a tool like the one you want, there's a reason for it:
There's no demand for one like it. And there's no demand for it because it
doesn't match the needs of consumers.

Is the need of the American consumer really that different from that
of the European consumer when it comes to lawns?

If you're really sure that this machine is such a good idea, then buy a
truckload, and resell them. You already know you'll corner the US market if
you do so.

I'm guessing that wouldn't work for the same reason that small European
cars don't sell in the US: Americans 'need' something big and gasoline-
powered.

In rec.gardens William Brown wrote:
You should take a look at the power requirements for this tool. If it
is made for European use, it is likely to require 230/50 power, so you
would need a power converter also.

Again, I'm looking for something *like* it, not necessarily this model
per se. A US-version of this would be good. Other brands/types would be
OK too.

I doubt they build them for the US market. European, particularly
English, lawns are often only slightly larger than a decent dining room
table, so they provide tools for that small environment; rarely do you
see an American lawn that small.

While I pointed to a British website in my original posting, this model
is sold throughout Europe. My parent's lawn (they live in the Netherlands)
isn't much smaller than mine (SF bay area), and they swear by it.

wrote:
I'm looking for something like this:
http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=665 but it looks like the
only thing that comes close that is available in the
US is a $1000+ machine made by Husqvarna. Is this some vast
conspiracy by
the rental industry, or am I simply not looking in the right places?

There is no reason to de-thatch your lawn every year. You can remove
leaves in fall by mulching or bagging.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8b
Sunset Zone 5