Hollow tines pull a core; spikes just make a hole

Hand lawn aerators, compared

Aerating a lawn means opening the soil so that water, air and roots can move through it, and there are two ways to do it that are not equivalent. A hollow-tine fork pulls a plug of soil out and leaves a hole that stays open; solid spikes push soil sideways and compact the walls of the hole they make, which on a heavy clay lawn can make the problem worse rather than better. Every listing on this shelf is one of the two, and the type column says which. The shapes are simple. A hollow-tine fork with four cores and a footplate, sometimes with a tray to catch the plugs. A spiked roller on a handle for larger areas. A sprung rake sold as an aerator, which combs thatch out rather than opening the soil and is really a hand scarifier. And spiked overshoes, strapped to boots and walked across the lawn, which are the cheapest thing here and the most often mocked — they work on a small lawn and they are tiring on any other. The working width is what separates an afternoon from a weekend: 10 cm on a fork, 30 to 40 cm on a rake or roller. The tines column carries their number and whether they are hollow or solid; the handle is either a D-grip, a T-bar or a long shaft, and it decides whether the tool is pushed with a boot or pulled with the back. The material is steel everywhere that matters, and plastic where it does not. We compare type, working width, tines, handle and material.

Every part here, laid out figure by figure

1. 

   Gardena 3391-20

   A galvanised tine head for a modular handle system — the cheapest item here, and the handle is extra.

   Type

   Cutting-tine head for a modular handle system

   Working width

   Not published

   Tines

   Galvanised cutting tines — count and length not published · depth: Not published

   Handle

   Not included — fits all handles in the maker’s range, wood or aluminium

   Material

   Galvanised steel cutting tines

   Amazon reference

   B0001E3W7S (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4078500339100

   • The cheapest item on this shelf, and a fraction of a complete tool
   • Fits a handle range that includes long, back-sparing versions
   • The handle is a separate purchase, which changes the real price

   Best for: Somebody who already owns handles from this modular range

   Check price on Amazon
2. 

   Briliantwerk NS-000

   Spiked overshoes with 55 mm and 40 mm nails supplied, sized 37 to 48 by a movable front strap.

   Type

   Spiked overshoes, strapped over your own footwear

   Working width

   Not published — the width is your stride

   Tines

   Solid nails, two lengths supplied · depth: 55 mm with the long nails; 40 mm with the short ones

   Handle

   None — hook-and-loop straps, front strap repositionable for sizes 37 to 48

   Material

   Steel nails on plastic soles, with hook-and-loop straps

   Amazon reference

   B0915Z2LH9 (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4270001293268

   • Two nail lengths in the box, and the listing names both
   • One of only two published tine depths on this shelf
   • Solid nails displace soil rather than removing it

   Best for: A small lawn, and somebody who would rather not store another tool

   Check price on Amazon
3. 

   YEELOR YLUS1173

   The only item here that publishes a working width — and it is a dethatching rake rather than an aerator.

   Type

   Dethatching rake — it removes thatch from the surface, it does not make holes

   Working width

   43.2 cm

   Tines

   21 pairs of manganese spring-steel tines, half-round hook profile · depth: Not applicable — a rake works at the surface

   Handle

   Segmented stainless handle, extends to 167.6 cm; total weight 1.1 kg

   Material

   Manganese spring-steel tines on a reinforced PP body; stainless handle

   Amazon reference

   B0FQBZSP9J (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0721545159861

   • The only published working width on this shelf
   • 1.1 kg, and it strips down for storage
   • It is a dethatcher, not an aerator — no holes, no cores

   Best for: Pulling dead grass and moss out of the surface before feeding or overseeding

   Check price on Amazon
4. 

   easimo 116-001

   The only tool on this shelf that removes soil instead of displacing it, with a cleaning rod for the tines.

   Type

   Hollow-tine aerator — pulls cores out of the sward

   Working width

   Not published

   Tines

   Hollow spoons — count not published · depth: Not published

   Handle

   Non-slip T-grip with an integrated foot plate; cleaning rod included

   Material

   Steel hollow spoons; non-slip T-grip

   Amazon reference

   B0GS3HY6J2 (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4068455000361

   • Hollow tines, which is the only real answer to a compacted soil
   • A foot plate, so your weight does the work rather than your arms
   • No tine count, no depth, no width — nothing measurable is published

   Best for: A compacted patch, a worn path across the grass, a heavy clay soil

   Check price on Amazon
5. 

   RASENKÖNIG Nagelschuhe Pro

   Spiked overshoes supplied ready to wear, with a sprung dual sole meant to shed soil from the nails.

   Type

   Spiked overshoes, strapped over your own footwear

   Working width

   Not published — the width is your stride

   Tines

   Solid nails, secured with lock nuts; length and count not published · depth: Not published

   Handle

   None — tear-resistant hook-and-loop straps; supplied pre-assembled

   Material

   Steel nails with lock nuts on a sprung dual sole

   Amazon reference

   B0D4HYR19H (one reference across 5 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   4170000177012

   • Supplied assembled, which on spiked shoes is a genuine saving of an evening
   • Lock nuts on the nails — the fixing that works loose on these
   • No nail length published, which is the one figure that matters

   Best for: Somebody who wants spiked shoes out of the box with nothing to screw together

   Check price on Amazon
6. 

   Walensee GT-LCA006

   Fifteen spikes of 5.8 cm on an 88 cm shaft with a foot lever — a stand-up tool rather than a walked one.

   Type

   Spike aerator on a shaft — solid spikes, pressed in by foot

   Working width

   Not published; 3 rows of spikes

   Tines

   15 solid spikes · depth: 5.8 cm — the longest published spike on this shelf

   Handle

   88 cm powder-coated shaft, padded T-grip, foot bar; assembly parts itemised

   Material

   Powder-coated iron, with a padded T-grip

   Amazon reference

   B0B1M88HBV (one reference across 6 Amazon marketplaces)

   EAN

   0734257028523

   • 15 spikes per press, against one row on a shoe
   • The deepest published spike here, at 5.8 cm
   • Powder-coated iron, not galvanised — a chip will rust

   Best for: Working a whole lawn standing up, rather than walking it in spiked shoes

   Check price on Amazon