Best hand rakes for the garden

A hand rake is an endlessly useful garden tool. As a smaller version of the rakes you would use around the garden, they are designed to complete similar jobs but in tight spaces. They're great for smaller gardens and for getting in between plants without damaging them in borders.

A garden hand rake can be used for clearing weeds and small stones and for cultivating the soil before seed sowing and transplanting seedlings. Due to their compact nature they're also great for use in pots if you're a container gardener. Here, we've rounded up some of the best hand rakes to make choosing one easy.

Hand rake: our top picks for the garden

Hand Rake, Portable Mini Rake

This hand rake from Amazon has five tines and is perfect for loosening the soil and preparing beds for seed sowing and planting. It is also useful for weeding around the base of shrubs and trees and in between clumps of planting. Made with military grade steel and wood, this hand rake is strong and durable but also lightweight, weatherproof and rust-resistant making it a low-maintenance tool. The long wooden handle is ergonomically designed with a double rivet to stop it being slippery and allow for easier soil cultivation.

DeWit 5 Tine Hand Rake with Short Handle

• Buy now from Crocus (£12.99).

This compact 5-tine hand rake is made from carbon steel and solid ash and makes light work of clearing leaves, weeds and other debris from flower borders and veg beds. It is designed to be used when seated or kneeling and the rake's head is forged from one piece of steel for superior strength and bend resistance. The handle is also ergonomically shaped to allow for a secure grip and easy use.

Wickes Soft Grip Garden Hand Rake

• Buy now from Wickes (£4).

This hand rake from Wickes is a great budget option for an essential gardening tool. Designed for levelling and cultivating the soil, this product is made of carbon steel for extra strength and durability. The ergonomic handle features a small hole at the top so that it can be easily hung in storage too.

Looking for ergonomic kit? See our round-up of the best ergonomic garden tools you can buy online.

Xclou Hand Rake

This hand rake has fine tines, making it great not only for cultivating soil into a fine tilth, but also for weeding, raking leaves and for levelling gravel; in zen gardens or rockeries this could be especially useful. Because hand rakes are compact, they're really useful tools for those with small gardens, terraces and balcony gardens. The handle is made from solid ash and the head is stainless steel. The leather strap also makes this product easy to hang up in the garden shed, keeping things tidy.

Niwaki Moku Cultivator

• Buy now from Niwaki (from £59).

This hand forged cultivator from Niwaki is perfect for all those little garden jobs. Hand-forged by a father and son team in Sanjo, Niigata, when you buy from Niwaki you know that you'll be getting quality tools.

Hawkesbury Hand Rake

• Buy now from Garden Trading (£12).

The Hawkesbury Hand Rake from Garden Trading has a simple and classic design. It is perfect for getting weeds and small stones out of flower beds before sowing and planting, and has a leather loop for hanging up in storage after use.

For other gardening tools, take a look at our buyer's guides to long-handled rakes and garden trowels.