Part of the famous 40V range from Greenworks, the G40DT is a cordless dethatcher which is efficient and effective
No fuel, no cables and no maintenance!
Easy to start, has a range of amazing features and an interchangeable 40V battery with most Greenworks’ tools
In this review, we’ll be taking a closer look at what those features are and whether the Greenworks Cordless Dethatcher delivers on its promises.
What I’ll Cover…
- Why use a dethatcher?
- Best features
- Customer reviews
- Pros & cons
- Is the G40DT right for you?
OK, let’s get started…
If you take care of your garden and mow your lawn often, there will be a gradual build-up of dead grass, also known as thatch.
Over time, it will congregate on top of the soil and below the grass tips, resulting in improper drainage and preventing oxygen from reaching the grassroots.
In addition, it can also harbour insects and numerous lawn diseases, eventually causing dead patches and brown spots. Not something any gardener wants.
When you use a dethatcher, you essentially remove the thatch and aerate the soil at the same time. This allows air, water and nutrients to reach the roots, encouraging a healthy and luscious lawn.
Now that we got out of the way, let’s see how the Greenworks cordless dethatcher will help you do all of that without too much stress and strain.
GreenWorks De Thatcher Features
Before we get stuck into the main features, let’s check out the technical specification for this Greenworks cordless de thatcher and lawn aerator.
How to adjust the height
Note: you CAN adjust the depth of the roller. But it is far from obvious how to do it…I’ve seen a few other reviews on YouTube which even say it’s not possible! The manual doesn’t even show you how to do it!
Here’s what to do to adjust the height on this dethatcher:
- Take the centre cap off of the wheels using a flat-head screwdriver
- Unscrew the cross head screw and then turn the knob to one of the 3 settings
- This will adjust the position of the roller relative to the wheels
Easy to Start
Unless you have a small back garden, and I mean really small, you’d have to take a whole week off in order to fully remove all the thatch by hand.
It would also be a tough job, manually trying to rake out all of the dead patches.
Luckily, the Greenworks G40DT skips all of that. Just slot the battery into the machine, push a button and you’re good to go.
Although it’s not obvious, you can adjust the height of the tines, more on that later…
Gentle and Efficient Dethatching
Even if it’s easy to start, you still don’t want to spend too much of your time on dethatching.
That’s where the G40DT35 offers a big advantage – it uses 20 sharp and flexible stainless steel spring blades that delicately tease-out any thatch build-up from the lawn.
In addition, the Greenworks cordless dethatcher has a 35cm working width and an sufficiently powerful 3200 RPM output to work its way through your grass without too much of a problem.
20L Collection Bag
Let’s be honest – all that power and efficiency would be for nothing if you have to stop midway through to empty out the bag.
But Greenworks thought of that too. The collection bag of the G40DT35 has a capacity of 20 litres, allowing all the garden waste to be collected as you go along.
This ensures your lawn stays looking fresh and you don’t have to rake up the debris left over from the job.
Ergonomic and Space-Saving Design
The G40DT35 features a padded handlebar that enhances comfort and allows you to steer the de-thatcher easily.
In addition, the handlebar is also fold-able, so once you’re done with your lawn, just fold it down and store it somewhere without taking up too much space.
You can also easily remove the battery to charge it up ready for next use. Being lithium-ion, there is no battery fade so it can sit there for a long time without losing its charge.
Here are the highlights…
Quality
- 20 Flexible Steel Blades
- Cordless Technology
Usability
- Easy to Start
- 20 litre collection bag
Trustworthiness
- One battery for all Greenworks Tools
- 2-Year Warranty
Performance
- 3200 RPM output
- 25 Min Runtime
What are People Saying…?
All over the Internet, there are many people who swear by the Greenworks cordless dethatcher. It improved a lot of lawns and saved a ton of money by not having to hire a landscape gardener to fix the lawn.
Most importantly, instead of buying all kinds of fancy fertilizers to prevent brown spots, people found out that using a powerful dethatcher like the G40DT35 was all they needed.
Let’s see what one satisfied customer had to say.
Brilliant! Pays for itself in 1st use. After realizing that dense thatch was likely the cause of my stunted grass’s health, I decided to buy this machine. I leave the clippings on my grass, which likely caused TOO MUCH thatch. At first you’ll think that £150 is too much money to spend, but if you are spending £400 a year on TruGreen or even £200 on DIY fertilizers, and you aren’t dealing with the thatch, eventually your grass’ health will plateau. If you have ever tried to rake out the thatch with a metal rake, you know that it is a back-breaking affair (if you are doing it right). Heck, you’d have to pay a college kid for 10+ hours to de-thatch the yard area that I just cleared in well under an hour. It feels like you are “vacuuming” your yard, that’s how easy it is to use this thing (it’s self-propelling, just don’t stop or dig in anywhere too deep). – Nbot
Overall, it’s clear that the ease of use and the ability to just do the dethatching yourself instead of hiring landscapers is a good enough reason to purchase the G40DT35.
What’s the Downside…?
The only downside that people seem to notice is not with the dethatcher itself, but with the assembly instructions. Some people seem to have had problems following the instruction manual, resulting in unnecessary disappointment.
It arrived yesterday afternoon, and I assembled it this morning. It only took a few minutes to assemble although the instructions are incomplete in one instance and completely wrong in another. The manual has the height settings reversed. If you use the recommended height settings you risk bending the tines or trashing your lawn. If you follow the assembly instructions as written, you’ll need to disassemble things and start over. Luckily I had read other reviews that pointed out the problems so I was aware of them and worked around them before they became issues. – Mark
Overall, it is a frustrating thing to happen, but in today’s world of information, it’s still easy to find the correct way to assemble a dethatcher.
You can find the official documentation here at the Greenwork’s website
Advantages
- No fumes
- Quiet operation
- 4 depth settings
- Soft-grip handles
- 20 litre collection bag
- Easy to use
Disadvantages
- Complicated assembly
- Adjusting working height not obvious
Is it Suitable for You..?
If you’re looking to avoid paying hefty prices for restoring your lawn, consider investing in the Greenworks Cordless Dethatcher. It does the job very quickly and efficiently and is the perfect way to restore your lawn.
The benefits from de-thatching and aerating your lawn are endless and it’s an essential task to complete if you want a luscious looking, green lawn. The G40DT35 does exactly that in a very efficient and gentle way.
Alternative options…
Not convinced about this dethatcher yet? There are some other similar options around, such as the Flymo Compact 3400 Lawn Rake which has a large collection box (34 litres) and a 750 Watt motor.
You also have the VonHaus 2in1 machine which boasts a 1,500 Watt power unit.
Both are worth checking out to see how they fit your requirements vs this Greenworks de-thatcher model.
The bottom line…
To sum everything up, it’s really hard to find a reason why you wouldn’t buy an electric dethatcher like the G40DT35.
We all have limited time on our hands and don’t want to spend an entire day taking care of our lawns. Paying a landscaper for a job you could do yourself in less than an hour is also not necessary when equipped with this tool.
Hopefully, we’ve settled any doubts you might have about getting a dethatcher, and we recommend the G40DT35 as one of the best options out there.
Verdict
- Reliability
- Noise
- Cost
- Features
- Quality
- Quiet operation
- 20 litre collection bag
- Lightweight
- Foldable handles
- Complicated assembly
- Height adjusting not obvious
The G40DT35 is an efficient cordless dethatcher that acts as a vacuum for all the thatch on your lawn. It will save you a lot of time, effort, and money in the process.
Approx. price: £177.99
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is it possible to adjust the height of the roller bar/tines?
A: Yes, you have to take the cap off the centre of the wheels first. Then undo the screw and turn the knob o one of the 3 height settings. Re-tighten the screw, replace the cap and you’re done. It’s not obvious, but not difficult to do.
Q: Can the scarifier unit (the scarifier bar) be replaced? Also, is the scarifying depth adjustable?
A: You can change the spring blades and bar (you need a tool). The depth you can change but you need a screwdriver.
Q: Can I use machine on St. Augustine grass in December?
A: Yes, you can, as long as the ground is not wet, care needs to be taken not to totally destroy the stolon network in your lawn.
Q: I have a lot of small leaves (elm Tree) compacted into the grass. Will this product save me from still raking and killing myself?
A: Yes, it will do a good job removing the top layer of leaves and dead grass by carefully adjusting the cutting blade height. Some raking will still be necessary to get all the compacted leaves out of the grass.
Q: How long does the battery last?
A: A fully charged battery will last around 25-30 minutes, depending on the conditions of the ground and how deep the tines have to go. The more resistance the tines face, the harder the machine has to work and less time the battery will last.
Q: How effective is this on moss removal?
A: This tool is capable of doing that, depending on how thick the moss is. One user wrote: I purchased one of these last year and love it. I had / have about 500 sq ft of a thick, dense spaghnum moss in my 7,500 sq ft lawn. The Greenworks removed most of it.