Bruce Alan here.
Thanks for stopping by.
Today I'm going to review the new Sun Joe 12.6 inch, 13 inches if you're rounding, 12
amp electric, dethatcher and scarifier model aj798e.
Sun Joe also recently released a new 15-inch model if you're interested.
That's model aj805e.
In this video I'll talk about the features and specifications of the 798, compare it
to the previous model 801, share my top 5 likes and dislikes, explain why I invested
in the tool, provide some helpful tips, and finally show you the tool in action.
As always please see the information section below to jump to a specific point in the video.
Let's get started.
Oh yeah!
I purchased this directly from SunJoe's website, which is actually snowjoe.com, Sun Joe being
Snow Joe's summer product line.
You can also get it from the Home Depot, Amazon, and many other retailers.
While I think this model could be a step down from the previous model, which was the 801
assuming Snow Joe is assigning model numbers sequentially, both the 798 and 801 have the
same working width of 12.6 inches, and both are rated at roughly 12 amps.
The only differences from what I can see are that Sun Joe, Snow Joe, whoever they are,
got rid of the angled handlebars on this model, removed the highest of the height adjustments,
upgraded some parts, and changed the arrangement of the tines on the dethatching cylinder for
both new models 798 and 805.
I was looking at the 801 last year because it got great reviews other than its toy light
construction, but unfortunately I waited until they were out of stock.
So this year when I saw the 798 on sale I moved quickly.
The tool comes with the scarifying cylinder installed and the cylinder with the tines
is the dethatching cylinder.
I'll talk more about those later.
It's easy to swap them out and it requires a 5/8 inch hex key, which is included.
Here are the top five things I like about this tool.
Number one.
First and most importantly the tool performed better than I expected.
I got this tool because it was late April and the lawn was looking terrible.
Man, I spent hours in the backyard weeks earlier.
I was raking out moss, pine needles, dead grass, which I do every year and abhor because
it's grueling and the results are always mediocre at best.
And in the front yard there was still a layer of dead grass from last year.
New sprouts were being suffocated and that layer of debris?
It not only potentially leads to disease, but overseeding on top of it is a waste of
time and seed.
That plug there?
That's from aerating last fall.
It's just a wad of thatch.
If seed germinated on that the new grass would have little to no drought tolerance when summer
rolls around.
So all that's to say the dethatching cylinder did a great job breaking up debris on the
surface of the lawn, while the scarifying cylinder did a great job removing those root
balls, aka thatch, that are just above and below the surface.
The scarifier also cuts trenches for better seed to soil contact and pulling out all that
junk provides breathing room for new growth.
Number two.
I like that maintenance is easy.
You clean out the vents by hand or maybe with some compressed air or brush.
Dust off the motor housing.
Check that the mounting device for the cylinders is secure and that the blades and ties are
sharp, and that's it.
If you experience excess vibration it's likely you need to replace the cylinder.
Too many impacts on large rocks and roots over time will throw this thing out of balance.
Here are the replacement part numbers although as of the making of this video these parts
aren't available yet.
Come on Sun, Snow Joe.
Number three.
The tool is a good value.
It basically pays for itself in two years as compared to renting the big boy tool from
The Home Depot.
I purchased mine directly from SnowJoe's website.
Last I checked it was $129 but they were running a promotion when i got it.
So I got it for $110.
Saved me $19, which I reinvested into an extended two year warranty.
So in addition to the typical two-year warranty I added an additional two years for a modest
16 bucks.
Nice!
I'll take it.
Four.
Speaking of warranties and extended warranties, Snow Joe takes the warranty seriously.
I know this because my Snow Joe shovel broke last winter in the middle of a storm.
I was annoyed and they delivered me a new one in three days... before the next storm.
That's impressive!
Just be sure to register the tool on the SnowJoe website.
And while I don't usually recommend extended warranties on items less than a thousand bucks,
um, I don't know.
It just felt right in this case.
It was just such a modest price to extend the warranty for two years.
Number five.
And finally the instructions were clear and the tool was easy to assemble.
I appreciate that.
I put in the lower handle bars.
Screwed them in using a phillips head screwdriver.
Attached the middle handlebars with the handle knobs and bolts.
Attached the upper handle frame with the handle knobs and bolts.
Attached the cable clips...
and was done.
Only took five minutes.
Now for the top five things I'm not so crazy about.
Number one.
If you've read the reviews on any of these sun joe dethatchers you know the eight gallon
thatch collection bag is too small.
To make matters worse the manual says you're not supposed to use the tool without it.
So as a disclaimer if you're going to use the tool without the bag like most folks you
do so at your own risk.
Perhaps wear shin guards in case it throws a big stone, and while the tool does a great
job bagging reducing the need to rake, blow, or use the mower's bagger to pick up the debris,
you'll be unloading the bag just as often as you'll be trying to avoid running over
the cord, which brings me to number two.
Number two.
In general, I just don't like electric lawn tools.
Being tethered to a cord is frustrating, nerve-wracking, and it's not how I want to die.
I almost hit the cord a few times and there's nothing you can do about it other than investing
in Sun Joe's new, and pricey, 40 volt powered detacher, model 24v x2 dts one five.
Number three.
Similar to the 801 this thing feels like a toy, albeit a dangerous toy.
Kicking the plastic tires if you will, it's pretty light.
21 pounds, and the bag fits in nice and snuggly, and that'll add some weight as well when it
fills up.
There are cheap little four inch plastic wheels in the back.
Slightly wobbly eight inch plastic wheels in the front,
lots of plastic parts...
it's also got the same flimsy handle as the 801.
Whatever!
I'm a bit sad it doesn't have the vertical bicycle handlebars of the 801 and new 15-inch
model, but not sure they make a big difference... although because it's so lightweight I noticed
the tool would occasionally bounce.
It can also tug forward like an untrained dog.
It's more apparent when scarifying since the blade digs in, but the detaching cylinder
does it a bit as well.
Number four.
If your lawn's like ours complete with puddles and molehills, results can vary.
The tool's not great at raking and scarifying uneven surfaces.
Makes sense though, which aside from having a small yard is one of the reasons I didn't
go with the wider, 15 inch model.
I figured it would straddle too many divots.
Seriously?
Number five.
Lastly, the tool doesn't break down easily for storage.
It's kind of annoying.
The bolts are too short to loosen the handle enough to fold the handle down.
If you wanted to collapse it you could by removing the bolts and the handle knobs entirely.
Yeah, that just happened.
Not a deal breaker.
A few more things worth pointing out: While the 801 has five height or depth settings,
the 798 has only four adjusted with this lever.
Four is just fine.
The fifth setting of the 801 is a very high raking setting, which would make it easier
to wheel this thing around when the scarifying cylinder is attached, but other than that
don't need it.
And I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about safety.
The tool's double insulated so it doesn't require grounding; hence, the two-pronged
polarized plug.
You secure the plug with the pretzel maneuver to prevent the tool from unplugging and the
manual mentions something about putting a loop through the switch box.
I couldn't get it to work because my cord was just too hefty.
I know.
Serious first world problem.
Either way you'll want to use an extension cord that's rated for outdoor use and that
is the correct gauge.
That'll prevent the motor from overheating.
Once you've got the proper cord you'll only want to plug into a GFCI outlet and obviously
don't use the tool if the lawn is wet.
Electricity and water make for a deadly combination.
You'll notice the tool is not too loud.
I'd say it's about as loud as a canister vacuum.
Definitely quieter than my shop vac, but if you're sensitive to noise you may want to
wear earplugs.
To share a few things that I found helpful.
Tip one.
Before dethatching, mow nice and short, but don't violate the one-third rule No need to
stress the lawn out even more.
Cutting short will make it easier for clean up if you don't use the bag.
Tip two.
Don't turn on the tool until you're sure you have a clear path away from the cord.
You want to start closest to the outlet and work away from it.
That way the cord is easier to navigate and you're less likely to run it over.
And finally, not a tip but semantics.
I know, I know Sun Joe.
It's pronounced scar-ifier.
No!
I mean scare-ifier, but to avoid being booed every time I say scar- ifier...
Nope!...
I mean scare-ifier (Boo!), which gets old pretty quickly.
I'm sticking with team scar-ifier.
Sounds much tougher than scare-ifier.
(Boo!)
All right!
Here we go.
Detaching, which is basically power raking.
I always get tangled up.
This is why I hate corded lawn tools.
Forgot my safety glasses.
Because there was a lot of debris on the lawn, I went with pretty aggressive settings.
I raked using the detatcher cylinder with the depth set at zero millimeters, and then
later on I scarified at minus 10 millimeters.
Oh!
Here, take a look.
You'll notice there isn't much green in the bag other than maybe some moss.
Given I'm using the detaching cylinder, what you're seeing is debris that was removed from
the surface of the
lawn.
On average I think the bag needed to be emptied between every third and fourth pass; however,
while bagging makes for slow work there's definitely less cleanup when it's used.
Having used the tool with and without the bag... and at times I didn't even bother to
empty it...
I got the sense that it takes just as long to constantly stop and empty it as it does
to remove it and then clean up in between passes.
Obviously if you've got a helper it's faster and easier to use the tool without the bag,
but of course you do so at your own risk.
I'm definitely getting in my 10,000 steps today.
If you don't bag you should clean up in between each pass.
I used the blower.
I was too lazy to get out my backpack blower, but you can also use a rake.
Rake it into piles or even use the lawnmower.
If you use the mower set the deck height low enough to pick up debris, but not low enough
to do any additional cutting.
Raking with the detaching cylinder, I started vertically and here in the second pass I go
horizontally.
Had I needed a third pass I'd have gone diagonally, but given how this thing tears up the lawn
pretty good I'd have only done another pass if I was planning to put in an entirely new
lawn.
Eventually I decided to use the tool without the bag, which the manual says you're not
supposed to do, and when I kicked up a good sized rock it sounded like it was going to
cut me off at the ankles.
So be careful!
By the time I got the backyard raked I got called in for dinner.
Raking the front lawn and scarifying had to wait... and that was unfortunate because it
rained for the next three days.
In the words of Tammy Cochran, which was actually a song written by Patrick Jason Matthews and
Kerry Kurt Phillips, "Life Happened."
That's some music trivia for you.
Finally once the lawn was dry, which was three days and a wardrobe change later, I power
raked the front yard using the dethatching cylinder.
The debris was really thick.
Impressively though the tool didn't bog down.
I was also wondering, "What's my next electric bill gonna look like?"
Then i was like, "Who cares!
The lawn's gonna look great.
I hope..."
The first and second pass on the front yard removed a lot of debris so I used the mower
to pick it up.
Then it was time to swap in the
scarifier.
I started in the backyard and set the depth to minus 10 millimeters.
You can see it rips things up pretty good.
I used -10 millimeters because I plan to overseed with ryegrass and thin fescue in the shady
areas under the pine trees.
I think you'd want to set it at minus five millimeters for bluegrass but don't quote
me on that.
I was trying to keep track of how many barrels and bags I filled up detaching and scare-ifying
(BOO!), scar-ifying, but honestly I lost count.
Just know it was a lot.
Here you can see what a difference the bag makes when scarifying.
Makes a big difference.
I didn't really need to rake the area where I'd bagged.
For the horizontal pass for the scarifiercar, I probably didn't need to do it but the lawn
already looked so bad I figured, "I've got nothing to lose."
The scarifier blades are fierce especially with two passes at minus 10 millimeters.
You'll see in a moment what got picked
up.
The scarifier not only pulls up thatch, but also a fair amount of grass.
It's basically a mini rototiller and I'll be honest that at this point I was thinking,
"Ugh!
What have I done?"
The front yard didn't look quite as bad once I was done scarifying.
I did a vertical and horizontal pass.
It's amazing how much thatch came up.
While I was finishing the cleanup I realized I had a chicken in the oven.
It was my night to make dinner.
I can multitask!
Oh!
Look at that beautiful bird!... and because I refused to further delay completion of this
project I grabbed some seed quite literally.
Put it down at the rate instructed on the bag beginning with the edges and then filling
in with overlap.
Lightly raked it in.
Put down some fertilizer for new grass.
Grabbed my "hack" irrigation system.
Lightly watered and ended up missing the dinner that I'd started.
So instead of eating with the family it was just me and Mr. Stubbs... and the cats.
Alright!
Let's get back to the yard.
Normally I'd put down a light layer of peat moss before watering.
Helps keep the grassy moist and provides nutrients, but given I didn't have any the day before,
I had to go pick some up.
Then I spread it by hand.
I also added a little more seed and then lightly raked it in.
The seed won't germinate if it's buried.
All right!
Here it is... my beautiful new... it kind of looks like a mud puddle.
Beautiful, right?
No!
It's not, but as I always tell my other half, "It's going to look worse before it gets better."
Here it is a month and a half later.
Look at that lush sea of green.
This is the front yard after I mowed it on the highest setting.
It's a nice green carpet now.
Even the bunnies are happy.
Come here little guy.
No?
Don't eat my lawn!
To wrap up, if you're a DIY-er and you want a nice, healthy lawn without the hassle of
renting heavy equipment from your local Home Depot, I'd say this is a great tool to have.
While you'll only using it maybe once or twice a year, I still recommend making the modest
investment in the extended warranty.
I hope this video has been helpful.
If it has please do me a favor and like it.
More importantly, please subscribe as that always helps me out.
Thanks for watching!
Don't eat my lawn!