I have to admit an almost unhealthy obsession with our Wizard rake. Honestly when I first saw it in the catalog I just didn't get it. What's the deal with the rubber tines, does it really work, what does it work for?
Before I continue, let me tell you briefly how I managed to get hold of one of these rakes for the first time. It wasn't long after we began selling the Clarington tools that we did our first trade show to promote the line and (darn it!) my house was the most logical place to bring the samples that had been sent from England. Even though I would be moving in two weeks, I readily agreed to accept them. Just a couple days before the move a massive box arrived at my house, a box large enough that my entire family could have stood in it, and it was filled to the brim with the best spades, forks, rakes, edgers, pruners you could ask for. I can't begin to tell you how much I was loving my job that day!
Okay, back to my infatuation of the Wizard rake. It was many months after the move and I still hadn't touched it. It seemed kind of silly. Until one day when I was struggling to sweep maple pods off our side porch. A rake was too stiff, a broom was too soft, and I wasn't making any progress. In a moment of frustration I grabbed the Wizard rake and it was just right. I easily swept the side porch, then ran around my yard looking for other places to try it. It worked like a charm on the pesky pine needles that fell on the back walk...and for clearing debris out of the crevices on the front stairs... and it worked great working around small plants and on grass. I was hooked.
Now everywhere I go I can't help but see places where I want to take my Wizard rake. From the astro turf on our local miniature golf course where there were leaves are stuck in all kinds of nooks and crannies, my in-laws beautiful slate patio, our neighbors wood deck, or the gravel path at a local public garden.
So, the moral of this blog? That I should always receive samples of new product so I can be sure to test them properly. Take a look at one of England's best known gardeners, a guy called Alan Titchmarsh, demonstrating the wizard rake in his own back yard. He describes how the Wizard has become an important part of his family!
Here are the links to buy or learn more: Wizard Rake, Merlin Rake.
