Equipment
Written By Charles
It recently dawned on me that I have been using my Wolf-Garten multi-change tools for approaching 10 years, with at least 7 of those years in a professional capacity. I have had an excellent experience with them, with only a couple of breakages that Wolf-Garten UK replaced for me under their 35-year guarantee. As a result, I highly recommend them for use in gardens, large and small and I think they are particularly good for professional landscapers and gardeners. This is my review of just a few of the tools I have.
Wolf-Garten multi-change tools are of excellent quality and are perfect for professional use because they save space, carry an unbelievable guarantee of up to 35 years and do an excellent job on the whole. I have almost every multi-change tool that Wolf-Garten make and use them daily as part of my professional lawn mowing business.
Are Wolf-Garten tools any good?
Yes, Wolf-Garten tools are really very good. The biggest benefit to professional gardeners is that they take up so little space in a van. Because you only need one or two of the handles, all of the tool heads can be stored in a single bucket and carried around sites with you. This is a real benefit as it means you have to walk back to the van less frequently and you have a whole arsenal of useful tools close to hand. Obviously having to make less frequent visits back to the shed is useful for domestic gardeners as well - but time is money for professionals and Wolf Garten tools have saved me lots of time over the past few years.
Wolf-Garten multi-change tools are also really durable and should you have any breakages during use, Wolf-Garten will replace them for you - something that I had to do with a 140cm handle, but more on that in the individual tool review.
Where are Wolf-Garten tools made?
Wolf-Garten tools have been made in Germany since 1922 and they are distributed in the UK by E.P. Barrus Limited in Bicester.
Wolf-Garten multi-change tool reviews.
I have most of the Wolf-Garten multi-change tools available and you can find my reviews of some of the tools I have below - just click on the tool you are interested in to jump straight to the review or keep on scrolling to read all the reviews - they are not in any particular order.
I have given each multi-change tool a rating, with the maximum award being 5 out of 5. The rating is based on how well the tool works, whether it has failed in any way and how essential I think it is. Some tools get used every day, whereas others are used much less frequently.
Wolf-Garten ZM140 140 cm multi-change wooden handle review.
Wolf-Garten UHM multi-change long span lawn care rake tool head review.
Wolf-Garten RFM 15 multi-change push-pull weeder hoe tool head review.
Wolf Garten DHM multi-change Dutch hoe tool head review.
Wolf-Garten B30M multi-change yard broom review.
Wolf-Garten FBM multi-change patio weeding brush cleaning tool head review.
Wolf Garten UIMC multi-change leaf rake tool head review.
Wolf-Garten LFM multi-change small crumbler tool head review.
Wolf-Garten BEM multi-change soil cultivator tool head review.
Wolf-Garten KF-2K multi-star scraper patio knife tool head review.
Wolf-Garten LCM multi-change small sweep rake tool head review.
Wolf-Garten IWMi multi-change lawn weed extractor tool head review.
Wolf-Garten UGM multi-change moss removal scarifier rake lawn care tool head review.
Wolf-Garten ZM140 140 cm multi-change wooden handle review.
Rating: 4/5 [*Essential*]
To start with a Wolf-Garten multi-change tool system, you are going to need a handle. These are available in metal, wood or plastic and in various lengths, some are also extendable. I am a traditionalist and my favourite is the 140cm wooden handle - I have at least four of them dotted about! There is certainly some flex in the wooden handles and, in the past, my 170cm length handle snapped when raking gravel (this was quickly replaced by Wolf-Garten UK). Nonetheless, I prefer them to the plastic or metal handles as they feel more natural to work with. The 140cm length is robust enough for daily use and the multi-change mechanism has never failed - just don’t try to remove the sticker though as it will not budge!
Wolf-Garten ZM140 Price: The Wolf-Garten ZM140 is available online from about £25.00.
Wolf-Garten UHM multi-change long span lawn care rake tool head review.
Rating: 5/5 [*Essential*]
The Wolf-Garten UHM is one of my favourite tools, particularly in a lawn-care setting. I most often use it when making repairs to lawns and it is very wide and is great for levelling topsoil. The tines are sufficiently close together to remove the small stones and sticks that make be on the ground and they also do an excellent job of breaking up any lumps in topsoil. I also use the UHM after scarifying a lawn as it managed to get down deep in the sward and collect all the moss and thatch that the scarifier has left behind. I’ve not had any breakages or failures and I keep it in my van at all times.
Wolf-Garten UHM Price: The Wolf-Garten UHM is available online from about £36.00.
Wolf-Garten RFM 15 multi-change push-pull weeder hoe tool head review.
Rating: 4/5
When it comes to using a garden hoe, I tend to alternate between the Wolf-Garten RFM (Push-Pull Hoe) and the DHM (Dutch Hoe). The RFM is definitely best-suited to weeding larger beds and the toothed edges are excellent for breaking up the soil to give beds a neat, well-maintained look. The only reason this drops a star is that it is only really suitable for one job, whereas the DHM can do many.
Wolf-Garten RFM Price: The Wolf-Garten RFM is available online from about £15.00.
Wolf-Garten DHM multi-change Dutch hoe tool head review.
Rating: 5/5 [*Essential*]
The Wolf-Garten DHM is another of my go-to tools. I use it every day for both maintaining/weeding beds, but also by rotating it 180 degrees to keep lawn edges neat along beds and paths. Due to its flat design, it is also super for scraping moss from hard surfaces. Because of this level of versatility, it’s always close to hand.
Wolf-Garten DHM Price: The Wolf-Garten DHM is available online from about £15.00.
Wolf-Garten B30M multi-change yard broom review.
Rating: 5/5 [*Essential*]
If it’s possible to love a broom, then I love the Wolf-Garten B30M broom head - so much so, I have at least 4 of them spread about in different areas of the van and workshop. I’ve tried all sorts of brooms over the years, from those with natural bristles, long bristles and short bristles, but the B30M seems to cope well in all circ*mstances. It leaves very little debris behind after each stroke and, because the bristles are synthetic, they don’t rot. Equally, my B30M brooms have been in use for many years but they hardly show any signs of wearing away. This is definitely one multi-change tool head you need.
Wolf-Garten B30M Price: The Wolf-Garten B30M is available online from around £20.00.
Wolf-Garten FBM multi-change patio and driveway weeding brush cleaning tool head review.
Rating: 4/5
I sue the Wolf-Garten FBM most weeks when I have to quickly get the weeds and moss out from between the crack on a patio or block-paved driveway. It really does make fast work of these jobs and is so small, it’s always worth having close to have. It drops a point because the wire does wear out quite quickly and the replacement heads are quite expensive for what they are, however as it all forms part of the Wolf-Garten system, it’s well worth keeping close to hand.
Wolf-Garten FBM Price: The Wolf-Garten FBM is available online from around £12.00 and you can also get a pack of two replacement heads from around £15.00.
Wolf-Garten UIMC multi-change leaf rake tool head review.
Rating: 4/5 [*Essential*]
The Wolf-Garten UIMC is my go-to rake in the van. I also have the wire spring-tine rake, but this is so light, it’s a joy to use. It is particularly good at clearing leaves and is much more compact than some of the giant fan rakes out there, it easily fits into my tool bucket. It works really well at clearing up the debris left behind after scarifying and I also flip it upside-down and wiggle it side to side over lawn patch repairs, to ensure the seed is in good contact with the topsoil. It drops a point because the end of one of the teeth has snapped off, but I still class it as an essential tool that I use every day.
Wolf-Garten UIMC Price: The Wolf-Garten UIMC is available online from around £13.50.
Wolf-Garten LFM multi-change small crumbler tool head review.
Rating: 4/5
Because I mainly work on lawns, rather than beds, I don’t get to use the Wolf-Garten LFM all that much. It is very small though (I call it the cat’s paw) and useful for getting in-between plants to break up the soil. However, the main use I have found for it it is scuffing up the ground where a lawn needs repair after a dog has burned a patch in the grass with its urine. With a few strokes I can get rid of the dead grass, open the soil profile and get the grass seed in. it drops a point because I don’t use it much therefore I class it as a ‘nice-to have’, rather than an essential purchase.
Wolf-Garten LFM Price: The Wolf-Garten LFM is available online from around £14.00.
Wolf-Garten BEM multi-change soil cultivator tool head review.
Rating: 3/5
A bit like with the Wolf-Garten LFM, I don’t do much bed maintenance, so therefore I rarely use my Wolf-Garten BEM cultivator. I’m sure it works very well if you have vegs plots to look after or you are preparing larger beds for planting, however in my lawn business, it’s not massively useful. It’s for this reason that it drops a couple of points - it’s not that it’s a bad tool, but just not necessary for a lawn mowing business.
Wolf-Garten BEM Price: The Wolf-Garten BEM is available online from around £17.00.
Wolf-Garten FK-M multi-star scraper patio knife tool head review.
Rating: 5/5 [*Essential*]
The Wolf-Garten FK-M is one of the superstars that I keep in the van - it pretty much does everything and I rarely connect it to a handle. It’s great for pulling out weeds in lawns or beds, it gets into the gaps on patios and block paving, you can turn it sideways to scrape moss and I also use it to clear the wet grass from the underside of my mower decks to keep them clean. This is an absolute must-have and it even fits into a cargo pocket on my work-trousers. This one really is essential.
Wolf-Garten FK-M Price: The Wolf-Garten FK-M is available online from around £14.00.
Wolf-Garten LCM multi-change small sweep rake tool head review.
Rating: 5/5 [*Essential*]
The Wolf-Garten LCM comes is a very small, very soft rake that is very gentle around plants. I mostly use it for pulling leaves out from behind downpipes or around delicate plants in beds that the blower won’t move. I liken it to using my hand to tidy up soil or clear leaves, but I can attach it to the long handle and it saves me bending down. I really am a big fan of the LCM and it goes down on the list of essentials.
Wolf-Garten LCM Price: The Wolf Garten LCM is available online from around £14.50.
Wolf-Garten IWMi multi-change lawn weed extractor tool head review.
Rating: 2/5
I can’t actually say I use the Wolf-Garten IWMi all that much. Its primary purpose is to pull out broadleaf leaves (like dandelions) from a lawn. You simply push it into the ground over the weed, twist it to create a plug and pull the plug out. The problem with this is that the established dandelions have long roots that often spread wider than the IWMi tool and so you don’t actually end up removing the whole weed and it quickly grows back.
Wolf-Garten IWMi Price: The Wolf-Garten IWMi is available online from around £16.00.
Wolf-Garten UGM multi-change moss removal scarifier rake lawn care tool head review.
Rating: 4/5
Wolf-Garten describes their UGB and as a scarifier - I would call it hard work! I have a large, petrol-powered scarifier that makes light work tidying even the largest lawns. Using the Wolf-Garten UGM is without a doubt a good workout. Nonetheless, it certainly does the trick of removing moss and thatch in a lawn however, I only use it for tidying up areas that my petrol scarifier can’t reach, such as tight along the edges of a path or into tricky corners. Because it’s such hard work it loses a point, but because it gets into places that larger machines can’t, I consider it a good buy for anyone that wants to build up the lawn care side of their business.
Wolf-Garten UGM Price: The Wolf- Garten UGM is available online from around £37.00.
Conclusion.
Wolf-Garten makes a huge variety of multi-change head tools and this is just a small selection of them. Other systems to consider include:
However, Wolf-Garten has an excellent guarantee that I have first-hand experience of them honouring and the tools are available in garden centres all over the country - so if you suffer a breakages mid-job, you can easily grab a new one.
Overall, I have been really impressed by the quality and functionality of Wolf-Garten tools and I highly recommend them to anyone working in gardens.
As for prices, I have found them to be very expensive in garden centres whereas the online prices are much more competitive.
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Thanks for stopping by and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Charles
