Barnsdale Gardens Tools On Test Spear & Jackson – Leaf Grabber

Barnsdale Gardens Tools On Test Spear & Jackson – Leaf Grabber 

The team at Barnsdale Gardens love autumn. The gardens put on a spectacular show, bursting with gorgeous amber, gold and russet hues.

But there is one autumnal job they’re not quite so fond of… picking up all those leaves!

The team has been using Spear & Jackson Leaf Grabbers for around ten years…probably longer. They’re one of those simple garden tools that you don’t really think about until there’s a large quantity of leaves to clear, and then you realise just how useful they are.

They mainly use them for collecting leaves in autumn, but they’re also useful for all sorts of other garden debris, including grass from trimming, lightweight hedge pruning detritus and fallen fruit such as crab apples. At Barnsdale, where there are a large number of deciduous trees, the team now has several pairs that are used throughout the autumn.

After pinching, grabbing and generally rounding up leaves wherever he could find them, Jon, Head Gardener at Barnsdale Gardens, has written a review of the leaf grabber.

So, does it make light work of the autumn leaf mountain? Here’s Jon’s verdict…

Tested September 2026

Spear & Jackson Leaf Grabber

First impressions

The grabbers are surprisingly lightweight, which is important when you’re using them for long periods. The grabber blades are made from a strong plastic/polyurethane material, which has a little bit of give to it, while the handles are coated metal with comfortable rubberised, non-slip grips.

Each blade is 50cm long and 20cm high, and they’re curved, which means they hold a good amount of leaves. The tips of the blades are toothed, which helps to grip the material being collected. When fully opened, the grabbers are over a metre wide, although you don’t often need to open them that far. The overall height from the top of the handles to the teeth of the blades is just under a metre, so you can collect leaves without having to bend down.

The blades are easily removed when the grabbers aren’t being used. They simply click in and out, which is useful if storage space is limited. We use ours throughout the year, so we tend to leave the blades attached.

Usage

These are extremely useful for clearing leaves quickly. We rake the leaves into heaps and then use the grabbers to collect the heaps and transfer them into wheelbarrows or large bags. Being able to pick up a large amount at once makes the job much quicker, particularly when there are big areas to clear.

They’re designed for lightweight garden debris, and I think using them to pick up heavier materials would put unnecessary strain on the grabbers, so don’t be tempted to lift heavier materials such as gravel, wood chip, compost or heavy debris.

I’ve used the all-aluminium type of leaf grabbers in the past, and they’re very good too, but they generally have a smaller grab capacity. The bare aluminium handles can also be very cold to hold during the cooler months, whereas the rubberised grips on the Spear & Jackson grabbers make them much more comfortable to use.

The two handles are hinged with a nut and bolt, and after many years of use I’ve had to tighten them slightly, but bear in mind that ours get a lot more use than the average gardener is likely to give them.

One of the things that has impressed me most is how long they last. I’ve been using ours for around ten years and apart from occasionally tightening the hinge, they’ve required very little attention. Provided you don’t strain them by trying to lift heavy objects, I can see them lasting for many more years.

I also get comments from visitors when they see us using them because many people don’t realise that leaf grabbers exist. Once they see how quickly we can clear leaves with them, they’re often interested in getting a pair themselves.

Verdict

The Spear & Jackson Leaf Grabber is a very simple tool, but it does exactly what it’s designed to do extremely well. They’re lightweight, comfortable to use, and the curved, toothed blades hold a good amount of material.

After around ten years of heavy use at Barnsdale Gardens, I’ve found them to be extremely durable. If you have deciduous trees in your garden, I’d consider a pair of these an essential tool for clearing leaves

Our Tools on Test reviews are based on genuine day-to-day use at Barnsdale Gardens. Each tool or machine is assessed in real gardening conditions, from maintaining ornamental borders and lawns to working on our allotments and woodland areas, giving gardeners practical insights beyond the manufacturer’s specifications.

Please note: The tool featured in this review is not sold by Barnsdale Gardens. Our assessment is based solely on practical use and is intended to help gardeners make informed decisions when choosing equipment.

Spear & Jackson Lead Grabber RRP £19.95

*Price is correct from Spear & Jackson at the time of publishing.

You can read all of the team’s Tools On Test here: https://shop.barnsdalegardens.co.uk/blogs/tools-on-test

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