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Whenever working with concrete, speed is the name of the game. Even though the material might take some days to cure fully, the first few seconds and minutes are crucial to determine what shape it will take, especially when repaving a patio or doing minor touch-ups on wide surface areas. To help spread the concrete evenly, concrete rakes, also called placers, are used.
Even though the two types of tools fulfill similar purposes, they couldn't be more different. Since garden rakes deal mostly with leaves, dirt, and lighter matter, they don't need to be quite as sturdy as their concrete counterparts. For this reason, it's common to see wooden handles and even plastic heads on the garden variety. However, for a heavy material such as wet concrete, this simply doesn't cut it. The tools generally have metal handles, especially aluminum, to avoid snapping. An aluminum concrete rake is lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and doesn't rust, being ideal for outdoor work. Furthermore, the rake has to be much longer, as the workers can't step on the recently poured concrete.
The different types of concrete rake tools all have one thing in common: they are made for heavy-duty work. That being said, there's a lot of variation to be found. For starters, the number, shape, and size of the tines, also called teeth, can differ. Some tine rakes for concrete use multiple rounded teeth to better mix the wet material, while others ditch this feature entirely in favor of a single blade to help scoop and flatten the concrete.
Besides aluminum, other metals are used in a concreter's rake. Magnesium, for example, is lauded as a more resistant option to aluminum, boasting incredible corrosion resistance and more sturdiness, which is always a plus when dealing with concrete. This metal is especially useful when incorporated in the tines, as their smaller structure is more prone to deformities. However, in terms of rigidity, none of these materials can compare to steel. Steel placers are heavy-duty concrete rakes designed to move bigger volumes of concrete. That being said, it should be noted that they are heavier than other alternatives. In addition, since these rakes contain iron, they run the risk of rusting, requiring more maintenance.
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