Side by Side Comparison of: Ohio Steel Industries vs Agri-Fab vs Good Vibrations

This lawn sweeper works great and easy to use. I have heard a lot about these, but had no clue how well they really work. My yard looks great....

I have used Craftsman sweepers for years and after tiring of their poor performance, I decided to spend a little more money and try one of these. To say I am impressed is an understatement. Arrived quick, assembly was simple, and the performance is out of this world. This thing picks up stuff my other sweeper would never be able to. The height level never slips like other brands, and the adjustability makes it easier to use. It picks up leaves, pine straw, pine cones, and anything else in its path. I am thoroughly satisfied and hope to get years of service from my sweeper.

works great...

Received the sweeper, studied the instructions, assembled it, and went and swept my BIG yard. Neighbor came over to see what I was doing and asked if I had time, would I come over and do her little yard. She said that was the best her yard ever looked! Sweeper works GREAT !

Prompt arrival, fairly easy to put together, does the job.

This sweeper works great, it will pick up just about everything as long as your yard is somewhat level. Saved me from a lot of raking. I should have bought one of these years ago.

As described.

excellent

add 2 concrete blocks and it works great got the job done

Works well

Very happy with this Dethatcher. Once you get it built and dialed in to your application it works great. Exactly as advertised. I run it over my two acres of grass and it helps a ton. Five stars !!

Well built, works as is however add a little weight and WOW. Emptied my triple bagger once when I mowed, three times when I thatched. It's also a great lawn rake for up to 1in fallen branches.

Very well built, sturdy and does good picking up leaves and twigs. Only one small issue is the dumping of the hopper. Hope to get the hang of it as I use it more. I do like the machine very much.

very happy with this I have a huge yard

Works great. Some dents and scratches due to packaging.

the sweeper works fine Really cleans a yard. Very hard to dump with a full load. That also depends who is operating it.

Bought this for my husband, to replace a worn out one. He is happy with it, says it is much better made than his old one.

It would have been nice to have had instructions but thank goodness for the internet and Google. It works great when it's adjusted right and the material including pine needles are dry enough to pick up I would have given it a 5 star rating if the instructions would have been with it

Hard to beat the value when a walk behind model costs just a bit less to rent for the day. Somewhat hard to understand the assembly directions, watch the video first and you should have no problems.

I expected it to be partially assembled . Other than that, works great provided you add the weight blocks to it.

I received the dethatcher within a couple days and it came slightly scratched (as advertised) but being scratched I saved approximately $50. I assembled it and all the pieces were there (2 extra lock nuts). I haven't used it yet due to winter in Michigan and if it works great I will gladly give it 5 stars.

This has worked extremely well! I hated having to put it together but after that nightmare it worked very well. I strapped a couple good sized blocks on the back of it and did both my neighbors and my yard without an issue. It does feel a little cheap and unsteady but so far has worked well.

Shipped quickly. All parts were included. Quality of parts seems pretty good for the price. Instructions are horrible, most kids could draw better.And i know my way around a wrench. Assembly took an hour cause of the instructions. No written instructions, just a picture sheet.Having to bend tabs to lock the tines into place seems cheesy but they seem to hold in lace pretty well. Comes with 2 thin metal rods to weave through each line of tines and tie off on each end, that way if one falls off it wont be lost. The height lift system is the weak point. It is not sturdy feeling and only has one "L" bracket to hold it in place on the "axle", has room for another one on the opposite side and already has pre drilled slots. I looker over the part list and i was not missing that part.Overall for $120, it will get the job done and hold up for several years if stored inside. If your wanting to rely heavily on this i suggest you dont. Go ahead and build one for the same price and have it 3x as sturdy.Will update once i have used it a few times. 03/02/16UPDATE 03/03/16 - i have used it several times today and it performs really well, you need straps to hold the weight on (neither are included). It does end up getting clogged up after a few minutes but thats only when running over ground already thatched. Sometimes it gets a back and fourth hop to it which would be fixed if the wheels were wider and spread out more. The wheels do collect dirt and mud and seem to not help much. In the lifted position it still is not high enough o be practical. With weight on the thatcher it is hard to lower and lift it, mainly cause of the flimsy lift handle. I plan on upgrading it soon and adding larger wheels, and buying rubber bungy hooks to keep the blocks from moving. Will update further if problems appear.

For a hundred dollars, I think this is a good machine. With some weight on it (70lbs) it did a helluva job pulling up dead grass this week (first week of spring). After lawn sweeping the clumps ( I have 3 acres), I have some serious grass piles. Not bad. I will say one thing and that is how the tines attach to this machine. I'm giving four stars because I had tines come off about three times. Also, I have no idea how anyone without special tools is supposed to bend the tabs over the tines - I used a heavy mallet and a large punch to bend them over the tine. I feel a nut and bolt attachment would have been much better. Probably should have given three stars for this issue, but I think at 100 dollars, it's hard to get too picky. Not perfect but good and I would recommend it - just have someone handy with a little mechanical skill help you assemble it.

does a good job but after 3 hrs of use- in 2 days the catch bag had a worn hole in the fabric at the bottom of one of the support tubes. called ohio steel and they sent a new catch bag . it needs some type of strip or a plastic cover attached to the bottom of the support runners to keep it from wear from contact with the ground otherwise well made

Works great but the bag ripped right below the seem the very first time I used it, it wont last had to patch it on my first day I used it.

I purchased this product from a local distributer, not here on Amazon.So I had to assemble it from the box, which was no big deal.This is a nice and have piece of equipment, it is a solid product and collection bag is high quality, durable and thick. From time to time I will sweep up branches or bang into my trees with the collection bag, but the product seems to hold up rather well.The product works as intended, it will sweep up grass and leaves if they are not too close to the ground.My only complaint is the poor fit for my John Deere riding mower. The hitch is too high for my riding mower, despite the multiple level combination of the adjustable hitch on teh sweeper. I don't know if my riding mower hitch is just too low to accomodate the hitch height of the sweeper, or if the sweeper's hitch should be angled lower.I would recommend this product, but warn the buyer to check the level of their mower's hitch first.

Bought this unit assembled by dealer Deere Country. Sloppy wheel fit allowed soft fiberglass wheels to "squat" wearing gears on one wheel and cracking other in less than 25 hrs use. Of course, wheels are not warranted. Wheels must be shimmed for proper fit. Shims not listed on Ohio Steel parts list and not installed by dealer. Neither Dealer nor distributor stock parts. Down for more than a week waiting. Seems like a good product but soft wheel material and sloppy design of wheel fit are a problem that will cause rapid gear wear if not corrected by installing shims in assembly. Dealer was apparently aware because Deere Country warned against jacknifing or sharp turns, but didn't say why. Calls to Ohio Steel get you into a voice mail arabesque. Is a shame that an otherwise good product fails prematurely due to sloppy design, workmanship, or both.

Started to put this together. Did not get far because the instructions are useless. Illustration appears to be for a different design. I reached out to the company for help. After I spent a day exchanging emails with customer service, they sent me a video that was helpful. Still took me over 2 hours to assemble. Build quality is actually pretty good but the assembly is far harder than it should be. Updated: after I watched the video many times, I finally figured out the assembly. Instructions tell you to attach tines with a screwdriver. Will never work. Requires a good hammer and great care not to smash your fingers. I have assembed a great many devices. I think that this was the worst. After all the assembly nonsense, I used this thing. It works great. Very good tool, if you can eventually figure out the nightmare assembly.

Srpings are held in by metal tabs that are cut into the main panel and need to be bent over the springs with a screw driver according to instructions. At first I used a heavy flat head craftsman screwdriver and nearly snapped the tip off. I had to hammer the tabs down then use a screwdriver to finish the job. I havent used yet but if other reviews about replacing springs now and then are true, eventually the tabs hold them in will snap off after being bent and pulled up over and over. Not a great design for longevity.

Assembly was easy, however the box was short 2 of the metal tines. Agri fab shipped me 2 no problem, it took about 8 days however.As for the performance. I would call adequate. Seems either not enough weight, but then

Combination of my mistake and theirs. Seems to be a nice product, but unfortunately for the first time in all the years I have put things together (no I will not give my age away, but trust me it's old) the product came missing three integral bolts. Maybe I just got lucky all those times before, but because of the history it just didn't occur to me to check first. Once I got to the point where I needed them, I made the mistake of continuing without putting them in. Good news is when I called they shipped them right out. The bad news is when I continued assembling I didn't notice that by attaching the 'prongs' I was covering up where the bolts needed to go. There is no way to remove the prongs without weakening the way they attach, so now I am stuck, do I ruin two of the prongs, or do I sell it for scrap. Combination of my mistake and theirs. Would have been more fun to just burn a hundred dollar bill in front of friends, it would have gotten a great reaction and I would have saved a lot of time. Moral of the story: Warning, be sure all the parts are there before you begin.

Product works ok I guess but it very flimsy due to the light weight / cheap metal it was built with. Might be ok if had a very small yard as well but I wouldn't recommend it.

I am having issues with wearing under the bag. I only use this product on grass and do not drag across cement, dirt or any hard surfaces. The first sweeper I received the brushes were creased very badly. Amazon sent another one promptly.

The rubber around the wheel fell off the second time we used it.

canopy is showing wear with limited use.......

It overloaded the very first time I used it and consequently wore holes in the bag on each corner. Just because the bag is big obviously doesn't mean it can handle a big load. The bag edges under the tube frame need a hard nylon glide bar on the bag to prevent wear. Where are the operating instructions? Some good instructions with illustrated diagrams showing how the bar adjustments on the sweeper and the different heights of the tow bar combine to get the desired grass collection would have been nice. I couldn't see what was happening in the sweeper bag as I was cutting when I readjusted after the bad wear experience and now can't seem to find any combination at all to get a decent pickup. Very frustrating! I was definitely ripped off the first time I used it. Pun intended.

Very light duty but for the price...missing all required 5/16" nylock nuts

My journey began 2 weeks ago when I ordered this item to use after aerating which I plan to do this week.I received it in a banged up box that had lots of tape. I knew this was a return, but I didn't care as long as it had all its parts. It only had about half of the parts needed. I returned and waited for replacement.My replacement was delivered today and already looked much better. It had proper stickers and only a little tape. I grabbed a bourbon and my razor blade and dug in. So many parts included it felt like Christmas. I got going on the first step. Done. On to the next step. Wait a minute. Where are the two long metal parts needed to assemble the tow hitch? Bamboozled again. I'm returning for a full refund since I don't have time to wait to find out if third time's the charm.I gave it 2 stars rather than 1 due to sturdiness of the parts that I did receive.

My low review is based on the product showing up missing numerous parts. I had to call the manufacturer and have them sent to me.

When I was a kid on the farm, my father used to mend things from time to time with hay-wire (which they used before the advent of baler twine). "Haywire" since became synonymous with something done fast and poorly. Well, this piece of junk actually uses haywire as an integral component, in particular to hold the tines together. I could not believe it. Firstly the tines are slipped into tabs and you are instructed to bend the tabs over with a hammer then string a length of wire through each of the 2 rows to hold them on. Why not proper steel clips? Embarrassingly poor engineering and Agri-Fab should be called Agri-Fable on this one. In use it does a mediocre job, better off dragging a bag of cats behind you.So like I say, all the Office Boys who get excited by a new toy will write superlatives all day long but as for people who actually work and need decent, proper tools and equipment...don't bother with this...FYI I paid less than $130.00

Picks up grass clippings well but fabric bag is worthless. The first bag ripped and fell apart after just two weeks. Ohio Steel sent me a new bag, which was great. The new bag ripped after one hour. Now Ohio Steel won't respond to me.

Horrible product. Assembly was easy, aside from the missing pin which I had to supply. The canvas collection bag was torn within a couple of hours and the support bar in the collection bag broke on the first day of using it. The collection bag drags on the ground, which is part of the issue. If the design of the bag were to be tilted and have better support on the back collection bag support arm, it would be able to withstand the use, but as is it is for light use only and even then will wear out quickly. I'd never have paid 300+ for a product which would last me only two uses. Ridiculous.

Sweeper was damaged from factory as there was no damage to shipping carton. Also sweeper brushes seemed to have melted and were bent on fourty-five degree angle halfway up the brush, no way it would sweep up grass. Not happy at all and I was not taking chance on another one. The company wanted me to pay return shipping , no way I didn't damage unit. I would have kept it if not damaged. Housing was bent so unit would not even work.

I called Ohio Steel and spoke with Customer Service about the quality of this sweeper and the warranty before making the purchase. We talked about my yard size and the application in depth before I made a decision. I've only had the sweeper for a year and 5 months and with light use the plastic gear on the wheel that makes contact with the steel gear that drives the brush are stripped on both wheels. Now the brush will not turn at all and the sweeper is useless. A "Proffesional" Sweeper with plastic gears? Even though Ohio Steel knows that the sweeper's drive system was poorly engineered and designed, they will not warranty the wheels. My smaller Craftsman Sweeper (made by Agri-Fab) that I use to sweep close to trees and hard to reach areas, has steel gears and a chain drive system housed in an enclosure and has never given me any trouble. The only problem with the Craftsman (Agri-Fab) Sweeper is the cheap and poorly made frame and bag system. I'm going to take a look at the Brinly Sweeper next time around. 2 new wheels for this sweeper are about $55.00 with tax at Tractor Supply, so get ready to put more money into this sweeper on a regular basis if you purchase it. If I could have given it 0 stars I would have. Big Fail Ohio Steel!

I have a model 50SWP26 sweeper. It lasted about six months before one of the wheels, which drive the brush via internal gears, failed. The fit was so sloppy that the plastic gear inside the wheel stripped against the metal gear on the rod that drives the brush. Now, I can't find parts anywhere but the manufacturer, and they aren't returning my calls. This sweeper is total junk.

This item was a nightmare to put together. After several hours we were finally able to get all the rake points attached however they continually fall off when using the tool.

I thought I would give this a try. After spending a great deal of time adjusting the depth of the tines, I realized that there is not much adjusting at all. Regardless of the adjustments I made, I could not get the front rear tines to adjust to the same depth as the front. I also added patio blocks that fit great, however the unit still shook back and forth violently unless I was move slower than a snail with my mower. The construction is not real solid and would not reccomend unless you already have a perfectly flat and manicured lawn.

Poor design and cheap materials. I would return it but not worth my time to dismantle it.

Don't buy, this is really light weight.

Clunky and not strong enough.