10 Best Lawn Roller [Buyer Guide]
We review the products we think are best in the category. By purchasing a product through an affiliate link, we may earn a small commission that helps keep the site running. Learn about our product selection process here.
A lawn roller, although you might not think so at first, is a gardener’s essential. It is the perfect piece of equipment that every avid gardener needs at their home. If you don’t already know, a lawn roller is used to flatten a lawn for growing benefits. They’re mostly used when laying a brand new lawn, flattening top soil or spreading grass seed – similar to a lawn spreader! Once the lawn has grown adequately and is flourishing, the lawn roller can be brought out again every once in a while. This will encourage growth and will help to eliminate problems such as molehills, worm casts, and soil heaving. By removing issues such as these, your lawn will stay looking fresh and beautiful.
In addition to the overall upkeep of your lawn’s appearance, a lawn roller can also be great as a prep item. If you’re wanting to add decking or a garden building in your outside space, you can prep the ground using your roller! If you’re unsure about what a roller looks like, they’re usually made from steel. They will have an empty drum that can be filled with water, sand or concrete… depending on how heavy you need it to be! They also have a long handle for you to push and manoeuvre across your lawn.
When you’re in the market for a lawn roller, choosing one can be difficult. However, that’s where this guide comes in handy! We have reviewed the 10 best lawn rollers based on a multitude of considerations. After that, we’ve included a summary filled with things we think you should consider before you buy. If you’re still wanting more, we’ve also included an FAQ section. So, if you are wanting to learn some more about lawn rollers – keep on reading this buyer guide!
Greenkey Garden Lawn Roller
The Greenkey Garden lawn roller is made with a comfortable hand grip, so you wont feel any hand strain or ache if using for a long period of time. This roller can be filled with either sand or water so you can cater how heavy you need the roller to be, depending on the job you have at hand. This product is made with a sturdy yet lightweight metal to make it easy to move around as well as being able to last you a long time.
Key Features:
Can be filled with sand or water
Comfortable hand grip
Lightweight
Specification:
Brand
Greenkey
Colour
Green
Material
Metal
Weight (kg)
8
Pros
Hands wont get sore if you are using for a long period
Comes with scraper bar
Cons
Colour may not be for everyone
Einhell Lawn Roller
The Einhell lawn roller can be filled with either sand or water, depending on what is more convenient for you or what is suited to the job. This lawn roller is built with a ‘dirt wiper’ which will help you produce a clean and tidy result after rolling your lawn, whilst also making the product easier to clean.
Key Features:
Can be filled with sand or water
Made with dirt wiper
Easy to use
Specification:
Brand
Einhell
Colour
Red
Material
Metal
Weight (kg)
10.5
Pros
Easy to clean
Easily manoeuvrable
Cons
Slightly heavier than other lawn rollers in this guide
Greenkey Lawn Roller
The Greenkey lawn roller provides you with a fast and efficient way to roll and aerate your lawn thanks to its large 30cm width. This product is also designed to provide deep and even aeration to your lawn, all thanks to the addition of 30 4.5cm spikes. This particular lawn roller helps your lawn to breathe, which encourages a deep root growth and will therefore result in a beautiful green lawn. The Greenkey roller comes in either a black or green, too.
Key Features:
Extremely lightweight
Large 30cm width
Thirty 4.5cm spikes
Specification:
Brand
Greenkey
Colour
Green
Material
Mixed materials
Weight (kg)
2.8
Pros
Fast and efficient
Provides deep and even aeration
Cons
Requires some simple assembly
T-Mech Lawn Roller
Bumpy lawn, no more! This T-Mech Lawn Roller has a whopping 120L capacity meaning you can fill it with sand or water to achieve an extremely smooth finish on your lawn. The width of this product helps to roll areas quicker and more efficiently. This lawn roller is made from heavy duty metal and has been powder coated for a long lasting finish to the paint. The handle can also fold up for easy storage.
Key Features:
120L capacity
Made from heavy duty metal
Folding handle
Specification:
Brand
T-Mech
Colour
Black
Material
Metal
Pros
Handle folds for easy storage
Heavier to achieve smooth finish
Cons
May be over some peoples' budget
Wolf Garten Lawn Roller
The Wolf Garten lawn roller has a unique design which when pushed the blades just glide over the lawn, however when pulled the blades dig into the turf. This helps successfully clear moss from your lawn with little to no effort. The head of this lawn roller is also interchangeable thanks to the multi-change click system. The click system allows any handle in the range to fit onto this specific lawn roller, meaning you can extend or retract the length to whatever suits you. The Wolf Garten lawn roller comes with a 10 year guarantee, too.
Key Features:
Clears thatch and moss
Push or pull for different functions
Multi change click system
Specification:
Brand
Wolf Garten
Colour
Red
Material
Metal
Weight (kg)
2
Pros
Glide over lawn or bite into turf
10 year guarantee
Cons
Colour may not be for everyone
Draper Lawn Roller
The Draper lawn roller is welded with steel meaning it’ll be both robust and durable. This lawn roller is lightweight thanks to its ergonomic design, meaning you can easily move around your lawn without any strain on your arms or hands. The larger drum size makes it quicker and more efficient to roll your lawn, too.
Key Features:
Fill with either water or sand
Lightweight
Ergonomic design
Specification:
Brand
Draper
Colour
Greem
Material
Steel
Weight (kg)
1.3
Pros
Large drum size makes it quicker to roll your lawn
Made with a robust steel
Cons
Colour may not be for everyone
Summary
So, after you’ve read the reviews – we hope you’ve found a lawn roller that’s right for you, your garden and your budget. In this section of the buyer guide, we’re going to talk you through some essential buyer considerations that we think you should consider before you commit to your purchase. Just as we did in our lawn mower, grass seed, stump killer, electric weed burners and moss killer buyer guides!
There are a few things that’ll make your life easier when it comes down to choosing a lawn roller, so we definitely recommend you having a skim over this section if you’re interested.
Material & Weight
When you’re choosing a roller, you should keep in mind the material that it’s made from, as it will ultimately affect how you use it. For example, if you choose a roller that is made from a lightweight metal, it will a) be long lasting and reliable material and b) will be lightweight and easily to push around for extended periods of time. Choosing something that is lightweight will not only benefit how you use it, but will benefit you long-term too. By pushing something that is bulky and heavy, you’re likely to develop back problems – so perhaps that’s also something to keep in mind. The lightweight metal not only affects how you work, but will also benefit your lawn, too! We know what you’re thinking… why would you be worried about a heavy roller damaging your lawn when you’re going to fill it with water or sand? Well, depending on the task and how much extra weight you’re wanting to add in water or sand, you might only need a lighter weight. In this case, you should always use the lightest lawn roller possible so you don’t run the risk of damaging your lawn in the long run.
Comfortability
When it comes to thinking about your comfortability when using your roller, you should consider going for one that has been ergonomically designed. Go for a roller that has a comfortable grip area for you to rest your hands as, depending on the size of your lawn, you could be using your roller for extended periods of time. No uncomfortable hands here!
Drum
When you’re thinking about purchasing a lawn roller, you should also think about the drum in general. There are a few things you should consider here: is it easy to fill with water, sand or cement? What is it made from? How large is it? The whole purpose of a lawn roller is for it to be filled with a substance, so if that it difficult to do – then that lawn roller is no good! Take a look at the product description in more detail when you’re about to buy and see if the drum is easy to fill. When considering the material, most of the lawn rollers on our list are made from metal. Like we mentioned above, metal is a good choice as it is sturdy and durable, great for something that will be in contact with the ground! Go for a lawn roller that is made from a tough material and you can be sure that it’ll do its job and stand the test of time. And lastly, the size of the drum is another thing to keep in mind. If you have a large garden, you might wish to opt for a roller that is larger – purely because you’ll be able to get a lot more done, both quickly and easily. If size isn’t really a concern, go for the lawn roller with a drum size that you think will work best, both for yours and your garden’s needs.
FAQ
How do I use a lawn roller?
When you’re rolling your lawn, there are a few things you should do to make sure you get the best results and you avoid causing any damage to the grass or soil.
In order to roll properly you should firstly choose the roller that is the desired weight for your lawn and intended purpose. When you use a roller that is too heavy, you could cause damage to the soil but over compacting it. This basically means that the grass will be starved from air and water as a result, two things that the lawn needs to thrive and look beautiful.
Once you’ve selected the correct weighted roller, make sure that if it needs any assembly, it’s done correctly and according to manufacturers instructions. This process is usually quite quick and painless, so it shouldn’t take too long to do! It usually requires just putting a few things together.
The next step is to fill the drum with either water, sand or cement so you achieve your desired weight. When you are wanting to compact topsoil or bedding in seeds, water should be an adequate option. If you’re requiring a little more though, like levelling out an established lawn, maybe sand or cement would be a better option as it’ll make the roller a whole lot heavier. A good tip is to make sure you use kiln dried sand. This will make it a lot easier to pour in the filler hole.
Make an informed decision about when is the best time to roll your lawn. Make sure the ground is damp enough to allow seeds and roots to be easily pushed in – but not so saturated that the lawn will become overly compact. We also advise not to use a roller on clay soil for this reason.
To actually roll your lawn, be sure to begin in one corner, and continue to push the roller over the entire length. Make sure you work efficiently and effectively so that you are sure to only roll each area once. You’ll have a beautiful and flat, freshly rolled lawn!
If you’d prefer to watch someone use a lawn roller, we’ve also linked this video here of someone showing you how it’s done!
What is a lawn roller used for?
Lawn Rollers help you to get the lawn-care tasks done quickly and easily, like we’ve mentioned above, they can help spread seeds, flatten new lawn or can even be used to re-level established gardens! Just remember to adjust the weight depending on what you need to be done!
Should I roll my bumpy lawn?
The answer is, yes! Rolling a bumpy lawn can flatten it out, making it look beautiful and even. It’s also a great option if you’re wanting to place decking or a garden building – as it prepares the land for both of these features.
Further Reading
If you’d like to learn a bit more about lawn rollers – click here!