Snow Joe Telescoping Roof Rake, Extendable Leaf & Snow Shovel with Poly Blade, 25 Inch Wide, RJ204M

It worked well for the first 3 minutes then the support straps pulled out of the plastic blade. I need to mention that I was trying to remove 3" of powder type snow at the time of the failure. The roof rake was not treated roughly in any way. This product has an inherent flaw in the way the straps are hooked to the blade. My other roof rake has a better connection for the straps, but I absolutely hated the handle/pole assembly with the multiple poles. I love the telescoping extension type pole method and how smoothly it extends and locks. The 21' reach was also very handy.I just hate having to re-engineer something within literally 3 minutes of usage that I have paid almost $45.00 for. I realize that we live in a disposable society, but 3 minutes is just not acceptable in anyone's book. (Has anybody else noticed the severe decline in product quality?)After 30 minutes and about $5.00 (8 fender washers, 2 1/4" bolts, 2 lock washers and 4 nuts) worth of hardware and it was back up and working better than when I unpacked it. I would have preferred to use stainless steel fasteners and lock nuts but I didn't have any available so I made do with what I had on hand. I could have returned this as defective but I really needed to clear my roof as the light snow was melting and creating ice dams on the leading edge of the roof.Just a word to the wise. This manufacturer needs to rethink inserting a small brass insert in molded plastic to attach a stress point on an item that is intended to be used in the cold and snow.I have attached 3 pictures of the rake after the failure and 3 of it after I retrofitted it to actually work.

This product lasted for three uses before it broke to the point I had to do a complete redesign & rebuild of the pole.(see photo of rebuild attached. arrow shows where pole completely broke off and left the blade on the roof) First, the product’s third section came right out of the locking collar on my first use. A screw drilled into the pole fixed this problem and works for me as I have a single story house. Will not be good for those with a two story as you wont be able to reach the pole/blade section stuck on the roof. The most critical part of the product for strength appears to be its weakest point. The aluminum pole is very thin on the third section that attaches to the blade. At the point where the pole is drilled to attach the braces, is its weak point and really needs to be the strongest. The pole completely severed at this spot and left the blade on the roof lol. After retrieving the blade with a ladder, I redesigned this connection by adding a steel sleeve at the brace connection point, thus making it the strongest where its needed most. (see pic attached) After the rebuild it works great, finished 4 different roofs from the blizzard we just had in Ohio. Also, the bottom handle slips off the pole as well, you will need to drill a screw into it to keep it on the pole. So overall, unless you are mechanically inclined to do some repairs on this product, you might want to consider purchasing a different brand with heavier aluminum construction.

I received this rake today, and I was dumfounded when the rake broke within the first 15 mins of use. The problem appears to be in the design of how the struts that brace the head are fastened to the thinnest section of pole. The struts are fastened using a simple machine screw and lock-nut that pass through a hole drilled through the shaft. As you can see from the pictures, that is right where the rake failed. I had only gotten a few feet of roof line done when it snapped.The rake is made of aluminum and plastic, to make it lightweight. At 21', I can see why that would be a good choice, or it would be a bit unwieldy. However, the decision to put a good sized hole through the main stress point of the thinnest section of aluminum tubing was not a good choice. A better design would be to use a tube-steel collar that slips over the shaft that reinforces the drilled-through section.My advice: Either modify your rake BEFORE you use it by slipping a piece of EMT conduit or other pipe over it and drilling it out, or buy something a little beefier.

5 Stars for Service and Support! Snowjoe replaced broken units right away! Note there is a 2 year warranty.5 Stars if clearing normal snow covered roofs.3 Stars for breakages trying to clean this Winter's snow, re-frozen melted snow, and freezing rain mess thrown at us!Have suggested to Snowjoe that the weak areas could be made stronger with steel or stainless steel braces, and pole end that fits into the rake head. This would probably then bring it up to 5 Stars. (Snowjoe sending idea to engineering.)The rake head is fine, but the aluminum braces and first aluminum pole, with hole drilled in it for the braces, are the weak points. When Snowjoe replaced the first rake that snapped off at the first pole's brace mounting hole, I doubled up on the braces for the replacement. Also re-enforced the hole area with Gorilla Tape and a 6", split in half piece of tubing, placed top and bottom of the hole area .Extending 3" each side of the hole. (Needed to use a longer bolt then what was provided.) Worked so great, that this time the second pole pulled apart at one of the joints. Repaired with Gorilla Glue - working great now. Snowjoe sent a 3rd replacementSo, as is, use only on normal snow covered conditions. DO NOT use on roofs covered with snow, frozen levels of snow and freezing rain. This may get fixed on future models of Snowjoe's roof rakes. Another suggestion is for Snowjoe to include 4 aluminum braces. 2 if only doing snow covered roofs. 4 for more heavy duty work, This will require a longer bolt to attach to the pole. Bolts for attaching brackets to rake head were long enough for 2 brackets per side. Note: I added a washer on the nut side first, after putting through the rake head to strengthen this area as well. Also note, after some usage, re-tighten this bolt and nut to prevent bolt and nut coming apart during usage.

I bought this rake to clear the snow off of my solar panels. The tool is sturdy, well made and has a strong blade and extends super long. The locks on the extending handle are large and work well with gloves on. It is rather heavy when fully extended and the handle bows if you try to lift the full length from one end. This is not a real issue as in use, the rake stays on the roof and supports itself well. One important thing to keep in mind when using a long roof rake - you need to have plenty of room behind you for the handle as you pull the snow off the roof.

We got smoked this year with heavier than usual loads. Live in a high elevation in bc. This worked great for clearing the bottom three or four feet of my roof which is all I really wanted to do. Even the old lady cleared some and she has a bad back. Settle down. She wanted to help. All I'm saying is anyone can do it with reasonable ease and it does a good job.

The telescopic handle fell apart twice within 5 minutes of use. Two sections of the telescopic handle separated and left the shovel part on the roof! had to bring it inside to thaw out to loosen the plastic clamps that keep it extended. It wasn't a big deal as it was in three pieces at this time. Hard to tighten and release the telescopic handle with winter gloves on. Don't waste your money! This is the second Snow joe product I've bought and I am very disappointed with both this roof shovel and the snowblower I purchased this year. I had high hopes with this company Customer service is good but I shouldn't have to send everything back! What a pain! Yes I had to send back the snowblower by bringing to the shipping company which is not the easiest thing to do.

This snow rake works as it should. The telescoping handle extends easily and locks strong. When it is fully extended it does have a bit of flex to it. You will notice it bending a bit when lifting it up but it isn't really bad and it doesn't affect how well it works. It just feels like it is bouncing a bit. Overall if you don't need to use one of these rakes every other day this one is good enough.