Unlike a lawn rake that has long, flexible tines, a garden rake has short, rigid teeth that are ideal for loosening soil, light weeding, levelling and removing small stones. The tines are mounted on a sturdy steel bridge at the end of a long handle; the more tines there are, the quicker it is to cover an area. For general garden use, 12-14 teeth are perfectly adequate; however, wider rakes are also available.