For most homeowners, purchasing an electric detatcher will save money over the long term. Depending on your area, landscaping services may charge just as much or even more for a single lawn dethatching treatment as it would cost to buy your own machine. Also, electric dethatchers are usually fairly compact in size, so they're easy to store during the off-season. And they tend to hold up well, so you should be able to get many uses out of your dethatcher over a few years.