Actually, the best luck I've had using the L-rake is in using it kind of like a bump key or a pick gun. I put light, intermittent pressure on the tensioner, and gently scrub the pins back and forth with the rake. I've also had good luck starting with very light pressure on the tensioner, and very slowly increasing it as I continually scrub the pins.
Occasionally, something won't set quite right while I'm doing that, so I'll maintain tension and switch out the rake for a half-diamond or hook. It's usually just one or two pins that haven't set, and they follow pretty quickly.
