First know that scrapers do not always eliminate tear out, tear out is due to end grain and wood species, having sharp tools and the right tools will help to cut end grain nice and smooth ….at least to the point of being able to be sanded easily.
But….they are one of the best methods and tools to learn how to help shape and form your turning projects. On some wood, scrapers will cut way down on the amount of sanding needed.
If you learn how to shear cut with scrapers, you will be using a slicing cut which doesn not pull the wood fibers but cuts the wood fibers. You need to learn how sharpen the tool correctly along with using it correctly.
And then there is the issue of use a bur on your scraping tool, I’ve talked elsewhere about this and it can make your turned piece have a glass like finish before any sanding starts.
If you can afford to get a good and expensive scraper, then get one or a set.
If you are on a budget like me, you can get a set of Hurricane scrapers that are about 1 1/2″ wide and over 3/8″ thick, mine are close to a 1/2″ thick and I love them. A big scraper allows you to hang to tool over your tool rest 4″ or more without loss of control. Use these tools to smooth out your bowl after you have used your bowl gouge to put a rough shape ….sure, you can finish the project with your bowl gouge but a scraper will help you learn and keep control of your turnings.
Check out the Hurricane Scrapers from Amazon https://amzn.to/2xeYYYs
This is between a medium and high quality tool, it will make your life a lot easier when turning and they are cheap enough that you can learn how to sharpen them and experiment with different types of sharpening. These are big, wide and thick steel and if you have a catch you won’t be scared to death 🙂