Mantis Tiller

Pros: The best gift I ever received as a gardener. Turns dirt to potting soil.
Cons: Hard to pull starter cord, tines clog easy in mulch and leaves.

My wife bought this for me as a gift, and as a gardener, I can’t believe I was living with out it. I till and cultivate my garden, and up and down the rows once or twice a week. Its light weight makes it easy to just grab it and go. My garden looks...

Pros: From edging to breaking ground it does a lot!
Cons: Nothing really. Could use some safety modifications.

Since these forums have been so valuable for my research, I wanted to add this post about my Mantis Electric Tiller. At $300 plus shipping, and some of the concerns about bouncing, I did go back and forth on the decision, but once I finally pulled the t ...

Pros: Low price. Durable, no nonsense performer. Does everthing it promised to do and more
Cons: None

When I first got it I was not sure I made the right choice. Once I used it I wouldn't part with it for any other machine. I used it to break up grass by turning the tines around to the cultivate position like the instructions said. It cut through the ...

Pros: Portable, lightweight, Versatility of edger, and attachments. Easy to maneuver, turn, for precise rows
Cons: Nothing outweighs pros, like least: rocks catching in tines, 2-cycle engine maintenance, mixing fuel.

I've had my Mantis for over 20 years and still recommend it to all my friends. After using mine, my landscaper bought one. When you need to till a tight, small space, e.g. near a foundation, the only other alternative is hand tilling. I would buy ...

Pros: Lightweight, and powerful. Well made. Easy to start. Great for double-digging gardens
Cons: Not the tool for clearing large areas of grass. A bit noisy.

I got this tiller because we needed to get our raised beds in AND we had to plant a bunch of bulbs before snowfall. It did a pretty decent job of ripping out a section of lawn to extend the garden. Once through the grass, it was pretty easy. I would ...

Pros: easy starting, light weight, "gets the job done"
Cons: somewhat loud, tines fill easily with grass and such

A couple of years ago my wife and I bought a tiller to make a garden in the small plot behind the garage. After some searching of other products in the field we came to the Mantis. This was the only one that advertised a light weight, compact size, and...

Pros: its the best, easy to use, light weight
Cons: a bit expensive

My first experience with a tiller turned out to be disasterous. I wanted to get my garden ready while my husband was away on a business trip for 3 days. I went to a local rental place and told the guy what I wanted to do. The thing he recommended to...

Pros: This is a lite weight tiller for the everyday small gardener.
Cons: It gets a hot after a while and has to rest.

My husband and I purchased the Mantis tiller a couple months ago and we just decided to use it. At first glance you would think this tiller is not gonna do any kind of work, but boy were we surprised. You can purchase many attachments for many things. It...

Pros: Good digger, easy to use.
Cons: 2-cycle engine requires some understanding and care. Would be tiring on larger plots.

I've owned one with the 2 cycle Echo engine for about 10 years. In general I think it is a very good machine, but it does have functional limitations and can be a bugger to start and keep running if you don't care for it properly. Mechanical ...

Pros: Handy, Powerful for size, relatively lightweight.
Cons: Good upper body strength need to operate, may not suit all users

In a nutshell: A great tiller when your garden or flower beds are too big to turn by hand and too small for a bigger rear tined tiller. You need pretty good upper body strength to handle this lightweight. I LOVE mine to death as it fits my needs...

Pros: Good engine and strong tines spit out rocks well. Lightweight and easy to use.
Cons: Kickstand is lousy; on/off switch too close to hands; transmission has failed twice.

We bought this tiller after moving to Maine. We have a one acre property on which we do a lot of gardening. It has done a pretty good job considering the rocky ground we have. The tines handle the rocks well; they've gotten a little bent, but never ...

Pros: All Pro
Cons: No Con

I purchased my Mantis when I moved into my duplex in Northern Virginia about 12 years ago. I had a small back yard at that time and wanted a small garden area. Since I have a degree in horticulture, I also wanted to landscape the entire yard.
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Pros: Very light and easy to use.
Cons: Takes longer to till a large area.

I owned one of the large tillers for 5 years. I finally got tired of it and started looking for a smaller tiller. The large tiller was to big and heavy and a pain to move around. You can't use the big tiller in small spaces and it had a tendency to drag...

Pros: Lightweight,ease of use,minimal upkeep,added attachments
Cons: Not for plowing under, the tines do get cluttered and need to be cleaned,grass etc.

May I start out by saying that my skills at gardening still leave a lot to be desired. I have tilled ground with a shovel, back spraining and blistered hands, real work. On occasion I was able to either rent or borrow the regular type tiller. I call...

Pros: A great workhorse with lots of power for small to medium jobs.
Cons: Big jobs take too long. Need to re-locate on/off switch.

I have been the proud owner of my Mantis Tiller for a little over a year. This tiller has exceptional power, is easy to start, will go and go and go...until you are exhausted! It is a great, little (please note little) tiller for your small to ...