Whose got/had one of those small tillers, like the Mantis? Will it really break up new ground? How about the electric one?

Thanks,
Jerry

I've had a Mantis for years and I LOVE it! I use it for everything...breaking up new ground, weeding, digging holes for new shrubs/trees, etc. Haven't had any experience with an electric.

Another vote for the Mantis. But I'm going manual for the vegetable garden this season - push plow.
Dirt

Okay guys, I've been drooling on Mantis tillers for years but too scared to buy one. I have rocks and I mean ROCKS. For every garden I dig, 30% of the bulk is sifted out as rubble (big and small). How does the little Mantis buddy deal with rock?

Judy

It literally "spits" them out of the ground! The only thing it doesn't do is pile them up in the corner of your lot!

The Mantis does "buck" a bit on rocky ground, but it works well. A big tiller does no better, though, because on rocky ground it can't till to full depth anyway and you end up making many passes.

The only place a big tiller makes sense over a Mantis is on a very large garden which has already been tilled before. Even then, most of us would use "no till" methods. So get a Mantis, till it once nice and deep and then never again.

Thanks for the comments thus far. Well, I'm just about convinced. Say, f I buy one, will they stop sending me all that advertising?

To the poster who said they were going to start hand ploughing: is that to get away from gas powered tools? This is why I asked about the electric version. At my current garden, I use no gas tools. But I'm moving in June to a farm, and don't know if it will be practicle for the larger area I'll be able to garden there. Mantis makes all the same claims about the electric as the gas powered tiller.

Thanks,
Jerry

We've heard some great stuff about Mantis. Are there any views wrt the Honda Harmony FG100 or other small tillers? I spent some time reading reviews on Epinion.com. Mantis has some rave reviews but one comment that appears to be consistent is that it is very NOISY. Honda users say it is much quieter and also does a good job (six pounds heavier than the Mantis).

Love my Mantis! Or guess I should say, my husband loves my Mantis! Got it for me for our new vegetable garden but my husband wanted to make sure it was safe and easy for me to use. He did the whole area in less than an hour-too much fun to give up and let me try! :^O

Hmmmm... sounds like you have an unfair advantage. My husband digs and tills only under great duress accompanied with significant whining. Kinda destroys the Zen Buddhist experience that gardening usually holds for me. Need to find a tiller that I can handle that will exempt him from the process! Or maaaaybeee... ask him to test it for safety first...

The reason for shifting to manual is to minimize damage to the soil caused by tilling, electric would have the same effect. My garden is past the stage of needing tilling on a routine basis. Actually I'm experimenting to see if I can detect any difference between tilling and no tilling.
Dirt Pit

Hello,
I am considering purchasing a tiller, but only wanted an electric one for reasons of noise and ease of maintenance. The Mantis electric is relatively new as is a model made by Remington. I'm looking to see if anyone has had any direct experience with either of them. How about a comparison of features, strengths, weaknesses.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

I own a small Honda. We use it in my business. It has never given me any problems. Its used mostly for building and maintaining flowerbeds. I give it commercial use and its help up well.

What is the approximate price for both the gas and electric Manthis? Where do you purchase same? Michelle

Happy New Year all, I'm also lokking around for a small tiller, thinking about the Mantis, I have my Dad's old troy, 8hp is a little big for some of the seed rows, I wouldn't trade it for anything but it's too big for all jobs. It's lasted for 30 years so far,I hope the mantis will last along time, I have a rhubarb patch that a smaller tiller would help out keeping it weedless,take care, Clarence

I have a 3hp Troy tiller. Its good-good and heavy (works you to death.) I also have a Ryobi I don't know how many cc tiller. It did good for awhile but eventually with down time became hard to start and produced lots of gas fumes. Also it was hard to find anybody to work on it. I have a JD 830 that does the talking now, I just have to work on getting my soil right and learning to incorporate mulch and use the 'little' 3hp to finish around my plants.