Happy Father's Day! Let's Till some soil!!!!

Happy Father's Day to all fathers and those who step up and take on a fatherly role in someone's life! So, I am prepping for field season with my test units set. I will be mapping them in tomorrow. As an archaeologist, I use a shovel and trowel to move dirt and search for material culture. My wife, the historian? She uses other tools for moving dirt. Specifically, she gardens, and for the last 15+ years, she has tilled the soil in her garden with a Mantis tiller. That things a pain in the ass! For the record, the Mantis get's the job done, tilling up the soil while periodically chocking on the weeds and grass it encounters. For a 15'x15' garden, it gets the job done. Starting the dam thing is an entirely different issue.

The Mantis tiller is one of those tools that use the gas/oil mix to run. So, as you can imaging, it's not so easy getting started, especially if you let the thing sit for any period of time like say... a few days or a week. That's a very common complaint I hear from DIYers and contractors. SO what choices do we have, really? Me, I convince my wife to let me order and try out a battery-powered tiller. She said Okay. Already having Greenworks 40v batteries... I purchased the Greenworks 40v tiller. My wife seemed a bit skeptical. Me? I've been to the Greenworks rodeo before and had no doubts. Yet, even I was surprised by the results.

I thought the tiller would be close to the power level and productivity level of the Mantis. I was wrong. Thus far... my wife and I found the Greenworks tiller to be neck and neck with Mantis... but without the mixing of gas and oil and struggling to get it started. What's more, my wife found the Greenworks tiller easier to manage, especially in tight spaces in some of her flower bed. The Greenworks tiller gets clogged with grass and weeds just like the Mantis. However, it is real easy to remove the tines to periodically clean out the debris. It was on the level if not easier to clean compared to the Mantis.

For the record, we live in Western New York (the Niagara Frontier specifically). As an archaeologist who's dug a lot of test units, the Niagara Frontier is mostly a heavy clay loam for the soil (Munsell 10YR Dark Gray Brown). So, in heavy clay areas, the Greenworks tiller holds up. God, we got a heavy amount of clay. Anyways, the Greenworks tiller has good power and is easy to start, maneuver, and clean. Plus... no gas/oil mixing and messing with the Mantis carburetor (which I already had to replace). Great job, Greenworks.

Greenworks Tiller Rating: 5 out of 5 Trowels

Charge 'em up!!!!! Westinghouse vs. ZeroKor

As archaeologists (or any anthropologists for that matter), we conduct fieldwork in some pretty remote areas. Some times we need to sleep in hotels and motels out of town, far from home. Other times, we pitch tents and make due with no access to municipal water sources or electricity. Burdens of working in the field. Nowadays, we certainly have more options to bring the comforts of home to remote areas!

As an aside... I get it. I do. With the Star Trek Prime Directive ever in my thoughts, I like every other fieldworker bring considerations to our work and the dangers of exposing others to our beliefs, traditions, and technologies. Yeah... this blog is not for such debates. There's a lot of great debaters out there who've never set foot in the field, and when they do enter the field... well, they often don't do so well. Read the books, have the debates with others, and then get your ass to work! Jumping forward now, how do you bring comforts to the out doors? Power Packs!

*** FYI - those pissing and moaning about my scifi and fantasy references need to chil the FRAK out! Moving on.

I have owned a Westinghouse power pack/station for years now that still functions phenomenally. The model I purchased for around $130 is the iGENS160s (155Wh). It is the size of a tissue box and weighs about as much as a quart of milk. In other words... it's really small. It's looks are deceiving! That Westinghouse power station holds a change for a long time and is easy to re-charge using a solar panel. As for a solar panel, that you buy extra. A 60W solar panel works, but I recommend a 100W one to charge faster. Between lights, laptops, Led TVs, electric blankets, small fans, and other devices, Westinghouse's power station can power things for hours. Think of that! In a remote area with the ability to run a laptop, a fan, and/or an electric blanket?

Today, I have an off-grid system... of sorts. No, I'm not preparing for Doom's Day. I wanted to lessen my reliance on fossil fuels to help the planet AND save money! There... I said it. Moving on. I have a bunch of battery-powered devices I use daily for household/property chores and work-related activities, and I charge these tools with solar power. Here's how it works. I use the Westinghouse battery to recharge batteries and then I use a solar panel to recharge my Westinghouse power pack. End result?!! My use of gas over the last 2 years has plummeted, and the Westinghouse power station is working almost as good as new (I haven't noticed any loss of functionality in the 2 years since I bought it). YEA for lower electric and gas bills and SUPER YEA for lessening my carbon footprint (I really love that part). The power station was about $125 while the 100W solar panel was about $130. So, for under $300, I now cut my lawn, cut down trees, and employ a number of other power tools without impacting my electric bill or gasoline costs. HOORAY!

Now... I like backups for my backups. For most of the 3 people who read this... that will come as no surprise. What if my Westinghouse power station gives out? At some point, all tech ceases to function. So, I wanted a backup power station. Enter my 2023 power station purchase... the 146Wh battery pack by ZeroKor. After a $10 coupon I found online, I purchased this power station... and learned that such power stations may be able to operate a SMALL fridge for a decent amount of time. Check your power station and fridge specifics BEFORE attempting. Next time my power goes out, my mini fridge will be powering up! As for this new power pack/station/generator... it's not half bad. It doesn't seem to hold a charge as well as the Westinghouse power station. That said, it has been functioning decently, although it's controls are a bit finicky. I went with this as it already had hundreds of positive reviews. At this time, I would cautiously give it 4 out of 5 stars (trowels). I was about to give it a 3 or 3 and a half star rating, but my familiarity with its finicky-ness boosted my score to 4. For those doing fieldwork, there are a lot of these things out there now, and most are not made by a major brand like Westinghouse. When searching for and purchasing one of these contraptions, check out reviews. Look for power stations/generators with a lot of reviews (and certainly with way more good than bad feedback. Also review issues about what happens when you let a power station sit idle for a long time. That will potentially impact performance. Having said that, for fieldworkers, campers, and other explorers... these power stations are incredible! Cheers!

ZeroKor Power Generator 

/5 Trowels