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
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