Mantis Tiller

Pros: Amazingly strong tilling power for an electric device.
You get what you pay for and more!
Cons: None.

I've have had the Mantis electric tiller for a few months now and am thoroughly impressed by it.  All of my yard sections had not been tilled in approx. 3 years, most of which had little to no grass/plants, and the dirt became severely ...

Pros: Lightweight at 20 pounds; tines are really strong; easy to use
Cons: Tricky to pull start

I used a Mantis Tiller for a number of years before I expanded the garden and it became too small to handle the rows. But, it was an exceptional mini-tiller for smaller patches of ground, or getting in where the tractors couldn’t go. ...

Pros: Light weight at 20 pounds, easy to use, fits in small places!
Cons: Weeds get caught in tines often and can bounce if the tines hit a rock.

I was lucky enough to find my Mantis at a yard sale. The woman having the sale was moving into a condo and wanted to get rid of as much stuff as she could. I always wanted a Mantis so I made her an offer of $1oo.oo cash, and she accepted!I am ...

Pros: This thing digs like crazy.
Cons: Tends to jump around a bit. Hang on to it.

I've owned / used a variety of tillers - front and rear tined - and have been kicked around by all of them. So, thought I'd try a Mantis. On first look as it came out of the box I'll admit I was more than a little bit skeptical about the tilling ...

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: Light weight for light jobs. Quick and easy to use but has service limitations.
Cons: Not for heavy soils. Broke tines often and motor siezed just outside of warranty.

Great little tiller for smaller jobs. Purchased this to do a small garden in the north east. Soil is hard and has some rocks (up to fist size) and this little thing did a reasonable job. This is NOT for soil that's difficult to till, though (as it can be ...

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 ...

Pros: Light, easy to start and use. Cleans in a few minutes.
Cons: Needs a bit of space to store. Neighbours want to borrow it. :-)

Let me start by saying my garden hasn't seen a spade in five years or more. The top soil is about 3 inches deep, then you get clay and then chalk. Add to that an unhealthy garnish of flint. When we moved in a couple of years ago I asked the bloke ...

Pros: Manageable, quiet!, no gas fuss, digger! True tine guarantee.
Cons: The limit of my satisfaction has been the length of my extension cord.

Two years ago I was looking for a manageable tiller for my established vegetable garden beds -- the rental 8hp was like surgery with an ax. Clicking around I noted a variety of small tillers that caught my eye, and then a "Mantis Electric Tiller". I ...

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: Easy to start, quiet, powerful, no gas fumes.
Cons: The cord is somewhat bothersome, but it definitely beats a pull cord and gas fumes.

May 2008 UPDATE I would buy it again, in a heartbeat! It has been a year now, and the tiller is working very well. I have used it to make new flower gardens and most recently to remove a large area of ground cover. I would not want to give up ...

Pros: Quiet, powerful, light and easy to handle. No handling gas and messing with gas motors.
Cons: The only con is dragging the cord around.

My 3 year old 2 stroke engined Mantis Tiller was having trouble running smoothly and finally it stopped responding to the throttle. I had a bunch of tilling to do preparing plant beds so looked for a replacement. I saw the electric model which was not ...

Pros: Works well if the area has been dug up or tilled. Lightweight.
Cons: Difficult to start. The Honda engine option is the way to go.

I purchased the Mantis Tiller three years ago. There are a few different models; some have the better Honda engines, mine doesn't. This tiller isn't designed to break up hard ground, your garden will need to tilled with a larger tiller or dug up before ...

Pros: Lightweight, love the kickstand.
Cons: A little tricky to start, jumps a little.

Okay, I am changing my review here. At first I gave it low stars because it jumped so bad and I could not get it to start. Now that I have had time to work with it, I love it! There is a trick to starting the tiller, and now I can start it with no ...

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 ...