Mantis Tiller

Pros: Power, light weight
Cons: Difficult to start, choke design, dangerous bounce

After reading a number of favorable reviews I decided to buy a Mantis tiller. I find the machine to be powerful and light weight. My chief complaint is that it is very difficult to start. This engine will flood in a heart beat and the choke control is difficult to grasp if you have large hands. The unit will also bounce like a rabbit on hard ground creating a danger for the operator. I understand that they make a model with a Honda engine which would probably be much better. After two months of pulling the starter cord until my hands are bloody I am sending my machine back.

Pros: Good for small flower beds with loose soil.
Cons: Not adequate for soil that is not already loose.

When I bought the mantis, the dealer called it a tough little machine. A year later, after a total of some 10 hours of (partly heavy) tilling, the motor was completely shot. The dealer then admitted it isn't really meant for a big garden.

Pros: Power, light weight, good return policy
Cons: difficult to start, dangerous bounce

After reading a number of favorable reviews I decided to buy a Mantis tiller. I find the machine to be powerful and light weight. My chief complaint is that it is very difficult to start. This engine will flood in a heart beat and the choke control is difficult to grasp if you have large hands. The unit will bounce like a rabbit on hard ground creating a danger for the operator. I understand that they make a model with a Honda engine which would probably be much better. After two months of pulling the starter cord until my hands were bloody I sent the machine back.

Pros: lightweight and compact
Cons: difficult to start, temperamental, doesn't have the power of a large tiller

I've had nothing but trouble starting my mantis tiller from the first day I tried it. Even following the instructions in the manual step by step yields inconsistent results.
If you decide to buy this tiller, make sure you try it right away to make sure you don't have the same problem. I waited too long - I didn't assemble it and try it out until the second season.
I took it to a certified service center. They told me that these types of tillers tend to be temperamental and difficult to start. The mantis tiller is also very sensitive to fuel that isn't absolutely fresh, so you have to pretty much drain any unused fuel after each time you use it (especially during a hot summer).
The mantis doesn't do well cutting through superficial tree roots (like those of maple trees). The roots will get all tangled up in the tines, and stop the motor. The accessory you can buy to help keep the tines free from tangles doesn't alleviate the problem all that much.

Pros: small, easy to start,
Cons: price, maneuverability, doesn't till new garden spots well

I purchased this tiller because I thought it would be easy for me to use. It starts well, but is difficult to use if you want to till up a new garden space. It takes alot of upper body strength to maneuver as you pull it towards you. If your ground is anything but extremely soft or already tilled, it hops and jumps around. Not like they show in the ad.

Pros: Small, light weight, stores easily.
Cons: Not good unless you're a 2 cycle engine mechanic. Requires constant adjustments. 

Save  your money. I bought one four years ago. I have a small garden so I bought this small tiller. Worked great the first couple of times, then the problems started. Hard to start, required constant adjustments, expensive to maintain, parts not readily available.  2 cycle engine is finicky and requires constant adjustments. Tines clog often. Bought this because I'm an ardent gardener and wanted something to help prepare the soil. I'm going back to the shovel and rake. Very few places to get the Mantis parts and repair/maintenance. Great idea, but essentially a piece of junk. Recommend you do not buy despite the flashy ads.

Pros: The Mantis parts department is very efficient.
Cons: The fuel system needs improvements. The diagrams in the manual could be much better.

I have 2 Mantis tillers. They both have the same problem: the carburetor fails to supply fuel to the engine. I know this because both runs fine as long as I squirt gas directly into the intake manifold. This problem is typical of many small engines, but this is the first one I have not been able to fix? It's proprietary; parts can only be bought from Mantis or an authorized dealer. I bought their best carburetor rebuild kit and install it. It ran well for a few hours and then quit. The second Mantis tiller was bought to compare to the first: no difference.

Pros: Lightweight
Cons: Hard to start, complicated to maintain.

Every time I have used the Mantis, I've had problems.  It floods every time I try to start it.  I get out the manual each time so that I know I'm doing it right, so I know it's not my fault. I spend at least 40 minutes trying to get it started before I can actually use it.  Once it's running, it's not easy to use like it says on the website and infomercial. Weeds and sticks get tangled up in it so it shuts off. It does bounce off hard dirt. It's hard for me to hold on to, even though the website says that old ladies can use it. The maintenance is fairly complicated, too. I admit I don't know anything about small engines, but if you read the owner's manual for all the things you have to do for this thing, it makes your head spin. False advertising. Hard to use product.  I'm going to try to return it.

Pros: When it works, it works well for a small tiller.
Cons: Electric motor will only run a short while before overheating and shutting itself off.

Recently purchased a Mantis electric tiller, and have been very disappointed in the result. The motor overheats very quickly during light-to-moderate use. It won't even till a 5x10 foot garden without having to stop several times when the circuit breaker shuts it off, and wait for it to cool down. About 10 minutes use till the first shut-off, then only about 30 seconds or less of use after each circuit breaker is triggered, unless the machine is allowed to cool down for hours. Extremely exasperating!!!

Pros: Does small to medium lawn and garden tasks fine.
Cons: None really to think of...aside from detangling the blades from weeds now and then.

I've been using the same Mantis tiller for about 8 years. I've had it serviced 3 times (tuneup). It starts every time, aerates my lawn, tills my vege garden and I'm about to buy the 30" hedge trimming attachment. Previous user, I'm sorry you got a lemon. It happens...

Pros: Lightweight
Cons: Price does not reflect value (by far). Unreliable is an understatement.

Let me start off by saying I feel this company should be sued for the extremely unreliable product they have been selling for years. I know of at least three other people that own this tool and we all share the same problem. Hard starting and a horrible carburetor design for the small displacement engine it is attached to. After taking a closer at this carburetor I feel a large part of the problem is the mixture screws are not tunable to a fine degree that they need to be. (in other words, the points should be at a greater angle and the shaft should have at least double the threads of what is there now.) Two of the people I know who own these tillers have been bought within the past two years and they started having problems within only a few uses. Mantis is well aware of this problem, yet has offered no solution other than to empty their customers pockets even further and leave the customer with the exact same problem they had to begin with.

Pros: It is small and light weight.
Cons: Difficult to use without a kickstand.

I find it difficult to use since there is no way to leave it running while you do some small task or to move debris that is in the way without a kickstand. They now include the stand with the tiller but will not help out previous purchasers with this obvious flaw. I use it less than I would and feel it was a waste of money.

Pros: SUPER POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO!!
Cons: None to speak of...

Although I do not own one of these little beauties yet, I am sure to soon remedy that condition. I had a fairly sizable spot, or two, in my yard that excessive oak leaves had killed the grass on. I decided to try out the Mantis to dig up these areas for reseeding. MAN-OH-MAN does this little powerhouse tear up the sod! I was VERY impressed with the strength and power-to-size ratio!

Pros: Once it starts, this Mantis tiller is kick butt. A real go getter.
Cons: My Mantis has a hard time starting after just a few days out of shop.

I've had my Mantis for some time now and it takes me forever to get it started. I've had it in the repair shop many times for this resean. Each time they fix it, I bring it home and use it. After about the third time I have to start it, it just fights me. My rope pulling arm is twice as big as my other arm. Is there a secret code I have to enter before trying to start it?