I bought my Mantis 7225 - 15 - 02 U 2-cycle tiller years ago, when I was starting my first garden. I am still using the tiller. Whether I use it once or several times a year, the tiller starts easily and runs well. It breaks up the soil efficiently, creating a soft loamy texture that's perfect to plant seeds, new plantings and weeding between rows. The tiller blades are easy to clean. Just rinse them with the garden hose and dry them after each use. My tiller blades show no rust even after years of use. The thatching and other attachments are also very efficient and handy to use.

KrissWE

USA

I love my Mantis because it is easy for me to handle. I do have a large rear-tine tiller that I use for big jobs but I pull out the mantis for all of the other stuff I do around the house. It has a lot of power for a small machine. The only problem I have found is that it takes a little work to get it started. It also has to sit and warm up for a few minutes before you can start work. There have been some issues with getting it going after storing it for winter but my handy-dandy husband has been able to tinker with it and get it started up. If you don't have one of these handy people around that could be a big aggrivation.

kfreekave

Byhalia, MS

I just purchased the Mantis tiller after reading many reviews of it, and other machines. It really is amazing at how much this little tiller can do, especially considering it's size and weight. It started right up, and has a great feature of being able to idle even when you are not holding the handle. This makes it easy to do something else really quick and not turning off the engine every time. My vegetable garden is fairly extensive and was also quite filled with weeds. To the point where i couldn't even tell some of my plants from the weeds. Very embarrassing. I really tested the Mantis out and it only got clogged twice. Otherwise, it dug right into the soil and turned it over with ease. This is much easier to use than most other tillers due to it's size, and also it's handle position. It was great to get right in between the rows! The only issue was it's a bit akward to pull it towards you, but maybe I'll get more used to it the more I use it. Overall, I'd highly recommend this to any gardener!

Jackstraw

Deerfieldeld, IL

What makes this device unique is actually what makes you scratch your head at first.  When you're gardening, and trying to work with soil that needs enriching, the Mantis tiller lets you do it with a lot of fun.  It's easy to use, setting up and working backwards between rows (or over open ground).  It will till only as deep as the tines, but then again that is usually all you need to build rich soil and keep it in shape. Most tillers you work go forward in motion, making this one different from the startup.  Is that a bad thing?  I don't think so because although the tines are going forward, they are moving so fast that the backwards pull as you work the area gives it the ease of use relative to breaking the ground, and thus the friction it needs to do the work. If you have to break large ground or rocky areas or till beyond a normal "maintenance-style" depth, then this isn't the right machine for the job - other rear-tine power horses will do better. If you need something, however, to maintain a garden or flowerbeds or work up the surface of the ground into a deep richness that has to be seen to be believed, this little engine that could WILL surprise AND make a **believer **out of you.

KentuckyEnglishman

Mount Washington, KY

   The mantis is a very good gardening tiller.  However, it should only be used for small areas.  It cannot be used for large or rough grounds.  Grounds that have not been tilted or that has branches in it will bend the blades.  The Mantis is to be used for grounds that has been tiled before.  But it's a good machine to have.  Some of the benefits of having a Mantis is that women, who perform local gardening can use it for small areas in their yard.  It can be used to prepare the ground for flowering or vegetable gardening, too.    The Mantis is not heavy.  It's pretty light and can be moved around easily.  Thee Mantis requies very little maintenance.  After using the Mantis, just hose it down and dry it off.  It can be stored in a small shed.  it takes up very little space.  The blade on the Mantis are sharp, but not as strong as a larger/commercial tiller, which can accomodate for larger ground.  I used the Mantis on tough grounds, but the blades were unable to stand up under the pressure.     The Mantis easily starts, using very little force, and the control knobs are easy to handel.  Also, it requires little gas (unleaded fuel), which is easy on the pocket.  When using the Mantis, it takes a few minutes for the blades to dig into the soil, but once it's in deep, it operate like any other tiller.  Also, once you  engage the throtle in forward motion, all you have to do it guide it.  And when you get to the end of the row (gardening), it is easy to turn around, forwarding down the same row, or another one.  It's a good machine to have, for beginners.  And the instructions on how to used the tiller is quite simple, with little to no experience at all.  

larrcarey

Philadelphia, PA

I enjoy tilling my yard since purchasing this product. it is costly, initally. It doesn't till very deep on the 1st pass, but goes deeper with every pass. The fact that it is very lightweight more than makes-up for this fact. Its so easy to operate that a 10 year-old could opperate it.

Jameron

Clinton, TN

I wanted a large garden, but as a woman, I had a hard time handling a full sized tiller. I reseached the Mantis, as well as many other small tillers, and the Mantis had by far the best reviews. I shopped around for the best price I could find, and ordered a Mantis. It arrived, and I went right to work with it. It made gardeing FUN! This little tiller is so powerful. My dad laughed when he saw it, but I let him give it a try, and next thing I knew, he was recommending it to friends. We've had our Mantis for over 4 years now, and it still serves us well. I've seen other, less expensive take offs, and they are simply not as sturdy or powerful. The Mantis is easy to use for anyone, and works so well for smaller gardens and raised beds. You really won't need anything else. Don't waste your money on a lesser tiller, you will be glad you went for the Mantis, I know I have never regreted it. I can't wait for Spring, so I can begin gardening again.

Meofcourse1982

Greencastle, IN

Well ther are a lot of pros to this machine and some cons too!  Things I like about this machine are that it is light weight, it stores easy, is easy on gas, and can lightly weed your gardens.  Things I don't like about this machine are that it can be pretty hard to control, it starts hard the first few times each year, its noisy and it doesn't do well in rocky soil.  This tiller is not for use by childern!  I think the biggest thing that sticks in my mind about this tiller is that it jumps around alot and can be really hard to control. There's not a lot of consistancy in how deep it tills either.  You can dig holes with it or barely scratch the surface with it.  You can plan on leveling your ground out by hand with a rake when you're done  Pretty much it's only use is for lightly tilling flower beds or other soil areas.  I would not reccomend purchasing a Mantis tiller unless you have physically seen one in action.

youbetbutler

Jenison, MI

The Mantis Tiller, or more exactly, the Mantis Precision Gardening System, is built in America. I don't know how people cultivated gardens before this tiller was invented. They probably had to use a hoe. The company name is well known, and for good reason. This little tiller is easy to use. It can be lifted by a handle located near the motor. It has a two-cycle engine, meaning it uses both unleaded gas and two-cycle engine oil. I like the fact that it can be quickly shut off using a switch on the right handle. Another safety feature: The tines won't move unless you are pressing a lever on the handle. The flyer that came with this said you can get a lot of attachments for it, including Planter/Furrower, Border Edger, Lawn Aerator, Lawn De-thatcher, and two different sized hedge trimmers. The tines don't bend easily, but if they ever break in normal use, the company will replace them. The Mantis company has a good reputation for friendly and courteous customer service.

GoodLuckFlower

Woodland Park, CO

I am an avid gardener, mainly for economic reasons.  I grow mainly peppers and tomatoes, but ended up planing a LOT of trees and bushes too.  I started my first garden about 20 years ago, and at that time I just had a small plot to dig up every season...then, as the family grew, we had a bigger garden and my son did the "dirty work"!  Well darn it, my son grew up and got married,and I grew older and still needed the garden plowed--enter the Mantis!  I had seen loads of ads about the tiller with the free trial and guarantee.  Being on a limited budget, I really like that I could make payments, and that the Mantis came with an extra bonus attatchment.  I had several concerns of course, like did it do everything they said it would, such as be lightweight (yes!), easy to start (yes again!), and--my biggest concern--would it work in my horrendously rocky soil.  Here in the Ozarks we have amazing dirt that you can sometimes find in and around our even more amazing rocks.  This tiller WORKED, even with loads of rocks.  It just kicks 'em right up out of the dirt, doesn't stall out, and the tines (I have no idea how), don't bend or break--amazing!  Oh, occasionally I'd have a rock get wedged in the tines, but amazingly not that often.  The really great bonus for me was that it could even dig fantastic holes.  I ended up with about 40 trees and bushes to plant, and this little machine dug every hole like a trooper.  Highly recommended!! 

coolretrogal

Stella, MO