[Update] So the tiller finally failed completely with just 20 sqft left of 1200 sqft. From my perspective, and given the cost to rent a comparable tiller, this is still a win, so I purchased another one and won't change my rating. I did a postmortem to find the exact cause of the failure, expecting to find the worm gear or worm drive was fully stripped. While the worm gear was badly worn, it was still fully functional and woud have lasted quite a while longer. The worm drive, made of stainless steel, looked brand new, not even a scratch. As it turned out the failure was caused by a cheap deep groove ball bearing (6200RS type) above the gear that's being incorrectly used to absorb far too much stress for its design, there should be a pair of bearings both above and below the mating point to manage the stresses involved with tilling through packed clay and large rocks. Additionally, the gearbox is not as fully sealed as they might believe, I found dirt and small bits of rock in the gear oil. Disappointing design choices, for less than a dollar more per unit they could have made the gearbox much more capable. Still, for the price, I got a lot more use than I expected and can restore this one at some point in the future. Still consider it a solid buy. So heres the deal, ive been using a mantis for quite a while, and ive been fortunate that it hasnt needed significant repairs like most have, just usual maintenance. Recently i decided to lay sod on a 1200 sq.ft. parcel of land on my property that is about half flat and half sloped to 15°. We're nestled into the Santa Monica mountains and this parcel has been untouched for nearly a decade, with full sunlight, getting baked daily. The soil below 3" is clay/loam and below 5" is mostly clay - hard, essentially rock-like clay, with lots of large rocks, some the size of watermelons. All of which is to say that it is not a hospitable environment for a non-industrial tiller. Because I wanted to be able to work this project late into the evenings, I decided to try an electric tiller that was much quieter than it's gas counterparts. My expectations for this 13.5A tiller were not that high, having read, in numerous places, that it wasn't the equal of its gas powered counterparts. Now, I can't speak to it's longevity, nor can I speak to the quality of this company's customer service, but I've been using it for the past four days for about 5 hours a day, so I can speak to it's ability. For less than a third of the price of a Mantis, this tiller is, without equivocation, it's equal - with regard to churning our rock hard soil, potentially superior. If you are like me and had reservations about it's power, lose them. This tiller has chopped it's way through the worst of it, kicking out stones the size of cantaloupes without skipping a beat. It does struggle with the hardest of clay pockets, but the Mantis did as well. The higher rotational speed I expected to result in lower torque, again, I was wrong. If anything, the higher speed means I have to be more cautious with this tiller because it digs much faster than the Mantis in loamy soil. Bottom line, this tiller works and it works well with the worst soil I could throw at it. Couple additional notes. The cord is an issue, not a big one, but one you have to get used to. There are many simple solutions to this, something as simple as a long bungee cord attached to the power cable would work. I've chosen to work it forward, in small chunks, rather than in reverse, which always keeps the cord behind me, and, while on the topic of cords, make sure to size your extension cord for the required amperage of your tiller. Second, I recommend hose clamps be placed where the segments of the handle are put together with J-bolts, keeps it from coming loose while it bounces around - and because of its higher speed, it does bounce quite a bit, so be prepared for that. Last, I think the manufacturer should look into ways to firmly decouple the tiller from the handle to reduce transmitted vibrations to the user. It's possible, but would require some rework, I partially achieved this on the Mantis with strategically placed sorbothane, but it wasn't the best solution, makes it much easier on the arms and hands. So that's it. Great tiller, all the benefits of electric power, with the strength of similarly sized gas powered tillers. Anyone who tells you different either hasn't used it, or works for a competitor. I'll update when the project is completed if anything alters my current view.
