Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Ok folks, anyone have any comments, advice, suggestions or opinions between the two?

This spring I plan to landscape the front yard and am looking to put in flower beds, a small hedge along the front walkway and a few plants here and there. Aside from the usual topsoil and mulch, I would also like to till the areas where the new plants are going in not just to break the soil but to mix in some topsoil as well. Rather than pay some guy oodles of money, I figured I'd do it myself. So far, I have narrowed the search for a tiller down to two: a Mantis tiller with the Honda engine or the Honda FG100. I don't want a big regular tiller as we have no space for it and figured a small one could be used in case I get into that 'let's plant veggies' mood.

I would like to hear from folks who have used or seen these machines in action. Their prices are not that far apart and based on their website, the tines seem to be different and supposedly make a difference.

Thanks.

You asked, so here goes...

Never tried the Honda tiller but I have a Mantis.  It's has the little two cycle Echo engine and is without a doubt the most impressive piece of OPE I have ever owned or operated.  Luckily, I live near the Mantis factory and went to their showroom.  I bought a "reconditioned" unit for a pretty decent savings over new.  For all I know, it could have been new except for the fact that it came in a box marked "reconditioned" (or refurbushed).  If you go with the Mantis and order from them, ask if they have any reconditioned units.  I see no downside as they have the same factory warranty and satisfaction guarantee as a new unit.

It was easy to put together, and started easily with just a couple of pulls.  Last year I put in a bunch of paver walks and a patio, and built about 1,800 square feet of planting beds where I distributed the dirt excavated for the pavers.  Once I got them relativley smooth, I used the Mantis to get them ready for planting.  That little machine is an absolute workhorse.  The serpentine tine design is unique to Mantis (so they say) and really does cut down into the the dirt and churn it up well (the Honda FG100 has "normal" tiller shaped tines).  It'll go down about nine inches on it's own but if you play around in one spot, you can get it to dig a little deeper.  On hard turf, it takes a bit to get started but once it does, it cuts that up pretty well too.  You just have to move a bit slower.

While digging, it would ocasionally hit a rock.  If the rock was small, say up to six inches around, it would usually just toss it aside and keep on going.  Once in a while a rock would get caught in the tines.  Stop the machine, pull one pin, pull off the tines to clear the rock, and put it back together.  About fifteen seconds.  If it hit a really big rock, it would just bounce off it and as before, just keep on going.  It did manage to dig up a couple of pretty big stones though.  The tines have a lifetime guarantee which I don't believe Mantis will ever have to honor.  They appear to be pretty indestructable.

Two things I didn't like:

     1.     The throttle comes off the back of the handlebar and feels "backward" as you control it with your pinkie.  Not a big deal, I would just prefer to use my index finger.

     2.     It vibrates a LOT.  Wearing gloves helped but I would need to take a break once in a while.  Maybe the Honda engine would be a bit smoother.  I considered the Honda powered version but they didn't have any that were reconditioned and the guy at the factory said that parts were very hard to get for them.  There's also the electric model which is probably pretty vibration free. The factory guy said the electric tillers really do perform as well as the gas versions but I didn't want to bother with extension cords (and having to replace all the ones I'd end up "tilling" like I did with my snowblower and low voltage lighting cable).

One final consideration.  It is small.  Don't expect to work the farm with it.  For me, the size was perfect.  It did what I needed it to do and was easy to control.  It looks like you are going to do almost exactly what I did so the Mantis would probalby be a very good choice.  And yes, it takes up very little space in the garage.  Another option is renting one but overall, it wasn't that expensive and I know I'll find uses for it through the years.

I bought mine mostly on the recommendation of a friend.  He's had one for close to fifteen years and until he lent it to his brother-in-law who ran it without mixing oil in the gas, has had to, in the fifteen years, clean the carburator once and replace the primer bulb.  Total cost of about $3.00.

Finally, with the one year satisfaction guarantee, you can't go wrong.  They will take it back, no questions asked (but I don't think you'd want to part with it).  I'm not sure you can do this with the Honda tiller.  There are also a number of attachments available should you want it to do more.  Mine came with the border/edger which works O.K. but not as smooth of a cut as my dedicated edger.

Hope this helps.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask but I think I've pretty much said all I can think of.

Good luck.  They are both good machines and I'm sure you'd be happy with either.

LL

Hi mrmom...


I owned/operated several rear-tine tillers over the years... my absolute top pick here is the BCS brand...

Two+ years ago... I moved... no tiller... much smaller garden/yard... so I researched the mini's...
Mantis... Honda FG100... + a couple other mini-tillers...


Chose the Honda primarily because of it's EZ starting 4-stroke engine... plus better low-rpm torque...
Read tooooo.... many issues re. hard-starting the Mantis's 2-stroke... never saw the Mantis/Honda engine combo...

Now... a Mantis with the Honda 4-stroke... seems like it might be my top pick... have to check other variables...

My Honda usually starts 1-pull... 2 the most... hot or cold... even after it sat out the winter filled with PRI-G stabilized fuel...
Caution... let it sit the 1st winter with fuel in it... with Stabil stabilizer... carburator had to be replaced !

I am amazed/surprized how the mini-tiller grinds up the soil... grass... !
Rock jambs are a pain to remove... although I never thought of removing the pin/tines as mentioned...

Be aware... working a front tine mini tiller for any lenght of time will give the operator one heck of an upper-body workout !
Felt for days...


Dave...

I bought a used Mantis from Home Depot at one of their rental sales so you know it got kicked around before I got it. Its been running fine for two years now. I use it to till the back garden and just last summer to till grass into a compost area I started. Works great. Stuff like roots do wrap around the tines. Being able to easily pull the tines off can be a great help. I wear ear protection, gloves and long pants beacause its a powerful little beast and it can kick up the dirt.

Wow! Great responses so far. All very informative. So far at this point it seem to be  a toss up but I am leaning more towards the Honda due to local dealer support. Best though would be to take both for a spin. The amount of vibration will definitely be an issue as I do not want to end up with carpal tunnel problems down the road. We'll see....

Well, as luck would have it, I get home today and in the mail is the new issue of Consumer Reports and on page 45 is an article "Mini Tillers - More Power, Less Effort."

Now, a lot of people here (and other places) will argue that Consumer Reports isn't worth the paper it's printed on but I beg to differ.  I find the publication to be very objective, reasonably fair, and as for reliability ratings, statistically accurate.  Most nay sayers are usually people who feel insulted when something they own doesn't get the highest rating and badmouth CR.

To get to the point, the Honda FG100 is the highest rated machine by far.  It perormed best in Tilling, Sod Busting, Weeding, Starting, and tied with  a few others in Ease of Use.  The Mantis, my hero, was in the middle of the pack.  I still stand by my review but I'll have to say, if I were to buy today, I'd take a good long look at the Honda (or the Honda powered Mantis which was not the one they tested).

They also pointed out one thing about the electric tillers I never considered and that's you could easily drag the cord over small, delicate plants, causing unnecessary damage.

So there you have it...an unbiased opinion...

LL

Thanks for the heads-up on the Consumer Reports article. I'll have to give my cousin a call to borrow his issue. In the meantime I came across this today:

http://www.hondanews.com/CatID5004?mid=2004092343518&mime=asc

Sweet!! Looks like Honda just bumped things up a notch. BAM!!!!!

The Consumer Reports article had FG110 noted in perenthesis.  I didn't know what they were referring to.  Now I do, thanks.

LL

I just saw this on E-bay a little while ago, if anyones interested.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4355119962&ssPageName=ADME:B:WN:US:202

                                                                                 Kevin

Thanks Vangellis but am looking for a four cycle one as all our other OPE are such. Saw several FG100s on Ebay but am leaning now towards the FG110 after reading about it. It may be pricey but you only cry once.

I have owned a Mantis for quite a few years now.  I have never had a problem with it and can recommend it very highly.  IT does a great job, easy to use, and is by far the best money I have ever spent on a piece of equipment.  To give you an idea, I spent $199 when I purchase dit from a local dealer .  You couldn't even think of buying one at that price today.  I don't think you could go wrong or be unhappy with this little workhorse.