Troy-Bilt TB154E 6 Amp Electric Garden Cultivator

After pricing various tillers and cultivators, and examining them in the store, I decided on this one for several reasons, most of which involved our specific needs. When I mentioned on a gardening forum I was getting a Rototiller, they thought I said Rottweiler, and the name stuck.We do not have rocky soil, and are putting in a vegetable garden area and border around our yard, which is 1/3 acre. We needed something, but didn't need a huge piece of equipment. This is lightweight enough for me to use, and yet it gets the job done. Since I just hit 60 years old, I really appreciate how easy it is for me!It came almost completely assembled, I only had to fasten the handle on, then plug it in. We already use electric gardening items, so I had the necessary cord on hand. Everything adjusts and clips on easily, really a no tools required machine. The safety buttons and features are awesome for a novice like me.The manual advised that I should try getting used to the controls, and I am glad I did! It pulled forward like it really wanted to take off like its nickname, Rottweiler. After a couple of tries, I was able to work it easily. In fact, it tore through an area that would have taken hours to do by hand in only a few minutes. We had mowed the grass short before I started, and it chopped through, breaking up the soil, grass and weeds!We will be collecting cow patties from a friend and mixing them in to create a good blend for next spring, so it is doing all of the hard dirty work for us. But for now, I'm taking my little Rottweiler for a walk during the morning and getting things ready.*** Edit - it is now Spring, and I want to report that this little monster is still chewing away. I set up my garden patch with it and took it over to my daughter's home where we cleared out several patches of grass (after knocking down the weeds with a Weed Whacker), into the rich deep soil that is in her yard!Probably my only problem is that since my yard is so large, I had to buy a longer cord to run it.It runs forward quickly, then tills more deeply as you pull it backwards. The work isn't "easy" like it would be on a riding one, or one that was really heavy, but for our garden work, this is awesome.In her yard, I tried tilling where there were some heavy weeds, and they got tangled pretty badly, so I had to clean them out, but it wasn't a problem at all, just took a couple of small gardening tools and worked at it for about 5 minutes. After that, we made sure that we cut down the weeds a bit first.Still very pleased.

Frankly, I'll still call it a tiller, even though it is a cultivator. So please don't get after me on it, it's like how everyone calls their sparkling wine, champagne.Assembly - SimpleNothing needs to be said. Takes no more than a few minutes.Power - GreatRemember, this is an electric tiller. Even so, this tiller does great. It easily breaks up new ground, though I needed to go over it a few times. I also dug it in, to see if it still spins, and it does, quite easily. It rips through large areas of creeping jenny (wild morning glory, whichever you want to call it) without getting tangled or losing power.Weight/Size - Light/SmallThis thing is TINY. You can easily maneuver it in small places, and is very, very light. However, due to its weight, it does bounce on rocks that it does not uproot. On rocks it does uproot however, it just spits them out for easy pickup. I have yet to jam, though I read that it does very often among the other reviews.Cleaning - EasyThe tines are held in place by pins, so removal of the tines is very easy, in a process that takes less than the assembly time.In all, a great tiller. It is extremely quiet, which is what I enjoy most. Cleaning is easy, and the power is sufficient to till all sorts of soil, granted you dont mind spending some time working the ground a little more. I live in the badlands of Montana, so the ground is very rocky (pebble rock to about 3 inches) and dry, but not too dense. Just for reference.

Pros:-Lightweight-Good performance per dollar value-Durable-Quiet(compared to gas)-Simple and safe start/shutdownCons:-Too short for a person over 5'7"-Can jam occasionallyMy girlfriend and I bought this little monster two months ago because we planned and agreed to start landscaping this year. Our first project was a 150 sq. ft. flower bed along the back perimeter of our home. This tiller did a great job at chewing through tough limestone- and clay-filled earth. Running it hard and really giving it a good workout, I was skeptical and expected this little thing to just fall over dead. Much to my surprise, it performed the work admirably and only asked for more. We occasionally had a golf ball sized rock wedge itself and jam the tines. We stopped the tiller immediately, and noted that the rock was wedged perfectly between a tine and a screw thread coming into the tine operating "chamber". A couple careful whacks with a claw hammer freed the tine and jarred the rock loose. I would say that on our land, we get one jam every other hour of use. Considering how much limestone we have here in the Shenandoah Valley I would say this is as good as you can get without a HUGE commercial tiller.We have also had the tines bend slightly, so that upon rotation they would strike the metal housing, or a bolt thread, etc etc. I simply turned off and removed the offending tine from the tiller, then gracefully bashed the crap out of the tine with a claw hammer until it was shaped correctly again. These tines are probably the toughest part of the entire tiller. They feel like forged steel and can really take anything you throw at them. I suspect the electric motor will fair long before I break or even chip a tine.Final thoughts: My girlfriend and I are both working professionals with very limited time. We care more about getting the job done safely and correctly in a limited time more than saving a few dollars. We chose this tiller because it was light enough for either of us to use it, and it has surpassed our expectations.