Mantis 7940 4-Cycle Gas Powered Cultivator, red & 5222 Power Tiller Dethatcher Attachment for Gardening

The Mantis tiller was very easy to assemble and set up. Just add gasoline and the enclosed oil and fire it up. It did a better job tilling my garden, given its size. This the first time working with this product. The Mantis replaces my old 25+ year old 3 HP tiller that died.

Works pretty good and I like the Honda engine. It is very quiet. The kickstand is a bonus to keep it upright when not in use. Will not cut through hard clay that we have in the Midwest so I only gave it 4 stars

I had one years ago and in ten years I never had to do anything to it,and I worked it hard and some of the farmers that I loaned it to, they also loved it so much they bought one but we bought the two strokes. They're light weight easy to handle.

It took longer than I thought to assemble the Mantis. There were three things I learned.First, use a rachet tool when putting on the kickstand. The area to turn the screw is very tight. Second, buy lock washers and use them when possible. I tightened all the screws, but the only ones that held tight were the ones where I had added the lock washers. Many of the other screws came off during the first use. Third, I couldn't get the Mantis started and had a close window to plant before the rain came. After trying for way too long, I took the Mantis to the hardware store and asked for help. The angel who helped me, squeezed the handle as he pulled the starter cord. He said it would help if there was any flooding. It did and I could finally begin. Once started, the Mantis worked great.I wish there were troubleshooting instructions for the Mantis 7940 online. Even so, they may not have given me the information I had to learn the hard way.

I must say I am impressed. Researched many tiller models, some mini and some not-so-mini. Settled on this Mantis after surveying reviews here and elsewhere. What a delightful little machine. The money and time it has saved allowing me to do the project I had paid for itself a couple times over.In spite of its relatively lightweight status (24lbs I think?), it did a surprisingly good job of digging into the heavily compacted dirt and clay in my yard. Doubly so because of roots I asked it to go through, leftover from the four trees we cut down. I do have a few recommendations for getting the most out of it:(1) Make liberal use of the ability to easily reverse the blades back and forth from “cultivating mode” into “tilling mode.” The cultivator mode made a HUGE difference in being able to cut through tree and plant roots without tangling and/or jamming every few seconds. Once the roots and plants are well dealt with, a quick return to the more aggressive tiller mode churns more deeply in very short order. NOTE: this also reduces the amount of bouncing that seemed to irritate some other reviewers. And me. :-)(2) Take your time and let it do its thing. Some want to make a single quick pass and then wonder why it only takes off an inch or so of the hard compacted top layer. Remember that it is, after all, a MINI tiller. Give it a moment, pull it back and forth a few feet to remove some of the dirt pile that builds up under the tines, and it will settle in for the deeper churn right quickly.(3) Get the kickstand. It’s too convenient to skip.(4) I think the real value of this machine (for me, anyhow) lies in its ability to do double-duty. Or quadruple duty, I guess. Treat yourself to the attachments. The power rake, edger, and aerator attachments are fantastically effective additions that really round out the Mantis’s capacity and utility in the yard, turning it into a true year-around workhorse. The attachments have been utterly worth the added expense, and switching between them is an easy and quick affair.My review was not solicited. I am submitting this review only because I am so tickled with it’s performance. The only criticism I can offer so far regards the less than perfect directions for assembly. Some of the nuts did not match what was described or displayed in the directions, and the wording was not entirely intuitive in every instance. Having said that, a little looking at what I had in the box made it clear enough what was needed, and it worked out just fine.The only caution I would have for potential purchasers is the size. This isn’t a critique of the unit itself so much as a cautionary comment to make sure it is what you want. It does a fantastic job for a mini tiller. But it is a mini tiller. My house sits on just shy of 1/3-acre and it takes a long time to work my entire lawn in any mode. If I had more storage room, I’d be wanting their larger model. Especially if my plan were to till the entire yard. Having said that, it does a fantastic job. I am highly impressed that such a small unit can do so much and do it effectively.The amount of time, effort, and money this Mantis has saved me has made me a huge fan. Far better machine than some of the other tillers I have used in the past and I couldn’t be more tickled with my purchase!

Unit worked better than expected. Started up right away, tilled like a monster.

I bought this to cultivate weeds in my moderate sized garden. Once the soil is loosened up and with the blades in the cultivate position, it eats weeds like crazy and is much easier on the back than using a hoe. If the soil is compact, it's light weight allows it to bounce a lot. It's very easy to maneuver between rows and get close to objects.With the blades in the till position, It does okay. Again, it tends to start bouncing. I would not want to use it to till a very large area. My rear tine tiller is much better at that. But once tilled, this helps with maintaining the soil very well.

This tiller starts easy and works very well. It also uses very little gasoline. I wear earplugs but it is not that loud considering how hard it works.The only negative that I have is when you are first tilling soil heavier roots tangle within the tines. This is true of other tillers too. The easiest way to untangle the roots is to remove the cotter pins and tines. Normally I can remove the roots pretty easily then. Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase.