VonHaus Electric Tiller 1050W – Garden Soil
VonHaus Electric Tiller 1050W – Garden Soil Cultivator/Rotavator – 32cm Working Width, 22cm Tilling Depth, 4 Steel Blades, 10m Cable, Brake Button, Foldable Frame
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use | Electric lawn scarifier and rake | Electric lawn scarifier and rake | Electric rake | Electric artificial grass sweeper | Electric soil cultivator | Electric soil cultivator |
| Wattage | 1800W | 1500W | 1300W | 1800W | 1050W | 1400W |
| Cutting Width | 38cm | 32cm | 32cm | 38cm | 32cm | 40cm |
| Cable Length | 10m | 10m | 10m | 12m | 10m | 10m |
| Size (H x W x D) | 99cm x 60cm x 120cm | 111cm x 50cm x 102.5cm | 111cm x 96cm x 50cm | 105cm x 57.5cm x 107cm | 142cm x 25cm x 30cm | 110cm x 40cm x 105.5cm |
| Weight: | 10.4 kg |
| Dimensions: | 49.5 x 36 x 30 cm; 10.4 Kilograms |
| Pack Quantity: | 1 |
| Manufacture: | Domu Brands |
| Dimensions: | 49.5 x 36 x 30 cm; 10.4 Kilograms |
| Quantity: | 1 |
Easy to put together, but switch and trigger gear not explained in instruction book.
Now working well.
I live in an area with very hard clay soil. Needless to say this dug in and rotavated the soil in mins. It was effortless. As some say you need two hands to release the trigger lock and press the trigger but once going it works very well. Very happy and would recommend it.
I bought this because I needed to till my garden to lay down turf. It was a decent sized area and doing it by hand would have taken my an age. This helped me do in 2 hours what would have taken me about 24 by hand. Only thing I will say it works better dragging backwards than it does going forwards.
Well what a great tool . Had to get this to help break up the soil to dig it out and it did it very well. The tool does jump a bit when it his stone and bricks but coped very well . It even broke up the hard clay in the ground.
If you’re a farmer and need something to plow fields for the next 20 years, probably not up to the job. If you just want to sort out a normal sized garden ready for lawn or planting then this is superb. It is very strong, and takes whatever soil you point it at and churns it up into nice crumbly soil. If it finds slabs or big bricks it gently throws them to the side. Chops up small roots, up to maybe 1-2 cm but anything bigger it will jump over. As for other reviews the safety switch is in the wrong place and means you have to use your other hand to press it until you get it started. Having tried digging about 40 sq metres manually, normally giving up after about 1 sq mtr, to get it ready for an extra bit of lawn, I used this tool and did the whole lot in about 15 mins, to a much better standard than I could have done manually. Amazing little tool, ridiculous value for money, and good fun for the little time you will have to use it. One of the best things I’ve ever bought 🙂
Easy to use. Makes a tough job alot easier! It can pull you about a bit so it feels like a bit of a work out. Good useful tool and worth the money!
Quite an amazing machine for the price, very pleased on how it works
Does a decent job on our garden. Good value for money
Brought this to dig out for a patio approx 6″ down. The ground was pretty hard with plenty of flint & bricks in it. This machine dug through hard dirt no problem. Pretty powerful so you must make sure you’ve got hold of it as it can bounce. Worth every penny! Don’t hesitate will save time & pain!
It’s quiet, broke through compacted rock hard lawn with a couple of passes. Shrugs off small stones ( wear some boots and trousers!!), it does bounce a bit when you get to hard stuff but no problem if you concentrate, it’s not a flymo….
It was more powerful than I expected which is good!
To save time and hard work of digging by hand
Never used a rotorvator before. This Von Haus made one was one of the cheapest out there and the reviews were predominantly very good. Assembly was very easy. Using the machine was quite scary at first but you soon get used to it. The soil being tilled was very stony and very heavy clay. I needed it to till the ground in preparation for creating a lawn area approx. 20m x 20m. Given it was clay I wasn’t looking forward to digging it over by hand with a fork, so a cheap rotovator made sense. Essentially it made mince meat of the soil and did an amazing job! However because it was on stony ground and clay once switched on it was like trying to control a wild horse ! For something that is only just over 1Kw in power this little beast is pretty impressive and tilled the area in just over 10 mins, so saved a lot of time and energy. I would thoroughly recommend this rotovator. There are a few negative reviews and these are predominantly focused on the mounting of the base to the motor casing. Although the mounting screws are pretty flimsy and there could have been a better way to mount the bars, they do however do the job and I didn’t have any problem, but I can imagine if used repeatedly on several projects over a number of years that these screw mounts could well fail ( I am sure you could fix this problem easily in some DIY fashion and probably make it better if it did fail). However, you pay for what you get. This rotorvator is very cheap, but it does do the job very well and if it is only for a small project and only needed once, you can sell it on as used for 40.00 to someone, so for the sake of only 20 or thereabouts you have saved yourself some very back breaking work and probably a whole day’s work, and I think that is well worth the price paid. All in all, for what it isgreat machine!
My garden was very compact soil and grass. This made life so much easier to cut through it all. When doing a grassy area, make sure you unplug and clean around the blades to stop overheating. Overall I cannot fault it, brilliant product for the money.
I didn’t hold out much hope for this item. I thought that it would struggle to turn over the earth in the area that is going to be re-turfed. Assembly was easy, a nice long lead attached. Time for start up and the first major problem! I found it impossible to start the machine one handed, so both hands in use, one to press the safety button to allow the hand lever to start the machine and the other hand on the lever, It was like trying to control a demon as it bucked with only one hand on the machine. Once I got the other hand on to the handle I could control it. It tilled the earth with no problem, I could go deeper by going back over the area. BUT, if it started to buck after hitting any object it took a fair bit of effort to control it! The safety lever was excellent and the machine stopped instantly.. I found it easier to work the earth by going backwards. So in summary, an excellent rotovator, good monetary value but does have serious issues with the starting procedure. I have a lawnmower with a similar staring system ( button and lever. ) the position is such that I can use one hand to start it. The addition of a starting system which can be used with one hand would make this a 5 star machine.
It did a great job of loosening up very hard soil that was covered in weeds… But it is very clumsy to use. You need to both hands to start it, leaving none to hold it down. As a result it bucks about like a wild beast when you try get it going. It will also kick up soil absolutely everywhere when you push it forward, it’s much easier to use when pulling towards you – just be mindful of where the cord is!
Very powerful, be careful when starting it up-it’ll be like holding down a bag of angry lions! Once you get used to it, it does a great job.
I have a shared border with a house that was empty for about 3 years. The soil was compacted clay based and extremely difficult to dig and break up. The tiller did the job. It is not for the faint hearted, and not the easiest machine to use on a hard clay as it bucks about quite a bit and throws the soil all over the place, however, I have to say it got the job done and this task was at the top end of the difficulty scale due to the clay. It is a powerful little machine. An element of strength is needed to use and control this little Beast !
Decided to returf (seed) my lawn as it was hilly, bumpy and far from level.
After slicing the top layer of grass off, it was then a case of turning the soil underneath. I had a mix of clay soil, small stones and sections of nice soil. Realising it was going to take ages of backbreaking work to break down the soil, i bought one of these.
Worked an absolute treat!
Went over it several times in different directions, but even 1 pass you could see the work it was doing
My only advice to anyone whos not used one before, is it can be quite easy and deceiving how deep it can dig dow
excellent product good value for money – used it to rotavate my garde
When I was putting this together on arrival It felt flimsy and that I had wasted my money but upon using this it has exceeded my expectations ! Excellent piece of kit although the safety button and handle are awkward to operate like other’s have mentioned. have
I have a large garden and a lot of digging so this has made the job a lot easier. Should also add customer service with this company is excellent, had to send back the first one as a wee technical issue but no problem and new one sent out. Fab service
Great little tiller saved me so much work and time when we decided to dig the lawn up and lay a new one. Easy to assemble and use and quite powerful..
Powerful little machine, easy to assemble if you use common sense. The machine does jump around a lot if you have very hard ground, but once it has dug in it is a great little machine. I used for loosening hard compacted, stoney ground to dig out a pond area.
Excellent product. Used to turn over my veg patches. Will use later to level a larger patch of land.
The photos show a bit of before and after (and that is only after about 5 minutes) and I had to keep stopping to let the robin have a go at whatever was being churned up! The clips for holding the cable are pretty useless; they fall off after only a few seconds and personally I find it a bit difficult to manoeuvre; I sometimes have to stop and lift it up and move it, but it has made such a difference to getting through my ultra- heavy clay soil. I honestly think this might be the best 80 I’ve ever spent!
Not generally one for leaving reviews, but very impressed with this little machine.
Used it to till over a new vegetable patch, working in compost and manure. As other reviewers have noted, walking backwards is the way to go.
Excellent little machine with plenty of power for your average gardener/smallholding.
Nice cheap, simple to use tiller. Robust and powerful enough. I used it to till 2 x 80ft long by 3ft beds with tree stumps every 14 inches and a 28ft by 10 ft bed. I also used it to break up some hard-core that was under some paving I lifted. The heavy clay compacted soil had it bouncing like a bucking bronco as it started but pulling it back it dug in and just broke everything up. Grass and weeds were no bother, but it did jam up after it went over some bed springs (don’t ask) and when I bounced it off a stump into some chicken wire! Once clear it was good to go.
Great little tiller at a good price. Another quality product from VonHaus. Made a good job of tilling a grass lawn but like other reviews the only downside is having to use both hands to start it. Easy to control except if you hit a large root where it does bounce around a bit.
Very easy to assemble and work. Used it for a vegetable plot which took three hours to dig over. Tiller took twenty minutes. Wish I had bought it years ago. Very reasonably priced.
Needed a cheap rotavator to prepare a small area of garden for grass seed. The soil was thick clay & wasn’t sure if this was man enough for the job, but was surprised at how effective it was.
This item is a complete animal, it chewed through everything withe ease. Clay and roots were no issues for this beast. Very powerful. I got home from work, put it together and thought I would have a go, it was so good I ended up doing my 30m2 garden in 25 minutes. It was so easy. It was actually a joy to use. Only complaint was, the safety switches are difficult to use one handed. You need to use 2 hands to operator both switches but then you need both hands on the handles to hold on tight when it starts up.
Used this to rotovate my garden before laying new turf. I used a spade to dig big sods and then ran over them with the rotovator. Made short work of my heavy, heavy clay soil. Saved hours of backbreaking work.
Easy to put together, does the job, allotment all dug ove
Arrived well before delivery Date given. Easy to assemble and use. Used it in a small area where the soil was compacted and brick hard. Made light work of it including roots and stones. Managed to get down to a reasonable depth as well. Works best when pulling it backwards towards you.
This took just 10 minutes to put together. Great packaging. Theyre right when they say get ready to grab it when you turn it on. This is one powerful machine. My garden was horrible and this sliced through like butter. So glad i bought it.
This worked well. It made the soil all fine and delightful to plant in. Did a roughly 8m patch for vegetable planting. Went over it a couple of times and it’s come up a treat. Took maybe 20 mins in total. Gonna do the flower beds at some point too. Mental.
I’m not sure what else to tell you but if you’re looking for something powerful, compact and good for general garden purposes, I would recommend this. Also it’s cheaper than a lot of the other options so really what’s not to love.
I cant believe how well this worked. I was going to hire a petrol one but it was cheaper to buy this one. I honestly expected this to break or be hard work to get the job done but it worked perfectly. I did however only use this to level a part of my lawn so the soil wasnt too stoney but it did it with ease. I waited until we had a little rain to soften the soil but I dont think this was necessary. I suspect it would be fine, if not easier, to use with dry soil.
Very easy to put together took a few minutes only.
Can be quite tiring to use for more than half hour at a time and can put strain on your back if not holding/using it properly. It feels like you are walking a dog that is constantly trying to pull away from you!
This would be the same for any machine like this so it cant be marked down for that.
Highly recommend.
Quite a powerful machine, did exactly what I wanted. Produced fine soil no lumps. Easy to assemble.
I have only used this for an hour so I guess its still very much early days, but I’m actually blown away by how impressive this little beast is! I’ve rotavated a small lawn area with utter ease and zero experience. Gonna get the lawn laid tomorrow and come back with before and after pics. But yeah, for the same price as it would have cost to hire one, I’m pretty impressed!
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Absolutely over the moon on the way this performed.
I was slightly concerned about the power rating but in practice there was more than enough power.
The section to the right of the photo only took about 7 minutes, compared with using a fork which would have taken ages!
You do need to have a little muscle when using, since because of the rotation of the splines it tends to pull away from you.
I wish that I had bought one years ago.
So …. it took me 10 minutes max to make the handle (honestly it’s easy as pie). Rest is pre built. The cable is very long per advert and is ORANGE. So very easy to see. The safety and on/off handle are tricky to use at first but 5 minutes and you get used to it – and far, far safer that way! This thing churned up a never, ever dug area 1.5 m x 7m & took out stones of all sizes, trees roots of up to 1/2″ diameter & turned the crappy soil into a wonderful plantable area. It’s harder work than you think, a bit heavier than I thought & like using a bucking bronco till you get used to it – going backwards is, as reviewers have said, the way to go very powerful, incredible piece of kit for its price. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
This was purchased to turn over 50 square metres of clay soil that had been cleared of a huge laurel hedge and some leylandi. The stumps had been ground below soil level but many large roots remained.
The VonHaus coped admirably with the roots and had no difficulty turning the soil over to a depth of around 20 cm.
As the title of this review suggests it provided a lot more of a workout than I expected. Despite its compact size the VonHaus has considerable power and it was an intense forearm workout dealing with the roots.
I would recommend this for general garden tilling and it was more than adequate for the heavier job I asked it to do.
his machine is fantastic we recently re designed our garden and this little tiller was ideal it got into all the little corners the soil was walked down quite solid and this tiller went over it a few times and you would think we had sieved the soil I can recommend this highly enough…small but VERY POWERFULL
This thing is quite a beast! It’s small and light but it really digs in when you turn it on. It’s quite a job to hold on to it sometimes. You have to hang on to it and walk backwards with it, going forwards it not really an option.
It is very sturdy and very effective. Great value for the price
It was very labour intensive, but the area of ground we wanted tilling was very hard hence the need for the machinery. It felt as if you had a serious workout. I thought the aim was to take the strain out of it, lol.
However, It did the job satisfactory, and now we have a seeded law
Almost perfect however the reason i have gone for 4 stars on the individual reviews is that it can be a bit of a beast. The assembly instructions were a little confusing however once assembled it did the business.
A word of warning though, if you are working on firm ground the machine does tend to jump around.
Once the first cut has been made it is in its element and makes short work of tilling a medium sized future vegetable patch and certainly saved me a lot of back breaking digging.
I really recommend this tiller especially considering the price compared to other models/makes.
We needed to dig over and turf our lawn after a tough summer of kids playing on it and this completely took most of the backbreaking work out of it! It cut through some really compacted soil and quite big roots easily and saved us hours of digging over the soil. I wasn’t expecting it to be as robust as it is given that it is cheaper than many other similar products but we are very pleased with it!
Well, as always with mixed reviews, I wasn’t expecting a lot with this Rotavator, but as it wasn’t much dearer than hiring one for the day I thought I’d try it. For this money you can’t be disappointed! I only had a 20 sq metre area of old lawn to get up but it did it effortlessly leaving a lovely fine finish. I only had to clear up a few clumps of grass but otherwise it was a perfect finish. As most people have said, pulling it backwards (towards you as you use it) after it starts is quite easy and the best way to use it. I’ve literally just finished the job and it only took an hour – I’ll probably go over it a few times to give an even better depth. Well pleased!
Was a little reluctant to purchase this item as only wanted to for small patch and boarders. So didn’t want big petrol one .
I was amazed at the power it has and how deep it will dig …….best thing bought all year
Bit tricky starting with safety button it needs holding in to start…. but soon got wife to press for me (then get out of way ). Beware it can jump if not held firmly
This piece of garden equipment has made my landscaping projects possible, wish I had bought one years ago, takes the hard work out of digging & preparing soil. It’s very sturdy & powerful enough to turn over turf, weeds & heavy clay soil down to 3 or 4 inches. It took a bit of practice for me to control it at first, I am 64, but my son had no problem. Prepared 3 areas for laying lawns, a vegetable patch and a pond. It’s delivers really fine soil, even dealt with small stones that we’re hidden. Only criticism is the cable isn’t very long so had to use an extension. Delivery was only 2days during lockdown. Would recommend.
The on button is placed awkwardly for safety reasons but it detracts from its purpose as you have to use both hands to start the machine whilst holding onto it for dear life! It could be placed better.
The oil sump comes empty but there are no instructions to add oil or what type to the worm and wheel gears. It is oiled and there is a sump plug but no information on its purpose. I bought it to till hard clay and the machine just bounces on top, I have to wet the clay got it to dig in. I expect that, not a fault, just advise to anyone in my situation. I did add 20/50 oil but the gears still get warm. Time will tell how it fares but I like it and I’m hoping I’ll be able to break down the clay with repeated use.
I used this to prepare soil that hadn’t been worked for 20 years.
SO fast, so good, however
As many others have mentioned the safety start button is really badly placed
To start the tiller, you have to use your left thumb to depress the safety swith – which is on the right handle,whilst you are doing this you squeeze the right trigger, so, just as this turns into a backing bronco, you can’t hold it securely, so the first 1-2 seconds are a bit of a panic as you move your left hand to the left handle and tame the beast
Once you have done that, the rest of the process is easy, and it does a great job
So, start the work in the middle of the area where you are tilling, that way when it inevitably bucks left or right a bit, you don’t do any damage to surrounding grass/greenhouses/plants
Works best if you pull it towards you – you get a deeper till that way compared with going forwards
Assembly is easy if you look at the diagrams carefully before starting
People have commented on the apparently small screws that hold the handle to the body. They are fine, after 30 hours of rough use, the handle is still very secure
I bought this item as I had old grass and want to lay a lawn. I saw a review that calls this item “the terminater ” and I couldn’t agree more. It took about two hours to tackle an area about 30 square metres. It tackled not only old grass but brambles and bind weed. As you can see I wouldn’t class myself as a gardener but this item has inspired me.
As with other reviews, it is really good at it’s job apart from the start when it can be like a bucking bronco. I is easier to pull backwards as others have mentioned but after all that it is a lot easier and quicker than hand digging.
This machine is absolutely fantastic. Do not be deceived by its small size, it packs one heck of a punch and is very powerful for its size. It chews through heavy clay soil with absolute ease.
Mine arrived within 24 hours of being ordered and it took about 10 minutes to assemble and was used straight away. I was literally taken aback at its power, it is much more capable than some petrol models I’ve hired in the past.
As per other reviews, use gloves and I’d also strongly recommend wearing eye protection as this thing really kicks up the soil and anything else that is in the way. Unlike other reviews, mine came with a bright orange power cable, so is highly visible.
I’ve no hesitation recommending this rotavator especially at the price its available for on here.
Struggles a bit on really hard soil and bounces about a lot, but if you persevere you get there in the end. Very good with normal soil. Also bit tricky starting, bit like electric lawn mowers, you press a button and pull a lever, you do the same with this, so when you select and press you need two hands, the machine is off and you really have not got control, should have a better system, however you get used it and its fine once you get used to it. With the name I thought it was made in Germany/ Holland, but no!, designed in Manchester, made it china ! that said and what ever you think about things made in China, it is very good, really pleased I bought it
Overall, highly recommended i
I am asking a lot of this machine. It is great on already broken ground. Pretty good at cutting into weeds, but it does get clogged with longer stems. Main drawback is the length of time you can use it before your hands go numb. It vibrates a lot.
For the money it is good, and I would probably buy it again if only because I know it’s a tough bit of kit.
I’m used to petrol rotorvaters so was a little sceptical of the performance of this electric version. When it arrived and I felt how light it was I even more sceptical.
Putting it together was a doddle, all you need is a posi-drive screwdriver and a pinch of common sense. The cable clips are rubbish and I replaced with them with cable ties as the last thing you need is loose dangling cables, especially as the handle is metal.
Initially getting it to break through the dry crust of ground was like fighting with the handlebars of a jet ski on choppy waters but once it dug in it did a really good job. The ground I dug hadn’t been turned over in a good few years, was strewn with bits of brick, concrete and stone and yet it got through it with gusto. My fears about it being too lightweight were allayed, in fact, it made it more agile and less bullish to operate. I finished the job pretty fresh rather than feeling like I’d just spent 3 hours trying to control an unruly bull mastiff.
Not sure I’d prefer it over a large area to my petrol beast but for medium and small areas I would absolutely recommend.
I’d give it a good 4.5/5 marked down only as you do have to be careful to keep a wary eye on the electric cable because you move backwards when using it for best results but for 80 odd quid, that’s being a bit picky.
Came yesterday, used today (02/04), would have given 5, but screw’s for fixing the first section of handle’s to the Rotavator are to short. Likely had longer one’s in garage and all working fine.
Bought this for the garden . I was a little worried that as it’s electric it wouldn’t be up to much. It’s great , my other tiller was a merry tiller which is too bulky to even get into the garden.
A little bouncy on hard ground, so if its been dry for a while it might be worth wetting the surface a little. Did a two hour job in 10 mins.
This tiller is very powerful, easy to manoeuvre, and fairly quiet. Used it on front lawn which had been used by builders to dump rubble in, including whole bricks just below the surface. The tiller churned up the ground with ease, hitting bricks was no problem and the tiller just jumped when hitting them without any damage being done. Pulling it backwards helped churn up the ground to a deeper level, while going forwards it tended to rush ahead and you have to hold on tightly ! Even when the blades had plants completely wrapped around them and clogged up with mud, the tiller still worked and didn’t stop. It gets the job done. A great buy, and excellent value for money.
Very impressed with this Tiller. I have never used one before. I am very practical though and felt I could cope. The reviews helped me choose this product and it was perfect. I tillered a section of grass/ weedy garden for a veg patch. My Mum warned me there was lots of stones. There was also bricks and sections of paving slabs buried. This tiller dealt with them all. It does jump about and you have to take care and prepare well. I also have a weak wrist that is bolted together and I manage just fine. Good stance and balance a must.
Whilst this tiller did an excellent job of turning over several flowerbeds and clearing a grassed area, I did find it difficult to use. It bounces about so you have to hang on tight and the safety button I feel is in the wrong position. The plastic guard cracked on first use so I think a metal one would be an improvement. Although I have not given it five stars, it did the job for which it was intended and saved me hours of work
Great bit of kit!
Churns up turf and hardened soil.
I found it easier pulling towards me as I moved backwards. As it is not very heavy, it will just skim the surface when going forwards.
Wish I bought this earlier as it would have saved loads of time and effort.
The product arrived on time and was easy to assemble. I have used the product and found given the heavy nature of our soil a forward and back motion proved the most effective. The cultivator was very effective.
I had difficulty with the warranty registration, as neither the packaging nor the instructions quoted the model number. From the suppliers web site I found the required number to be 15-059
Takes a bit of getting used to, it’s way more powerful than I thought it would be. Really churns the ground up, even with some large stones and vegetation. It only stopped once when it came across 3/4 of a house brick buried in the soil that got jammed in the blades !
It takes quite a lot of strength to hold on to it and stop it bouncing or digging on too deep.
I’m using it to level a really lumpy & bumpy garden with very compact stoney soil. So far it’s saved me tons of digging
I have used a petrol tille rin the past, but age of it meant it went to the scrap heap in the sky. Not having a huge vegetable patch meant an electric one would be perfect and this tool fits the bill. What took me 30 minutes, would have taken me several hours of back breaking digging. It tills down a good spade depth, so planting veg will be easier now. I wouldn’t put that spade away just yet though as the first dig of the year would probably involve using that, but that is par for the course of growing your own veg.
Following a heart attack I needed to turn over my raised beds. This was easily done although starting was difficult due to distance between lock button and start lever. A two handed operation which meant that rotavator could not be held securely in two hands and could if on harder ground jump around dangerously. Will revise a simple clamp to hold in button so that machine can be held in two hands for start trigger to be easily pulled. Otherwise a brilliant machine which is as good as my Mantis tiller without the 2 stroke fuel starting problems. Mantis for sale anyone? Also worked well on uncultivated ground provided a few passes are made so that deep rotovation is achieved. Well made and very good value for money. Now looking at grass edging shears so that I can lose the problems I have with a strimmer.
Amazing product. Our soil is rock hard clay and has been compacted over winter when we build our greenhouse foundation. This just ate through the earth with ease. It’s broken the clay down to cm or less lumps in a few minutes. Instructions suggest a crisscross pattern which works a treat. I’ve dropped one star on easy of use as it only had one speed and on very hard ground it bumps about to begin with. You have to have some strength at that point to atop it running away with you.. Also the plastic trigger is a little flimsy but hopefully will hold out.
Having recently had the entire fencing replaced, this has now motivated me to get my garden back into a respectable state, and the image of the flower bed on my review had both an old climbing rose and other plants with deep roots that all needed to be cleared out before the ground could be reused for new plants, a picture of the old rose and deeply rooted shrub I dug out manually is attached so you can see that the roots for these would be fairly troublesome and large when digging this ground manually.
With a fracture a few years back on my right foot, I chose to get myself a tiller / rotavator to break up the ground ready for both a new turf lawn and creating a flower bed. I have browsed Amazon for the various rotavators and as this had very good reviews and also a load of photos from other customers, and my budget allowed, I decided to get this one.
Took about 30 minutes to read over the instructions and assemble this from the box it arrived in, the one thing that threw me initially was the picture on the cover of the instruction book and in the break away parts section shows it assembled one way, but the instruction picture which shows the handle assembly has it the other way round. The main cover picture is the more logical and the correct, so it didn’t take long to get the unit ready for use.
With the unit all plugged in, I set about tilling / rotavating the ground where I had recently pulled up the old rose and plant with deep roots. Other customers have suggested to pull it back towards you as it digs and pulls itself forward, this certainly worked for me and I ensured the power cable was kept behind me at all times.
Initial start up is similar to a flymo, where you press the button, then pull the trigger handle to start the motor, as it sits above ground, it immediately tries to dig downwards and forwards, so the resulting action is more of a bucking bronco digging itself into the ground. As soon as it hits a root or anything that could deflect, it can buck up in the air like a small leaping stag and then when landing dig itself back into the ground. It is vital you keep your hands on the handle and be prepared to keep it under control!. Once it has dug into the ground and started tilling the earth, it soon breaks up the earth and settles down. The picture of my recently “Tilled” flower bed took about 2 minutes, and I could have easily broken it down even finer. It chomped its way through roots and threw small stones up with ease, I can see this is going to make the tilling of the lawn much easier than I had envisaged.
It is vital you read the instructions as it has safety tips for wearing goggles and how to service it and keep it in good operation.
This is a great addition to my garden tools and so far is outperforming itself..
Highly recommended.
After I assembled the tiller I checked to see where it may be coming from. Seems like it was coming from where the gearbox unit was fitted to the motor section and is held together with 4x 10mm nuts. I checked the tightness and they weren’t that tight, so I nipped them up (about 1/2 to 1 turn more. This should compress the gasket properly and prevent further leakage. I removed one of the tines (13mm nut and bolt) to get at the filler/level plug and removed it (it was a bit loose) and added about 1/2 small cupful of engine oil. and checked the level by turning the machine upright and checking to see if any oil came out. Added a bit more until it started to flow out, then refitted the drain/level plug and nipped it up. I’m guessing there are so many accounts of gearbox failure because this simple bit of maintenance was not done.
Now to try it out. FANTASTIC ! I have used several electric tillers (rotavators) before, but this is far and away the best I have ever used. It’s powerful and handles the job with ease. It’s better if you go backwards (as I have found with all of them) and it even hoicked out a piece of rubble about the size of a house-brick with no issues at all. It dealt with our plot in about 20 minutes saving several hours of labour.
All in all delighted, but for the fact it needed maintenance beforehand due to poor quality control I would have given 4 stars, but due to the amount of 1 star reviews due to idiots who have no idea, I am going to give it 5 stars.
On balance – do the simple checks I have outlined and you too will to be delighted!
Only downside is that soil and stones get stuck and you need to clear the blades every 5 minutes, but machine was so powerful and got the job done so quickly that it really isn’t that big an inconvenience.
Our garden does get quite neglected despite my wanting to have the vegetable plot up and running.
I cleared some areas ,stuck the fork in a couple of times without much enthusiasm and then carried this over and tilled the mud to tilth with it.
It worked amazingly well. The earth churned up and took on the appearance of water being swooshed around a turbine.
It took a while to get used to the trigger control as my hands are quite small but I managed to get the hang of it .
Its a little bouncy till you get the feel for it.
The blades met some quite big bits of stone (our gardens grow stones according to our neighbour) but the machine wasn’t the least bit bothered by them.
A few times I had to stop the digging and unwind roots from the blades but that would be the same with any tiller.
The cutters come off for easy clean up.
I’m 5’4 and 9 stone and managed to control it safely.
If it had had side wheels to lean on as you take it to your digging area like some of the others, it would have been perfect but it isn’t enormously heavy, just a bit awkward.
You can dismantle the handle if it needs to fit a smallish shed but I haven’t done so with ours as its a bit of a squeeze to get it back on.
Remember to wear your strong boots if you get one, if it bounces onto a wellington, I think it would chop it to bits.
Also eye protection just in case it comes across any bits of wire etc in the earth.
Firstly, difficult to start it – pressing the button and pulling the handle with one hand is difficult, so you need two hands, meaning you don’t have a good grip when it starts. It can leap about a bit then!
Secondly, it can get wire/roots/packing tape wrapped around the tines very quickly and very tightly. These can be difficult to remove as the securing bolt to remove the tines is under the obstruction.
If you are aware of the issues and cater for them, this is a decent bit of kit and good value.
However, there are a couple of points that need mentioning. One is the awkwardness of pressing the safety switch & then pulling the starting leaver, and it would be better if the cable was not black!! I’ve cured this last fault by wrapping some coloured tape around the cable at intervals.
I’ve also found it easier to pull the Tiller toward me rather than push it. I note other people have said the same.
I would recommend this Tiller & am pleased I bought it.
The Tiller was easy to assemble, requiring probably around 10 minutes of assembly.
Startup is straightforward and quick, but does require some awkward hand switching; there is a dead man switch you have to hold onto, as well as the start button you need to hold down at the same time as pulling the dead switch; could be a problem for the more frail user as the machine is quite strong and wants to drive forwards. Probably my main issue with this. Letting go of the dead switch will instantly cut out the motor; a good safety mechanism, and there was no cooldown period; it jsut stops dead; great if it starts bouncing a bit too much, or your cat decides it is no longer terrified of the thing tearing up their territory and decided to stand in the line of fire.
The cord length is a bit short; I bought an external power cord extension reel to use this. Be very careful as with any power tool with moving parts not to trip or cut the wire. Not a problem if youre careful.
Most people would use this for flower beds or veggie patches; this is more than ample power-wise. I used this for my whole lawn and it coped very well. My lawn has a particularly stony section, which even some half-bricks coming out from the soil; this machine can cope with that, though it does jump a lot, and could be a problem in earth with lots of compacted large (4-5 inch plus) stones. As I said before, I coped with that, as did the machine; it just keeps going. I would recommend mowing your lawn as short as possible beforehand to avoid getting the tines tangled with vegetation. A few tree roots got stuck in the tines of mine, which werent too hard to clear, but did slow progress; expect to need to clear your tines every once in a while during the job to make things easier.
I found the best way to use this machine was to walk slowly backwards with it, pulling slowly back with my arms. I repeated this process a few times. Over-lap your areas for a good finish. By then end, my arms were very sore for a few days; I’m by no means fit and I would also concede that the purpose I used this thing for was probably a bit beyond what most poeple would expect from it, but it got the job done in just about 4 hours. Do take regular breaks to get the feeling back in your fingers after longer episodes of use, and remember to re-adjust your cables.
I wish I had bought this years ago. I read the reviews and was a bit skeptical but it IS a brilliant little machine. I have struggled with my veg patch for years. Earlier this year I tried to turn it over by hand as best I could (back breaking) and was waiting on a friend to come and rotovate it for me but they’ve not been well so in the meantime the soil has dried into solid lumps of rock! Today I took my new tiller down and within an hour I had it done. It definitely works best walking backwards. I’m no spring chicken, by the way, but I managed fine and it’s good to know I won’t need to rely on others in the future. I can’t wait to go down tomorrow and start planting out. Honestly, if you have any doubts about this machine – forget them. Go for it. It’s ace!
1. OMG! It is brilliant. What a machine. My only regret is that I didn’t buy it years ago. Great quality and reassuringly heavy, but not cumbersome, Don’t be put off by the 1050W power (less than most vacuum cleaners), you really DON’T want this to be any more powerful than it is! Assembly is easy. It is basically no more than fitting the handle and start button (a Phillips screwdriver, that’s all – takes less than 5 minutes). You don’t have to assemble the ‘business end’ at all.
2. Top Tip, for the first few goes, while you are getting used to it, ensure you have the handle angled low, away from the vertical, when you press Start. Then gradually raise the handle towards the vertical carefully until the blades get the amount of ‘bite’ you need. If you jerk the handle up too quick, you will see just how powerful it is – but not in a good way!
3. On the days you plan to use it, there is no need to go to the gym. This bad-boy beats a gym work-out any day!
All in all, I wish I had bought this years ago. It is a great product. It does what it is supposed to do – at a great price! (Yes, it appears to rip through anything that is not actually concrete).
Fab!
Delivery was a fantastic orders Saturday and it was delivered Monday. Easy to put together 10 minutes maximum.
It saved me hours of hard backbreaking digging, would have taken a week otherwise.
I cannot recommend this product more.
Only downside the plastic shield is a bit flimsy and easily broken by some of the larger bits of masonry it dug up, may need to see if Domu do as replacement /spare part.
For the price its well worth it. I’ve purchased other Domu/VonHaus bits before and they have all been of excellent quality.
but it was plastic and rated at about 250w, whereas the Von-Haus was metal and FOUR times more powerful (for the same price), it was simply
no contest.
It was straight forward to assemble and works like a dream. Perhaps ‘dream’ is the wrong word as when it starts up you do need to hold on to
avoid it setting off down the garden, but having read other purchasers reviews it really does the job very well and stayed ‘under control, even though
it had a 78 year old chap guiding it.
The end result was a fine tilth that was achieved in a fraction of the time that would be required using a fork and sieve. Brilliant piece of kit.
Amazing I had a 10ft x 15ft small garden but it was just weeds and left in a state when I moved in. This arrived at my partners works address, at 5.30 she got home,unloaded, we then put it together and less than 3 hours later the whole garden was done. I took care when I felt a large stone, or in some cases actual rocks and having been sceptical that this would be man enough for the job I was amazed. Cannot praise it enough. I did take care too and on occasions I felt a large stone or in some cases rocks went gently and in uncovered most without damage. On 2 occasions the rocks were so large I did stop and dig them out but it dealt with everything else.