Over 20 years ago a small red tiller was first
introduced to UK gardeners. Its manufacturer boldly promised
that the little workhorse would make gardening easier.
Back then, all tillers were big, heavy behemoths that were difficult to manoeuvre. Using a tiller was a big, manly chore. After tilling a garden with a giant beast of a machine, every muscle in your body ached.
By comparison, the little red Mantis Tiller/Cultivator looked like a toy. It weighed in at just 20 pounds, and you could easily pick it up with one hand to move it from garage to garden. But when you pulled the cord to start the petrol engine, the Mantis Tiller's patented tines chewed up soil with amazing ease. Here was a piece of power equipment that actually delivered on its promises. It really did make gardening easier by taking the backbreaking strain out of tilling garden soil.
Still, when the Mantis Tiller was first offered for sale in the UK in 1990, no one could have predicted
how popular the world's first mini-tiller would become.
Initially, the Mantis Tiller was largely shunned by men (who,
apparently, did not want to be seen operating a diminutive "20-pound
wonder"). But women and seniors wholeheartedly embraced the
little tiller and made it a bestselling sensation. They loved
the little red tiller because it was simple and easy to use –
and it did exactly what the product advertisers said it would: take
much of the hard work out of the UK's favourite leisure activity.
Today, men and women alike of all gardening abilities are happily tilling their gardens with Mantis Tillers. In fact, it's hard to find a gardener who will say anything disparaging about a Mantis Tiller.
Mantis receives hundreds of unsolicited testimonial letters and emails
every
year. Many gardeners become quite fond of their Mantis Tillers.
THE LITTLE TILLER THAT DOES IT ALL
Almost 30 years on and approaching two million units sold, the
Mantis Tiller is still assembled
in the original factory by a longstanding and dedicated workforce.
In spite of its many imitators – and there are quite a
few mini tillers offered by other manufacturers – the Mantis
Tiller is still the best-selling tiller in the UK and the world.
It's the patented "serpentine" (curved) tines that still set the Mantis
Tiller apart from other tillers, giving it the ability to cut through
sod, tough soil and even vegetation with ease. (Other small tillers
use a scaled-down version of the "bolo" bent tines found on big, heavy
tillers, a design that is significantly less effective on a lightweight
machine.)
The Mantis Tiller's high-quality
craftsmanship and powerful commercial-grade
engine consistently get rave reviews. And gardeners are pleased
with the handy way the Mantis Tiller tills garden plots and
effortlessly weeds around trees and landscaping.
Like the proverbial Swiss Army knife, the mighty Mantis Tiller can effectively perform a wide variety of tasks. The tiller tines can easily be removed and many optional attachments can be quickly installed. These optional attachments convert the Mantis Tiller into a border edger, furrower, plow, lawn aerator, lawn dethatcher or crevice cleaner. Thus, one Mantis Tiller and its attachments can do the work of eight different power tools.
Over the years, the Mantis Tiller has received many impressive official awards, including the 2009 Grow Your Own magazine Award for the best small tiller.
Back in 1989, after the Mantis Tiller had thoroughly conquered
North America, the little tiller was test marketed in the UK. The UK company's Managing Director at the time was spending some time with his friends in the USA, and saw his host using a small red machine to help with his gardening chores. He came back to the UK only to find he couldn't buy the Mantis Tiller in the UK. Thus, he decided to import a few on his own to sell through his existing business. The result? UK gardeners embraced the little tiller in
much the same way Americans had. As the Mantis Tiller approaches
its 30th anniversary worldwide, happy tiller owners in every state in
the USA, every province in Canada, throughout the UK and Europe and around
the world in countries such as South Africa, Israel and China
are using their Mantis Tillers to cultivate soil, weed gardens,
dig furrows, aerate and dethatch lawns, edge borders, dig holes
for planting trees and shrubs, and even trim hedges. All with
a little red tiller that many people laughed at when it was
first introduced.
It's safe to say that no one is laughing at the little tiller now.
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For more information about the Mantis Tiller/Cultivator,
click here. |
Mantis Tiller Trivia: Why is it called a Mantis Tiller?
Because the tiller handles resemble the shape of praying mantis arms, and the praying mantis is a beneficial insect in the garden. |
