Scotts Outdoor Power Tools TC71420S Tiller, 20-Inch, 14-Amp, Green

The electric garden tiller is very easy to handle and performs great!

Works very well at surprisingly small but works very well

Assembly was easy. Only a Philips head screwdriver is needed. The tiller is powerful. It tills faster than an old Honda gas tiller it replaced. However, it is much lighter and needs to be restrained or it will take off running. It is adequate for tilling a modest garden. If putting in a lawn, rent a large gasoline powered tiller as this tiller is too small for such a task.

Initial testing review, April 2023: Build quality such as steel handle thickness and fit are better than expected. Tines depth is a little smaller than expected. Compared to long tine gas tillers the Scotts rotation speed is much faster. The result is it kicks out rocks and roots pretty fast. Also the dirt gets thrown around more. The depth of effective tilling is roughly 4-6 inches. If dirt is pulled away using the tiller it may go to 8 inches. It doesn't like being buried and bogs down. It works great to mix and cut up leaves and clippings in the 4-6 inch range. As is always the case with electric, cord management is a challenge. With rock and root free soil, it's very fast due to the fast rotation speed. I wouldn't use it in soil with lots of rocks and roots. It gets pretty jumpy with anything it can't break up or cut. No tiller does well with hard materials but this one reacts badly. This tiller worked well for my needs. Roughly 2+ inches of leaves, grass, and compost bin materials were quickly mixed into the top 6-8 inches with a few passes. One 12-2 50 ft cord was used. To the main panel maybe 100 ft max. No over heating issues were observed. I wish Scotts would make optional longer inner tiller tines to be used with 2 tines. Deep tilling is rarely needed but it's nice to get organics deep once a year or so.

This replaces an 11 inch 8.5A Earthwise corded tiller, and the difference is night and day. The heavier weight of this 20 inch model helps keep the bouncing down considerably, and the larger motor (and the additional tines) allows this to dig in spots my 11 inch tiller couldn’t even dream of tilling. I’ve used front tine gas tillers in the past, and this 14A tiller is the closest you can get to gas power in an electric. The build quality is pretty solid. There are a number of nice design features such as the handle shape, the cord minder, and the wheel lock, that make it a pleasure to use. The only area where it falls a bit short are the tines. I would have liked it if they were a bit more beefy for a longer lifespan and greater resistance to rocks. It weighs about 33 pounds, so it’s not a chore to pick up and carry. There’s a handle built into the motor shroud to make that easy. You can also put the wheels down and wheel it around, but I find it’s faster and easier to just pick it up. The light weight (compared with a gas tiller) does make this far more apt to bounce when it hits something, but the bouncing is far more controlled than the 14 and 16 inch corded tillers I tried. Plus, the handle design allows for a better grip which helps keep things controlled. Since this has a 14A draw, it’s mandatory to use a 12/3 extension cord. A real powerhouse of a tiller – five stars.

Assembled the tiller only to find that it wouldn't start. Ok, slightly frustrated. Checked the power cord and outlet. All working. Next, I take the power assembly apart to find the 5 cent piece of plastic that serves as a plunger to make starting connection is broken. Searched the manufacturer website for replacement part. Nothing. Called the Scott's customer service number. After much searching for the model number, I'm told this tiller is actually made by American Lawn Mower and I'm given their number. At this point, I've lost hours of my life to this process and the weeds in my garden are mocking me. I call American Lawn Mower and told they can't do anything over the phone but I can submit a claim on their website. All lovely people but grrrrr. The actual process to submit a claim online is easy enough with a copy of receipt. I received a comparable Earthwise battery powered tiller within a week. That's the only positive part of my experience and thus one star. The Earthwise tiller is smaller and less powerful than Scott's (American Lawn Mower) tiller but gets the job done. Battery lasts about 15 minutes. I have a large garden area and ordered the corded tiller to avoid frequent battery charges. Another positive is that it arrived broken and didn't happen a few months later after the manufacturer's warranty had expired. Definitely would not purchase again.

Overall for the price it's not bad, better than pulling weeds all day. My three drawbacks were this A. Not enough torque on the tiller even in soft ground. B. Needs a bigger battery. It died after tilling my 10 x 12 garden. C. You will constantly need to clean out the head. Pro's were it was easy to assemble and it is light.

I have had a small elc16 inch older one, but this new 20 inch is more stable and does not bounce around as much. It was actually much easier to use than the smaller one and much faster getting the job done. I am a 125 lb over 60 year old female and it was not too hard on me using it for hours, but I am used to farm work. It has a lot of power for an electric and so light weight. I am well pleased, it did a fast good job on my very large garden area, I just wish the tines were a little bigger for getting the deeper roots. Thank you, I am very happy with it and it always starts, not having to mess with dirty gas and oil, and not spending half my time pulling and pulling trying to start.