Step 'N Tilt Core Lawn Aerator Version 3 (with Container)

I was not expecting much, reviews were hit or miss and there were't any youtube vids showing it in action outside of the manufacturer so I took a gamble. I bought and returned the yard butler previously because it kept clogging and fully expected this would have the same issues. IT WORKS AWESOME!!! For the price, worth every penny. Built very sturdy, I was really surprised how tough it is. Each piece came individually wrapped in plastic, the thick kind not the saran wrap plastic. Well boxed and shipped quick. Key to success: The handle curve has to face away from you, it is counter intuitive but this is how you get the leverage you need. Your soil has to be very wet, I luckily had 2 inches of rain over 3 days and right after went and used it for the first time. The picture is about 5 minutes of use. You can see all the cores and my grass is about 5 inches tall right now so not the easiest to get through. Tip #2 is that you have to use a rolling motion when you push and step on the box. You will want to rock it back and forth forward twice or 3 times to really get it through the soil. Like I said, I have about 5 inches of grass and rolling it back and forward a few times while I stepped on the box and leaned forward, I was able to get a good system working. So far, no clogs yet but as long as the ground is fully saturated, I am not expecting any issues. Probably best to do it right after getting an inch or more of rain, while the top of the surface is still wet to the touch. This is a hidden gem. The negitive reviews I read I now realized was more user error than anything else. This is an honest review and I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this.

NOTE: Only for small lawns! I have a small lawn and just want to plug core small portions of my lawn. It worked great. Assembly was a bit tedious and the catcher seems loose and flimsy to clip and lock. Other than that, it definitely isn’t the easiest to use. Make sure your lawn is soft and you will have a much easier go with this.

I am so glad I found this aerator on the internet. It is made in the U.S. I believe and is very well-made. It was well packaged and delivered in a timely manner. The instructions for assembly and for operation were quite complete and easy to follow. It is very easy to use and just right for my yard. Now, I will not be at the mercy of these lawn companies who want to charge an outrageous amount for aerating the lawn. Great idea. Would buy again. Thank you!!!

I like the idea of this thing. It is basically a reverse dolly cart. The metal is thick gauge, the hardware to put it together is a little suspect, but overall it feels really sturdy. I purchased it to try to remove some of the hard clay soil I have so I could back fill with some organic matter to improve the quality of my dirt. It'd probably work great in "normal" lawns. My yard however is heavy with clay and it just gets stuck in the tines. It does not matter how wet or dry the soil is, I've tried 5 different levels of dampness from swamped to just damp and the clay soil just clings to the inside of the tines. I've tried oiling the inside of the tines but it still sticks like clay does and plugs them up. I have to clean the tines after each step otherwise any further holes are really just compacted down into the ground, which is the opposite of what I need. It's unfortunate, the overall construction and idea really has merit, but I guess my soil is just too stubborn.

So I have now used this device for a total of 8hrs over two days with both a dry and damp soil conditions with and without the added catch box. For one, unless your soil is supper soft and supper moist do not think this is easy to do, at 190lb I had to put all my weight and more into this thing for it to go into the soil, and I would say I'm very athletic as well. If your soil is dry forget it, it has to be damp at minimum or else you'll hate yourself. As far as clogging of the spikes, it does happen and it sucks to get it unclogged. Had to use a hammer and flathead screwdriver to get it out and cleaned. This is a design flaw, the tapered edges are good but they need to be more tapered for this not to happen. A more tapered edge would allow more clearence of the dirt between the cillindrical walls and thus would clog less. The catch box does its job, but the latches do not hold the box to the device at all, and thus there is a lot of movement and noise while working. Overall the product is made very well but has some design problems that would make it easier to use. I think the idea is cleaver, but dosent work that well. Unless your lawn is that small that you can't get a company to come out and aerate for you then I can't recommend this. I give it 2 out of 5 stars because the product is made well, and does the job it was designed for, I just don't recommend it past that.