Getting the soil ready for a garden is backbreaking work. With a power tiller/cultivator, the can reduce the amount of time spent out in the scorching sun to mix and aerate the soil, pluck weeds, and prepare a brand-new garden bed for your self-grown crops.
Even if you plan on doing light gardening work, you’re still going to need to prepare your soil in a way to promotes healthy growth. A tiller/cultivator isn’t just a time-saver, but it also works much more effectively than you could ever hope to achieve with good old-fashioned elbow grease.
Today, we’re going to take a look two of Earthwise’s corded-electric tiller/cultivator tools – the Earthwise TC70001 and TC70016. At first glance, except for their color, they could identical brothers, but it’s really what’s under the hood that matters.
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Tines
TC70001
The tines in a tiller/cultivator can either be made of durable plastic or steel. The latter is the more preferable choice since they can be re-sharpened. Apart from the material used to make them, it’s also a good idea to see how many tines there are. The TC70001 comes with four non-convertible steel tines.
TC70016
The TC70016 features six steel adjustable tines. Adjusting the tines means increasing or decreasing the width of the pass (more on this later), which is a great feature to have if you plan on doing small- to medium-scale gardening.
Conclusion: After comparing each of these tools, we prefer the TC70016’s adjustable six-tine setup. First of all, more tines generally mean better mixing and aeration. You can achieve the same results with a 4-tine setup, but it will take a bit longer to do. In the end, the more effective and efficient choice would be the Earthwise TC70016.
Engine Power
TC70001
This tiller/cultivator is equipped with an 8.5-amp motor which isn’t the most powerful motor you’ll find in this type of tool. However, it provides more than enough power for basic garden prep work. The TC70001’s motor spins the four steel tines at speeds of up to 320 RPM to destroy whatever dirt clumps you find hiding beneath the grass.
TC70016
This model features a heavy-duty 13.5-amp motor that generates up to 360 RPM with its six-tine setup. Just looking at the motor size and number of tines, you know that for a corded-electric tiller/cultivator, this model means business.
Conclusion: Depending on the type and consistency of the soil in your backyard or front yard, you may not need something as heavy-duty as the TC70016. In fact, for most soil types, the smaller 8.5-amp and four-tine design of the TC70001 would be more than sufficient. That being said, when it comes to tillers and cultivators, power is everything, and the TC70016 has a better chance of destroying clumps of dirt and aerating even the most compact soil.
Height and Width
TC70001
The height and width of a tiller/cultivator tool refer to how deep the tool can dig into the earth and how wide of a path it can clear per pass. We generally favor deeper and wider tiller/cultivators, but it all comes down to how large of a garden you plan on creating. The TC7001 can dig up to 8 inches deep while clearing 11-inch wide paths.
TC70016
This model has a depth capacity of up to 8 inches as well, but the clearing width is slightly different. It ranges from 11 to 16 inches depending on how you set up the adjustable tines. For smaller garden beds, bring the tines closer together for a more concentrated till. For larger gardens, spread them out to their 16-inch max capacity for quicker tilling and fewer required passes.
Conclusion: Even though the TC70016 is the more powerful tool, it can also be used to till smaller gardens with its adjustable tines. The TC70001 is better suited for small garden work since it has a fixed width of 11 inches, though you could make use of it for larger gardens if you have the time and patience.
Maneuverability
TC70001 and TC70016
When it comes to tilling and cultivating, the ability to maneuver your tools around is of the utmost importance. You don’t want to have to spend every 5 minutes digging your tools out of the dirt, nor do you want to carry heavy ones from place to place. Luckily, both the TC70001 and TC70016 are lightweight (around 29 pounds each) and have two rear wheels that glide effortlessly across grassy, dirty, and rocky terrains. When you want to dig into the earth, all you need to do is flip the wheels up on either of these tiller/cultivators to reach the maximum 8-inch depth.
Handlebar Design
TC70001 and TC70016
Even though the handlebars don’t exactly affect the performance of the tool’s motor and tines, it should be something to consider. Comfort while pushing or pulling a tiller/cultivator is important, and the handlebars have to do with it. Both of these models come with two handles – an upper handlebar similar to that of a lawnmower for pushing the unit through the soil, and a lower handle for pulling it up and out of the dirt after aerating it.
Verdict
So when looking at the Earthwise TC70001 and TC70016, we can say for certain that the more effective and efficient model to get would be the TC70016. First of all, it comes with six adjustable steel tines that can widen or narrow depending on your needs. It also features a larger motor that spins the six tines at up to 360 RPM. Essentially, in our opinion, there aren’t any areas, spec-wise, where the TC70001 is superior to the TC70016.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the TC70001 is a bad tiller/cultivator. It is more suited for lighter-duty soil preparation. It can indeed till and aerate compacted soil, but it just takes a bit longer than the TC70016. If time isn’t an issue and you have a limited plot of land to grow a garden, then the TC70001 can be the more cost-efficient tool.
Tiller/Cultivator | Recommended
Last update on 2024-04-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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