Black & Decker GC818 18-Volt Cordless Electric Garden Cultivator Review.
"This really WORKS" 2007-04-30
By John Jamison (Arlington, VA USA)
For the small price and power, I didn't have any great expectations. Was I surprized? After years of using a garden weasel to cullivate and weed a medium size garden may back and patiences were dwindling. This product finished that back breaking job in just over a hour. I was actually looking for more places to cultivate. It brought back the fun in gardening. Some areas of my garden were pretty packed, but this guy dug down and loosened everything up in fine fashion. The battery charge lasted about as long a I wanted to work before taking a quick breather. The recharge is quick, getting it back up to full speed in less than 30 minutes. Just make sure you use it with the intended purchase; culivate,aerate, & weed. Beware of large tree roots.
I would say this is a Garden Weasel on steriods.
"This is a Time and Labor Saver" 2007-07-14
By William F. Adams (San Francisco, CA, USA)
Black & Decker's new cordless cultivator is a real innovation. It is perfect for those smaller spaces that cannot be reached with a conventional cultivator. This would include smaller garden spaces, raised garden beds, and lawn patches. The overall weight of the unit is very manageable, and the handle-mounted 18V battery provides a nice balance. It is best that the soil being cultivated is not too wet or muddy or having too much of a clay consistency. In those circumstances the digging tines of the cultivator can get repeatedly clogged with mud or clay. Before dealing with tough clay soil, it would be wise to incorporate soil amendments (such as peat moss) to break down the clay.
This product works very well in fixing those dead spots in a lawn. After the soil in the dead patch is loosened, new grass seeds can be sown, and then covered with a light layer of top soil. This turns a dreaded back-breaking job that is done usually on one's hands and knees into a quick, simple, and even fun stand-up assignment. The adjustable hand grip will help fit this unit to a wide variety of people, large and small.
The Black & Decker Cultivator has plenty of power for all normal soil surfaces. It won't replace a jack hammer or a trench digging machine any time soon, but for its assigned task of loosening soils so that you can plant your garden or repair your lawn, it is very well-suited to the task. It also makes a great "weeder" for patrolling between planted rows to get rid of unwanted weeds.
So far, the battery life easily has outlasted all of my cultivating chores. Thus, this is a really well-designed and truly functional tool that most home gardeners will use from early Spring to late Fall every time they plant or till the soil.
"Save Your Back" 2007-07-03
By Randy Parent (Danville, CA United States)
I was turning over flower beds -- taking out rocks and clay and adding soil conditioner. I did the first half of the work before buying the cultivator. The work was lots easier once I bought and started using the cordless garden cultivator. It goes about 4 inches deep, but I wanted to go deeper. I used it to grind up an area, shovel it into my dirt sifter (box with a screen on the bottom) to get rid of rocks and clay. Then did another 4" with the cultivator. I got down 8" total a lot easier. My back thinks it was a great investment. I highly recommend it.
"Well Worth The Money" 2007-05-12
By R. Asbury (Ashland, ky United States)
I purchased this exclusively for cultivating large flower beds. I couldn't ask for a handier tool. This is perfect for breaking up soil and mixing in potting soil in large beds. It has great power and the battery lasts quite a while. Don't expect it to do much with really hardened earth though.
I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. Great product--just keep in mind what it's for. It's not a roto-tiller.
"Garden cultivator" 2007-07-28
By Carol L. Moore
Excellent product. I found this cultivator very easy to use and wasn't heavy at all. Outstanding battery life on one charge.
By John Jamison (Arlington, VA USA)
For the small price and power, I didn't have any great expectations. Was I surprized? After years of using a garden weasel to cullivate and weed a medium size garden may back and patiences were dwindling. This product finished that back breaking job in just over a hour. I was actually looking for more places to cultivate. It brought back the fun in gardening. Some areas of my garden were pretty packed, but this guy dug down and loosened everything up in fine fashion. The battery charge lasted about as long a I wanted to work before taking a quick breather. The recharge is quick, getting it back up to full speed in less than 30 minutes. Just make sure you use it with the intended purchase; culivate,aerate, & weed. Beware of large tree roots.
I would say this is a Garden Weasel on steriods.
By William F. Adams (San Francisco, CA, USA)
Black & Decker's new cordless cultivator is a real innovation. It is perfect for those smaller spaces that cannot be reached with a conventional cultivator. This would include smaller garden spaces, raised garden beds, and lawn patches. The overall weight of the unit is very manageable, and the handle-mounted 18V battery provides a nice balance. It is best that the soil being cultivated is not too wet or muddy or having too much of a clay consistency. In those circumstances the digging tines of the cultivator can get repeatedly clogged with mud or clay. Before dealing with tough clay soil, it would be wise to incorporate soil amendments (such as peat moss) to break down the clay.
This product works very well in fixing those dead spots in a lawn. After the soil in the dead patch is loosened, new grass seeds can be sown, and then covered with a light layer of top soil. This turns a dreaded back-breaking job that is done usually on one's hands and knees into a quick, simple, and even fun stand-up assignment. The adjustable hand grip will help fit this unit to a wide variety of people, large and small.
The Black & Decker Cultivator has plenty of power for all normal soil surfaces. It won't replace a jack hammer or a trench digging machine any time soon, but for its assigned task of loosening soils so that you can plant your garden or repair your lawn, it is very well-suited to the task. It also makes a great "weeder" for patrolling between planted rows to get rid of unwanted weeds.
So far, the battery life easily has outlasted all of my cultivating chores. Thus, this is a really well-designed and truly functional tool that most home gardeners will use from early Spring to late Fall every time they plant or till the soil.
By Randy Parent (Danville, CA United States)
I was turning over flower beds -- taking out rocks and clay and adding soil conditioner. I did the first half of the work before buying the cultivator. The work was lots easier once I bought and started using the cordless garden cultivator. It goes about 4 inches deep, but I wanted to go deeper. I used it to grind up an area, shovel it into my dirt sifter (box with a screen on the bottom) to get rid of rocks and clay. Then did another 4" with the cultivator. I got down 8" total a lot easier. My back thinks it was a great investment. I highly recommend it.
By R. Asbury (Ashland, ky United States)
I purchased this exclusively for cultivating large flower beds. I couldn't ask for a handier tool. This is perfect for breaking up soil and mixing in potting soil in large beds. It has great power and the battery lasts quite a while. Don't expect it to do much with really hardened earth though.
I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. Great product--just keep in mind what it's for. It's not a roto-tiller.
By Carol L. Moore
Excellent product. I found this cultivator very easy to use and wasn't heavy at all. Outstanding battery life on one charge.
