How We Research
Every guide on Tune Gardener starts with one question: will this machine suit the person who is shopping for it? For sweepers, dethatchers and tillers, that depends on your yard, the job and what you tow or plug it into.
Here is how we answer it.
1. We start with your yard and the job
A small town lot with a few maples and a two-acre property with a riding mower need different sweepers. A garden bed for tomatoes and a new plot cut from sod need different tillers.
We check the working width, the power source and the hopper or tine details the maker lists. When your yard limits the choice, we say what to look for.
2. We compare specs and features
We look at working width, hopper size, brush or tine type, motor amps or engine size, battery voltage, depth settings, hitch type and weight. For gas tillers we also check whether the engine is two-stroke or four-stroke, and whether the tiller has reverse.
Agri-Fab, Sun Joe, Greenworks, Earthquake and other makers describe their machines in their own words, so we name the brand for every claim. We also note the warranty terms the maker lists.
3. We look at buyer feedback
We read what buyers report after using a machine. We look for patterns, like hoppers that tear, tines that bend, assembly that takes hours or engines that are hard to start.
One angry review doesn't sink a product. A pattern does.
4. We score each product
Our score weighs specs, features and buyer feedback against what you're shopping for. A tiller that suits a big garden may score lower in a guide for small raised beds.
Scores spread out on purpose. A 10 is rare.
5. We keep pages up to date
Products change, and some leave the store. Makers also sell near-identical versions with similar names, so we check each model name and number and only link new units.
We skip any model with a recall we can find, and we check the Consumer Product Safety Commission recall list for the makers we cover. When we update a guide, the "Updated on" date at the top changes with it.
What our picks are not
Our picks are research, not lab tests. We don't claim to have used every machine we cover.
Sweeper brushes, dethatcher tines and tiller tines spin and can hurt you. Follow the maker's manual, wear eye, hearing and foot protection, and keep children and pets away.
Never reach near moving parts, and fill gas tillers outdoors, away from heat.
We make no promises about lawn or garden results, and we label maker claims as the maker's claims.