Sun Joe Electric Garden Tiller Cultivator, Steel Tines, 13.5 Amp, 16 Inch, TJ604E

Purchased as a gift for my daughter. I also gave her a 100' long 10/3 extension cord which a 13.5 amp motor such as this requires. The plug on this tiller has a hood around the prongs making it difficult, to impossible, to connect to a large extension cord. You may need to make an alteration to the hood to get it plugged in. The plug has only 2 prongs, i expected it to have a ground prong. The tiller is light and easy to manage, but the lightness is a drawback for breaking up the soil quickly and efficiently. You will need to make many, many passes. Still, it's better than using a shovel and hoe which was the alternative in this case.

I didn't know what to expect from a light weight electric tiller. I could not be more pleased. I needed the tiller to prepare a large section of my lawn for sod. Doing that with a hoe or cultivator would have taken me many hours of back-breaking work. With the Sun Joe tiller, I got the job done in just a couple of hours. The shaft and tines are made of quality steel. To remove the tines for cleaning, just remove two bolts and slide the tines off the shaft. I was surprised at the size of some of the roots that got wrapped around the tines because they didn't interfere with the operation of the tiller. FYI: The maximum length extension cord is 100 ft, and it must be 12 ga. wire. I think you can get by with a 14 ga. 50-ft cord. I purchased a 100 ft cord at Home Depot for $75, which brought the total cost to nearly $200. Do not use extension cords with thinner wire because that would burn up the motor. I consider the electric tiller to still be a better buy than a gasoline tiller. Even if I could get a gasoline tiller for $120, I'm sure it would cost more than $75 for gasoline, oil, filters, and repairs over the life of the tiller.

Im 66 years old and have COPD, attempting to start my small gas tiller was exhausting. So I decided to look at electric tillers. After looking at the models on the market, prices, reviews, and options, I picked the sun joe 603E to use in building my new small family garden. I was pleasantly surprised and how well the 603 went through the hard soil and the depth that it achieved. I’ve used very large tellers as well as smaller handheld, the 603 worked as well as any gas unit that I’ve ever use of comparable size. Some of commented on the need to press the button to get it started. It’s no different than other safety mechanisms in gas operated tools. My garden is 8 feet wide by 16 feet long. I have no doubt this tiller could handle a garden two or three times that size. The handles are set comfortably (I’m 5’ 6”) and did not cause any strain on my wrist or back. The rear wheels have three level adjustments on them which I found really nice. While tilling, I put the wheels all the way up so that I could achieve maximum digging depth. The only drawback is of course the extension cord. However, if you pay attention to where that cord is while you’re tilling so that it doesn’t go under the blades, it works just fine. Again, extension cord management. So for anyone needing to tell a new garden start up or refresh the soil in the current garden, I highly recommend the sun Joe 603E. By the way the only difference I found in the 603E to that of the 604E is the 604E as a bit of a larger motor 12amp vs 13 amp) as well as a higher related cost. I my view, the small difference in motor size didn’t justify the cost increase. Happy gardening. JP

I got this tiller to use to loosen up the soil in the chicken run mainly, but after finding out how well and easy it works I will probably have other uses for it. It is more powerful than I had thought it would be. It cut right through some roots about 1 or 1 1/2 inches in diameter. It is not as loud as I thought. The chickens do not freak out like they do when I use a weed eater or a blower any where near their run. The do stay on the other side of the run, but not really upset at all. As soon as I stop they run over looking for worms or bugs. I recommend this tiller totally. Nice that you do not have to worry with gas/oil or getting it started.

My 15 yr. old 7 hp Craftsman broke last year and I have been slow about getting it repaired. My wife told me she wanted to plant early this year and I HAD to get the tilling done soon. I looked for something(cheap) to buy time until I could get the Craftsman fixed and ended up with this tiller. I got the garden done so quick SHE decided to double the size and I DID. It has power galore and handled the untilled clay and rock like the BIG boys. A++ for this little powerhouse !!