Mantis 4-Stroke 7940

Which Mantis to buy: four-stroke, Deluxe XP or cordless

The 4-Stroke 7940 is the Mantis most allotment holders end up choosing between, and the decision is mostly about width. This one pairs the 25 cc Honda GX25 with a 23 cm (9 in) set of serpentine tines and weighs 11 kg, at an indicative £380–460. The Deluxe XP 7566 is rated at 1.3 hp and works a 40 cm strip for roughly £400–540, while the 3558 Cordless cuts 30 cm with no fuel at all for around £250–340.

Narrow beds, rows between established crops and tight borders suit the 23 cm width: the tines stay inside the row instead of clipping the next one. If your beds are wide and open, the XP covers them in fewer passes for little extra money. If you only have a handful of raised beds and no wish to keep petrol in the shed, the cordless is the simpler tool. Mantis also sells a Deluxe version of the four-stroke; the difference it highlights is a kick stand, so pay for it only if that matters to you.

What the Honda GX25 means for an owner

Being a four-stroke, the GX25 runs on ordinary unleaded with its oil kept separately in the engine, so there is no two-stroke mix to measure and no stale premix left over from last season. For a tiller used in bursts each spring and autumn, that convenience counts for more than the 1 hp rating. The trade-off is that a four-stroke has an oil level to check and an oil change to remember, and on an engine this small it is easy to let that slide.

Mantis quotes a tine speed of up to 200 rpm and a working depth of around 25 cm. That depth is realistic in soil that has been dug before, reached by working the same strip in a few short passes rather than in one go. Treat the 23 cm width as a strength for precision work, not a limitation to fight: the machine is at its best weeding between rows and freshening beds that are already in cultivation.

Who should not buy it

Anyone starting from turf, compacted ground or a plot that has been left for years. At 11 kg there is nothing to hold the Mantis down, and on hard ground front tines tend to skate over the surface instead of biting. Breaking new ground is a job for a heavier rear-tine machine or a hired rotavator; once the plot is open, the Mantis takes over the maintenance. It is also the wrong buy if you want to turn over a large vegetable plot in a single session, because a 23 cm width means many passes. Our Mantis tiller review covers what it digs well in more detail.

Buying one in the UK, new or used

New, the four-stroke is mostly bought online, from Mantis's own UK site or the large marketplaces, and the price varies with bundled attachments more than with the machine itself. Compare what is in the box before comparing headline prices: a plough, planter or border edger included can be worth more than a small discount on a bare tiller, as long as it is an attachment you will actually use.

Used ones are common, and the light weight makes them easy to collect. Check the engine label first, because a two-stroke Mantis listed as a four-stroke is an easy mistake for a seller to make. Then look at the tine tips, which lose their bite as they wear, check that the engine starts and idles without hunting, pull the dipstick to see the oil level and colour, and make sure the throttle lever on the handlebar returns cleanly when released.