Earthwise TC70040 Cordless Electric Tiller-Cultivator

If you’ve just advanced from indoor to backyard gardening, you’ve probably realized how important powered tillers and cultivators are—that is, compared to manual, hand-operated, small-scale-gardening cultivators. Well, I had the same dilemma during our family’s transition to outdoor gardening. We didn’t have the best tiller back then. How I wish we had the Earthwise TC70040 Cordless Electric Tiller/Cultivator. We’ve probably fixed our newest garden bed in less than an hour.

1. Things to Consider Before Buying Cordless Tillers

A cordless tiller is basically one that’s battery-operated. Since you’re going to recharge its battery, it still falls under the electric tillers/cultivators category.

Just a side note here to avoid confusion. Some people do argue that the terms “tiller” and “cultivator” can be interchanged, while some take the time to put a clear line between the two.

As for modern gardening machines, however, they can handle both tilling and cultivating. Hence, for these machines, naming them either as tillers or cultivators would no longer matter a lot.

Still, tilling is more about an initial “groundbreaking” and preparation for planting, where the depth in which you overturn the soil is important. On the other hand, cultivation is more about maintenance work after the plants have grown an inch or two.

Who needs a cordless tiller/cultivator?

You might need a cordless electric tiller or cultivator if you like to experience the following benefits:

• Portability (It’s a lighter, smaller machine compared to gas-powered and corded electric cultivators. Carry it around without the need to plug in.)
• Less hassle (You don’t have to use extension wires.)
• Ease of operation (Parts are easy to assemble. No gas refills needed.)

If, however, you need some large-scale farming jobs, you might have to opt for the traditional but more powerful electric cultivators or gas-powered tillers.

Also, as I’ve implied from the introduction above, if you’re more into indoor gardening and you got potting mixes ready, cordless tillers can wait. You may only need a manual or hand cultivator instead.

So, what should you look for in a cordless tiller/cultivator?

If you’re convinced that a cordless tiller is what you need, be sure you’re getting the best garden tiller. Consider the following criteria before buying one.

Battery Type

Lithium-ion batteries are currently the best in the industry. With it, you only need a short charging time to get a longer working time. It can also avoid self-discharge as well as the so-called memory effect.

Battery Capacity

You can most easily compare battery power among tools when you look at the Watt-hour rating. A Watt-hour is equivalent to the battery capacity (in Amp-hours or Ah) times the battery voltage (in Volts or V). A 40-V, 4-Ah battery, for instance, has 160-Wh power.

Generally, you would like to have a higher voltage rating to handle more heavy-duty tasks. A 40V-max battery, for instance, usually provides longer running times than an 18V/20V-max battery.

Overall Size and Weight

Both the overall size and weight of your tiller or cultivator affect its portability. Check the product’s dimensions and weight before buying.

Design

Some handles, for instance, are ergonomically designed. They can have cushions that add comfort while working.

Design, however, involves more than just the handles. How the wheels, tines, and overall body work together can affect the ease of use.

2.The Earthwise TC70040 Cordless Electric Tiller/Cultivator

The Earthwise TC70040 Cordless Electric Tiller/Cultivator is the battery-powered member of the TC7 family of electric tillers and cultivators. It has a maximum cutting width of 11”—the median in the family, but a price greater than all the others.

The TC70040 has also found a spot among Amazon’s best sellers under the category, Power Tillers. Priced at $187.19, the product already comes with a 40V-max, 4-Ah Lithium-Ion battery, and its corresponding charger.

This Earthwise cordless tiller/cultivator may be the easiest to maneuver across a 30’x30’ garden, but you will have to make sure you’ve charged the battery enough to avoid losing your momentum at work. Alternatively, you may buy an additional Earthwise BL84040 40 Volt 4Ah Battery along with the TC70040 so you’ll have two batteries in total to take turns in charging.

3. Features & Benefits of the Earthwise TC70040 Cordless Electric Tiller/Cultivator

Cordless/Battery-Powered

Just by being cordless, the TC70040 electric tiller/cultivator already implies numerous benefits. You only need to charge the battery to the full, and it can power your work for as long as two hours. Well, the actual running time may vary according to the workload. Still, the TC70040 may surprise you for the power it offers. You may say it can do work as much as a corded electric or a gas-powered version can.

One thing I like about cordless electric cultivators is that your work doesn’t have to be limited by the length of a cord or the location of an outlet. Also, you don’t have to buy an extension wire if you really want to go stretch your work to the farthest corner of your garden. To me, that is such a hassle I can simply avoid with cordless cultivators such as the Earthwise TC70040.

Environment-Friendly

Because you don’t need to mix gasoline and oil or throw fumes into the air to use it, the Earthwise cordless electric tiller is friendly enough to the environment. It’s also user-friendly because starting the TC70040 is nothing more complicated than placing a battery pack on your phone (back in the days when phone batteries were still removable).

Lithium-Ion Battery

As mentioned above, Li-On batteries are currently the best types in the industry. The TC70040 uses them, too. The rating is at 40 V (max) and 4 Ah. As I also said, the TC70040 can already run for a maximum of 2 hours with about half an hour of charging. The battery may take 2 hours to fully charge, though.

4 Adjustable Steel Tines

With tines made of steel, the Earthwise TC70040 already implies strength. Make those tines adjustable, and you’ll have a flexible machine.

This adjustability feature refers to the tilling depth, which ranges from 7” to 11”. This means you can fit them into the narrower portions of your garden, especially in between rows.

8-Inch Tilling Depth

Some cordless tillers only offer a tilling depth of up to 5”. The TC70040 can till up to 8 inches deep.

To me, this is one evidence of how the product stays true to its name: it’s a tiller + cultivator. I can expect to dig really deep to initially prepare my garden beds with the use of this tiller.

Cushioned Ergonomic Handles

The handles of this Earthwise electric cultivator allow you to position your hands in various ways. Unlike other products which have two separate handles—one each for your hands—the TC70040 has integrated the handles into one body.

This means you can reposition your grip in case your arms become weary after long hours of work.

Another plus is that it’s cushioned. Somehow, this cushioning may help you avoid getting blisters and calluses. It may also prevent fatigue by absorbing the vibrations from the operation.

6-Inch Flip-Down Transport Wheels

The transport wheels are amazing since they can transform depending on your need. If you like to dig and till deep,  the wheels try to get out of the way. On the other hand, the wheels can flip down when you want to just go easy on cultivation, top dress your soil with mulch, or weed between garden beds.

4. What Users Say About the TC70040 by Earthwise

Let’s see what other users have to say about the TC70040 tiller/cultivator.

Light and Easy to Handle

This user’s review is pretty straightforward about her positive experience with the TC70040 cordless tiller. The TC70040 isn’t limited to working a 90-square-feet garden, though. Some other reviewers also tell of tilling a 40 or 50-square-feet area with this cordless machine.

Powerful and Easy to Start

If you’ve been doubting about the power of cordless cultivators when compared to gas-powered ones, consider this man’s testimony. He’s considered himself a convert, and you may want to go on the same path he took.

Battery Can Handle 2-Hour Work

This man has also shifted from using gas-powered models to a battery-powered tiller/cultivator. His satisfaction plus some tips on using the product may give you an even clearer direction as to whether you should try the TC70040 for yourself or not.

Can Beat Quackgrass-Covered Ground

This woman talks about durability, dependability and longevity of the Earthwise cordless tiller. And it’s yet another testimony about the power the TC70040 has even if it’s “just” operated by a battery.

5. Alternatives to the Earthwise TC70040 Cordless Electric Tiller/Cultivator

Even if all the above already sounds convincing, you may still find occasional negative reviews on Amazon, but most of them belong to the corded models. Yet again, you may simply wish to be sure about your purchase, so I’m listing here three alternatives to help widen your perspective.

All three below are cordless, i.e., battery-powered. The price I’ve indicated for each product already includes the battery. They’re listed from the cheapest to the most expensive.

• Black+Decker LGC120 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Garden Cultivator/Tiller
• Greenworks 10-Inch 40V Cordless Cultivator, 4.0 Ah Battery Included 27062
• Greenworks TL80L210 Pro 80V 10-Inch Tiller, 2Ah Battery Included, Black and Green

Black+Decker LGC120 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Garden Cultivator/Tiller

The LGC120 by Black & Decker is at the lower end of the budget while the TC70040 by Earthwise is at the higher end. The difference in specs is also quite notable.

With both being cordless, you may have the reason to buy the Black & Decker LGC120, especially if you’re quite on a budget and would like to compensate the compromise on specs with a warranty that includes the charger and battery.

The table below summarizes how the two cultivators fare against each other.

Interested? Check out the Black+Decker LGC120 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Garden Cultivator/Tiller here.

Or, see our full review of the product.

Greenworks 10-Inch 40V Cordless Cultivator, 4.0 Ah Battery Included 27062

The Greenworks 27062 Cordless Cultivator are almost twins with the Earthwise TC70040 in terms of specs and price. Compared to the TC70040, the Greenworks 27062 is just short of 3” in tilling depth. You may wonder if that is anything significant, but it may be, especially if you’re going to “till” rather than just “cultivate.”

You may need to take note that the Earthwise TC70040 sells itself as both a tiller and a cultivator, which implies that it can do the harder work of tilling deep. Still, people confuse these terms, but if you’re wise enough to discern why Greenworks named its product this way, then you probably know its limitations.

Specs aside, Greenworks tries to lure potential buyers with a warranty twice longer than the industry standard. If that matters to you, then the Greenworks 27062 Cordless Cultivator may be your choice.

Interested? Check out the Greenworks 10-Inch 40V Cordless Cultivator (4.0 Ah Battery Included, 27062 Model) here.

Or, see our full review of the product.

Greenworks TL80L210 Pro 80V 10-Inch Tiller, 2Ah Battery Included, Black and Green

Greenworks also has an 80V-max cordless tiller. Its specs are much alike the 40V-model, except those that pertain to battery power. There’s also a difference in the design.

The Greenworks TL80L210 Pro is one of the more expensive tillers/cultivators. You may be intrigued about its price, and whether it’s connected to its 80V-maximum voltage. Well, as mentioned above, a 40-V, 4-Ah battery will have just about the same power as an 80-V, 2-Ah one. Nonetheless, Greenworks’ TL80L210 features a battery with a fan, and that rapidly charges fully in only 30 minutes.

If, however, you already have other Greenworks 80V-system tools, you may not need to buy the tiller version that includes the battery. You can have the tool-only, TL80L00 model instead.

Check out the Greenworks TL80L210 Pro 80V 10-Inch Tiller (2Ah Battery Included) here.

Conclusion: The Earthwise TC70040 Cordless Electric Tiller/Cultivator Is A Powerful Cultivator

Tilling and cultivating are, again, two different but equally essential tasks in gardening. You may need to have two different tools to use for the two. But, if you already got one that can do both, then that could be a real deal.

Among the tillers and cultivators mentioned here, the Earthwise TC70040 offers a reasonable price for the benefits it offers, namely, power, portability, ergonomics, ease of use, and convenience without the cord.

You may want to see if the Earthwise TC70040 could be your best cordless tiller yet.