Mantis seems to be well liked, I may buy one, but have not yet. http://mantis.com/home.asp This is not a recommendation, I have not yet purchased one, but it seems to be the type tool you are looking for.

I'm not very impressed with the lightweight trimmers like the Honda and Mantis, and use a much heavier and more expensive BCS. However, I realize the BCS is probably overkill and overbudget for your application. I'll defer to others about tillers.

As for edgers, you need to decide whether you want a "stick edger", which is basically a string trimmer with an edger head at the end of shaft; or you are looking at a wheeled edger, which has an engine mounted in a frame, and then belt or shaft drive to the blade and cutter head.

I personally prefer a wheeled edger, and believe the two best are Power Trim and Little Wonder. Both are very expensive ($400 to $700) depending upon engines and features, but are the most widely used by commercial gardeners. The McLane is a good homeowner or lite commercial quality, but you need to be careful which model you get. McLane has "dumbed down" their product line to offer lower price point, and you want to stay away from the bottom.

Thanks for the follow ups. I'm looking at a 4-cycle Mantis tiller that looks easy to use and tough. And, a Little Wonder edger. Can't wait to get started, but I'm sure it will be the end of April before the ground is unfrozen here in balmy Minnesota.

Really, the ground unfrozen in Minnesota in April?

I understand the Mantis has a edger, in fact I think the Mantis tiller will take an edger that has wheels and a metal cutting head. Don't own one (yet) but that's what I remember.

How good is Mantis tiller using as aerator and dethatcher with the aerator tines and dethatcher?

I have a 3000sqft lawn and I want to find a way to do it. Renting is a little hard because I don't have a truck. Can Mantis do a half way decent job or don't even bother with it?

My Mantis came with an edger as a "throw-in" promotion
when I bought it 5 or 6 years ago. It appears that
you take off the tilling tines and put the rubber wheel on
one side and the edging wheel on the other. The edging
wheel looks like one of the tilling tines except it is
straight and the ends of the tines aren't bent. I've
never used it, but it looks like it would work. As far
as using the Mantis for a dethatcher, I don't think
it would work. However, for a small garden like mine,
it's a great little tilller.