I've got elect. mantis. Smooth and quiet, no mixing on starting other than pushing a button, no carb. to get gummed up. Only down fall you have to have 110V close (within 100 foot). IMO the elect. is probably more powerful than the gas models of equal size. Mantis IMO has the best tine design, grinds and mixes the soil without throwing it all over the place. I went to above ground garden and dumped all my gas tillers. Takes me about 30 min. to till and prep for planting.

I would go with the Mantis, Stihl, or Honda. You can get the Mantis and Honda in either 2-cycle (gas-oil mixed together) or 4-cycle (don't know about the Stihl.) I prefer the 4-cycle, as it's quieter, but there's not a great advantage to either one.

rcmoser makes a good case for electric, but an acquaintance of mine who has one complains that she sometimes breaks plants off with the dragging cord, and must devote too much attention to where the cord is. Also, she was shocked to find that a heavy-duty 100-ft cord cost nearly $50. She is pleased with the job her electric Mantis does, but says she will buy gasoline next time, simply because of the hassle the cord causes.

We bought a mini tiller (off brand)from Menards (michigan) back in 2001. Have not had a bit of trouble with it. My one suggestion would be to be sure and use Non-Ethanol gas in it. You can check on the internet for gas stations in your area that sell it.

The nice thing about the Mantis is the number of attachments available for it. I have the tiller, crevice cleaner, and edger, and I use them all. Mine has the 2-stroke Echo engine. I start it and run it once a month. It's old, I inherited it from my dad, probably dates back to the late 1970s.