I just bought one with Honda engine and de-hatcher/aerator combo. Direct from Mantis. I am waiting for them to arrive. I mainly use it for de-thatching and aerating.

From my understanding, you just turn the tine around for weeding. I don't know how well in protecting the roots, I would like to know too.

You should pour out the old fuel, put in some 89 octane with oil mix and try to start it before bringing it in.

What will happen if you encounter super-heavy or rocky soil or good-sized roots is you will have the possibility of rendering your cultivator useless if you strip out the gearbox (a lot of them are plastic gears). I did this to my first one, and found the part was almost as much as I payed for it, so it got junked. They're good little diggers if you don't overload their capabilities.