If you’re new to gardening or have never used a tiller before, it’s a good idea to learn more about what they do before you buy one.
If you’re not quite sure which one to get, I recently spent some time with the Echo TC-210 tiller and can say there are a lot of reasons to put it on your list. With its small, lightweight size and useful features, it’s a great place to start looking.
It’s not perfect, though. The compact design lacks enough power for heavier weeds and thicker soil, and being gas-powered means it’s arguably worse for the environment than an electric one. Plus, getting up and running sometimes can be a bit finicky.
It may not be one of the best tillers, but there are still plenty of good things about it, so read on to see if it fits your garden well.
Jason has always enjoyed yard work, but it wasn’t until he got married that he began to share his wife’s joy of gardening. He’s been testing and using lawn equipment for years and has built and maintained several garden beds around the home he shares with his wife and two young children.
Echo TC-210 Tiller: Key specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| Engine displacement (cc): | 21.2 |
| Carburetor: | Diaphragm w/ Purge Pump |
| Starting system: | Standard |
| Furrow Width (in): | 9 |
| Number of Tines: | 4 |
| Dimensions | 39.76 x 44.48 x 13.36 in. (1.01 x 1.13 x .34 m) |
| Dry Weight (lbs.) | 20 |
| Fuel Capacity (fl. oz.) | 16.9 |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| MSRP | $399.99 |
Echo TC-210 Tiller: Price & availability
Echo's TC-210 tiller is currently available on its website for $399, and Home Depot and Amazon have it on sale for $399 as well. This puts it in the middle of the price range for a good tiller these days, which honestly seems a tad overpriced for me, considering how small it is. Echo does make quality power equipment, however, so overall, it’s not a totally unreasonable price.
Echo TC-210 Tiller: Setup
Opening the TC-210 box, you’re greeted with the tiller front and center. It was pleasantly surprising to see a lack of plastic or Styrofoam in the box, yet it seems like the tiller could get jostled around too easily during transit. Mine wasn’t damaged at all, but it feels like it could be packed more snugly.
Assembly is simple and easy. You simply need to attach the support bars and handles using the provided bolts, nuts, and washers. You’ll need a 7/16th-in. wrench to fully tighten the bolts, but everything else you need is included. The times also come preinstalled, so you don’t have to worry about that. The whole assembly process took me less than half an hour.
Once assembled, I was a bit surprised at how small it was. Granted, a 20-cc engine is not very big, but the whole thing was still much smaller than I expected for a garden tiller. The small size and light weight means it’s quite easy to transport and store, and it’s still well-built even for a small engine.
Echo TC-210 Tiller: Design
As mentioned, the Echo TC-210 is quite compact for a gas-powered tiller. It stands about 40 inches high, is just over 13 inches wide, and is about 44 inches long. It’s only about 20 pounds (without fuel), so it’s very easy to maneuver around your yard. The convenient carrying handle near the engine is positioned so I can carry it one-handed.
The compact design is both a good and bad thing, in my opinion. I love how easy it is to maneuver around my yard, and I don’t tire of pushing it around for a while. But the downside is that there’s less weight pushing the tines into the ground, and the smaller engine means there’s less power driving the tines as well.
I’m also not a huge fan of the handle design. They angle down from the support bars at a pretty steep angle, and the trigger is mounted upside down at the bottom of the handle. So, instead of squeezing with your top fingers as you might expect (and is the norm on almost all other yard equipment I’ve used), you’re squeezing it with your pinky. I get they were aiming for greater convenience, but it becomes a bit awkward for me. The safety cutoff switch is right above the trigger, so that’s easy to get to if needed.
The included kickstand is also pretty weak. I had to ensure I rested the tiller on it just right so it wouldn’t fall over, and it sat low enough that it got in the way a lot while I was tilling. However, you can adjust its position, so if you need to make deeper trenches or just want to keep it out of the way, you can.
The best part of the design is the tines. They are designed to slide off easily, so you can clean out any weeds. Simply pull out the cotter pin and slide off as one unit from either side of the shaft.
Echo TC-210 Tiller: Performance
First things first: starting up the TC-210 is hit-or-miss. After priming it, it took several pulls to start the engine, and once started, it would cut off within a few seconds, more than half the time. At first, I chalked this up because it was a new engine that needed some warming. But even after running it for 20 minutes or so, when trying to restart it immediately, we had the same problems.
We were always able to start it eventually, but more than half the time, it took us several tries before it would finally catch and run consistently. Even when we revved the engine to warm it up, it would still cut out a few times before catching.
The first place I tested it was on a large dirt area on the side of our house. Since we lost some trees there earlier this year, we decided to clean up some weeds and dead leaves and turn them into a garden bed. The ground was also quite dry due to a lack of rain. The TC-210 did a decent job of tilling up the dirt, but it could only get a few inches deep with the kickstand adjusted low and even pushing on it a bit to help it dig in.
Next, we tried it on a much smaller garden box in our backyard that is regularly maintained and watered. The TC-210 performed much better there, more like what you’d expect from a good gas tiller.
Maintenance on the TC-210 is easy. Simply clean off the tines when done using it and store them alongside the rest of your outdoor power equipment. If you’re done using it for the season, it’s a good idea to drain the gas or fill it with just a bit of TruFuel to keep it from drying out while in storage.
Would I buy the Echo TC-210 Tiller?
| Attribute | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | comes with preinstalled tines, and the necessary tools are included, except for a 7/16-inch wrench needed to tighten the bolts; packaging could be more secure to prevent potential damage during transit | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | handle design is somewhat awkward, with the trigger positioned for use with the pinky finger, which may not be comfortable for all users; kickstand is also noted to be weak and can get in the way during operation | 7/10 |
| Maneuverability | compact size and light weight; easy to move around the yard and navigate tight spaces; carrying handle near the engine allows for one-handed transport | 9/10 |
| Performance | performance of the TC-210 is decent, especially in well-maintained and watered areas; can till up to 9 inches wide and 6 inches deep; starting the engine can be inconsistent, and the tiller struggles with dry, compacted soil | 7/10 |
Buy it if...
Don’t buy it if…
How I tested the Echo TC-210 Tiller
I tested this tiller in three locations and soil conditions around our yard. The first was on dry ground covered with weeds and dried leaves, and the other two were garden boxes in our backyard with well-maintained and watered soil.
Learn more about how we test.
