SOLO Inc. Solo 421 20-Pound Capacity Portable Chest-mount Spreader with Comfortable Cross-shoulder Strap - 421S, White, 20lb

I have used a couple of different push type spreaders at one time or another and always found them lacking. So much care had to be taken to keep from over fertilizing some spots on the lawn, particularly where these units were filled. And... with a 1 1/2 acre lawn it took hours to do. The Solo has taken care of all of the problems and is perfect for me. It holds half a large bag fertilizer, it fills easily, there is no excess running onto the grass and it is easy for this 65+ year old to hoist and carry. The crank works great, the settings for flow are easy to use and it spreads the fertilizer evenly. I spread four bags in about 30 minutes. I looked at some other hand crank models similar to the Solo, but they were all too small. I would be going back and filling them about 6 or 7 times rather than just once with the Solo. This is a really nice unit and appears that I will be able to use it for years. It also takes up about one quarter of the space in my garage as a push type unit. It stores on a shelf rather than taking up floor space or hanging on the garage wall.

The Solo 20lb Spreader is hands down the best spreader for the money. It is no wonder why this product has so many great reviews. It arrived a week ago and a day before the big midwestern snowfall this past week we decided to frost seed 3+ acres of food plots with clover. The spreader held exactly 20 lbs of clover seed and did the entire job perfectly. Once you get the thumbscrew stop adjusted to your desired flow, you simply walk and crank the handle. The Solo Spreader dispersed the seed nicely. With 2 of us taking turns, we finished seeding the 3+ acres in about 3 hours. (Part of the time was the learning curve of setting the thumbscrew flow adjustment just right). My overall impression: The Solo Spreader is a well built, commercial grade spreader that performs well, is easy to use and should last for many years. The over-the-shoulder strap makes the spreader comfortable to use (even when full with 20 lbs of seed). The screw-on clear lid is nice for preventing spills and sheilding from rain, snow or other debris. The spreader was easy to clean and everything is non-corrosive and virtually rust-proof. (Very happy with purchase). Only negative: Like several others have mentioned, the open/close lever is tricky to find at times because you cannot see it while wearing the spreader. Once you get used to using the spreader it becomes easier to find.

these work great they are a little pricy compared to other brands but I have tried a lot of others so far this is the way to go for me

Of all the spreaders I have owned for spreading snow melt material (NOT Rock Salt, but snow melt material made of much smaller and finer granules) this one is by far the best made and engineered. This is a high quality product which will last for a long time if maintained. It spreads the material up to 30 feet wide. The flow adjustment and the hand cranking speed have a big impact on how wide and dense the material spreads. There is also a broadcast plastic flap shown in one of the photo's above which controls the material width. The spreader minimum width is about 6' from my experiences, so you have to angle it down towards the sidewalk to focus the material there, but it's easy. The material flows well and it broadcast it very well for either seeding or snow melt application. Here are my issues with this spreader as to why I didn't give it 5 star rating. 1. The control for opening the material flow is the red plastic lever shown in the photo above. When you are wearing the spreader, this control is on the back of the spreader and you can't see it as it is up against your chest. So you have to "feel" for the flow control to open and close it, which is awkward at best and cumbersome. 2. The spreader weighs about 6 pounds empty, ready to use. By time I filled it with snow melt material, it weighed over 30 pounds. Granted, the snow melt material is likely the most dense and heaviest material you could or would use in this spreader. Grass seed would be just the opposite and very light. The weight of the 30 pounds hanging on a strap around my neck after having had previous shoulder surgeries was very uncomfortable. I wore it just long enough to salt the driveway and then immediately take it off. I can't imagine wearing this for 20 or 30 minutes to spread material over a large area. If you haven't had shoulder surgeries, I hope you never have to as they can change your life. 3. The material flow adjustment is the plastic knurled threaded post which the red material flow handle stops against when you open the flow control. I give the manufacturer a lot of credit for making the pieces of this spreader out of high quality materials, I just found the adjustment of the material flow very sensitive. Perhaps this isn't meant to spread snow melt material, as the material and it's weight and flow in the hopper were the main issues I have with this spreader. I will try it in the spring for grass seed and lawn fertilizer and I think it's going to work great. This spreader is for right handed spreading and cranking only. That's fine but for people left handed, it seems awkward at first. I can honestly say I have not seen another spreader built with the quality of this item. The strap over the shoulder is the easiest way to put this on and off and I don't know of any alternative that would work as well. I just found the weight and pressure down on the shoulder and around the back of the neck quite uncomfortable. If I were to give this spreader a score out of 100 for overall design, quality, ease of use and every other aspect, I would definitely give it a 95 out of 100.....If there was a way to make the flow control and the material on and off lever easier to reach and find and the weight of this wasn't uncomfortable to wear, I would give this 100. I am going to try to add just enough snow melt material for each time it is used on the driveway, instead of filling the hopper. This will lighten it dramatically. I would imagine for the driveways which I use it on, perhaps filling it 1/3 to 1/2 would meet the need. Lightening it by 12 to 15 pounds will help with the weight on the shoulder. I carry this spreader on the carry all of my tractor and when I am done plowing snow, I grab the spreader and walk up and down the incline on the driveways, spreading material. I will have to carry another supply of snow melt to refill the spreader after each use on the driveways, as I take care of several driveways in my neighborhood. All in all, this is an excellent product that just needs a couple of modifications. Perhaps I can fit a wider piece of soft plastic over the shoulder strap to help reduce the pressure the strap applies to my shoulder. As far as a functioning spreader, this one is by far the best quality with serviceable components meant to last for many years. I would say this is the only TRUE COMMERCIAL quality hand held or carried spreader I have owned and I have had several of the hand carry and crank units, the Wizz which just doesn't work well in the cold and the material plugs it up. I will find a way to make this spreader work because clearly, its the best made, highest quality spreader I have found and I have looked at and owned over 8 different ones over the years. So, if you need a "carry spreader", give this one a try and you will likely be pleased. Its not perfect, but its the closest to perfect I have found after years of searching and trying these portable, hand powered and carry spreaders. If I could give this spreader 4.5 stars I would because it's that close to being "PERFECT". Buy this knowing the issues I pointed out, don't avoid it because of the concerns I raised. There is much more good and even great about this spreader than problems or disappointments.

Works great and easy to use.

This product is amazing. I just tried it out and it solves all the problems that my cheaper hand-held spreader always had. It carries a ton of grass fertilizer or de-icer crystals so you aren't constantly refilling it and trying to figure out where you left off. You can choose your spray arc in case you want to run up the side of a rectangular yard or drive way without all the over spray or having to hold it sideways. You can set it for a minimum to maximum spread AND THEN you have a smaller thumb-paddle (?) to reduce it the flow even further or even stop it on the fly. The weight was nice to carry close to the core of the body, even with all the extra granules. The long lever arm turns freely. When I was was done, I was astounded how quickly it completed my yard compared to the hand held. Although I didn't measure with a clock, it seemed to have taken about a quarter of the time my hand-held one used to take. And, unlike my hand-held, I didn't have to dig clump of granules out of the trap door at the bottom of the funnel due to clogging, break granual clumps up by hand, or replace a impeller that jammed up and/or popped out repeatedly. It 's worth every dime for this premium spreader to me. I would totally buy this product again and/or recommend it to a friend.

Best hand spreader on the market by far, professional grade quality. I'm a professional contractor and I usually don't write reviews, but I had to give Solo a 5 star on this one. All the options you need to make a mundane job comfortable & quick, with the exception of someone else doing it for you. I wish I had this 10 years ago. Super product

I read many reviews and decided to go with this and I'll say that I'm satisfied like most of the reviewers. It works great, throws seed wide and uniformly. I was able to seed 3 or 4 acres in an afternoon. I had tried a rolling seeder but with uneven terrain it just didn't work. With this seeder I am able to walk anywhere and get seed laid evenly. I had it on setting 5 (out of 9 or 10) and as I passed cow pies I could see that each cow pie (maybe 1' around) had at least 2 or 3 sometimes 4 or 5 seeds. So I'd say that I'm laying seed about 3 or 4 seeds per square foot at the middle setting. The only thing I'd say to those reading this review, be careful not to put your hand into the spinning disk before it stops, I bit my fingers a few times by mistake.