Walensee Lawn Coring Aerator, Manual Grass Dethatching Turf Plug, Core Aeration Tool Heavy Duty Aerator for Compacted Soils and Lawns to Prevent Lawn Run-Off and Soil Compaction

I purchased this aerator because I laid a bluegrass blend of sod about 3 months ago and I am losing more and more grass to yellow. I live in NM so it’s hard to believe I was over watering. Then all the sudden mushrooms started growing. I’m obviously watering too much. I also have almost complete tree coverage of my lawn so it doesn’t get tons of sun even though it gets tons of heat. I was going by the growers watering suggestions which I’m sure include lots of New Mexico sun. I did not water before doing this and it was super easy. Obviously overwatering as well as the sprinklers are not evenly distributing. I found all this out from this awesome two prong aerator! I will say that I am 5,8” and 135 pounds. It worked perfect for me for a small yard 450 ft.². With soft soil. It took me around 40 minutes and that was not doing it in a hurry. But trying to space ever 4-6 inches. I’m just guessing but if you’re over 6 feet tall it may bother your back because you’re gonna have to bend over more than I did and it does not adjust.Its very well-made. I can’t imagine it ever breaking. The slugs come out super easy as I’m going along. I did clean it out once but my soil is pretty wet, not super compacted. . For apex 35 bucks this is best purchase I’ve gotten recently! Considering I looked at a ton of reviews and some similar items up around $70-80+.My personal opinion is that this is a well-built, functional easy to use tool for a small lawn and I’m not even professional!

Update:So I waited a day after it drizzled and gave this a go again. To my surprise it actually worked really well this time after the soil had dried out a lot! I still got one jam in noticeably more wet soil but besides that I did 1000+ sqft of aeration without a clog. My recommendation is to use this after a VERY light drizzle or if the soil is on the more dry side. If it isn't working well only then start adding some more water so you get a sense of the dampness that works well with your soil. If you try and use this after some indeterminate amount of rain you lose all control of the soil moisture and will be hating this tool. I found thrusting the tool into the soil with my hands and foot on the tool helped it eject the plugs a little better too.Original:I waited until after it drizzled a bit (the soil is damp but not muddy) but this thing clogs after putting out one round of plugs. This means every push after is just compacting the dirt even more. The worst part is dirt is extremely hard to get out of the tool if you decide to just keep going anyways. I spent around 15 minutes with a screwdriver and a drill to get it all out. This probably depends a lot on your soil given the other positive reviews. I suspect my soil has a lot of clay since it seems to get sticky/clumpy when wet. I will wait until things dry up a bit and give it another go, or else I will try cutting out some thin channels on the cylinders and see if that helps with releasing the plugs.

The media could not be loaded. I would buy this aerator again and again without hesitation. Worked flawlessly on my yard.A few points first; I Live in NE Georgia, very dense red clay. We received ~3” of rain two days before I used this. The ground was saturated but not wet. Our home was recently built and finished with sod. We have 3 dogs who travel the same path and have worn a very dead and very hard path in the yard. I can’t speak to this tools ability to regrow grass, but it does what is says and aerated the yard.I used this the day it arrived in the conditions described above. The plugs were ejecting perfectly and must have made 200/300 penetrations in the 10 minutes. I’ll try again this weekend, and with no rain forecasted the ground should be much more dry.I learned that walking backward, working in straight lines works best. This way you stay off the plugs as they are removed and can work rows like a farm tractor would.I made a penetration every 6-8” and despite the occasional rock stopping my rhythm did not have a single issue. Did not have one plug stuck.My ONLY critique, the handle could be a few inches taller. I am 6’1” and I recognize this is a one size fits all tool and opted for this one with sold construction rather than an adjustable handle. However I did find myself hunching slightly. Making a focused effort to stay upright will save your back. I’ll probably weld on an extended handle. Still giving 5 starts though as most won’t have this issue.

If your lawn is actually compacted clay, this will not work. It will only work well enough for lawns that do not need aerated. The plugs get stuck in the prongs and are immovable even with a hammer.

I needed to aerate the front yard but because we had such a wet spring, I didn’t want to use one of the heavy machines. We have a new build with terrible soil so our sod was looking very rough in several areas. Our front yard is a decent size for a suburban area but it didn’t take me very long (maybe an hour and a half) to fully aerate the entire yard. I think having wet ground is essential to getting it done quickly though so make sure to water if you don’t have the good fortune of a recent rainstorm. I had a similar product at a previous house and it was much more difficult to use, less stable, and it didn’t have as much space for my foot. I’m a petite woman (5’4”) and this worked very well for me. It might not be as comfortable for my 6’3” husband to use because he would have to lean over further than me. This is very sturdy and the slightly pointed shape of the corer end is very effective. I had to stop to unclog it a couple times but even that was a fairly simple process. I really agonized over the reviews when I made this purchase so hope this is helpful for others like me that tend to overthink their purchases.