In article , Frank
wrote:

: I received a Garden Weasel as a gift and found it practically useless
: for the lawn. Gave it to Good Will.

What do you use for tilling/dethatching/aerating?

In a perfect example of mission creep, I started out by expecting to
find mechanical dethatcher and aerator for around $20-$30 each, then I
found Grass Stitcher for $100, and now I am reading about Mantis which
will probably add up to $500-$600 for all attachments.

Not really sure what makes sense in the long run for a 1000 sqft lawn.
I looked at the soil and it seemed quite compactified. Lots of brown
areas, although thatch is not too thick.