Hound Dog Products HDP3-8 Turf Hound Aerator

Reviews of Hound Dog Products HDP3-8 Turf Hound Aerator

1.) Excellent Product
Reviewed by: Norton the dog Center of the Universe
Rating:
This plug aerator works by "pushing" a plug out throught the top of a cylindrical tube located on either side of the step plate on the bottom. a well thought out design, the loop handle allows your knee to be above the push plate, making it easy to step on the device with enough force to cause the plug to push another through the tube. Although designed for a small space, I plan to use it to aerate my 7,000 square foot lawn this summer. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but it's good exercise, and the lawn gets aerated. It's sturdy without being heavy, will probably last forever (or at least longer than I'll be using it).

2.) Nice cores for small trouble areas
Reviewed by: Eriocaulon United States
Rating:
Hound Dog products I've used seem to be great. I have the flat faced shovel and the weed hound in addition to the core aerator. Making plugs is nice and easy. The limiting factor is how hard or rocky your soil is. It is best to do the coring when the soil is moist, otherwise the effort goes up.

The 2-core aerator can easily do trouble spots and also small areas that commercial plug aerators cannot access. It seems to be well made and works very well.


3.) Turf Hound Works Great!
Reviewed by: G. Dash Colorado
Rating:
I purchased the turf hound because I wanted the convenience of a core aereator for trouble spots or to do my whole lawn without renting or buying a power aereator.. The soil needs to be a little wet (not soaked) and it works great. I was a little concerned about how much effort would be required - no problem.

4.) So simple yet so useful
Reviewed by: jkg Virginia, USA
Rating:
In my townhouse's small backyard, I needed to aerate the heavily compacted soil on the cheap. This tool is so simple, sturdy, and just plain perfect for the smaller yard I have. Make sure the soil is a little moist (not wet) before using to let this job go really quickly.

5.) Sturdy, Simple, Perfect
Reviewed by: jerry_of_md Maryland
Rating:
Very sturdy, solid steel. Heavy Duty but not heavy. This tool will easily out live me. Easy to use. Cores pop right out of the top and the tapered core tube didn't allow anything to get stuck inside. You wouldn't want to do a large area with any hand held aerator but the convenience of having one for high traffic or other problem areas is very satisfying. A great value.

6.) Does what it claims
Reviewed by: Hudson's Bay Man Tacoma WA USA
Rating:
I only needed to aerate a 40'x 3' strip of grass. This little device did as good a job as a power core aerator for less than it would have cost to rent one and doesn't need petrol. Of course I now have a tool I can use year after year for this annual maintenance and it takes very little space to store. It is sturdily built and should last for years.

7.) Great aerator.
Reviewed by: S. Murphy Annapolis, MD United States
Rating:
I found the Hound Dog easy to use. It is easiest to use when the ground is moist. We have a large yard so I did a small section each morning until the entire yard was aerated. We started to notice improvements in our lawn's appearance within a few weeks. I would definitely recommend this product.

8.) Works really well, even in Colorado clay soil
Reviewed by: A. Nash CO
Rating:
I had my doubts about whether this would work, given that the soil in Colorado is very tough clay. Well, I actually had fun aerating my lawn with it this afternoon. I was able to get about 600 sq ft done in a little over an hour. It was easy to use, just step and pull, the plugs come right out as you step the next time. I liked the wide step area - sometimes it was easier to go in on one side, and rotate the other side in rather than going straight down. I also liked that it actually does pull out soil plugs, rather than just poking holes in the lawn (which I understand is less effective). It was kind of drizzly today - so not soaking wet, but definitely moist soil. Trying to aerate with dry clay would not have been fun. I kind of got into a rhythm after a while, and it was not hard work. Just required a little patience. I don't think this would be good for huge lawns - our patch is fairly small (because we like having less lawn work to do generally). But for small lawns, it sure beats paying someone to do it! Very happy with the product (actually pleasantly surprised by how well it worked), and would recommend.

9.) Sturdy, Works well
Reviewed by: T. Watts Denver, Colorado
Rating:
Very durable product, works well. I'm tall, 6'3'' and it would be great if they had the product in an extra long version. It's relaxing to use it just takes time to get the yard finished. We don't have a huge yard so it its not to bad.

10.) Well Built, Works Well
Reviewed by: Milarepa CA USA
Rating:
I'm very pleased with both the price and the performance of this aerator. My builder didn't put topsoil down before laying sod so there are a lot stones a few inches below the lawn. This baby didn't bend, break, or get damaged in any way even in these demanding conditions....I'm impressed. I would recommend this product to anyone who doesn't mind the effort and sweat necessary to use a manual aerator.

11.) hounddog turf aerator
Reviewed by: gadget guru west allis, wisconsin
Rating:
I was skeptical when i bought this but, WOW, it work's! I was able to do all the areas the big machine could'nt get to and add holes to problem areas. It was a great purchase.

12.) It's a gem!
Reviewed by: Thrifty Mom Las Vegas, NV
Rating:
I was worried because we live in the desert and I was affraid that the soil would be too hard. This really works! We don't have much lawn, so this is perfect. It was easy to use, and the plugs all pop out of the top. My kids love it. It's sturdy and I'm so glad I got it, I'd buy one again!

13.) Works Great!!!
Reviewed by: PJ
Rating:
I bought this to aerate by 600sq/ft lawn. It works great. It took me about 30 minutes to cover the whole lawn. Sometimes the plug does not come out. When that happened I just kept going and in a few more steps they started popping right out again. Its a great tool for maintaining my small lawn. Its very sturdy and I had no bending issues even when I think I hit an underlying rock that prevented it from reaching full depth. Of course when I hit rock, I didn't press the issue by trying to stamp it in. Just pull it out and move on to the next spot. Great alternative to hiring someone.

14.) just what I'd hoped
Reviewed by: Jane K. Jiumaleh Madison, Wisconsin
Rating:
The product worked just as I'd hoped. My yard is full of superficial tree roots and I didn't know how I could aerate with a machine (besides, when my neighbors rented an aerator, I found the machine was too heavy for me to handle by myself). The product was easy to use and I was able to do my whole front lawn more quickly and with less fatigue than I'd expected. The advice about making sure the soil is neither too wet nor too dry was helpful.

15.) Good Exercise, works great.
Reviewed by: Lawn Novice Indianapolis, IN
Rating:
My lawn was not well thought out by the developers of my neighborhood, and as a result there is a lot of hard soil underneath my lawn. After using this product, I have found that my lawn is growing much better in the areas I used it. Sometimes the dirt is too hard to push through, but after the soil has been adequately moistened, it works great. I think it is well worth the money.

16.) Top quality aerator
Reviewed by: M. Roe
Rating:
The Hound Dog turf Aerator #HDP3-8 is sturdy and easy to use as opposed to the single handled brands. Of course it helps it the lawn/soil is wet before tackling the job. Price is also great! I would greatly recommend this product.

17.) Excellent Coring Aerator
Reviewed by: K. Butler Moreno Valley CA
Rating:
Received the Turf Hound Aerator 13 May 2010 and tried it the same day. The product works exactly as described. Excellent for those brown patches that I have dealt with for a few summers now. No matter how much water or fertilizer I applied, nothing worked. About a week or two ago a guy at work recommended that I use a bow rake to poke holes in those spots. There was improvement, but I'm sure the coring aerator will provide much better results. I never realized that all I needed to do was aerate my lawn. Thanks Hound Dog/True Temper for a great product.

UPDATE: When I used the aerator on the 13th of May, I only tried it on a couple of small brown patches. Yesterday, 20 May 2010, I decided to aerate the whole front lawn. While using the aerator, I noticed that one side ejected plugs perfectly and the other side kept getting clogged. When I was finished, I examined the tube that kept getting clogged and noticed that there was a 3/4 inch dent in the tube just below the foot plate. I didn't notice this the first time I tried it. This dent is what was causing the clogging. The other tube is perfectly smooth. I called Amazon customer service, and they are sending me a replacement aerator due to this manufacturer defect. When I receive the new one, I will definitely inspect it thoroughly before using it.

18.) Great Little Problem Solver
Reviewed by: Desert Rain Glendale AZ
Rating:
I have a small 14' x 24' grassy area in my desert landscape in AZ. The dirt gets compacted and hard. This little tool is just the thing to keep my grassy area looking top notch. It isn't difficult to use. Just step on it and pull out the plugs. It did clog a couple of times but the clog was easily removed with a dowel rod. In about 2 wks I started noticing a big difference in the color and thickness of my grass. The aerator is a manual tool so it does involve some effort to use. It requires more energy than sitting on the sofa watching TV! It took about an hr and a half to do my lawn. I love the little tool. It is heavy duty, just the right size and easy to hang out of the way in my garage. Thanks Hound Dog for a simple answer to my little problem.Hound Dog Products HDP3-8 Turf Hound Aerator

19.) Very easy to use; good for small lawn
Reviewed by: J. Hirsch Denver, CO
Rating:
Rather than spend the same amount of money to have someone aerate my lawn, this will pay for itself. It gives you a nice little workout and I'm able to aerate my medium/smallish front lawn in about an hour.
It's easy to use and a little fun too.

20.) Good product
Reviewed by: swthme
Rating:
We bought this aerator for our medium sized lawn. It was not difficult using it when the lawn is perfectly moist (not overly watered). I removed the plugs of soil from the lawn and waiting to see the results of aeration.

21.) Does the job
Reviewed by: John Oconnor
Rating:
I have soil that is partially clay. This aerator does the job just fine, but using the tool is work. I have about a half an acre and it took me about 4 hours to complete.

22.) A Nice Tool for a Small Plot
Reviewed by: Coffee Commuter Long Island, NY
Rating:
If you use the Dog on solid, dry soil (not damp or wet), the plugs will feed through nicely.
I suggest you stop immediately if plugs clog the openings, and wait for a dry spell. Soil composition is everything to successful use. Don't force it.
I aerated my front yard, about 600 sq. ft., in an hour. When plugs were stubborn, I flipped the Dog over and tapped the handle on concrete. The holes cleared in seconds.
By keeping my foot on the cross bar while lifting the Dog after each punch, I was able to "walk" a route of 6"-spaced holes at a good pace.
I'm not convinced that plug aeration does much good, but I wanted to give it a try. This gadget is now part of my Green lawn-keeping tool set.

23.) Effective aerator and some useful tips.
Reviewed by: davetheadventurer Los Angeles, CA USA
Rating:
My Turf Hound Aerator was purchased in Feb. 2008. I waited until after the rainy season to aerate my lawns in April and May. Very easy to use: grab the top handle and step on the bottom crossbar to punch holes in the lawn (with the two sharpened tubes on the bottom). That facilitates air, water, and fertilizer to reach the root systems for greener lawns.

Some things I've noticed (as have others):

Works best in semi-moist soil. Too dry and cutting becomes difficult; too wet and the soil plugs get stuck and don't come out the top of the tubes.

Try to step in the middle of the crossbar so the cutting tubes are perpendicular to the ground for even holes, less bending of the sharpened ends of the tubes, and less clogging.

When the sharpened ends of the tubes get bent, the soil plugs don't come out. Simple solution: don't try to pry out the stuck plugs with a screw driver, that may roughen the inside of the tubes or bend the cutting edges. Rinsing with water doesn't push out the stuck plugs either. Rather, go to a patch of lawn with slightly moist soil, step a few times and the moist plugs are pushed out. Now turn the aerator over and tap on the crossbar with a rubber mallet to get the remaining soil plugs out.

When the sharpened ends do get bent from tough soil/grass/rocks, I use an 10" old steel tubing just slightly smaller in diameter than the cutting tubes and tap it through the top with a rubber mallet. That straightens out the bent edges somewhat uniformly.

The Turf Hound Aerator does have a lifetime exchange guarantee so one can get a replacement at the cost of shipping it back to the manufacturer.

One last note: I DON'T leave the extruded soil plugs in my front lawns because they resemble dog doodoo and some thoughtless neighbors may mistake them as an invitation to use my front lawns as a pet porta-potty.

Check out my lawn in the customer submitted pics. Good Luck!




24.) Hound Dog to the rescue
Reviewed by: James Larsen Near SLC Utah
Rating:
The Hound Dog turf aerator is very simple to use. You can practically walk with it held in your hands and a foot on the hound dog and cover a large area rather quickly. The only problem I found was roots. Roots can clog it up very easily, tree roots that is. Keep a half inch stick handy to unclog it. I doubt it will ever wear out.
JL

25.) Good work out tool
Reviewed by: Charles A. Famoso Germantown, MD USA
Rating:
I purchased this product to aerate my lawn at my convenience and for it's size. Small fits anywhere in my shed and very light...I hated having to rent those big gas aerators twice a year. I've aerated my lawn twice and had my daughter do it once as well. It is a good workout...which I enjoy, and I'm saving money on those gas contraptions. The aerator works best if you lean left and right as you step down, and the clay plugs that come out seem to already help my thatch. Also, make sure you work with this device after a good rain, it helps when the soil is wet.

26.) turf hound
Reviewed by: David Rhodes modesto,ca
Rating:
This turf hound works pretty good.The only problems i had was when using it on hard soil-the dirt and grass gets plugged up in the tubes...Keep a long screw driver handy to un-plug them.It did work really good on medium hard to soft soils.

27.) Does it's job!
Reviewed by: C. Romeo Santa Barbara, CA
Rating:
I've used the Hound Dog ground aerator on my front lawn with satisfactory results. It does it's job as described. It was fairly easy to maneuver and use, driving the tool into the ground with my weight by stepping on the cross plate. It makes a wider hole and gets deeper into the ground allowing for deeper water absorption than the aerator shoes which I have seen advertised. It's a good non-motorized basic tool for small lawns.

28.) Aerator
Reviewed by: Gregory Leach Orange Park,FL
Rating:
Works good and works you. It's a little hard to remember where you are sometimes, so I used 2 bricks( 1 at each end of the lawn) to set a sight line. Great price, but a little time consuming.

29.) It works
Reviewed by: Jeffrey G. Jevne Wisconsin
Rating:
It makes nice plugs. I wish it had more than 2 holes. But I need the extra exercise.

30.) Very good.
Reviewed by: B. Scott Denver, CO
Rating:
Built good! I was concerned it might not be heavy duty enough, but has strong welds and the piping is thick and strong enough that I am not worried about it breaking or bending. I weigh about 185 and probably just heavy enough to get it to sink all the way.
After 10 mins of aerating, its a bit of a workout. Cleans out pretty easily. Recommend this little guy for small(er) areas.

31.) Very good value
Reviewed by: Mike Phoenix, AZ
Rating:
I have a small yard in Phoenix and one of those rental motorized aerators doesn't make sense. So, I ordered this product after reading the reviews figuring it wasn't too expensive and I wouldn't be terribly disappointed if it didn't work. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. But, as one of the other reviewers mentions, it works best with the right lawn conditions (i.e. not too moist and not too dry). If the ground is too hard, it's hard to penetrate the surface and get a good plug. If the ground is too wet, the plugs seem to get stuck in the aerating tubes. I've found that the third day after a watering is the best for my lawn. But each person may have to find the right time depending on the soil conditions and how much they are watering. After I found the right conditions, I finished my lawn in about two hours over a couple of days. When you have the right conditions, you can get a rhythm going - on each presentation, the tubes penetrate the lawn and the plugs from the previous penetration(s) pop easily out of the top of the tubes.

32.) Hot DAWG!
Reviewed by: Mandy Kinz Seattle, WA USA
Rating:
First...my Hound Dog arrived super fast. Thanks Amazon! I unwrapped it right away and went to town, aerated two parts of my lawn that the grass was going brown (in an otherwise lush field of green). It has been just over 2 weeks and there is a vast improvement in those areas. YAY!
2 complaints...it is a pretty hard job. The reviews said to do it when the lawn wasn't wet or dry but somewhere in the middle. Done. Still, I had to stomp on the "DAWG" with all my weight and still found it very difficult to get very deep into the ground. I developed a technique of swaying back and forth which required a lot of balance and sort of felt like a not-so-fun pogo stick. Then once I got the hang of that, one of the sides became plugged. It took lots of creativity and patience to unclog it.
In short, I love the results but the application was a little more than I expected. Doing an entire lawn would be ridiculous but it's great for those dry spots without investing or renting another piece of gas powered equipment.

33.) do it yourself
Reviewed by: C. lefler Wentzville,Mo.
Rating:
If you are a do it yourself type person. This is for you. It works well for a small yard. The holes tend to
get clogged up from time to time. Roots get impacted and you have to stop and clean it out. Can get a little
frustrating.

34.) Turf Hound Plug Aerator
Reviewed by: Atwork Arizona
Rating:
The Turf Hound Plug Aerator works just as advertised. It is sturdy, strong, and pulls plugs cleanly from the lawn. Each plug is a good 3-3 1/2 inches long and allows me to see the condition of the subsoil. Within a week I could see the improved effect aerating gives after watering.

35.) It plugs
Reviewed by: Tim Grand Rapids, MI
Rating:
Pretty easy to use. I had some difficulty with one side getting plugged more frequently than the other. It could have been because my soil was too moist. Make sure to clean out plugs when they occur otherwise you'll pack it in, making it very difficult to get out.

36.) good for a manual device
Reviewed by: mrl San Antonio, TX
Rating:
pretty good little tool. my sprinkler system is rather shallow (due to our rocky soil), so a motorized aerator was not an option. (besides, they are quite heavy & difficult to navigate). the Hound Dog is a good tool for a smaller yard. one caveat: read the brief instructions - as stated, it will NOT work if your soil is too dry or too wet. since my yard had never been aerated, my soil was very compacted. so the aerator became sometimes got plugged. however, it worked very well for most of the job.

37.) Does the job
Reviewed by: JC Net Illinois
Rating:
After realizing that I would have to rent a truck in addition to the mechanical aerator I looked to see if there was a suitable alternative and came across this item. I'll keep it brief. It works well if you apply even pressure and head the warning not to use in moist soil. It made from heavy gauge steel and the welds around the tubes appear to be hand done. I examined several before I found one that had a consistent weld bead around the top and bottom of each tube i.e. no welding slag. Overall I'm very satisfied with this tool.

38.) An excellent lawn care tool for semi-yearly use.
Reviewed by: M. Ram San Jose, CA, USA
Rating:
Our lawn is around 10 years old and has always had brownish areas in the summer. Occasionally in the past I would go out and use a pitchfork to "aerate" the soil, but after learning that poking holes only compresses the root system, I decided to try this core aerator out instead. For preparation, I cut the grass shorter than usual, set the sprinklers to run each night for almost a week, and worked on the lawn on a cool and cloudy Sunday morning.

Right out of the (overly large) box, I was a little disappointed with the look of the Hound Dog. It seemed quite small compared to the other garden tools we have, but once I got going with it, I found that its design works well. It was hard to get through some areas (especially the dry patches, where I had to hit the foot bar with a mallet to get the diggers in all the way), but once I got into a rhythm I was able to get down most of the lines without much trouble. I was able to do our entire front lawn in 2 hours (followed by spreads of seed, fertilizer and some leftover garden soil)...not sure what the square footage is, but it's a pretty average size (see the picture I posted). After all this, I really have the feeling that it's going to come back strong in the next month or so.

Some notes:
-As others have mentioned, occasionally the core diggers will get clogged. This seemed to occur more often where the soil was dry and/or the tall grass got stuck in the bottom of the tubes. It's not a big deal, as turning the Dog over and pushing the clog through with a screwdriver is simple enough, but I did have to do this a half dozen times. Next time I'll remember to saturate the dry patches with a hose the night before I aerate.

-I wish the Dog had some sort of rubber padding on the top part of the handle. Holding it as you push down isn't so much a problem as having to pull it back up over and over. I use my hands quite a bit but still had redness and blisters after using it, and had to stop a few times during the task to flex them (and to take a break). I used a piece of foam as makeshift padding, but thick gloves would be a better option. Also, when I hit parts of dry soil/rock, the whole tool shifted and hit the side of my knee, so I'd recommend wearing pads there too.

Despite its looks, the Hound Dog worked pretty well, and given the right preparation beforehand, should allow for a fast and painless way to aerate your yard.

EDIT: A month later and the grass looks much fuller and greener. Of course, I've been watering it a lot and I did fertilize it, but the aeration made the big difference. There are still some brown areas but they're filling in nicely.

39.) It works, good for small areas ...
Reviewed by: DirtMonkey SoCal,USA
Rating:
It works, 2 plugs at a time. the only thing is the soil has to be at a certain softness to penetrate and not too soft or it gets plugged, So this might take some experimenting with your lawn. It is handy and easy to store.

40.) Sandy soils (smile) Clay soils (frown)
Reviewed by: Moroni Marten Utah
Rating:
Unfortunately, the device is virtually worthless on clay or semi-clay soil. Do not make the mistake of following the directions to water your lawn the day before aeration. MOSITURE is the killer for this device. Moisture in clay soil becomes slimy and sticky and will plug the aeration tubes causing lots of frustration. If the tubes are getting plugged, your soil is likely too wet.

Those with sandy soil should be fine. Those of us with claylike soil need to disregard the directions and plan very carefully. The wet springtime is likely NOT a good time to try to use this device (or others like it). Even though I waited three days after a mild spring shower, the soil was still too wet.

I decided to stop aerating until summertime when I can find a good solid week of hot, dry weather. Then I'll keep from watering the entire week and try aerating again. Right now, only about 40% of the time, the plugs even come out at all. Only about 10% of the time does a full 3-4 inch plug come out. Most of the time it just makes a hole which compacts the soil around it even worse than it was before using the product. When I feel the plug, it is sticky and wet. Not good.

I'm sure this device works as intended if the soil you are working on is just very slightly moist and crumbly. If it is sticky or wet (as most clay soils are), you will not be happy. Trust me. I will give the product three stars at this point because it appears to work on sandy soil. However, I will deduct a couple of stars since the advertisements and documentation is very weak on how to handle clay soils (if it's able to handle clay at all).

I will update this review in the summertime when I've had a chance to dry out my clay soil sufficiently to try the product again.


41.) Nice Idea
Reviewed by: Robert Larson Apex, NC USA
Rating:
Nice idea. Way too hard to use. Way too much work to do even my small 1/4 acre yard.

42.) soil aerator
Reviewed by: big spender
Rating:
Does what it does well, but it is a labor intensive tool and other, more expensive, solutions exist.

43.) If you have Clay stay Away
Reviewed by: D12
Rating:
I grow a 100% organic lawn and manual tools/procedures are all I use to care for my lawn. Manual reel, Manual edger, Grass shears, Compost, Organic Fertilizer, etc etc. For 4 years I took a stand and made this lawn a human powered lawn. However, Next year I'm breaking my stand on saying no to gas powered lawn maintenance and allowing the begging yard contractor to core aerate with the gas toro aerator.

Season 1 of Use (Last Year)
Right out the packaging and to the lawn I went last growing season with the hound dog in hand. I was full of energy and boy did I need it, but that's not whats wrong with this tool. Being in the south with clay soil will result in pain and defeat. A disclaimer is needed warning southerners about this tool's ineffective use in clay soil as it repetitively penetrated only 1/4 of an inch deep. I tried this tool when the clay soil was wet, damp, somewhat damp, 100% dry, and semi dry, but nothing mattered as I followed the dreaded pattern of step, unclog, step, unclog, step, unclog, step, unclog. Fed up I went to the one strip of my lawn that I knew from digging several feet contains the least amount of clay and the the largest amount of softer black soil. The tool worked nicely as the plugs pushed each other out. I was able to get into a groove in this black soil section and work almost to a beat. So back to clay I went and immediately Step, Unclog, Step, Unclog. It got so frustrating that I even sprayed the inner plug pipes with WD40.......So I finished the lawn in about 3 days with some sections having plugs 3-4 inches deep and the majority of others 1/4 of an inch deep.

Season 2 of Use (June 2010)
I break out the tool again well aware of its fault. As I used the tool making sure to step into the center, I accidentally picked up a method of rocking side to side and jumping that penetrated deep into the clay, it works nicely and has added to the dreadful routine. The new routine is Step, Rock Left, Rock Right,Rock Left, Rock Right, Jump, Jump, Unclog, Step, Rock Left, Rock Right,Rock Left, Rock Right, Jump, Jump, Unclog. My neighbors must think I'm an accidental discharge from the loony house.. The bad part is that after approximately 2+ hours in the 90+ degree heat you turn around and quickly realize you've only properly aerated an area the size of a king size bed. I say properly as in each square foot contains 8-12 holes that are at least 3 inches deep.

Ive come to realize that this tool is for non clay owners. So to make that clear, this tool can work on say cool season grass like in the north east. Also it would be nice if the metal handle was covered with soft rubber grips.



44.) Hound Dog Core Aerator
Reviewed by: scottville Los Angeles
Rating:
I purchased as an upgrade from the regular aerator thinking a coring model would be more beneficial. Come to find that it requires the right medium to work properly. unless your lawn is the right moisture it will either; not penetrate or impact quickly. So perfect conditions are required. I went back to the regular aerator. Good luck predicting your lawn hardness between watering.

45.) Aerator Fails
Reviewed by: DEM Houston, TX
Rating:
Concept is good but unfortunately the soil jams in the cones and has to be cleared too often. Design needs a re-work and fully tested before going back to a market. This product will eventually go broke without design changes.

Hound Dog Products HDP3-8 Turf Hound Aerator (Purchased on 03/07/2010)
by Hound Dog


46.) gets clogged way to easily
Reviewed by: Rhoadarmer
Rating:
Maybe it's just me, or maybe it's the type of grass I have, or maybe it's the amount of tree roots running through the grass, or maybe it's because the soil it too wet, or too dry, or too sandy, or too clayish. I don't know. But I do know that when trying to use this on 600 sq ft of lawn, I had to stop and clean out the holes a couple dozen times. And it's not easy to clean them out. Takes a combination of screwdriver + hose. This quadrupled the amount of time it should have taken. Perhaps if they had tapered the holes a bit more it would have been ok?

47.) Great idea, but...
Reviewed by: Carrie
Rating:
Mine also clogged after the first row (about 30 plunges). I unclogged it and tried again, but the cores did not pop out. First it was one side that was clogged then the other side about 10 times later.

The reason for the few stars, is because I called the company on their 100% guarantee, several times, left 2 messages and have yet to get a response.

48.) A Real Dog
Reviewed by: phlogs Darien, Connecticut
Rating:
I purchased this tool thinking that I would save a few bucks and gain a workout by not renting one of the big, expensive and unwieldly aerating machines. The plugs of dirt popped out obediently enough for the first two plunges, then got massively jammed full of dirt. Once jammed full like this, the tool simply punches holes that you could do with a piece of rebar or something similar. I thought perhaps the soil was too dry for this to work so I waited until after a nice rain to try again. After clearing the holes and going out post-rain (but not too wet) this thing still jammed immediately. Worse yet, it pulled up large chunks of soil when withdrawing the tool from the dirt. The soil in my yard is wonderful, loamy stuff- I only need to aerate a couple of areas of high traffic- I am not expecting miracles here, but this just did not perform. I ended up sticking an old hay fork into the groud repeatedly. Save your money.

49.) Waste of money
Reviewed by: EJV Pinckney, MI USA
Rating:
I purchased a Hound Dog HDP3-8 coring aerator in April 2010 to aerate some areas where my tow-behind coring aerator can't reach. Ive tried to use it for several days now and it just doesn't work. My soil is mostly a lightly compacted, sandy loam with varying amounts of humus and is currently slightly moist from recent rain. Rocks, roots, and clay are not generally a problem in my soil. I tried several areas of my yard as well as ranging from slow to fast motion. The only thing thing the Hound Dog does well is plug up. I consider myself lucky if I can get four little plugs out before it plugs up. I find myself spending most of my time unplugging it. I have now converted it into a trellis for a small vine; the best use I can find for it. I'll just have to stick with my tow-behind coring aerator since it does work well.

50.) Must have received a dud
Reviewed by: S. Bailey Vancouver, Canada
Rating:
Worked for about three "pushes" then one side plugged up. After cleaning out the plugged side it will slightly work another couple times. I measured and found that the entrance diameter of one of the holes is smaller than the other side. I hope that mine doesn't work simply for this reason and not because the product sucks in general. It would also be nice if there were four tubes in stead of two but Im sure that might not be practical. Either way, I'll find myself a small electric aerator rather than take my chances with another one of these.

51.) Disappointing
Reviewed by: Cambridge Don Cambridge, Mass.
Rating:
I got this product based on the many positive reviews and was looking forward to using it, but for me it did not work. After only a few "pokes" the soil got stuck in the tubes and I had to clean them out with a screwdriver. I tried again with the same result. The soil was moist but not wet. Maybe it works with bone-dry soil, but in my region (New England) it rains more-or-less regularly year round so the soil rarely get that dry. I probably won't bother to return it, but I will definitely need to find another way to aerate my lawn.

52.) Lost my Business
Reviewed by: llfoxy Boulder, CO
Rating:
I have been researching these aerators and ended up having to buy the competitor's (Yard Butler) mostly for the fact that Hound Dog uses the most inappropriate typeface, Comic Sans, for their packaging. This may seem superficial, but I want a tool that is going to be tough and Comic Sans makes it seem like a toy. If they don't care enough about their product to give it quality packaging, how can I know if they put any effort into making it a quality product?
Hound Dog should read this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123992364819927171.html

Features of Hound Dog Products HDP3-8 Turf Hound Aerator

Use the Hound Dog Products "Turf Hound" to makes room for grass roots to grow thicker and healthier, for a thicker, healthier lawn. The Turf Hound removes 4-inch plugs of turf to loosen compacted soil and break down thatch, allowing for the free flow of water, air, and fertilizer to the roots of your lawn and curing its trouble spots. It is the secret solution to having golf-course-quality turf. The Turf Hound's unique U-shaped handle is designed for easy stepping and comfort; it also features a rust-proof finish and durable, lightweight construction for long-lasting wear, as well as a large footstep for greater ease. The Turf Hound comes with 4-inch steel coring tubes. A limited lifetime warranty is included.

1.) Turf Hound tool allows thicker, healthier lawn growth;
2.) Removes 4-inch plugs from turf to allow water and fertilizer flow;
3.) Durable steel construction and rustproof finishes for long-lasting wear;
4.) U-shaped handle and large footstep for easy stepping and comfort;
5.) Limited lifetime warranty;

Package Height x Length x Width: 36 in. x 36 in. x 9.5 in.
Package Weight: 3.6 lbs.

Accessories for Hound Dog Products HDP3-8 Turf Hound Aerator