Dissatisfaction with tillers on the market led Kai Lee, retired medical device engineer and scientist, on a quest to build a better tiller. After years of development, the Portage, Mich., inventor came up with more than just a tiller. He calls his machine the Counter-Rotating Weeding & Tilling Machine. “It’s a double-duty machine,” Lee says. “Conventional tillers can’t chop weeds 6 ft. tall. This chops them up, working down to 6 in. deep.” Lee’s machine has two shafts. The front one turns forward, and the back one goes backward rapidly to cut weeds into pieces and break up soil. The 12-in., heat-treated, high carbon steel digging discs look similar to circular saw blades and can be easily removed for sharpening. They are self-cleaning and deflect rocks and debris. “When it’s running slower it goes deeper,” Lee says. “For cultivating or weeding you can go fast to take care of weeds very quickly.” The tiller operates at speeds from almost stationary up to 2 mph. Strategically balanced on two wheels, it handles easily for all size gardens – even with just one hand.