Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is for BOTH “Scotts” model “76565 Classic Drop Spreader” AND “Scotts” model “75901 Pro Edge Guard”. Both models are complete “junk” in my opinion. I am an old man (63 years), I do NOT walk fast nor do I abuse my things. As a matter of fact, I tend to be quite anal about taking care of my stuff. I only have a small lawn of about 10,000 square feet here in North Carolina that I used to like taking care of. After my 17 year old METAL drop spreader finally rusted out in the fall of 2012, I had to purchase a new spreader. I was skeptical of “plastic” spreaders but they seem to be the only ones available now for a residential home owner. Well, maybe it won’t rust out like my 17 year old spreader did. I purchased a model “76565 Classic Drop Spreader” for $49.99 in the fall of 2012 to spread some “Scotts Winterizer and Weed Control” fertilizer. The spreader wheels are very flimsy plastic and did not always want to turn on grass. It made NO difference if the hopper was full or “light”, the drive wheel would often stop turning. If you are not paying close attention, this causes “voids” of fertilizer in the lawn. Also, the trigger for releasing the product did bind up several times and cause some “dumps” of too much fertilizer that burned my grass. Oh, well, maybe I’m just expecting too much and need to get used to this new spreader. In the spring of 2013, I got this same spreader out to spread “Scotts” fertilizer for the spring of this year. While using this spreader for only the second time, the spindle in the hopper stopped turning via the drive wheel during my first pass. I inspected the device and found the plastic drive for the spindle had sheared off and broke and there was no repair. This “new “spreader is now defective after only one use. Since it’s been 6 months since I purchased this spreader, I could not return it. I was not happy at all. I wondered if I should waste any more money on this junk. Since I was stuck with only some of my fertilizer spread, I reluctantly (stupidly ?), purchased another one (as dumb as I am) and managed to finish spreading my remaining fertilizer. This new, second, spreader had the same problems as the first one that broke. That is, binding the plastic slide bar (under the drop holes) for distribution of the product but even worse, and yet again, was the cheap plastic wheels of which the drive wheel would stop intermittently and stop spreading material. I put this second drop spreader in my shed for the summer and took it out again in the fall of 2013 to spread my “Scotts Winterizer Fertilizer”. Right after I got the hopper filled, I started out in my fist pass and the trigger and cable mechanism for opening the chute broke up by the handle bars. I had to use “three” hands to push the spreader and hold the chute open with a pair of pliers on the cable to finish spreading the fertilizer. Once again, it has been 6 months (the duration of the summer) since I purchased this second broken spreader so I could NOT return this one either. Since I also had to put down lime this fall, I gave up struggling with this second failed drop spreader and as dumb as I am, I went to buy a THIRD “Scotts” spreader to finish spreading my lime. I have now completely given up on this model drop spreader. The last two described above did NOT work well for even their life of only “one use” per spreader. Now I really agonized over what to buy. Since I am not bright, and I’m getting quite used to keeping the “Scotts” employees very well paid, I decided to purchase the “Scotts” model 75901 Pro Edge Guard” broadcast spreader. I do not like broadcast spreaders but I felt I had given TWO drop spreaders a chance and they both failed. Hopefully, this “Pro” broadcast spreader will last for more than one use. It is still all plastic but hey, the wheels are pneumatic so maybe they won’t slide on the grass like the other wheels did. Besides, “Scotts” calls this a “Pro” spreader so it must be true, right? When I got the spreader, the two tires on it were close to flat <sigh>. Well, no big deal, I got out my old bicycle pump and pumped them up to their indicated 30lbs of air pressure. I then used the spreader to spread my lime and was very careful to NOT fill the hopper for fear of binding or damaging even this flimsy “Pro” model spreader. I found that there is a different “chute” to release the material from the hopper and even this plastic chute will bind up. I was spreading pelletized lime which is quite like fertilizer and it jammed that chute every time. After struggling with the binding chute to drop the material, the, “Edge Guard” piece of plastic also kept binding up. I finally managed to finish spreading the lime and then put this flimsy spreader in my shed for the winter. During the winter, I wrote a letter to “Scotts Lawn Care Products” and explained everything above. I made them completely aware (politely) of my complete dissatisfaction. Oh naughty me, I did also tell them in the letter that the “Fisher Price” toys I buy for my grand kids are built better than these spreaders. I did get a letter back. The lady who wrote the letter said that abusing the spreaders or “walking too fast” is a common cause of spreader failures. She also said that if I sent the broken spreader parts back to them, they would send me a coupon for ONE new spreader. Now, I did mention I am 63 years old. I DO NOT WALK TOO FAST. Just ask my wife. I’m even slow walking to dinner anymore. I also took great pains to NOT abuse these spreaders for fear of their failures. Anyway, asking for the broken parts from these two junk spreaders was a great way for "Scotts" to avoid the ONE replacement they offered. I never thought to keep these two, broken and defective pieces of junk around to send back to them for a replacement spreader. As Homer Simpson would say, "DOH". Well, now it is spring of 2014 and I got this “Pro” model broadcast spreader out to spread my “Scotts” fertilizer for this spring. I immediately noticed that the right “drive” wheel was flat <sigh>. OK, no big deal, I got out my trusty bicycle pump again to pump it up. It would NOT hold air. After inflating the tire, it would go flat again in about three minutes. Now I am really angry. I tried to use this piece of junk by stopping every few minutes and pumping up that leaky tire. It was after three passes with the hassle of the leaky tire, and the jamming chute that the cable for the “Edge Guard” then broke too. Now I am undecided about how to proceed. I have purchased THREE of these plastic spreaders from “Scotts” at a total cost of about $180.00. Each one was only good for ONE use. I now do sincerely believe that “Fisher Price” toys are built better than this junk from “Scotts”. If you only need a spreader for a “one time”, very light use and then throw it away and you really like wasting your money, then these spreaders might be for you. I’ve also noticed that if you use, oh I don’t know, fertilizer in them, they will fail even sooner. If you are like me and don’t have a lot of money to waste and expect something to work as intended more than once, I would suggest that you consider buying something else.