Evolution Power Tools H320-E Hulk Electro Plate Compactor, Electric - Ideal For Levelling Pavement, Artificial Turf Ground Preparation, Patio, Blockwork, Sand, Soil & More - 3 Year Warranty, 230V

I've only started using this compactor, having chosen to buy and take my time rather than hiring and being instantly against the clock. So far I am very impressed and it is very good at compacting MOT type 1. I am using it in a narrow space and it's small dimensions and relative light weight mean it is perfect for my job. If you build up shallow layers of the hard core as you should do in any case, you will find this machine can easily do the job. Very happy with my purchase.

Okay, this is a five star tool because it's well priced and is in a very small category of one when it comes to electric whacker plates but dropped A Star for a less than perfect handle. It is specifically aimed at the home gamer who is perhaps more enthusiastic than most when it comes to DIY and garden projects not the professional (or in my experience mostly unprofessional) builder.So my review is based entirely on the fact that this is ideal for home use and the price is far less than a reasonable quality fuel powered machine.So, firstly the really good thing. It's electric. And that means a couple of things. In use it's fairly quiet and that counts if you are doing work in your garden over the weekend and don't want to drive your neighbours nuts. Secondly, you don't have to mess around with petrol and lube oil which, inevitably means a cleaner and quicker job.The tool itself does a really good job of flattening sand and other aggregates. In fact, just as good as a half reasonable petrol one which, I was quite surprised about. I had fully expected this to take a much longer to do what I've done before having done a garage build when I borrowed a mates petrol machine to flatten down the hoggin base.The cable is robust and plenty long enough to reach most areas in a moderate sized garden or drive. No problems there.I also noted that in the review section one of the 'Star ratings' was for 'Lightweight' which, is a bit dumb. It isn't meant to be light because it's a whacker and that needs some heft. And by gum, it is pretty weighty. So if you are blessed with arms like Olive Oil then best you prepare yourself....Now, the bad - which I've seen other comments on. The handle is assembled using knobs so that you can disassemble for storage or transport. All well and good but....it's a whacker and therefore vibrates like a ladies bedroom toy on acid. And that means the handle knobs unscrew and fall out. You can tell when they start to slacken off immediately because the vibration in the handle increases dramatically. Given the design there is no way you can stop this because the rounded hollow bars that have the knurled knob tighten against will never allow enough friction to hold anything tight.This would be a problem but to be honest having spent my life on ships, building them and in the offshore oil construction industry and having been pre-warned by other reviews I figured I could MacGyver it some how. If you are not happy with mechanical tools and don't want to have to do a little home work on this, then I could imagine this whacker ending up on EBay quickly...Overall, this is a great bit of kit that works well. However, the handle falling apart will need to be dealt with and if you are not able to do this or don't feel inclined then it will be less than an ideal choice for you.

Like many reviewers I was still somewhat dubious about buying the Electro before buying. I have a small oddly shaped area in my garden where I intend to lay artificial turf so needed to lay a four inch layer of MOT before I sand and place down the turf. The Electro is just about light enough to be carried or moved to the area you want to compact but just about heavy enough to be very effective. Easy to assemble and I understand that a special 'Pavier' attachment is available for block pavier use. I laid the MOT in several days, laying an inch down each day, compacting and then laying another inch on top, etc. I am incredibly impressed with the Electro - it's done me proud so far. I didn't encounter excessive vibration in the handle when using it. I have scored five for manoeuvrability because on the larger internal area of my MOT lay it was very easy to manoeuvre - not so good on the edges and corners, where I found myself having to pick it up and reverse direction. I have another small area in the garden that will need a sub-base and I shall use the Electro again for that. I worked out it was cheaper and easier than renting. When I have finished I shall place it up for sale on eBay or the local town social media website for £100 ono and it will have only cost me just over £100 to do the compacting. Nice bit of kit and I would strongly recommend for amateur DIYers or those with small projects.

Yes it's lightweight but I'm not sure I could easily move around a commercial machine of 60kg. This is heavy enough for domestic use. I bedded down a ton of MOT type1 with it yes you'll need to go over it a few more times but it did the job. So that's one patio down now a bigger one next and I'm confident this machine will do the job. It does help to have someone else there moving the cable around for you. Also get some anti vibration gloves as it does feed a lot of vibrationd up the handle. Cable management is rubbish, wind up the long cable and there's nowhere to hang it on the machine, I'm using a couple of garden ties. Otherwise it's difficult to fault for the money.

Bought this to repair potholes in a gravel driveway and it does the job although understandably the small size does mean it takes a while to cover larger areas. The only problem is that the bolts holding the handle together constantly come undone due to the vibration. It's a good job they are bright orange otherwise it would have been hard to find when the first one came out without me realising. It's fine if you remember to regularly tighten them up though. Overall this is a cost effect tool for doing regular minor repairs rather than having to keep hiring equipment to do it.

Does the DIY job.

It is light enough to be manoeuvred easily but heavy enough to compact. It is not as heavy as the petrol ones so compaction must be made with thinner layers but it does an excellent job and well worth it if you are going to need for a long period of time. The only issue is the screws securing the handles vibrate loose so you need to periodically check and tighten them. Even loctite does not prevent completely this occurring. Overall as easy to operate and manoeuvre as a lawn mower but compacts well more so at the front