What It Actually Is
The Ames 2917400 is a manual spike aerator with four solid spikes and a stirrup style handle. It is a spike aerator, not a core or plug aerator. Rather than pulling out cores of soil, it punches holes into the ground with solid points, which is a simpler and different approach to relieving surface compaction.
Key Specs and How It Works
The tool has a sturdy one piece steel construction, with four spikes at the base and a looped stirrup handle at the top, standing in the 32 to 36 inch range. You set it on the lawn, step down or press with the handle to drive the spikes into the soil, then pull up and move to the next spot. The holes it leaves let water, air, and fertilizer reach the grass roots more easily. Ames builds this aerator in the USA and backs it with a long warranty period, which speaks to its simple, durable design.
Strengths
The stirrup handle lets you bring body weight down onto the spikes, which helps on firmer soil and is easier on the back than a short handled tool. The one piece steel build is straightforward and durable, with no moving parts to wear out or break. For small yards, spot treating compacted patches, or working the ground around beds and edges, it is an inexpensive and low maintenance way to open up the soil. The compact size makes it easy to hang in a garage or shed and grab for quick jobs, and there is nothing to assemble, charge, or fuel before use, which keeps it ready whenever a patch of lawn starts to feel hard underfoot.
Watch-Outs
Spike aeration pushes soil aside and can compress it around each hole rather than removing a plug, so on heavy clay or badly compacted lawns it is less effective over time than a core aerator. Covering a large lawn by hand is slow and physically demanding. For best results the ground should be moist before you start, because dry, hard soil resists the spikes and makes the work much harder.
Who It Is For
This aerator fits homeowners with small to medium lawns who want an affordable, no fuss tool for loosening compacted spots and helping water and nutrients soak in. It is best for occasional touch ups and problem areas rather than aerating a large property or reworking dense clay, where a pull behind or core aerator would do a better job.
Update log
- Jun 15, 2026 — Updated after more research.
- Apr 27, 2026 — Initial review published.
