Scotts Whirl Hand-Powered Spreader

Not every overseeding job needs a push spreader. For a small front yard, a strip along the fence, or touching up the bare spots the broadcast pass missed, the Whirl is the ten-dollar-range tool that does it cleanly. You fill the hopper, set the flow dial, and turn the crank as you walk — the faster you crank, the wider it throws. It handles grass seed, starter fertilizer, and even ice melt, and because you are aiming it by hand it is genuinely better than a big spreader for narrow or oddly shaped areas where a broadcast pattern would waste seed on the pavement. The comfort grip and adjustable arm keep it usable for a whole small lawn without cramping. It is not the tool for even coverage across a large area — hand cranking can't match a calibrated push spreader's consistency over thousands of square feet — but as a cheap companion to a real spreader, or the only spreader a townhouse lawn needs, it is hard to beat for the money.