Shaker spreader or crank spreader
Updated: 21.10.2026
You are choosing between a holed jug and a crank with a disc, and the word spreader is doing too much work. UK pages often use hand held for anything you carry and broadcast for a wheeled rotary, so a search for a shaker spreader or crank spreader can land on a push machine you were not pricing. In this comparison the fork is simpler. A jug pours where you tip it. The Gardena Hand-Held Spreader M throws a fan and states a width. A third listing, the LengSuaa, is a cordless fan and not either of those. Prices and ratings sit on the [Hand spreader](/hub/garden-tools/hand-spreader) table. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are choosing between a holed jug and a crank with a disc, and the word spreader is doing too much work.
You are choosing between a holed jug and a crank with a disc, and the word spreader is doing too much work. UK pages often use hand held for anything you carry and broadcast for a wheeled rotary, so a search for a shaker spreader or crank spreader can land on a push machine you were not pricing. In this comparison the fork is simpler. A jug pours where you tip it. The Gardena Hand-Held Spreader M throws a fan and states a width. A third listing, the LengSuaa, is a cordless fan and not either of those. Prices and ratings sit on the Hand spreader table. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Mechanism | Stated width | Empty weight | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Fiskars Fiskars Solid spreader | Shaker jug | n/a | 280 g | 8.8 | about £12.20 | View offer |
 Gardena Gardena Hand-Held Spreader M | Crank and disc | 1–4 m | 610 g | 8.9 | about £31.95 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  UTMHGU UTMHGU 2.5 litre shaker | Shaker jug | n/a | 440 g | 7.3 | about £15.99 | View offer |
On this page
A jug pours where you tip it
A shaker is a container with holes and a way to make those holes larger or smaller. Fiskars lists the Solid for flower boxes, tubs, beds and similar small jobs, at about 280 g, with pour, fast and slow modes, and no spread width in metres. The four 2.5 litre tubs, Yiddeoont, LYAZKMY, UTMHGU and STOWBERRY, state a volume and a dial or a set of openings. They do not state how many metres the granules travel. You see the pour. That is the advantage on a patio edge, in a greenhouse, and along a path where a fan would hit the lawn or the car.
Hole size is the whole calibration. Fine seed needs a small opening or you stripe the patch in one tip. Coarse feed or grit needs a larger opening or nothing moves. One UK review of the STOWBERRY says the smaller holes do not really work, while other reviews on that listing say feed and seed move once the dial is set. LYAZKMY reviews split the same way: some report an even spread of salt or fertiliser, others say seed is hard to get out. You will not get a universal setting from the listing. You get a hole, and you test it. A jug can cover more than a pot if you are willing to walk many narrow passes and refill. It does not become a 4 m fan because the tub says 2.5 litres.
A crank throws a fan
The crank in this set that states a fan is the Gardena M, model 431-20. The amazon.co.uk listing and Gardena's UK page put it at about 1–4 m for lawns of up to about 100 m², with four steps, a thumb shut-off, a free-running disc and about 1.8 litres. You hold it and turn the handle. The disc throws granules in an arc that is heavier in the middle than at the edges. Overlap the passes. Shut the thumb control when you turn. The pace and the two directions are on how to use a handheld seed spreader. This section only decides whether you wanted that fan.
It is not a drop spreader. A drop tool lets material fall under the hopper, which is kinder beside a border and slower on an open lawn. Some reviews on the Gardena ASIN describe other Gardena machines, and a review that uses the word drop for a different model is not a specification of the M. The crank is on the right. A UK review says that side can bother a left-handed user. Weight is 610 g before the fill, against about 280 g for the Fiskars, so a long session is more wrist than a jug used for ten minutes on pots.
Borders, beds, and the jammed crank
Near a flower bed you want the granule on the grass and not in the border. A jug lets you aim the pour and stop. A crank fan does not stop at a neat line unless you shut the gate early and accept a lighter dose on that edge. Keep pesticide granules off beds and drains. Weed-and-feed is a poor experiment on a windy day with a disc at the 4 m step. Drop the setting, or use the jug, when the bed is within the throw.
The Greenera GR028 looks like the same kind of tool on a thumbnail. It is a manual crank, 3 litres, four apertures, a forearm support, £17.99, and no stated width. UK reviews at 3.2 from 33 say the handle or spinner jams, that weed-and-feed will not throw, and that seed comes out in clumps. A minority say it spread product. A larger hopper and a lower price do not make it a Gardena with the name rubbed off. The cordless LengSuaa is a third type. It is a fan driven by a battery the box does not include, with an ac line that contradicts the 18 V bullets, and two reviews. It is not a shaker and it is not the Gardena. Do not use it to break this tie.
Which to buy in this set
Choose a jug when you must see where each handful lands. Fiskars is the light option for boxes and beds. A 2.5 litre tub is the option when you want a stated volume for patches and a short path, with the lid and the hole size checked on day one. Choose the Gardena crank when you want the stated fan on an open lawn under the about-100 m² claim and you will overlap and shut off. Leave both when the lawn is larger than that claim or when refilling is the whole job. A wheeled tool is the exit, and this page is not a review of push spreaders.
That is one recommendation with a condition, not a single tool for every garden. A jug is clumsier on a wide lawn and kinder on an edge. A crank is faster on open grass and harder to keep out of a bed. If the money bands and the cordless contradiction are what you still need, the buying guide holds them.
Common questions
Will a shaker cover a lawn or only patches?
It will cover whatever you are willing to walk in narrow passes, and the listings do not state a width to plan from. Fiskars is aimed at boxes, beds and similar spots. The 2.5 litre jugs are the same class with a larger tub. For an open lawn up to about 100 m², the row that states a fan is the Gardena M. Beyond that claim, a push spreader is the usual next tool, whether you started with a jug or a crank.
Is the Gardena a drop spreader?
No. The Hand-Held Spreader M is a crank and disc, with a stated throw of about 1–4 m. A drop spreader drops material under the tool and is easier to keep off a border. Reviews on the ASIN sometimes describe other Gardena machines. Match model 431-20 and the width line, and ignore a drop comment that belongs to a different product. You still shut the thumb control at the edge, because a fan does not stop itself.
Why do UK pages say broadcast when they mean a push spreader?
Many UK articles use broadcast for a wheeled rotary and hand held for the small tool up to about 100 m². In this category the Gardena M is a handheld broadcast: you carry it, and it still throws a fan. A jug is not that fan. If a page recommends a broadcast spreader and the photo has wheels, it is not describing the Fiskars or the 2.5 litre tubs. Read the mechanism, not the single word.
Can I keep seed out of the flower bed with a crank?
Only by shutting the gate before the fan reaches the bed, and by accepting a lighter strip along that edge. The disc does not know where the border is. A jug is the easier aim when the bed is close. Keep pesticide granules off the border entirely, whichever tool you hold. Wind makes a 4 m step a poor choice beside flowers. Drop to a narrower step or switch to the pour.
Is the Greenera the same kind of tool as the Gardena?
Both are manual cranks on the listing. The Gardena states 1–4 m, a thumb shut-off and 4.5 from 6,628 ratings. The Greenera states 3 litres, four apertures and no width, at 3.2 from 33, with UK reviews of a jammed spinner and clumped seed. Same broad type, different evidence. Do not buy the Greenera as a discounted Gardena M. Buy it only if you have read those reviews and still want that hopper.
Which is kinder on the wrist?
The Fiskars, at about 280 g empty, is the light carry for a short job on pots and beds. The Gardena is 610 g before seed, and you are turning a crank, which is a different load over a whole small lawn. The 2.5 litre tubs sit around 440–550 g empty and get heavy when full, which UK reviews mention. A forearm support on the Greenera does not offset a spinner that jams. Stop when your grip is the thing failing, and refill rather than heaping the lid.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved with these products. The page was updated in October 2026.
- Gardena UK — Hand-held Spreader M (retrieved October 2026)
- Garden Ninja — Best lawn spreaders UK buying guide (retrieved October 2026)
- ICL UK — Calibrating your HandyPro handheld spreader (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS — Lawns from seed (retrieved October 2026)
- RHS — Repairing lawns (retrieved October 2026)
- GOV.UK — Using nitrogen fertilisers in nitrate vulnerable zones (retrieved October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk — Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 23 (retrieved October 2026)
- IBT Merchants — Using rock salt in winter (retrieved October 2026)