I have to spread seed on about an acre of grass. My tow behind spreader doesn't always hit all the spots. I found this useful for 50 - 100 SF areas and even smaller. It should do well for smaller lawns as the only spreader. The seed control lever is too close to the impeller so if your not careful it hits your fingers. But proper placement of your fingers avoids all that. If you open the lever too far the unit might jam up with seed if you don't turn the crank fast enough. After a while though I figured it all out and found it easy enough to use. There is no way to control where the seed goes other than moving your body to vaguely aim where it goes. The only difference between this one and the "homeowner" model that I can see might be the pad on the strap. But for a few bucks more it is worth it. Overall it's a decent tool for most homeowners to have.