What’s the best chipper/shredder for 2021? Keeping your lawn neat, tidy and clean requires a lot of work and tools. A chipper/shredder is one of better ways to spend your money, alongside of a generator, lawn mower and chainsaw. I’ve noticed a lot of new manufacturers are making chipper/shredders these days so be careful to choose brands that have a long warranty as that’s an indication that the company stands behind their product. We take a look at the changing landscape of wood chippers/shredders.
If you don’t keep on top of things it won’t take long before it resembles a jungle. Luckily there are powerful tools out there with the sole purpose of making your life a lot easier.
Editors’ Picks — Earthquake K33 vs Champion 200905
How much power do you need? What’s the diameter of wood you need to chip and shred? Here are two great options.
Best Gas Chipper/Shredders — Heavy-Duty
🐷 Consider : GreatCircleUSA — 3-in-1 Chipper/Shredder
Designed for : Forestry, Gardens, Landscaping or Green Waste Recycling to chip tree branches/limbs, shred brush, mulch leaves and corn stocks / DO NOT use for: fresh greens, pine cones, palm branches (fronds will jam), pertrified wood or vines.
Features:
- EXTRA Large Hopper : Chips up to 3″ / Shreds up to ½”
- Reduction ratio of 15:1
- Elongated top adjustable discharge chute.
- Option to connect to : ATV, lawn mower/small tractor (Optional tow bar kit)
- Engine : 7HP 212cc Horizontal 4-stroke Single Cylinder OHV
- 3 year limited warranty
This model seems to be quite popular with consumers. You might find this interesting — the LandWorks brand as well as SuperHandy are both owned by the same company, Great Circle Machinery Corp., which also sells chipper/shredders (as well as other products) under the brand of GreatCircleUSA. There’s no doubt that all three of these brands are selling very similar products under different brands. I’m not sure what the corporate strategy is other than to create customer confusion.
The chippers are made in China, which shouldn’t deter you because almost everything is made in China nowadays. I’ve never used their products but it seems that customers are happy with the chipper/shredder. Personally, I like to buy from established companies that I know will be around in two years when I need to exercise the warranty. Will SuperHandy be around in two years? I don’t know. Hopefully. Make sure you have confidence in the support you’ll receive if you need them. Consider calling their helpline to see how they answer your questions.
🍀 Amazon Exclusive : SuperHandy Chipper / Shredder
Features :
- MULTI-FUNCTION : 3-in-1 Wood Chipper / Shredder / Mulcher :
- Reduction Ratio of 15:1 when using the top Hopper
- 4x Y-hammers / 2x Shredding knives
- Shred Capacity : ½” MAX
- Chipping Capacity : up to 3″ diameter branch/limbs — Optional : Attachable leaf vacuum for mulching
- DESIGN; Slanted Housing design reduces jams, unlike other chippers
- Hookup your: ATV, lawn mower/small tractor, for easy transportation with a Tow Bar Kit and use the vacuum inlet for easy leaf mulching with a Vacuum Kit (BOTH SOLD SEPARATELY)
- POWERFUL : Recoil starting / 7HP 212cc Horizontal 4-stroke Single Cylinder OHV Gas Powered Engine
- Fuel w/ 87+ unleaded gasoline (NO ETHANOL recommended), 0.7 gallons Max capacity
- SAFETY; Always operate according to directions outlined in the user manual, always wear the appropriate hand and eye protection (ENGINE OIL NOT INCLUDED); Can be used to aid in fire prevention and building firebreaks
- EPA/CARB Certified
- 10″ wheels : Easy to move around on uneven terrain
⚡️ Best Electric Chipper/Shredders — Light-Duty
Champion 100137 — Gas Chipper/Shredder
OVERVIEW, Editors’ thoughts…This Champion chipper/shredder is worth the money, and like all Champion products, hits the sweet spot when you factor in the quality of the machine, features, reliability and the support you get from Champion, which incidentally, is excellent from everything I’ve read from customers.
Able to chip wood up to 3″ in diameter, and shred your shrubs, fallen leaves and other yard debris, up to ½” in diameter. It’s easy to setup, which is an important consideration as some brands make you do more work. Thankfully, the engineers at Champion think about the needs of their customers and design products with that in mind.
Overall, it’s a very good value and satisfies the needs of the customers it’s designed for. It’s primarily made from steel, not plastic, like cheaper machines, especially electric models. Last thing to mention, you will find a wide range of review scores online, which can be a little confusing, but we look at a variety of sources when presenting our readers with a rating, so I suggest you do the same whenever buying online. The average score from many sources (customers) is the most accurate rating possible. Never trust one persons opinion of anything. The IQ of a crowd is always smarter than the individual (Book : Wisdom of Crowd) — well, unless you have Einstein in the crowd.
💬 Read our full review of the Champion 100137.
Reviews | Best Chipper/Shredder
Today we’re going to focus specifically on the combination chipper/shredder when looking at the best models to buy, but to begin with we’ll treat each one separately so you know what they all do. The first question you need to ask yourself is if you even need one, so let’s look at what they’re essentially designed to do.
Difference Between — Chipper, Shredder, And Mulcher
Each one of these power tools are unique and yet similar in other ways. Reducing tree waste and debris into bite-sized chunks and/or turning it into mulch gives you more options in terms of what you can do with your yard debris. Use the nutrient-rich mulch for your garden. Or, reducing the waste so you can easily toss it in large bags to dispose of. Also, if you mulch leaves you can use that for composting.
If you have a large yard with trees, a chipper/shredder is quite a useful tool to consider.
Gas or Electric? How Much Power do You Need?▶ 15A Electric Chipper/Shredder : Sun Joe CJ603E
If you have thousands of leaves and tiny branches lying around, would turning them into mulch in seconds give you extra time to spend on more important things? Basically, if you have a garden with lots of waste you would benefit from a chipper/shredder, so nearly everyone who can’t afford a gardener should own one. They all do different things, so we’ll quickly break down their individual roles.
- Wood Chipper
- Shredder
- Mulcher
Below you’ll find some of the top rated gas and electric chipper/shredders.
Basics : Wood Chipper
The wood chipper is the daddy of them all, because it’s a much more powerful machine and can perform a task others couldn’t dream of doing. They will be able to break down any size of wood once it’s placed inside the chute, although the exact thickness of branches they can handle will depend largely on the model you buy.
If it’s just one for your back garden, it’s not going to be powerful enough to handle a tree trunk. The wood is broken down by a few sharp blades (or knives) bolted to a rotating disc inside the machine, and wooden chips are expelled from the other side, sometimes landing in a bag to stop them from flying around everywhere.
Your wood chipper will handle branches whether they’re bone dry or soaking wet, so it will allow you to use the machine more often than the others. The smaller branches and leaves sprouting off the main branch don’t need to be pulled apart first due to its power. If you have a garden with more than a few trees, wood chippers are often the way to go.
Wood Shredder
The wood shredder is perhaps what you might call the wood chipper’s little brother, and although they might look the same appearance-wise there are two main differences separating them. The first major difference is what is used to cut the wooden branches, and they’re called flails (or blunt blades). You can also get metal strips with holes in them, so when they turn at high speed anything hitting them is thrown through the holes.
Now you can probably guess the second major difference. Along with these flails as opposed to sharp blades, the typical power you’ll get from a wood shredder will never be enough to handle the size of branches a chipper can slice through like butter. A fairly decent-sized shredder will still be able to deal with the majority of branches in your garden, but they’ll break down the tiny branches into mulch instead of wooden chips.
They have their fair share of positives too, like the size of the machines, the noise they make, and a system designed to shred organic material until it’s small enough to be used for only mulch. They’re a good idea for someone who doesn’t have many trees in their garden, because you’ll mostly be dealing with small branches from trees outside your garden and they won’t be huge.
Mulcher | Mulching
There isn’t much to say about these, except maybe they’re only good for those with a very particular type of garden waste. The way they’re designed means they won’t be able to chop any wood up, and the moment you tried to put a branch inside a mulcher it would cause all sorts of damage to the machine.
▶ Top Seller > Electric Light-Duty Mulcher — WORX WG430
These are almost like those weed cutters you see whipping the weeds with a piece of nylon string. They can only slice through the softest of organic material, which is due to their speed, and we’re only talking leaves and twigs. Take the blunt steel blades inside a shredder and if you replace them with pieces of nylon string you’ll have a mulcher.
They’re positioned vertically inside the drum, and when you drop leaves, grass, and tiny twigs into the mulcher they’ll be destroyed because they’re so soft and small. Perfect for those who are only interested in an easy way to make compost, but if you don’t own a shredder you’ll still have to deal with bigger branches manually even though you might only want mulch.
Gas vs Electric Chipper/Shredder
Years ago the idea of an electric power tool would have seemed preposterous, but due to things like the advancements in technology things seem to be changing. Still, we’ve got to take into account a chipper/shredder isn’t exactly a small power tool. They do still have their advantages and disadvantages, so we’ll take a look at them to help you choose which one will be best for you.
- Advantages Of Gas Models
- Advantages Of Electric Models
- Disadvantages Of Gas Models
- Disadvantages Of Electric Models
Advantages of Gas Models
Gas-Powered Models Are More Powerful: An electric chipper/shredder will never be able to reach the power produced by a gas-powered one with all other things being equal, which might or might not be crucial depending on your individual needs.
You Don’t Need A Power Source: Any electric chipper/shredder will need a power source before it will be able to cut anything, so it’s something to keep in mind when you’re planning to use your new toy a certain distance away from your home.
Advantages of Electric Models
Better For The Environment: This one should be obvious, but electric models won’t cause as much harm to the environment. When you have another model pumping out dirty gas fumes it’s an entirely different story, but electric models don’t have any fumes.
They’re Much Quieter: You can always wear ear defenders to protect your hearing when using a gas-powered chipper/shredder, but the noise an electric one makes is a world apart and won’t deafen you listening to it all day.
You’ll Find Them Easier To Maintain: Gas-powered tools are a necessity because of the power you might need, but the engine itself should be left in the past. You’ll find an electric one is much easier to maintain and you won’t suffer from nearly as many breakdowns.
Negative Impact on Your Health: We’ve already tackled this from a different angle when talking about how the fumes will damage the environment, but how do you think your poor lungs will feel unless you’re wearing a mask when you’re breathing the fumes in? Also, they’re far noisier than electric chipper/shredders. You’ll need to use hearing protection when using a gas model.
Take Up Much More Space: Power has to come from somewhere, and when you’re using a gas-powered model it’s not a plug socket it comes from. That means you’ll need a large engine, which results in gas models generally taking up a lot more space.
More Expensive To Buy: There is a perfectly good reason why a powerful gas chipper/shredder is more expensive to buy, although it still qualifies as a negative because electric models are generally cheaper so it’s easier on your wallet.
Disadvantages of Electric Models
Can Only Be Used For Smaller Jobs: Gas-powered models can handle a lot of wood at the same time, so even during large jobs you’ll have no problem feeding wood down the chute. An electric one, on the other hand, will only be sufficient for smaller jobs.
Far Less Mobility: You now know a power source is required, but you’re not off the hook if you have one outside your home. If you have a large area of land you’ll still need to reach the power source, so you’ll be a lot less mobile.
Something Else To Consider: Just because you counted the advantages versus the disadvantages and the electric models had an overall better score, it means absolutely nothing if the one you buy won’t be able to do what you need it to.
Best Chipper/Shredder Models
You should know by now whether you want an electric or gas-powered chipper/shredder. You know what the difference between a chipper and shredder is, but the models we’ll look at today will be able to perform either job. Remember they’re still only residential chipper/shredder machines, so although they’ll change your life they will never compare to sole-purpose commercial chippers and shredders.
Please Note: If at any time you like the sound of a particular chipper/shredder, please click through to read the reviews from past customers on Amazon to see if it’s as good as you think.
Sun Joe Chipper Joe CJ601E
▶ Recommended > Electric Chipper/Shredder for consumers
Light-duty chipper/shredder
Features:
- Ideal for turning branches and twigs into nutrient-rich garden mulch.
- Powerful 14 amp motor effectively chips and shreds branches up to 1.5-inches thick.
- Compact design with 6-inch wheels for easy portability.
- Safety hopper with locking knob prevents the motor from operating when opened.
- ETL approved; Full 2-year warranty.
View or download MANUAL for the Sun Joe Chipper/Shredder.
Overview | Sun Joe CJ601E
This electric chipper/shredder does come with an impressive 14-amp motor, but the fact it can deal with tree branches up to 1.5-inches in diameter is fantastic. The motor will also run at speeds of up to 4,300 rpm, so you’ll be able to deal with all the bushes and branches in your garden quickly. People have praised how long the blades last before there is a breakage, but don’t put anything too thick inside or it’s not going to be long before one needs to be replaced.
Speaking of the razor sharp blades, let’s talk about an important safety mechanism you’ll find on the CJ601E. It has a safety hopper locking knob stopping the motor from being able to run once you’ve opened it up, and although you wouldn’t do something so silly in the first place it’s nice to know you won’t accidentally hurt yourself. Depending on how you look at it, you might consider the 6-inch wheels a safety feature too, albeit a much more basic one.
The reason you’ll appreciate the wheels is because you’ll be able to move your Sun Joe CJ601E chipper/shredder around easily. The entire machine only weighs a little over 25 pounds anyway, so you’ll likely struggle more with the heavy-duty extension cord even if you do have to keep dragging the machine around a large garden. At least you won’t have to mess around with it every time you stop, because it comes with an instant start button.
It might sound a little loud compared to your average electric chipper/shredder, but it’s only because of the speed the motor runs at. If it’s any consolation, it does produce a finer mulch than most electric combo machines. It’s also nice how the motor only stays roughly hand warm, with the reason having more to do with not burning yourself. When a motor overheats too often it’s when you’ll end up with reliability issues.
Patriot Products CSV-3100B
Pro-Grade : 10-HP Gas Chipper/Shredder
Ideal for 1+ acre lots and shredding 3-inch branches. Very Fast > chipper/shredder.
Features:
- 10HP Briggs & Stratton Vanguard Commercial Engine.
- Ideal for yards up to 1-acre in size.
- 14″ x 16″ opening makes it easy to load leaves & debris.
- Tapered Chipping Cone
- Ideal for green branches, corn stalks, sunflower stems, etc.
- 3″ is the maximum green wood diameter it can handle.
- Heavy Duty Rotor with re-sharpenable chipping knives.
- Tool steel knives are heat-treated for longer durability.
- 6 hardened steel y-hammers reduce debris to pieces.
- 20:1 reduction ratio. Twenty bags of leaves becomes one bag.
- Occupies the same space as a typical garbage can.
- Direct power transfer; no pulleys or belts.
- Collection Bag Included.
View or download the MANUAL for the CSV-3100B.
Overview | Patriot Products CSV-3100B
With a 10-horsepower Briggs & Stratton Vanguard commercial grade engine, you know this is going to perform exceptionally well. Not only will it take the 3-inch thick tree branches and turn them into mulch within seconds, but you’ll also be able to drop leaves and other organic material into the hopper for instant shredding. This motor comes with a patented direct drive system, so no belts or pulleys will be used and all its power will be directed towards chipping and shredding.
Video | Shredding Bamboo
If you would like to use the debris for more than just mulch, such as for the edges of flowerbeds or to create cheap garden paths, this Patriot machine will spit out wooden chips roughly the same size as a coin. Of course you can still throw them in your compost heap, but you have other options available to you. If you do plan on using the coin-sized chips for something cool, try not to drop anything other than large wooden branches into the chipper/shredder.
Another helpful feature is the side discharge, which doesn’t come with a lot of other machines. When everything is coming out of the bottom you’ll have to keep messing with it all the time, but thanks to the side discharge you could essentially work in the exact same spot for the entire day. It might be a good idea considering it weighs roughly 188 pounds. Even if you are working all day, the manual states when branches feel like they’re being pushed in rather than pulled there will be a problem with the blades.
A machine so powerful will never be quiet, but the Patriot CSV-3100B doesn’t actually make as much noise as you’d imagine. It will be partly because of the superior engine, but they were also smart enough to include a premium lo-tone muffler to reduce the noise levels even more. As with all big power tools, ear protection like the Husqvarna professional hearing protectors is still recommend. It will also last longer without breaking down, because of the low oil run sensor added to safeguard the engine from damage.
Tazz K52 : Gas Chipper/Shredder / ** No Longer Available
Can handle : 3” diameter branches and masses of leaves and twigs.
The Tazz K52 steel hopper is 34″ so you never have to lift material over your head.
Features:
- 196cc Kohler engine
- 2-year warranty
- Optional vacuum kit featuring a unique air gate and largest-in-class rotor, Tazz produces 20% more vacuum than similar chipper shredders
- At a convenient 25.4 in. wide by 29.9 in. long, it takes up minimal room in your garage or shed
- Rugged easy-to-use debris bag featuring the bottom-out zipper and a quick dock-and-lock bag connector
- Tested to, and surpassed, ANSI B71.6 safety standards.
- 11″ wheels
Overview | Tazz K52
Tazz introduced what could possibly be the easiest gas-powered chipper/shredder when they released the K33, but let’s talk about the power before we get into all of those finer details. Once again you’re seeing a machine with a 196cc Viper engine, so it still has more force at the point of impact and creates more suction. Tazz have stated it has 20 percent more suction compared other comparable chipper/shredders.
Video | Tazz Chipper/Shredder
While we’re on the subject of design, the K52 truly is a power-horse and built to last. The steel hopper only stands at 34-inches high, so it’s simple to throw everything into it without any trouble at all. It’s also 25.4-inches wide by 29.9-inches long, so you will be able to store it away in a small corner of your garage until it’s time to use it. The 11-inch wheels also supposedly never go flat.
That is a good thing when you realize you’ll be pulling 121 pounds of weight around with you. The extra weight could have something to do with the fact the K32 comes with very tough components. The huge steel hopper will take all the bumps and bangs that will be thrown at it as everything is being dumped into the grinding chamber. Once on the other side the reduction ration will stand at 20:1.
Two special features about the Tazz K52 worth mentioning :
- It doesn’t just come with an ordinary debris bag, but it has a bottom-out zipper and a quick dock-and-lock bag connector
- The last feature is the optional vacuum kit, so you’ll have a chipper/shredder capable of picking up grass clippings and scooping up leaves. It’s got a unique Air Gate to help suck everything up.
Visit the Tazz site to see their full line of chipper/shredders, and more.
Patriot Products CSV-2515
Electric Chipper/Shredder
Features :
- 1.5 hp electric motor, 110/120v
- Chips rigid materials such as branches up to 2 ½ inches in diameter
- Great for yard waste cleanup, composting, hay, bamboo, etc.
- No fumes – safe to use inside garages, workshops, greenhouses, and barns
- 1.5 HP
- 13.4 Amps
- Wood Diameter :2.5 Inches
- Feed Type : Gravity
- Replaceable Blades
Overview
Patriot claims their electric chipper/shredder is the only one worth buying, which isn’t true, but their products are high quality and stand above most other models and brands. Powered by a 1.5hp engine, It can chip branches up to 2.5-inches in diameter, so it’s only half an inch away from competing with the gas-powered model. It doesn’t have any issues shredding leaves, like the CSV-3100B. The advantages of the electric model is you don’t have to inhale fumes, minimal maintenance and overall a quieter, more pleasant experience.
You will need to be close to a plug socket for it to work, but luckily it’s so environmentally-friendly it produces zero fumes and you can use it indoors. If you do want to use it outside you must be aware the heavy-duty extension cord you will have to use can’t be any longer than a hundred foot long, because it will use 14-amps of electricity. When you take that into consideration, it does leave your options limited if you own lots of land.
VIDEO | Electric CSV-2515 Shredding Branches
If you don’t need to move it further than a hundred yards from the nearest socket, you’ll love it because it only weighs 95 pounds and the large wheels make it easy to move around. Once you’ve reached your desired destination you’ll find out the electric model is a lot easier to start, and you’ll appreciate not having to pull on any cords. It’s as simple as switching it on and you’re ready to go.
Electric chipper/shredders are well-known for being easier to maintain, and you’ll get even more benefits from the Patriot CSV-2515 because once you’ve learned how to use it you’ll notice it hardly jams. One of the reasons you’ll need to know how much your machine can handle is because electric models will draw too much electricity, and when it does your circuit breaker will trip. As long as you keep it clean and sharpen your blades as per the instruction manual, you’ll not have many issues with it.
Note : Use a 10-gauge extension cord.
If you don’t understand the differences between extension cords please read our guide. Trust me, it will help you maximize your electric power tools.
Learn more about Patriot chipper/shredders on their site.
LandWorks — Chipper/Shredder
Features :
- Side loading catch bag for easy dispense or collection of wood chips/mulch.
- Hooks for stabilizing the catch bag.
- Large Chipper Chute includes a rugged rubber cap to create vacuum
- Top hopper for volume chipping & shredding
- Mulch Reduction Ratio of 15:1.
- Shredding Capacity of 1/2″ for twigs, brush & light greens both wet & dry
- Creates mulch quickly
- 3″ diameter capacity Chute > small branches & limbs.
- Auto-feeding
- Reduction Ratio of 15:1
- Easy access to the vacuum inlet option for fast leaf loading into the chipper to shred & mulch.
- Universal Vacuum attachment, connects to Great Circle Wood Chipper.
Is A Combo Chipper/Shredder The Right Choice For You?
We said having a machine capable of chipping or shredding the waste in your garden is a great idea, and now there is another question you need to ask yourself. Do you need to buy single-purpose machines, or is the combo chipper/shredder going to be enough for you? I hope you now realize although it was vital to discuss the differences between each one, any of the models we’ve looked at today will be perfect for nearly every home owner. Maybe you can think about things differently if you live on a very large farm.
Now It’s Time To Choose Your Favorite One
You know how much they’re going to affect your life. You should even know whether or not you’d prefer an electric or gas-powered one. The final step in your journey is picking the exact model to buy, but you should know something before you do. Do you have any idea how many people are already taking full advantage of these chipper/shredders?
If you want a rough idea, you only need to look on Amazon to find out how many have already been sold. Don’t forget they’ll be sold in tons of stores nationwide, but Amazon is the best place to search for unbiased reviews. Even if you’re 99 percent sure you know which one to buy, one review could send you in the opposite direction.