7 Best Garden Shredders of 2024

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The Best Garden Shredders

best garden shredder uk review tested

Getting rid of garden waste can be an annoying problem. A garden shredder is the perfect solution, chopping green matter into mulch and bark chippings. We’ve tested the most popular models to help you make the right choice. Read on to find our top recommendations below!

  1. Best heavy duty shredder for home - Ryobi Silent Garden Shredder

  2. Best value garden shredder - Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 Blade Garden Shredder

  3. Best for thick branches - Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Garden Shredder

  4. Best for gardens with bushes - Hyundai HYCH2800ES Garden Shredder

  5. Best budget option - Einhell GC-KS 2540 Electric Shredder

  6. Another budget option - Dirty Pro Tools™ Garden Shredder

  7. Best for light garden waste - The Handy Electric Garden Shredder

Garden Shredder Reviews

Heavy Duty

1. Ryobi Silent Garden Shredder

Best heavy duty shredder for home

best garden shredders Ryobi Silent Garden Shredder
  • Copes well with difficult material like larger branches of 45 mm and palm fronds (although palms may need to be put through more than once)
  • Feeds the branches in by itself, freeing you up to grab the next one
  • It's also one of the most quiet shredders on the market (at only 93dB) due to its low rpm output - at most, it's as loud as a power lawnmower
  • Creates uniform cuttings which are a good size for mulch and other uses in the garden

  • Small twigs may fall through un-shredded, along with tree needles, so it's not great for shredding smaller material
  • There's no hopper to pile material on top of, so when shredding smaller material like grass, you have to be on hand to keep adding more
  • It may struggle with branches that are not straight as they can be difficult to feed into the machine
  • It's quite large which can make it difficult to store - may only be worthwhile if you'll be using it a lot
Max. Diameter
45 mm
Motor
3000 W
Weight
24 kg
Blade RPM
5500 rpm
Shredding Rate
200 kg/h
Collection Box
55 L
Cable Length
6 m
Noise Level
93 dB
Overall Score 4.2Read In-depth Review
Design
4
Performance
4
Power
5
Noise
5
Safety
4
Value for Money
3

The Ryobi RSH3045U 3000W Silent Impact Shredder is probably one of the most capable home shredders on the market right now. It can chew up branches and other woody garden materials up to 45 mm thick and doesn’t make a lot of noise.

It’s a serious bit of kit that uses hardened steel blades to make short work of basically any garden shredding job. The big 55 litre bin holds loads of chippings, and, thanks to the simple three-button control, it’s a piece of cake to use.

Harry testing the Ryobi Silent Garden Shredder
The Ryobi Silent Garden Shredder is great at tackling thick branches and tough matter.

After living with the Ryobi RSH3045U for some time now, I’m honestly a bit torn. On one hand, it’s an absolute beast that will chew up tree branches like they’re matchsticks. But on the other hand, how often will I need this much power? It’s already blitzed the big stuff, but it doesn’t cope as well with everyday grass cuttings.

If it was a small handheld garden power tool, I’d just add it to the tool kit and pull it out when needed. However, seeing as this is a big heavy beast, unless you’ve got room to spare it’s not really versatile enough to justify filling up your shed with.

If you’ve got a large garden with lots of big stuff to dispose of, it’s probably the best garden shredder for heavy duty jobs at home – it’s easy to be awestruck by its power. But, if space is at a premium and you just want something to chop up your leafy and green material, I’d save the money and go for something smaller and less full on.

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Good price point

2. Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 Blade Garden Shredder

Best value garden shredder

best garden shredders Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 Blade Garden Shredder
  • Works well on garden debris including conifer clipping, softer weeds and plant waste
  • Creates uniform-size clippings no matter what material is being shredded
  • Lightweight enough to be easy to manoeuvre up steps and around multi-level gardens
  • Will shred branches of around 35 mm without causing the blades to jam
  • A bag or bucket can fit under the exit chute to collect the wood chippings

  • May struggle to shred branches that are larger than 35 mm even though manufacturer's state it should handle up to a 40mm diameter
  • Some smaller twigs may get missed, ending up whole in the chippings pile
  • It's a little noisy, so you may want to use ear protectors if you are standing close to the machine
  • Does not work well for shredding cardboard or chopping hay
Max. Diameter
40 mm
Motor
2200 W
Weight
12 kg
Blade RPM
3,650 rpm
Shredding Rate
90 kg/h
Collection Box
n/a
Cable Length
5 m
Noise Level
103 dB
Overall Score 4.7Read In-depth Review
Design
5
Performance
5
Power
4
Noise
4
Safety
5
Value for Money
5

Bosch garden shredders lead the market these days. If, like me, you don’t have heavy duty requirements for a garden shredder, then chances are that you’ll lean towards Bosch’s entry-level model; the AXT Rapid 2200 Garden Shredder. It’s meant to be fast and powerful, yet easy to use.

I have to say that this Bosch garden shredder has really won me over. It’s thoughtfully designed, easy to use, and extremely robust. As soon as you open the box and assemble the shredder, you can see that it has been made with simplicity in mind. Turn it on, feed some branches in, and you’ll be even more impressed – it may be a lightweight garden shredder, but it’s powerful, works quickly, and, better still, doesn’t jam often!

Alina testing the Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 Blade Garden Shredder
The Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 Blade Garden Shredder strikes a great balance between price and performance. It’s my top recommendation for most people.

What may put some people off is its 4 mm branch-diameter limit. In fact, this seems to be slightly less than 4 mm in reality, although only by a couple of millimetres.  As a result, I would say that the AXT Rapid 2200 is the best garden shredder for home use – if most of your garden waste is soft and green, with a few twigs and small branches here and there, then the AXT Rapid 2200 is perfect.

However, if bulk volumes of large and thick woody branches are what you need to shred, then perhaps the Bosch AXT 25 TC shredder would suit you better.

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Pro Pick

3. Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Garden Shredder

Best for thick branches

best garden shredders Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Garden Shredder
  • When used with hard branches it is not prone to blocking
  • It will handle most wood (birch, ash, apple etc.) up to 45 mm in diameter
  • It's capable of chopping hay, which is useful for gardeners with smallholdings
  • The box that collects the chippings is very easy to remove and empty
  • Easy to store because the hopper can store inside the unit, making the entire unit only 67 cm high
  • A very quiet shredder at only 90dB

  • In order to better shred green waste or thin stems you'll likely need to adjust the position of the pressure plates using an Allen key
  • The hopper mouth isn't very wide, so side branches need to be removed from primary branches before they will fit
  • You'll need to alternate between green materials and harder materials to encourage the greener material to shred well - it is prone to getting wrapped around the turbine
Max. Diameter
45 mm
Motor
2500 W
Weight
30.5 kg
Blade RPM
4100 rpm
Shredding Rate
230 kg/h
Collection Box
53 L
Cable Length
6 m
Noise Level
90 dB
Overall Score 4.8Read In-depth Review
Design
5
Performance
5
Power
5
Noise
5
Safety
4.5
Value for Money
4

Search for a heavy duty, yet quiet garden shredder that’s capable of working with both hard and soft materials and you’ll come across Bosch’s AXT 25 TC shredder. In fact, this is one of the only garden shredders on the market that claims to offer these features, which helps to justify its price tag.

I won’t deny that I was dubious. Spending 22 years landscape gardening has meant that I’ve tried a variety of shredders and chippers in my time. Most of them are more hassle than they’re worth, especially for regular use, so I was interested to see how this Bosch shredder would hold up.

Like I said, I had my doubts about this garden shredder to begin with. Things started to look up once I actually opened the box and assembled the machine – it’s strong and well made.

Derek testing the Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Garden Shredder
The Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Garden Shredder performed very well in my testing against thick branches.

What I loved most about this Bosch shredder was its efficiency at chipping. However, its handling of soft green material was quite disappointing. I wouldn’t recommend it if most of your garden waste is soft and green – other shredders will tackle this much more efficiently.

That said, the Bosch AXT 25 TC is a machine that I plan on using quite regularly. In addition to shredding hedge clippings and small tree prunings on my own farm, I’ll also be taking it with me when hedge trimming for clients. It may be heavier than most models to pull around on rough ground, but it stores well with all of my other landscaping machines and garden tools. Plus, it’s a quiet shredder which helps too when doing work for clients.

For this reason, I believe it to be the best garden shredder overall. It’s a powerful unit that will pull its weight even in large gardens and offers a fuss-free way to shred harder branches.

I would also say it’s the best shredder I tested for professional use. It can quickly work its way through a mini mountain of hedge clippings, leaving you with fine shredded wood that can have a number of uses around the garden.

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4. Hyundai HYCH2800ES Garden Shredder[ SAVE 18% ]

Best for gardens with bushes

best garden shredders Hyundai HYCH2800ES Garden Shredder
  • Impact shredders are brilliant at getting rid of big sticks and whole branches, leaves and all. If you can fit it in the infeed slot, it will chew it up without complaining. It’s a beast!
  • The plastic collection box is slightly transparent so you can see how full it’s getting. Compared with the opaque box on the Ryobi shredder, it’s a lot more user friendly.
  • This shredder, in my experience, is just as capable as the Ryobi. The collection box is slightly bigger too. And it’s a fair bit less expensive to buy as well, which is always a bonus.

  • The controls are nowhere near as intuitive as the ones on the Ryobi shredder. There’s an ON/OFF switch as well as a separate switch for forward and reverse. It’s easy to get them confused!
  • This is a heavy garden tool. Weighing close to 21 kg, it’s not the easiest thing to move around. Unless you’re feeling fit, it’s not something you’d easily pull up some stairs.
Max. Diameter
44 mm
Motor
2800 W
Weight
20.8 kg
Blade RPM
6,000 RPM
Shredding Rate
Not listed
Collection Box
60 L
Cable Length
10 m
Noise Level
94 dB
Overall Score 4.4Read In-depth Review
Design
4
Performance
4
Power
5
Noise
4.5
Safety
5
Value for Money
4

If you’ve got a big pile of branches, sticks, and other chunky bits of garden waste, you’ll need the best impact shredder you can get hold of. Designed to chew through pretty much anything that you can fit inside it, the Hyundai HYCH2800ES is a capable piece of garden machinery that will get the job done.

Having already tested out the excellent Ryobi Silent shredder, I knew what to expect from a big beast of a machine like this. Boasting a powerful 2,800 Watt motor and hardened steel blades, you can mulch pieces of garden waste up to 44 mm in diameter, but it’s not best suited for soft green vegetation.

Harry testing the Hyundai HYCH2800ES Garden Shredder
The Hyundai HYCH2800ES Garden Shredder is great at tackling large bushes, but I just wish you could feed more in, in one go!

One of the drawbacks of this type of machine is that you’re forced into feeding everything into the infeed slot individually. I think it would benefit from having a hopper on top that you could load up with more than a handful of waste at a time.

Even though this is a heavy bit of kit, hauling it around is made pretty easy thanks to a pair of large diameter wheels and a solid top handle.

I’d recommend this garden shredder to anyone that has large bushes in their garden. This impact shredder will chomp through their branches, leaves and all, as long as they fit in the infeed slot.

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  • Weighing just 9.8 kg, this is a lightweight and portable garden shredder. It’s much easier to move around the garden compared to a heavyweight impact shredder.
  • Not being tied down by a plastic collection box is quite a handy feature. You can fill up any sort of container or even shred your waste directly onto your garden as mulch.
  • The double sided knife blades give you twice the useful life in one package. Once one side becomes blunt, you can easily swap them round using the included hex key.

  • The build quality doesn’t feel great in comparison with the more expensive Ryobi and Hyundai shredders. I’m not sure how long this tool would last with heavy use.
  • The placement of the power switch is really bad. It’s hard to see and it’s not easy to operate with gloves on. This could pose a safety issue if you needed to switch off in a hurry.
  • More than a few users have complained about the quality of the included blades. Even after light use, you could see nicks in the blade. Even if they’re double-sided, I doubt they’ll last for long.
Max. Diameter
40 mm
Motor
2500 W
Weight
9.8 kg
Blade RPM
4500 RPM
Shredding Rate
Not Listed
Collection Box
N/A
Cable Length
3 m
Noise Level
106 dB
Overall Score 3.2Read In-depth Review
Design
3
Performance
3
Power
3
Noise
3
Safety
3
Value for Money
4

When I got my hands on the Einhell GC-KS 2540 electric shredder, I was surprised at how light and portable it was. Compared with the heavy and cumbersome impact shredders I’d tested out before; this was a lot easier to move around.

This budget-friendly garden shredder has a lot going for it, so long as you don’t try to work it too hard. You can mulch sticks, branches and handfuls of grass directly onto your flower beds, and it comes with double sided blades for longer life.

Harry testing the Einhell GC-KS 2540 Electric Shredder
The Einhell GC-KS 2540 Electric Shredder is a solid budget option that’s easy to maneouvre, but it does have it’s drawbacks.

Unfortunately, this garden tool doesn’t come without its faults. Even though it has a 2,500 Watt motor, shredding garden waste is a slow process. You need to push handfuls of waste into the infeed slot because it lacks a hopper on top.

It also doesn’t do a great job at shredding green waste – it’s best to stick to hard sticks and remove leaves before sending branches through the shredder.

Other negatives are that it’s really noisy and the power button is hidden out of sight so it doesn’t feel that easy to turn off  and on.

So, overall, I’d say it’s a good option if you’re after something lightweight and inexpensive, but you’ll need to be aware of its limitations and not push it too hard. It’s certainly a great budget option and for the money you can’t expect the best results, but even so it feels like Einhell could have done a little better here.

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6. Dirty Pro Tools™ Garden Shredder

Another budget option

best garden shredders Dirty Pro Tools™ Garden Shredder
  • Shreds dry branches up to 40 mm in diameter without jamming
  • Will run for a long time, at least an hour, without having any problems with overheating
  • Spare blades come included which saves on buying more in the future
  • Offers good value for money in terms of price vs. performance

  • It's noisy - you'll need to use ear protection and may find it too much for urban areas with neighbours close by
  • Shredding greenery can cause the machine to block - this can be improved by mixing dry and green material together
  • The outflow shoot can get blocked easily and require regular clearing during shredding - particularly when the roller is attached
  • You may need to manually push the majority of materials through the feeder using the paddle
Max. Diameter
40 mm
Motor
2500 W
Weight
15 kg
Blade RPM
4,050 rpm
Shredding Rate
Not listed
Collection Box
50 L
Cable Length
6 m
Noise Level
111 dB
Overall Score 3.5Read In-depth Review
Design
3
Performance
4
Power
4
Noise
2
Safety
4
Value for Money
4

This Dirty Pro Tools™ Garden Shredder is a budget-friendly rotary impact garden shredder claiming to shred wood up to 40 mm and other leafy garden waste. It has 2500 W, a 4050 rpm cutting blade, a long cable, a 50-litre collection box, two wheels and a safety shut off.

On paper it ticks all the right boxes and the price is considerably lower than brand-name shredders.

But of course, written specifications only tell part of the story, so I put this electric shredder through its paces to see how it lives up to the manufacturer’s promises.

Overall, it’s a very good garden tool. If you want a reasonably priced shredder, it’s definitely worth considering.

Becky testing the Dirty Pro Tools™ Garden Shredder
The Dirty Pro Tools™ Garden Shredder chomping through some bamboo!

Bear in mind, it’s noisy. It’s still worthwhile, especially if your neighbours don’t mind a bit of noise (or you don’t like your neighbours..!), but I needed ear defenders because it’s thunderously loud.

I used this machine one day, left it without any cleaning and then used it the following day. It worked well both times and chewed up the majority of materials I threw at it without jamming.

On the downside it doesn’t much like large damp leaves and can jam if there’s lots of greenery. If you can alternate damp leaves with drier sticks it helps prevent a jam. Woody prunings with leaves attached were no problem though. It was only defeated by a large rhubarb leaf.

Overall, yes, I think it’s good value for money for those on a tighter budget. It’s one of the best cheap garden shredders available for small to medium sized gardens too.

Its loudness and dislike of damp greens isn’t a problem for me as I’ll be shredding mostly dry dogwood, hazel, buddleia, and laurel. However, if you’ve got lots of pure damp greenery or you live in a built-up urban area (where the noise might be a problem), you may want to look at something else.

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7. The Handy Electric Garden Shredder[ SAVE 6% ]

Best for light garden waste

best garden shredders The Handy Electric Garden Shredder
  • It will easily chop through smaller twigs of up to 30 mm which will likely be sufficient for the majority of hedge-trimming jobs
  • The safety features ensure that the electric circuit is broken when the machine is opened, so it can't start automatically
  • When a blockage does occur, it's easy to clear as it is simple to open up the front of the machine
  • It can chop through grass, although some pieces may miss the blade and need to be put through again

  • It isn't strong enough to efficiently shred anything larger than 30 mm in diameter
  • Once it grabs hold of branches, it can pull them through very quickly so you need to be careful to wear gloves and move your hands out the way
  • The safety flaps can work almost too well and stop the shredder from pulling in branches, so you need to push them down a lot
Max. Diameter
45 mm
Motor
2500 W
Weight
13.8 kg
Blade RPM
4,500 rpm
Shredding Rate
Not listed
Collection Box
40 L
Cable Length
3 m
Noise Level
106 dB
Overall Score 3.2Read In-depth Review
Design
4
Performance
3
Power
3
Noise
2
Safety
3
Value for Money
4

The Handy THISWB Garden Shredder is a lightweight, but capable, model that makes use of razor-sharp spinning blades. Whizzing round at 4,500 rpm, the blades make short work of thin branches and almost anything else you can fit in. It’s easy to move around the garden on two large wheels as well.

You can load up thicker branches on top thanks to the detachable hopper, and even see how much you’ve got inside the 40-litre collection box because of the see-through sides. It’s a powerful bit of kit, at a reasonable price, that will be a good addition to your garden arsenal if you don’t mind the loud motor.

Harry testing the The Handy Electric Garden Shredder
The Handy Electric Garden Shredder is a solid budget option, that’s best tailored to lighter garden waste.

It’s loud. You need to force branches and other garden materials down to the blades, but when it does hit them, it’s a great bit of kit. If you need to deal with everyday small stuff and the occasional branch, this is one of the best shredders on the market today.

I would rate this electric shredder higher if it wasn’t for a few niggles. The plunger accessory looks good but didn’t work for me at all. The hopper falls apart when you pull on it and is a pain to put back together. And you need to stand over the shredder to force everything through to the blades.

However, I would still recommend The Handy THISWB as being the best garden shredder for light garden waste. If you’ve got lots of thin branches and overgrown vines to deal with, this will do the job. It’s also nowhere near as expensive as some of the larger machines on this page, so you won’t waste money if you don’t need all that extra power.

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Product Testers

Garden Maintenance Expert
Growing Expert
Landscape Gardener

We put multiple garden shredders to the test, assessing which models have the right balance of speed, power, size, and functionality. We assessed:

  • Design: We considered how hard-wearing and robust each garden shredder’s designs were to find a model that would stand the test of time. Some models are known for jamming easily, so we also tested this throughout, feeding various forms of garden debris through, such as soft weeds, conifer clippings, and plant waste, as well as thicker branches, palm fronds, cardboard, and hay. If they could only handle softer, greener material, we rated them as better for household use. But if they could chomp through thicker branches and still produce uniform clippings, these were also suitable for heavy-duty tasks.
  • Branch Diameter Limit: Any garden shredder with a cutting width of less than 40mm got a lower rating as this significantly limits its usage, particularly with woodier materials like branches and trimmings. We ensured each model could tackle the branch diameters it promised, even when branches were wonky rather than perfectly straight. Any models that jammed or couldn’t shred wonky branches got ranked down.
  • Important Features: We paid close attention to features like collection boxes. Any models without were assessed on the functionality of their design – we attempted to fit buckets or boxes underneath the chute, and if we couldn’t fit these underneath, the models were less functional.
  • Noise Levels: Shredders can be noisy, which isn’t ideal, so we tested the volume of each – anything above the 90-decibel mark requires earplugs or earmuffs, so we considered any models above 95 decibels loud, and anything above 100 decibels were ranked down due to being noisy.
  • Speed: We tested each model’s blade rpm and shredding rate to identify whether they were suitable for heavy-duty or light use. Any models with higher RPMs (above 4000rpm) and a faster shredding rate of above 200 kg/h were rated higher as they could handle both smaller vegetation and thicker branches.
  • Weight & Cable Length: The models ranged in weight, but any model above 20kg isn’t generally practical for most people, so they were rated down as they weren’t as manoeuvrable, making them less useful in bigger gardens and harder to store in small spaces. Similarly, any models with less than a 5 m cable were rated down, as they could only be used in small gardens without an extension lead.

Alina's Smart Buying Tips

  1. The best garden shredders should have a cutting width of at least 40 mm, so they can tackle tough branches and trimmings.
  2. It’s also vitally important that they don’t jam often. Now, this will be partly down how fast you load garden waste into the shredder, but mainly down to how well the machine performs under strain. Throughout our testing, we ran the shredders below for sustained periods of time, to see how often this happened. 
  3. For lighter jobs, a shredder with a 2200 W motor will be sufficient. However, for a good all-rounder, consider a shredder with 2500 W – this will be able to deal with a combination of hard branches and green waste. A 3000 W shredder has a lot of power – generally best left to dealing with larger (40 – 45 mm) wooden branches. 
  4. Lastly, noise does play a role! So if you’re concerned about bothering your neighbours, look for something around 90 dB. You can compare the decibels of our recommended garden shredders in the comparison table a little further down this page.
  5. After testing different shredders, we also recommend buying a model that’s not only tailored to your gardening needs, but also the design of your landscape.
  6. Lighter, easier to manoeuvre models like the Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 will likely suit the majority of households. It performs well but only weighs 12 kg so can be easily carried.
  7. For users with heavy-duty shredding requirements, factors like the motor power, blade RPM and shredding rate will play greater importance. A shredding rate of around 200 kg/h will help speed through bigger jobs. Professional gardeners or those with large trees will be better suited to the Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Garden Shredder, the most powerful and impressive model we tested.

Compare Product Features

Use the dropdown to sort the table by the feature you want to see.

  • Ryobi Silent Garden Shredder
    best garden shredders Ryobi Silent Garden Shredder
    • 4.2
    • 45 mm
    • 3000 W
    • 24 kg
    • 5500 rpm
    • 200 kg/h
    • 55 L
    • 6 m
    • 93 dB
  • Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 Blade Garden Shredder
    best garden shredders Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 Blade Garden Shredder
    • 4.7
    • 40 mm
    • 2200 W
    • 12 kg
    • 3,650 rpm
    • 90 kg/h
    • n/a
    • 5 m
    • 103 dB
  • Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Garden Shredder
    best garden shredders Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Garden Shredder
    • 4.8
    • 45 mm
    • 2500 W
    • 30.5 kg
    • 4100 rpm
    • 230 kg/h
    • 53 L
    • 6 m
    • 90 dB
  • Hyundai HYCH2800ES Garden Shredder
    best garden shredders Hyundai HYCH2800ES Garden Shredder
    • 4.4
    • 44 mm
    • 2800 W
    • 20.8 kg
    • 6,000 RPM
    • Not listed
    • 60 L
    • 10 m
    • 94 dB
  • Einhell GC-KS 2540 Electric Shredder
    best garden shredders Einhell GC KS 2540 Electric Shredder
    • 3.2
    • 40 mm
    • 2500 W
    • 9.8 kg
    • 4500 RPM
    • Not Listed
    • N/A
    • 3 m
    • 106 dB
  • Dirty Pro Tools™ Garden Shredder
    best garden shredders Dirty Pro Tools™ Garden Shredder
    • 3.5
    • 40 mm
    • 2500 W
    • 15 kg
    • 4,050 rpm
    • Not listed
    • 50 L
    • 6 m
    • 111 dB
  • The Handy Electric Garden Shredder
    best garden shredders The Handy Electric Garden Shredder
    • 3.2
    • 45 mm
    • 2500 W
    • 13.8 kg
    • 4,500 rpm
    • Not listed
    • 40 L
    • 3 m
    • 106 dB

How to Choose The Best Garden Shredder

If you’re someone who loves to prune the garden, but hates having to deal with the woody material, an electric shredder can make life a lot easier.

Rapid shredders slice up organic material, from hedge clippings to plant waste, making it much easier to dispose of or add to your compost bin.

If you’re thinking about buying one, the information below should help you make an informed decision:

What Are The Benefits of Using a Garden Shredder

Most garden shredders can massively reduce the volume of your garden debris and waste.

The majority of us have to either cram clippings into a council garden-waste bag, or take multiple trips to the dump. If you’re lucky you might have a big green bin from the council, but they still fill up fast.

Using a garden shredder makes it much easier to handle and dispose of all your garden material. Fewer waste bags needed, and fewer trips to the dump!

Secondly, the little chips and shreds make a great addition for composting.

benefits-of-using-a-garden-shredder

The trick to a healthy compost heap is a good balance between your ‘greens’ and your ‘browns’. The greens are nitrogen-rich, whilst the browns are high in carbon. Having a shredder than can handle both will enable you to get the balance just right.

The shredded wood chips provide great insulation.

Over the past year I’ve been growing my own date palms. But, as with many new plants, plummeting temperatures can take their toll. Good insulation is a must. This is where an electric shredder can help out: run a few tree branches through it, and use the wood chips to protect the base and roots.

This is a money saver too – no need to buy bark or similar insulation from the garden centre!

Lastly, the waste makes great mulch.

Feeding garden matter back into your soil is a great idea. Not only does it give your plants added nutrients, it acts as a barrier against weeds. What’s more, wood chippings can look very attractive too. All you need is a good garden waste shredder and you’re all set!

What Are The Different Types of Garden Shredders

Aside from categorising them as electric shredders or petrol shredders, there are two main types of shredder that you can buy.

Impact Garden Shredders

An impact garden shredder will have a blade that spins at a very high frequency – many complete over 4,000 rpm (revolutions per minute).

As the organic matter and woody material passes through, the fast-spinning blade chops it into small pieces. This is generally the best garden shredder type for most households.

Given that the blade turns so fast, an impact garden shredder can generally whizz through green material, and chop up smaller twigs and branches.

Impact shredders are best for tackling green clippings and smaller branches. However, they can be quite loud seeing as they work at such a high rpm.

Roller Shredders

These use a different kind of technology.

Instead of a fast, rotating blade, they ‘crush’ the organic material against a plate inside the machine.

As a result of this slower work, they are quieter than high-rpm impact shredders.

Roller shredders are the best for tackling bigger, dry branches. They’ll generally cope with thicker, harder branches, but might be more likely to get clogged up with greener material (as they don’t move fast enough to stop it from sticking).

Turbine Cut Shredders

These shredders combine the technologies of both ‘impact’ and ‘roller’ shredders to crush and chop the matter as it passes through.

The Bosch AXT 25 TC Shredder is an example of an electric shredder with a turbine-cut system. In general, these shredders should be able to cut both dry and green matter, although they often still cope better with one than the other.

Turbine cut shredders are the best for tackling a combination of bigger clippings and green matter. They will probably not manage the same branch diameter as roller shredders, but will reach a compromise between an impact and roller shredder.

READ NEXT: How To Unblock a Garden Shredder Safely

What is The Difference Between a Shredder and a Chipper

Generally speaking, garden shredders are best suited to general home use. They can handle smaller branches up to 4.5 cm, and sometimes ‘green’ waste too, depending on the shredder.

If you’re looking for something to help you tackle standard garden tasks, reducing down small branches and clippings, a garden shredder will be a good addition to your garden tools. If you want something a bit more heavy duty, you’ll probably want to consider one of the best petrol garden shredders on the market.

A wood chipper is also heavy duty and better suited to tearing through larger branches and trees. If you’re working industrially cutting trees, or have one fallen tree in your garden, you’re going to need a wood chipper. These can be hired for a day which is useful, as they’re not garden tools that a standard household will require often.

READ NEXT: What To With Garden Shredder Waste

Why The Weight of the Shredder is Important

Models can range significantly in how much they weigh.

The lightest shredder reviewed on this page weighs 12 kg. Naturally, this makes it much easier to move around than a heavier model.

The heaviest shredder on this list weighs 30.5 kg. A model like this may be harder to get out of the shed or lift up stairs in the garden.

Ultimately, these decisions often come down to your physical ability, and your garden layout.

A lighter shredder may not be quite as robust as a heavier model, and this will likely be reflected in the size of waste it is able to handle.

Therefore, you’ll have to strike a compromise between finding a weight that is light enough to be practical, and a shredder that can handle what you need it to.

READ NEXT: How to Sharpen Garden Shredder Blades

Look Out For The Size of the Cutting Diameter

Depending on what you’re hoping to shred, you may require a large cutting diameter, or you may not.

The most powerful garden shredders featured on this page can cut branches up to 45 mm in diameter. These will be useful if you have particularly large plants in your garden that you need to dispose of.

Some models are better suited to being fed branches up to a diameter of around 35 mm. Whilst this might sound small compared to 45 mm, a lot of gardens are unlikely to require anything bigger.

It will likely come down to price and storage space; if you have the space and budget for a large shredder, you might choose to go for one that can cut 45 mm just in case.

But, if not, smaller shredders like the reliable Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 are more than enough for the majority of gardens.

READ NEXT: Bosch AXT 25TC vs Bosch AXT 2200

Plus, remember that an electric shredder which has a large maximum cutting diameter may not be as effective at shredding greener plants. For those, a smaller shredder with high rpm may be more effective.

Garden Shredder FAQs

Different types of garden shredder work in different ways. Whether electric shredders or petrol shredders, the initial principle is the same:

After turning the shredder on, you feed organic matter (tree clippings, prunings, twigs, etc.) into the hopper or infeed. This is then shredded, and ejected out of the bottom. A collection box may come with the shredder, to place by the outshoot, or you may need to provide your own.

Impact shredders shred the organic matter by chopping it with blades that spin at a high number of revolutions per minute. These are generally best suited to shredding smaller items and green matter.

Roller shredders shred the organic matter by crushing it against a plate inside the drum. These are generally better at shredding larger items than impact shredders – often up to 45 mm in diameter.

Yes, the top models will shred leaves – but it really depends which one you have. An impact shredder with fast-turning blades are more likely to chop small items, like leaves, well.

If the leaves are dry, you’ll likely have more success. If the leaves are wet, the majority should still get shredded, but the liquid/sap may jam the machine.

Once shredded, leaves result in green matter that’s perfect for your compost heap.

See here for more advice on what you can and can’t put in a garden shredder.

will-a-garden-shredder-shred-leaves

First up, you should not put soil or stones through your garden shredder. Soil will clog it up and stones will absolutely annihilate it! Just make sure that you brush mud off any roots or plants before they go through.

Next up, you’re much better off putting dry matter through rather than damp material. Any liquid and sap can stop the blades being able to run efficiently, and ultimately lead to a jam. Most models do have ways to fix blockages, but you may not want to be doing this all the time.

Finally, shredding items like cardboard is done at your own risk. Garden shredders aren’t designed for this purpose, and shredding cardboard can damage the blades or mechanism, meaning it may not work as well in the future.

Having done some research, hiring electric garden shredders costs about £30-£45 per day. If you want petrol garden shredders, you might be looking at closer to £100. If you’re looking to hire a wood chipper it’s about £130 per day.

If you know you’re only going to need the garden shredder for one day, it’s certainly cheaper to hire one. Anything more than 2-3 days and you’re better off buying one.

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