The UK's bestWood Chippers2022 Review

Coming from a reputable brand, the Hyundai 420cc Petrol Wood Chipper is a powerful petrol machine suitable for getting through large quantities of medium-thick branches, approximately 7 – 8 cm in diameter.

It creates uniform chips and ejects them either into a trailer or straight onto the ground – whichever you prefer. Unlike many machines, it also gives a choice between creating ‘wood chips’ or ‘shreds’. The shreds are relatively fine and are a good size to use as garden mulch, suitable to be placed around shrubs and plants to prevent weed growth and retain moisture.

This Hyundai Chipper can handle both hard, woody material and smaller prunings,  which is why it’s a good choice for garden clearance and pruned branches. It very rarely jams, especially when used with large hardwood branches. However, it’s best used with longer, dry material. Smaller pieces may get thrown back out, and green, leafy matter will cause blockages.

Although the wood chipper is relatively easy to put together overall, you will certainly benefit from an extra pair of hands. The pictorial instructions are clear enough, but don’t go into much detail – it’s therefore necessary to plan each step carefully. Gloves should also be worn, as there are naturally a lot of sharp components.

Due to the amount this machine vibrates in use, the nuts and bolts will need to be checked frequently to ensure they haven’t come loose.

As a large machine, this chipper sits on two wide pneumatic tyres. It has a removable tow bar so it can be transported to more remote locations. The wheelbase is relatively narrow, which is useful for getting through smaller gaps but can lead to the chipper seeming a little top heavy – you may need to keep an eye on it if towing over uneven ground.

Out of the box, the battery for the electric start doesn’t necessarily come charged, so it’s best to take the time to charge it first before assembly, otherwise it can take a while to get it off again. Once sorted, it works efficiently to help start the petrol engine. The engine is also quite economical with its fuel usage.

All things considered, this is a very powerful and capable machine – it’s unlikely to fail you in a domestic setting. Just make sure that you have all the necessary safety equipment – such as a visor, gloves and ear protectors – before use, as this chipper doesn’t mess around.

It’s one of the best wood chippers overall, offering excellent power and working exactly as you would expect – turning 7/8 cm branches into neat wood chips whilst rarely jamming.

Given that most petrol-powered garden machinery can be very costly, the Forest Master FM6DD 6hp Petrol Wood Chipper is a great option for those looking for a petrol chipper at a more affordable price. With a 208 cc 4-stroke engine, this wood chipper is by no means lacking in performance; it can tackle branches up to 5 cm thick.

Performance wise, this chipper does an effective job tackling medium-size branches as well as some other debris like ivy and shrub prunings. It has twin reversible blades and creates evenly-sized chips. If you’re predominantly working with larger branches, and have just a few twigs etc. to dispose of as well, this machine will be a suitable choice. Smaller material has to be fed in slowly, a few pieces at a time, so jobs involving a lot of these items will take a long time to complete.

The chipper itself takes around 2 hours to build and assembly is relatively straightforward thanks to the clear instructions. It starts reliably on the first or second pull, but be aware that it’s shipped dry and requires 600 ml of oil (as well as a tank of fuel) which doesn’t come included.

Besides this chipper’s power and performance, there are other factors that work well. It’s clearly been designed with consideration to storage; the chipper is compact, with a hinged hopper and relatively small chute that minimises the amount of space it takes up. In fact, once in storage, it takes up less space than the average wheelbarrow. It’s also easy to fit in a van if necessary, thanks to its compact size.

Fitted with large wheels, these help when moving the chipper around; however, unfortunately there’s no integrated handle. This does make the chipper slightly more awkward to relocate, as you have to pull it by the hopper or another part of the bodywork.

Nevertheless, all things considered, this is one of the best wood chippers in terms of value for money. Although there are a few shortcomings in its design, overall it’s both extremely powerful and practical. There aren’t many chippers on the market that can compete with this model in terms of a price-to-power ratio.

For those who aren’t keen on petrol machines, or are trying to cut down on their carbon footprint, Bosch has created this AXT 25 TC Quiet Shredder.

It’s an electric chipper with a powerful 2500 W motor, giving it the advantage of not emitting fumes as it chows down through branches and twigs.

As expected, being an electric model, it’s not quite as powerful as some of the larger petrol chippers on this page; however, it can still work through branches of up to 4.5 cm thick. This makes it a useful tool for the garden – and probably as powerful as most standard gardeners need.

It copes best with shredding harder waste like branches, and produces quite uniform chippings that get caught in the 53 L collection box. When it comes to lighter, green waste the shredder can struggle more and you may need to adjust the position of the pressure plates. It can do a slightly better job on green waste if it is fed through alongside hard branches.

Smaller branches will be cut into pieces of varying lengths, from between 15 – 50 mm, and leaves may get through relatively unscathed.

The included orange plunger can help encourage material through the chute without having to get hands anywhere near the chipping mechanism.

At 30.5 kg this chipper is one of the lightest on this page. Although arguably it’s still pretty heavy, it should still be easier to manoeuvre and get out of storage than the majority of petrol models.

Due to its power and capabilities, this is one of the best electric garden shredders on the market. It will turn harder wood into chippings and prepare other material for composting, even if some leaves and smaller twigs get through untouched.

If you want to see how it performed in testing, you can read the full Bosch AXT 25 TC Quiet Shredder review here.

The T-Mech 15HP Petrol Wood Chipper is a particularly powerful 420 cc petrol chipper that can handle branches up to 10 cm in diameter, easily helping to reduce the number of trips you’ll need to make to the recycling centre.

There are two feeders, one on the top and one at the side, intended for branches of different sizes. The side feeder is very effective at chopping up large branches. The top hopper can cope with smaller branches of around 1 cm in diameter and several can be fed in at a time.

Whilst the chipper will rarely jam when chopping large branches, small amounts of green waste can cause blockages inside the unit.

These need to be unblocked before continuing, which involves turning off the machine at the mains, and can therefore be a little time consuming.

It comes with PPE included, providing gloves, safety glasses and ear protectors. All of which should be worn when using the machine. Gloves are extremely necessary because the hopper can pull branches out of your hand very quickly.

Assembly is simple, with just a few parts needing to be put together. However, there are some aspects which may not be the highest quality – for example, several customers have found that the rubber guard over the large branch feeder breaks easily. This can mean there is less protection from flying wood chips.

Nevertheless, overall this certainly seems to be a very capable machine. The overarching consensus is that it deals well with large branches, making it one of the best wood chippers for bigger garden clearance jobs. It just doesn’t cope as well with smaller green waste.

Hyundai is a brand renowned for their quality machinery, and the Hyundai 196cc Petrol Wood Chipper strikes the right balance between usability, affordability and power. It has a 196 cc 4-stroke engine, and a 2-blade drum.

This chipper has been designed for portability and ease of use, which makes it a great option for those who are worried about lugging a heavy machine around. It’s easy to move around the garden, with puncture proof tyres and a front grip-soft handlebar. The handlebar certainly makes it better designed for manoeuvrability than some other chippers featured here, such as the Forest Master FM6DD. It weighs 45 kg, which is on the lighter end of the scale for a petrol chipper.

Starting the machine is straightforward, and the pull cord is fairly reliable – it  generally starts on the first pull even when cold. Also, another benefit is that assembly only takes around one hour. The instructions are clear, and all parts are good quality.

The 2-blade drum mechanism can chip branches up to 6 cm in diameter. It can also chip twigs, trimmings and branches, although it’s better with hard branches rather than foliage.

This leads to one of the main downsides of this chipper: clearing blockages, often caused by green material, can be time consuming. There are four nuts that need to be removed individually to access the blockage. Avoiding leafy, green matter as much as possible will help keep this to a minimum.

Overall, this wood chipper strikes a good balance between power and user-friendliness. Provided you can put up with clearing the odd blockage, it’s a great option for domestic gardens. It’s also one of the best wood chippers if you want something that’s easy to move around the garden – the padded handle sets it apart from many other models in this respect.

For those who don’t want the fuss of a petrol-powered model, the Forest Master FM4DD Wood Chipper is a powerful, mains-powered option. Suitable for a range of situations, from people on tighter budgets, to those who require less power, to anyone who simply prefers an electric machine, this chipper is manageable, low-maintenance and easy to use.

Of course we should mention that this chipper doesn’t boast nearly the same power as a petrol powered model. However, provided it’s not overloaded, it’s still reliable and effective. The 2800 watt electric motor delivers 4 hp, and it’s direct drive so there are no belts to maintain.

It’s best suited to branches under 3 cm in diameter. Although Forest Master claim it can cope with branches up to 5 cm, in reality 3 cm is a more appropriate limit. The chipper prefers long, straight branches, and it will cope better with recently-cut softwood, as opposed to dry hardwood.

Weighing just 38 kg, the Forest Master FM4DD is lighter than any of the other models featured on this page. It’s been designed for easy storage and has a hinged hopper and chute. The large wheels ensure it can be pulled across your garden to the right spot.

There are a couple of downsides to this machine, many of which result from it being a mains-powered machine.. First, it comes with an electric cut-out switch which, although good for safety, can be a little too sensitive. This means that when the chipper is loaded near its limit, it cuts out sooner than seems necessary. This can make the chipping process less efficient.

Another slight flaw is that the cable is only 2.5 m long. Although not a huge issue, as an extension cable can be used, the extension cable can’t be longer than 10 m or the unit trips. For this reason, this chipper is best suited to smaller gardens – unless you are prepared to walk back and forth carrying wood to put into the chipper!

Overall, this electric chipper is a great option for those who don’t have the budget or desire to purchase a petrol powered machine. It’s one of the best wood chippers if you want a mains-powered model, and is still powerful enough for general domestic use – it just can’t cope with larger branches. Plus, thanks to the compact design, it fits easily in most garden sheds.