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Best Chipper Shredder For Composting Leaves [2023 Top Picks]

Raking your garden and cutting large twigs is one way to keep your yard clean and attractive. How do you quickly take care of the thousands of twigs, leaves, and other garden debris after trimming? You can turn them into rich mulch, which is the main ingredient for organic compost. This approach not only improves the growth of your plants but is also eco-friendly.

With the best chipper shredder, you can turn your twigs, leaves, and other small debris into mulch. We have gone through customer reviews, recommendations, and specifications. We want to share our findings with you in less than 10 minutes; continue reading this review.

Worx Electric Leave Shredder
6,088 Reviews
Worx Electric Leave Shredder

If you’re in a hurry, you should consider the Worx Electric Leave Shredder. It’s decked with a handful of features that make it worth the amount you spend on it. You’ll get up to 53gal of mulched leaves per minute from the shredder, in addition to a 13-inch cutting diameter, and it’s easy to assemble.


Contents

Comparison Table: Chipper Shredder

Chipper Shredder For CompostingPowerWeight
1Worx Electric Leave Shredder Electric24.3 lbs
2Yard Force Electric Leave Shredder Electric13.45 lbs
3Sun Joe Electric Shredder Electric13.49 lbs
4Patriot 10 Hp Gas-Powered ChipperGas139 lbs

What to consider before buying a chipper shredder.

Most gardeners love the summer season but prepare to get busy when summer gets in full swing. It’s a period of clipping, cutting, and pruning tasks as maintenance is essential in gardening. Your vines and trees require a lot of trimming in summer to keep your garden looking squeaky clean during this season. Once you gather the wastes in your yard, don’t be in a rush to dispose of them.

Technology can help you reduce the amount of effort you put into your garden. Buying a chipper shredder enables you to convert waste to mulch and compost, but it is also an excellent way to improve soil nutrients.

Read The Full Buying Guide

Chipper/Shredder Drive Type

Allow us to unpack what to consider in a chipper shredder to help you narrow down the long list of products. A chipper shredder machine offers you the benefits of two devices in one. Chipper machines process tough waste, shredder machines handle smaller wastes and turn them into little bits.

There are two types of drive types – the clutch-drive and the direct-drive. The clutch-drive type moves the blades when you engage a switch or lever. The direct-drive model comes with a drive motor that engages the blades once you turn it on.

Clutch drive chipper shredder machines can handle tough garden wasters compared to direct-drive. They come with more robust motors and have fewer jams when in use. Direct drive machines are cheaper and more common than clutch-drive types. 

Power source

The first step to buying the right chipper shredder is selecting the model with a capacity that suits your yard. The power source of the chipper shredder for leave you buy determines its strength. Electric models are quieter and ideal for chipping and shredding small twigs and leaves. This model is perfect for small yards and is very affordable. Electric models are portable and require less maintenance than gas-powered models.

Moreover, if you have a large property, you need to buy a gas-powered model. They are more powerful and more extensive than electric models. They can handle 3-inch branches in seconds and can run for hours. The power of these models comes from their large engines. The engine size increases its weight, coupled with the bulk of the fuel tank. Gas-powered chipper shredder models are challenging to move around though some come with wheels. 

Lastly, if you want to protect the environment and reduce carbon emissions, buy an electric chipper shredder.


Reduction ratio & Bag Capacity

The reduction ratio is a formula used to determine the diameter by which the machine will reduce debris. Say a chipper shredder has a diameter of 6:1 that means it will reduce your garden leaves by 1/6th of its size. The higher the reduction ratio of the model you want to buy, the larger and more powerful the machine will be. 

Most chipper shredders for leaves either come with a bag or bin. The bag holds twig chips and leaves mulch as they drop from the chipper shredder machines. Collection bags makes it easier to transfer the chipped and shredded wastes for mulching and compost. Bag capacity is measured in bushels, and a bag with 10 bushels means you will empty the bag less often. 

Standard chipper shredders have a bag capacity of between 2 to 3 bushels. Kindly note that the larger the bag capacity, the heavier the machine will get. 


Best Chipper Shredder for Composting Leaves: Our Reviews

1. Worx Electric Leave Shredder 

Worx Electric Leave Shredder
6,088 Reviews
Worx Electric Leave Shredder

Features: 13-inch cutting diameter, corded 13 amp bladeless electric motor, 8500 pm motor, 11:1 mulching ratio, weighs just 20lbs, 53 gals per minute cutting ability, easy to assemble, etc.

The Worx Electric Leave Shredder is our top pick for this review. Unlike other chipper shredder models, WORX is a bladeless mulching electric system with a heavy-duty grass trimmer. The box contains the leaf mulcher, one universal bag holder, and 24 replacement lines. It takes less than 10 minutes to assemble with no additional tools.

The shredder comes with a 13 amp electric motor rated 120V and 60Hz. It is sturdy and can efficiently mulch up to 53 gallons of leaves per minute but it does not come with a debris bag, so you have to buy one before using it. Regarding the blades, it sports a flex-a-line bladeless system that uses thick trimmer lines to achieve a reduction ratio of 11:1. It comes with 24 cutting lines with a diameter of 0.99 inches and a durable bag support ring.

This WORX product has a unique design that allows for both paper and plaster debris bag usage. The mulcher component connects to the sturdy stand placing the debris opening at an ergonomic height. It also features an oversized on/off switch for ergonomic operation, and the high capacity opening allows for more leave mulching per minute.

The shredder struggles with wet leaves and sometimes gets clogged by it.

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2. Yard Force Electric Leave Shredder

Sale
Yard Force Electric Leave Shredder
3,629 Reviews
Yard Force Electric Leave Shredder

Features: Electric 13 amp motor with 8,000 RPM, push-button start/stop, replacement lines, safety glasses, two years warranty, 12:1 reduction ratio, 0.95-in trimmer, etc. 

The Yard Force leaf shredder is another recommended leaf shredder. It comes in a small package but offers more power than its size. At a glance, you’ll see a motor housing, three adjustable legs, funnel and funnel cover, a removable air filter, and more. 

It’s powered by a 13 amp AC electric motor with 8,000 RMP. The motor comes with an adjustable setting for pine needles, dry and wet leaves. And concerning the reduction ratio, this unit has an approximate reduction ratio of 12 to 1. The YF8000 features long-lasting lithium-ion batteries and sturdy chipper shredder frame designs made with advanced technology. This product is quiet, simple, and has a lightweight design for smooth movement. 

This shredder makes use of a standard 0.95-in trimmer line and does not require any tool replacement. The only thing you will need to change is the line replacement (comes with ten shredder replacement lines). It also comes with 3-adjustable legs that allow you to use this product safely on all terrains. 

Yard Force Electric Leave Shredder is super easy to assemble using the operation manual with pictorial help. A bungee elastic band holds plastic and paper waste bags attached to this product for effective use. 

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3. Budget Pick – Sun Joe Electric Shredder 

Sale
Sun Joe Electric Shredder
1,777 Reviews
Sun Joe Electric Shredder

Features: 13-Amp electric motor, a control dial, 50ft power cord, hopper compatible with a trash can, dust reducing motor, motor cooler, lightweight, etc.

The Sun Joe Electric Shredder is our budget pick with a difference. It comes with features you will love. If you are looking for a chipper shredder with mulching controls and one with less dust, you should consider it. 

This model is what you need to buy. It is powered by a 13-amp electric motor with 8,000 RPM and an easy-to-read control dial for fine and coarse shredding. The shredder takes less than 10 minutes to assemble and disassembles easily for storage. The motor is durable, lightweight, and has a cooling system designed with Sun Joe’s Smart Shred technology. This feature diverts air from shredded leaves, reduces dust generation, and allows you to use it for long hours. 

It can handle twigs with a diameter of about a quarter of an inch without changing the shredding line. However, feeding this product with larger twigs means you have to replace the shredding lines frequently. Changing the shredding line is easy, though, and takes up to 5 minutes. Concerning the cutting diameter, this shredder comes with a 12-inch diameter cutting line and can mulch up to 55 gallons of leaves per minute. 

This product works best with extension cords with a 16 gauge rating and a maximum length of 50 feet. As for the warranty, you’ll get two years out of this shredder.

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4. Patriot 10 Hp Gas-Powered Chipper 

Patriot 10 Hp Gas-Powered Chipper
187 Reviews
Patriot 10 Hp Gas-Powered Chipper

Features: Briggs and Stratton Vanguard Commercial Engine, three-year warranty, 7 x 2 inches wide chipping cone, six hardened-steel y-hammers, direct power transfer, etc.

While other chipper shredders in this review cannot handle branches up to 3 inches in diameter. Patriot’s ten hp product is designed for people with a need for a large chipper shredder. As you’d expect, it’s a tad more expensive than its counterparts.

This Patriot wood chipper is gas-powered and has a unique construction you can rely on for top performance every season. It features six hardened steel y-hammers that beat debris into coin-size chips irrespective of the wood type. The tool steel knives in this machine are heat-treated for wear resistance to ensure they last for years. 

It has a 7-inch long, and 2-inch wide side discharge cone tapered chipping cone. We love the position of the discharge cone because it allows you to chip and shred woods in one location for hours. The feed opening is 14 x 16 inches wide, which allows you to load as much wood and leaves as you please. It can handle green branches, sunflower, and corn stalks, turning them into cone-sized chips. 

This chipper also comes with a large wheel that makes it easy to move around. Briggs and Stratton’s engine features an overhead valve design for a cleaner, cooler, and more fuel-efficient operation. At first, we thought this product was loud until we found out it features a super low-tone muffler that reduces its noise. It also comes with a low oil sensor that points out when the oil levels are low.

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FAQs: Chipper Shredders For Composting

Here are a few questions regarding chipper shredders used for composting.

  1. What’s different between a chipper shredder and a wood chipper? There’s only but a slight difference between the two. A chipper processes wood while the chipper shredder handles as much debris that comes from a tree/bush.
  2. Can I use a wood chipper to shred leaves? A wood chipper can shred leaves properly although not as exactly as the shredder would. It’ll still come out fine when you’re done.
  3. What should I look for when buying a wood chipper? We highlighted a handful of factors to consider in the buying guide section of this article. Some of the factors include reduction ratio, your budget, and the chipper’s price as well as extra features, power cord length, and reviews from other users.

Final words

The right chipper shredder for your friend might not be able to handle the leaves and twigs in your yard. Hence, you need to buy a product suited for your gardening needs. Consider the factors we highlighted in the buying guide and use it as a pointer to see what will fit your needs.

Jessica Zander

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