Are you in a constant battle with your neighbours about overhanging branches but unable to secure a slot at the local tip? Maybe your garden needs a big trim, but you haven't got time for dozens of trips to the recycling centre, and your green-waste bin just isn't big enough.
Trimming trees and hedges with loppers, hedge trimmers and chainsaws is a lot of work, and clearing up all the clippings is time-consuming.
That's where a quality, multi-purpose garden shredder comes in handy. They'll (hopefully) last you for years and magically transform your waste into enough free mulch (compost) to feed your entire neighbourhood.
With a variety of garden shredders and chippers to choose from, it’s important you know what’s out there and their differences before you purchase one. The cheapest isn’t necessarily the best, but depending on its purpose, maybe the extra investment is exactly what's needed.
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What is a garden shredder?
A garden shredder is a clever piece of machinery, usually housed in a shed, that converts bulky waste into shreds and woodchip in an effortless manner. Some have a blade mechanism to slice twigs and branches, others (more robust ones) use a ridge roller to pull through the waste and crush it. But we'll go into this in more detail later.
The key differences are size and price, with the larger models being more competent in tackling the big stuff (thicker branches) and usually with a mounted bag or box included. And, ‘the bigger, the better’ - the bigger the capacity, the less emptying you have to do.
Garden shredders also tend to jam, often due to soft blades, or blades that can’t cope with the load being pushed in at once. It will happen to them all, even the good ones; it's something you’ll have to deal with when the time comes.
What are the two types of garden shredders?
There are only two types of shredders that you should be aware of: impact and roller.
Impact shredders (also referred to as rapid shredders) are the cheapest, the loudest but the lightest. Also, the most aggressive! The blade mechanism with the disc or cassette spinning at a high speed slices the waste into manageable pieces and the machine, commonly used for leaves and lighter loads, is less likely to jam. My one piece of advice for an impact shredder is to purchase one with two blades so the machine remains sharp for longer, and with a regular-shaped hopper to make the process easier and quicker.
Roller shredders, on the other hand, are pricier, heavier (ensure you can handle the weight and adjust the gap between the plate and the roller) but a lot quieter. The ridged roller with a vertical rotating wheel against a flat plate crushes bigger woody pieces of waste by drawing the material in and can do a lot of it in no time. One disadvantage is that they do get blocked by loose pieces that seem to creep in from time to time.
Should I purchase a petrol or electric garden shredder?
This is another difference to keep in mind. If you have a medium-sized suburban garden and go for an electric shredder, ensure the length of the cable is suitable for your garden. No stress if it does turn out to be shorter than expected as an outdoor extension cable will do the trick. And, if you are in a bigger garden and don’t have access to an outdoor power supply then a petrol model would be a no-brainer, but this powerful beast comes at a cost (pricier and needs servicing).
Garden shredder features you should know:
To ensure you purchase the most suitable machine, the following questions should be considered:
• Do I need a collection box for shredded waste?
• Do I need wheels on my shredder to move it around?
• Can I access the roller safely and at ease to minimise any blockages?
• Is a tamper or reverse setting necessary to help with any blockages?
• Do I have all the basic safety equipment (gloves, goggles and ear protection) to operate the garden shredder?
How much should I spend on a garden shredder?
Depending on the need for a shredder and its purpose, the prices vary significantly. Generally speaking, they start at around £100 and can go up to £500 based on the make and its features. Unless they are on sale, anything outside of these prices needs thorough research. I would also recommend spending a little more on your garden shredder, as this is not something you will be likely to replace soon.
How to use a garden shredder?
Watch these tutorials to get a better understanding of how to use garden shredders and garden chippers:
The best garden shredders
1 of 7Bosch Shredder AXT Rapid 2200
This Bosch AXT rapid 2200 (electric) with a 2,200W electric motor and a 12nm Torque is an industry favourite best small garden shredder. Weighing just 12kg, it's super lightweight and an absolute breeze to move around the garden. Its solid make allows it to shred superbly with its 40mm blade shredder cutting capacity.
And it's the best garden shredder for softer and smaller jobs at home, but also can comfortably tackle bigger branches (up to 30mm in diameter). Although you will need to purchase a collection box for your mulch and perhaps an extension cable depending on the size of your garden (as it has a cord length of 10m), it does come with a tamper which is handy for any blockage.
It has a reversible, double-edged laser-cut blade which stays sharp no matter what you send its way. The process of replacing one of these blades is very straightforward. With a 75.4 x 43.4 x 37.1mm dimension, the chippings that the Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 produces are smaller than most which is exactly what you want.
£363.93
2 of 7Einhell Electric Shredder GC-KS 2540
The Einhell GC-KS rapid 2540 garden shredder with a 2,500W electric motor (torque and collector not supplied) is known to be the best budget garden shredder. Very reasonably priced, this 9.8kg shredder is even lighter than the Bosch AXT Rapid and great if you need to quickly and easily tear up some of your hedge trimmings or odd light branches.
Being 94 x 41.3 x 33cm, the blade-based shredder is compact and great when storing it in and amongst your garden accessories. It's also a bonus if you don't want to lag around a heavy machine and almost makes up for having an in-built collector. The electric garden shredder is, however, only suitable for lighter jobs. And, even with its 40mm maximum branch capacity, the bigger branches do tend to jam or come out in strips. Overall, it does the job but wouldn't be one for long-term use.
3 of 7Bosch Shredder AXT 25 TC
If you are after the best electric heavy-duty roller shredder, this new Bosch AXT 25 TC model with a 4.5m cord is a standout. It cleverly destroys BOTH woody (hard) and green (softer) debris through a unique and patented turbine cut and crush mechanism, without making a loud noise.
The machine can tackle a wide range of hedge trimmings and branches up to 45mm due to its 2,500W motor. It also delivers 650nm of torque, which is a much bigger workload. The trimmings produced will vary but will be a lot smaller and cut up than other models and garden shredders. It measures 73 x 68.4 x 39.4cm, and is a heavy-duty garden shredder with a weight of 30.5kg and two rear wheels.
The top of the shredder can also be removed quickly and stored in the collector box, giving easy access to cleaning and lubricating the blade area. As well as saving space. I also recommend getting the Bosch AXT 25 TC over the Bosch AXT25D older version as it's more versatile and performs better (with the cog and plate mechanism). On top of this, it has a 53-litre collector bin, which means you will need to empty the compost less frequently.
Would this be one of the best garden shredders for conifers? Yes. You can push in thick conifer branches (with the plunger provided) and the machine will handle it. Definitely worth the investment if you've got a lot of trees and shrubs to clear.
4 of 7Makita Electric Shredder 2500W
Similar to the Bosch AXT 25 TC garden shredder, the Makita UD2500 (electric) also makes an excellent top-performing heavy-duty roller. Although it may be an investment, this shredder is a fair price for what you get, which is an effective cut-and-crush system. Alongside minimising the volume of shredded waste and easy-to-use control panel, the shredder comes with a large collector bin.
It also comes with a very generous cord and a straightforward automatic forward and reverse change operation. The Makita UD2500 model does have an in-built anti-block system but is missing a tamper. So, this could be an issue if there is a blockage. With a cutting speed of up to 40 rpm, this shredder will certainly get the job done with minimal complaints from the neighbours. Despite the large rubber wheels and handholds, one downfall of the garden shredder is its weight (27.6kg) which is definitely something to consider before making the investment.
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5 of 7Spear & Jackson Quiet Garden Shredder - 2800W
If you're still interested in the all-round roller garden shredder, the S28ES model by Spear & Jackson could be an option. Especially, if you are after something that does the job minus the heavy price tag, this could be the right match. Similar to the Bosch and the Makita, it is known to be a very versatile garden shredder (and a plunger included), with its ability to tackle almost all garden waste (branches up to 42mn) and be quiet at the same time.
The electric shredder's large capacity design (60 litre bin), 2800W motor and an automatic feed make it a super powerful beast to have in anyone's garden. Despite having a three-meter cable to operate the machine on and fantastic wheels, it can also take up quite a bit of space. You do get, however, a three-year guarantee. And, if you are faced with a minor jam, there is an in-built reverse function to help you.
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6 of 7Mac Allister MSHP2800D-2 Corded 2800W Silent Shredder
For an even cheaper highly rated garden shredder, the Mac Allister MSHP2800D-2 model could be your winner. Known to be the best value heavy-duty shredder, this machine can certainly fit more than enough waste in its 50-litre collector - great for tidying from now on and again. It only weighs 20kg which is very lightweight for this sort of design. With a 2800W motor and a four-metre cable length, the garden shredder has the basics sorted.
If you are prone to breaking things, don't worry as it has got a two-year guarantee. One negative is that the machine isn't exactly quiet. Being very versatile, the well-priced shredder is a good all-rounder for any garden. It also has good safety features such as its box interlock mechanism which prevents the machine from starting unless a collection box is firmly in place.
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7 of 7Forest Master 6hp Compact Petrol Wood Chipper Direct Drive 208cc 4 Stroke
If you are after the best woodchipper, I highly recommend checking out the Forest Master FM6DD Petrol machine. It may be pricey but is certainly worth the extra investment. Chipping branches up to 50mm, it works by hurling the chips out from the discharge chute. Being 78 x 91 x 48mm, this best petrol garden shredder has a very sturdy 6hp 208cc four-stroke petrol motor. All you need to do is angle it in order to create a pile on the ground.
Alternatively, you can spit them straight into a wheelbarrow depending on your preferred working style. The plate inside the garden shredder can cause a jam when feeding through chunky branches into the feed hopper, but this happens very rarely.
It does also weigh a whopping 38kg, much bigger than the rest of the electric garden shredders, and is quite noisy. The machine makes up for it though in its performance. The four-stroke petrol engine also means it does require a bit more maintenance than the rest of them. Overall, it's up there in being a multi-purpose, well-priced petrol shredder.
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More FAQs:
What is the best garden shredder for conifers?
The best garden shredders to tackle conifers are models with more than one blade. In this case, as outlined above, I would go for an impact garden shredder which is less likely to get blocked and a cheaper option over the more heavy-duty roller shredder.
Emily Farquhar is the Business Development Executive for Bauer and produces commercial and branded content for WhatsTheBest, Heat, Closer, Grazia and more across beauty, tech, and lifestyle.
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