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PRO

Title says it all.

Around fifteen years ago I bought a fairly robust looking electric garden shredder and it just blocked up with most stuff, so I have not actually used it much. 

A small semi-pro machine seems desirable, but I really would not consider one that doesn’t have feed rollers, any suggestions as to a suitable machine?

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  • What sort of stuff are you going to be putting through? I have a Bosch AXT25TC, which I purchased about 5 years ago and it's still going strong. It's not a professional machine, but it's coped with everything I've asked it to do. These days I find it easier to take waste to the tip, but I'll still get the Bosch out for small pollarding and pruning jobs.

  • PRO

    The shredder I have and hasn’t been used for a long time is a Ryobi, basically you need a pile of woody branches to push conifer branches through.

    Looking at the smaller Hansa machines on their website they say the machine sets up a through draft, sucking material in and blowing the chips clear, having never tried one I don’t know how well that works.

    • I've never tried one, but I hear good things about Hansa. I often hear the Greenmech chipper getting recommended, but I have to say I was never very impressed with the one I had use of, despite new blades and multiple services. I was tempted to get a 'proper' chipper last year and I kept going back to look at Lumag chippers. They look like they do a really good job at a good price.

  • This topic has come up on a regular basis.  I think all gardeners want similar from their chipper: a quick feed, no blocking, a good ejection of material, lightweight and of course reliable. Not much to ask really!  

    • PRO

      Have gone down the route of the small chipper . 

      It works but works too slowly , A day to chip and shred a small pile of branches which have to be prepared in advance i.e right length , graded to ensure dont exceed maximum diameter to maintain a constant feed you need to spend the time preparing , this when added onto the chipping time was not viable for me . 

      Laurel leaves simply block the chute but conifer attatched to a branch no problem and after a long day a decent pile of mulch or chips to show for your efforts . 

      Negatives having to unblock the chute by having to dismantle the chute to untangle whats blocking the blades . and the noise of the chipper during operation is horrific , bad enough in a large garden with few neighbours but i wouldnt attempt to use a small chipper for hours in a built up area . 

      I gave my small chipper away to a gardener and they have now also given it away . 

      Yet the machine was sturdy and very reliable . 

  • I've recently bought a Lumag HC10 chipper, it's small enough to fit in a small van and have found it really useful.  Just done a hedge reduction and some tree work, I had a mountain of cuttings that would have taken an age to cut up and bag but the chipper reduced it all to bark/mulch which I then have spread around the base of the hedge.   

  • If you really want feed rollers would you consider an Eliet Mega Prof approx £27K?

    Otherwise, I'm happy with the Eliet Major.

  • PRO

    TLooking on the internet last night I think I have got a grip the difference between shredders and chippers.

    It is all about the knife action.

    The hobby grade Ryobi electric machine I have has blades on a flat rotating disc, as branches are fed in it swipes them off sideways and it doesn’t pull them in, any soft stuff just modges up.

    The Eliet and similar have vertical knives on a rotating drum and slices the ends off woody branches and actually shreds the soft stuff, because its a rotating drum it actually pulls the material under it so feed rollers aren’t a requirement.

    Then there’s variations the with metal hammers on a drum and machines that have two input chutes with both shredding and chipping actions depending on which chute you use.

    Lumag actually say that the Lumag HC10 RAMBO Garden Chipper is set up as a chipper and will not handle green waste on its own.

    So what I am actually looking for is a shredder which can also be used occasionally as a lightweight chipper, with knives on a rotating drum which will pull material in, rather than having feed rollers.

     

    • Sounds like an Eliet might be what you're looking for, although they can be slow to feed through and still prone to clogging!

  • PRO

    The small Cobra and Lumag look virtually identical and even have the same engine.

    The Cobra is sold as a chipper and shredder, but Lumag specifically say there’s is a chipper and will not handle green waste on its own. I suspect Lumag are being a bit more honest.

    The blades appear to be identical.

    The Eliet knife action seems more suited to handling mixed garden waste.

    https://www.mowers-online.co.uk/cobra-650l-650le-chipper-shredder-b...

     

    Cobra 650L/650LE Chipper Shredder Blades (Pair) CHIP650L-3
    Cobra 650L/650LE Chipper Shredder Blades (Pair) CHIP650L-3. Genuine parts from authorised dealer. UK mainland delivery* Buy now from mowers-online
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