Garden Shredders and Mulchers - review

Garden shredders are also referred to as mulchers or chippers. Shredders tear material such as wood or leaves into smaller pieces. This has the benefit of making material more compact and usable for mulching.

Garden shredders are very useful for breaking down woody material in preparation for composting. Branches biodegrade much faster when they are broken down into woodchips because the surface area to volume ratio is much higher.

Electric shredders tend to be cheaper and quieter than petrol/gas shredders but they also tend to be less powerful. The shredder that is right for you will depend on the size of your garden and the type of material you want to shred. Less powerful machines find it easier to shred dry material than fresh woody prunings. The usual advice is to get the largest and most powerful machine which the size of your garden can justify - small shredders can be disappointing.

Try to avoid feeding soil or stones into the shredders as this will dull the blade more quickly. Regardless the chipping blade will need to be sharpened and replaced every so often.

Eye protection is a must when operating a garden shredder and you must take great care never to put your hand in the funnel.

Bosch has a good range of shredders.