Garden Shredders

Advantages: Seems to be unbreakable. Easy to use.
Disadvantages: Can't cope with wet stuff.

...shredder I use is a Bosch AXT 2000. It came from B&Q five years ago. Todays price is £179.98. It looks big and solid and it's turned out to be really robust. Nothings broken or stopped working. It's kept under cover as electrics obviously have to stay dry but it hasn't needed any maintenance as there simply isn't any required. It has about twelve feet of lead which I find too short as I like plenty of space round me when I'm using it. I always ...
...on the subject of safety I wear plastic goggles and big gloves too. It's easy to wheel out to where you want to use it. The big wheels go over bumpy ground fairly smoothly and the handle is moulded into the casing. I find it easier to pull it along beside me. Other people seem to prefer pushing it. At least there's a choice. There are two control knobs. These are a bit stiff to turn but I think this is to stop them being accidently knocked while ... Read review

Advantages: Relatively inexpensive; shreds thinner stems well; solidly built and good looking.
Disadvantages: Can't shred thicker stems; jams too easily; fiddly collection bag.

I bought the JCB shredder to shred the heaps of shrub, hedge and rose prunings accumulating at the top of my garden. My plan was firstly to save a trip to the local rubbish tip, and secondly to acquire free bark chippings for mulching, as well as a useful addition to my composting bin. My early impression (I've only just bought it) is that it will indeed get rid of most of my prunings and provide bark chippings and compost, however I am disappointed ...
...a plus point though the JCB made short work of my Budleia (hardwood) stems, sucking them through the blades at speed and spewing out some lovely looking mulch chippings. I didn't like the collection box/bag arrangement - too fiddly, I would have preferred a rigid box though you can use your own container. This shredder is heavy so if I haven't put you off buying it make sure you get help to carry it into the car. One assembled it's easier to move ... Read review

Advantages: powerful
Disadvantages: heavy

This garden shredder is a very willing workhorse. i have had mine for 3 years with no problems. Its awkward to pull about from the front to rear garden as the handlle isn't placed where it needs to be. Another downer is the fabric collection bag which isn't stiff enough to stay in place so all the shreddings spill about. I solved this one by clipping it to the frame using the type of alligator clips used by market stallholders and standing it on ...
...The reversible cutting blades are a useful feature. As I am mean, I need to investigate whether worn blades can be re-sharpened to avoid buying a replacement set! I lent it to my neighbour who then went out and bought a similar model to replace the 'toy' shredder on his lawn sweeper/vacuum. It can be tedious unscrewing and screwing the very long screw to clear it if you are too enthusiastic with your shredding and get a jam, but I see the sense of ... Read review

Advantages: I honestly don't know, but maybe if we recycle everything, Armageddon can be postponed a day or two.
Disadvantages: Please. If anyone can justify squandering our natural resources, email me. My response may be less than civil.

Frankly, I believe the piece of machinery listed is a toy. I'm sure it will be well appreciated by someone whose wallet is larger than their window-box. But the point of all of these chipping/shredding appliances is the obvious need in our society, to recycle our waste material. And for those of us with a garden larger than a window box, our garden waste is often the biggest recycling dilemma of all. So this op is not exactly about the Tonka toy ...
...but rather about the whole question of what we do (or maybe should do) with our abundant waste. I may be slightly off mainstream thinking here. But I've decided this is a soapbox. Recycling of waste is determined by two factors. The will of the Government and the will of the people. Am I right? Well, actually, no, I’m wrong. Because it doesn’t matter a damn what the Government (purports) to think, or indeed what you or I think. This ... Read review

Advantages: Quieter than most I have tried
Disadvantages: none so far

...I eventually settled on the ATCO 1800 watt Quiet Shredder and for the past year have had no problems whatsoever. In fact I consider it to be a significant improvement to my old machine. For a start we have the fact that, as its name suggests, it is comparatively silent. It would be impossible to make a shredder totally silent, due to the nature of the task of shredding itself. However the system employed by the ATCO is that of a ‘fixed coil shredding ...
...The ATCO 1800 can also can handle larger material than my old model. The literature provided with the machine states that it could take branches up to 35mm in diameter. I have not as yet tried it on such large branches, but know that it takes up to 30mm with no loss of performance whatsoever. As with all shredding and chopping machinery, safety is paramount and it is strongly recommended that you protect yourself with goggles and heavy-duty gloves ... Read review