The Einhell performed surprisingly well when fed a pile of long, thick rose branches, chopping the whole lot up into small 5mm pieces with only the occasional hiccup.

This is where an electric shredder can help out: run a few tree branches through it, and use the wood chips to protect the base and roots. It's easy to set up and unlike most of the other impact shredders in our test has an easy-to-use 40L collection box that slots under the funnel and helps to make the shredder sturdy and stable.One of the drawbacks of this type of machine is that you’re forced into feeding everything into the infeed slot individually. A lighter shredder may not be quite as robust as a heavier model, and this will likely be reflected in the size of waste it is able to handle. uk - Offer of the day Designated trademarks, brands and images are the property of their respective owners.

It's sturdy and stable when it's up and running and although it's awkward to move around, at 20kg it's the lightest rotary shredder in our test. If you know you’re only going to need the garden shredder for one day, it’s certainly cheaper to hire one. These will be useful if you have particularly large plants in your garden that you need to dispose of.A collection box or bag makes it easier to move and use your shreddings, and the bigger the better as it will save you emptying it less often. These domestic shredders aren’t like those machines the council uses when pruning trees in the street, or like the one Peter Stormare feeds Steve Buscemi into in that memorable scene from Fargo. It’s a lot more mobile for start though you will need a box, tarpaulin or garden trug underneath it to collect the ejected detritus. The big 55 litre bin holds loads of chippings, and, thanks to the simple three-button control, it’s a piece of cake to use. We tested a range of electric corded shredders, using them with different prunings, including both woody branches and fresher growth, to help you find the right one for your garden.

This smart-looking electric model is about the same size and weight as the Bosch and Cobra, and just as well built, though some assembly is required, including fitting the wheels. Any models with higher RPMs (above 4000rpm) and a faster shredding rate of above 200 kg/h were rated higher as they could handle both smaller vegetation and thicker branches. If you’re composting at scale, at some point, you’ll need a reliable compost shredder that’ll cut all your garden waste for you, including the dry twigs and large branches. Like most rotary shredders this needs more assembly than an impact shredder but it's not complicated to put together and once assembled is sturdy and stable. For those who don’t read French, this article spends quite a bit of space talking about the importance of reviews.With 3000 watts of cutting power, the Ryobi RSH3045U 3000W has got enough grunt to go through all but the largest of garden detritus, with two reversible, hardened steel blades designed to shred branches, brambles and shrubs to a fine mulch. This model accepts branches of up to 4cm in diameter though, in essence, it will swallow anything you can fit through the top-mounted portal. This is 3dB (see this short article for a brief explanation on the decibel scale)more than the sound level quoted for the AXT25D.

I fed it the same type of rose branches that the cheap Einhell model made light work of and it jammed up a few times requiring me to hit the reverse button to free up some of the leafy congestion.Just be sure to lop off any nubs and stalks beforehand and give it time to complete its task before stuffing in another branch. Value for money: Considered all of the above, plus quality and design, the RRP and length of warranty and availability of spare blades. A safety mechanism ensures that the shredder only works if the box is in place ands although the box feels sturdy, if it breaks, it will need to be replaced or the shredder won't work. Granted, the fully-leafed beech branches I tested it with remained in one mangled piece as opposed to being completely cut all the way through, but that didn’t bother me because I wasn’t considering using the mulched results as garden fertiliser. Drum (or quiet) shredders tend to crush the material using a slow rotating, bladed wheel that traps plant matter against a solid plate before cutting it into little pieces.