Electric Shredder / Mulcher any Ideas ?

[1batfastard]

Hi All,
I have searched a few combinations to find a related topic to my header, I even went back through 20 pages on this section but to no avail . I am looking for a Shredder/mulcher ( Has to be Electric ) with a decent reduction ratio of say 16 - 20/1, using it for what I will have to shred/mulch down mix with manure and some cheap compost as soil improver which the garden needs.

I have been trying Amazon/Ebay/Faceache/Freegle/Pre-Loved/Gumtree etc. etc. etc. without much success and Brand new machines I just cannot justify spending the £400 for a Forester Master mulcher which I think is ideal and second hand they are like gold dust... I have seen a couple of cheaper foreign ones but ias they operate on a different current that would mean an transformer on top of import duty/VAT etc. etc. etc.

Sooo! I just wondered if you awfully nice people on here would be able to help ? Pretty ,pretty please with a cherry on top.... Any pointers as to any decent and fine cutting shredder/mulcher outlets would be most welcome, Google seems to be more interested in other search engine sites where you just end up trawling through what you would via Google normally, very frustrating to say the least...

Geoff.

[Nicos]

We have a Bosch one which was a bit more expensive than that , but we do use it quite often with both brown and green clippings.

Not sure, but when we lived in the UK we were able to hire things like that for a day/ weekend - is it worth your while considering doing that instead?

[ameno]

I've got an old Bosch that does a pretty good gob, although it does struggle a little with thin, whippy stems (they tend to pass straight through without being shredded, having only been de-barked). The resulting shreddings, when mixed with kitchen waste and other garden waste, usually make good compost within 4-5 months.

Personally, rather than seeking reviews/recommendations for a specific model, I'd recommend looking on somewhere like Facebook Marketplace for a cheap impact shredder (which is the kind with spinning blades, which cut finer than crushing shredders, which are the kind with rotating spiked rollers) near you, then ask to test it before you buy it. Test it with a few branches representative of the sort you will be using it for, and see if it cuts to your satisfaction (you may want to sharpen the blades first before testing. A small hard file, like a chainsaw file, will do the job well).
People list shredders all the time near me, for less than £50 usually.

[1batfastard]

Hi All,
Nicos & Ameno - Like I say I have been searching for about two months Hiring one for a day is not practical as by the time I have finished I may as well have bought a new one. I looked at the Bosch and have watched a good few youtube vid's.
I
initially I did think of the 2500 AXT but then it's a silent (Drum) bladed Chipper/Shredder and like you say an impact is what I really need. At the end of the day it all comes down to money and I will definitely more than one season as I have a couple of trees that will need to pruned every other season along with the usual bush and hedge trimmings.

At the moment I am edging towards the Forester Mulcher expensive I know but I haven't really seen anything that comes close, apart from European or US designs and I would have the additional expense of a transformer to convert the voltage.

Geoff.

[Snoop Puss]

Out of interest, why must it be electric and not petrol? I keep thinking about a petrol one (can't be electric as I live off grid) with electric start.

[ameno]

At the moment I am edging towards the Forester Mulcher expensive I know but I haven't really seen anything that comes close, apart from European or US designs and I would have the additional expense of a transformer to convert the voltage.

Geoff.

What is this Forester Mulcher exactly? I can't seem to find it when I look it up. Is it a US model?

[Mr Bones]

What is this Forester Mulcher exactly? I can't seem to find it when I look it up. Is it a US model?

I take it you mean one of these 1bat
https://arrows-uk.com/product/forest...caArkkEALw_wcB

[Mr Bones]

I needed to pick one up fairly quickly so have one of these from Screwfix. Too much leafy material tends to clog it but other than that it's performed quite well for the price. It's quiet too.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/mac-allis...220-240v/727fg

[ameno]

I take it you mean one of these 1bat
https://arrows-uk.com/product/forest...caArkkEALw_wcB

I thought that, too, but that one is wired for the UK, so would he need a transformer?

[1batfastard]

Hi All,
ameno & Mr Bones - Please accept my apologies the post should have read Forest Master as Mr Bones linked quite rightly. This will teach me to proof read before I post......

In the end I opted for a Hyundai HYCH2400EShredder, 2400w / 2.4kW, 230v
- (https://hyundaipowerequipment.co.uk/...230v-hych2400e ). So far it is doing the job I want and like the review I gave it, I am not expecting miracles and the real test will come when I shred the tree branches, so long as it does it's job I am happy along with the customer service I have received.

Geoff.

[1batfastard]

Hi All,
There has been only one real drawback with the Hyundai shredder the blades blunt easily. I don't know if this is an inherent fault with all basic designed impact shredders blades but I find I am only getting a few hours use before I have to swap edges. The total usage is no more than 7 Hr's (That's being generous) instead of the Googled 20-25 Hr's apparently that they should last.

I fear it's the steel used rather than the make of impact shredder when the shredder has fresh blades spot on which I have mentioned to the Hyundai team after they wanted the shredder returned for examination so I simply asked if they where to continue supplying fresh blades I could cope.

Geoff.

[DannyK]

I have a Bosch impact shredder. When the blades are new it pulls stuff in but after a while things need pushing in but it's still shredding.
Replacement blades are expensive.
I did sharpen the blades on my old Champion shredder. The bench grinder heated them up and they blunted quickly. An oil stone worked far better but it's so tedious!

[ameno]

I did sharpen the blades on my old Champion shredder. The bench grinder heated them up and they blunted quickly. An oil stone worked far better but it's so tedious!

I use a chainsaw file to sharpen mine. I just do it in situ, rather than going to the bother of removing them. I could probably get them sharper if I took them off, but it still does the job well enough, and in a fraction of the time.

[1batfastard]

Hi All,
I googled how long a shredder blade should last and the average is allegedly approx. 20 Hr's, however the blades dulled very quickly in only a quarter of the time, I suspect it's the steel used that is the problem . The shredder itself has no problem shredding the max wood thickness when the blades are new but like I said with the blades only last about a quarter very disappointing.

The customer service agent I dealt with was first rate but the technical team 1st said that it was the wood I was trying to shred being to hard ? ? ? Apple tree, 2nd they have just added there is no specific length of time that they're blades last , funny thing is in the guide book there is no reference at all to these two problems go figure :-0

Still like I say impressed with the machine not so much the blades, one other thing another company who is flogging the same blades sell them for around a third of what Hyundai do, only problem is if you use them you void the warranty so they got you by the short stuff.

Geoff.

[Martin H]

I got one of these - https://www.cobragarden.co.uk/QS2500..._Shredder.html - used it for the first time today to start mashing up my big pile of branches. Very happy with it so far, no clogging and it can deal with reasonably thick branches (bigger than broom handle size).

I've yet to try it on soft stuff like herbaceous plants or nettles, this sort of design is apparently less good than a noisy impact shredder. I'll give it a go at some point though.