Table of Contents
In the fall, leaves tumble down around the clock in our garden. The yellow, orange, and red foliage is very pretty on the eyes but my back is already dreading the clean-up. If you’re still doing it manually, you will want to get a quality leaf shredder to help you out and take the stress out of the autumn season. Instead of raking and bagging leaves right up until the snow begins to pile up, you could be zipping through things with a leaf shredder.
Of course, finding the best leaf shredder is never quite as simple or as straightforward a process as it might seem on the surface so we put together this quick guide.
Below we share exactly what to look for in a top-quality leaf shredder as well as our favorite options on the market today. You’ll be able to shortcut your research significantly with the inside info below and guarantee that you land the perfectly shredder to help make this kind of yard work effortless from here on out.
Let’s dig right in!
The Best Leaf Shredders - Reviews and Guide
Best Overall: BLACK+DECKER Leaf Blower, Vacuum, Mulcher BV6600
I have a bias towards single-function equipment mostly because my collection of gardening tools are topnotch at what they do. So, it's always impressive when I come across multi-function tools that actually do well across the board.
In this case, the BV6600 is a leaf-blower, a leaf vacuum, and a mulcher, too. The 12 amp motor is powerful and yet quieter compared to other brands. Switching from vacuum to blower and vice versa is easy.
The best feature of this machine is how well it can suck up leaves and mulch them. The blade is not cheap plastic. Rather, it is a solid metal fan that can grind down 16 bags of leaves to one. Clogging is also not a problem due to this metal blade. We went through our entire field with massive trees and didn't run into jamming problems.
The blower also works very well even for wet leaves.
This model would be perfect if not for the cloth bag that it comes with. It is not durable at all and we destroyed ours in a week. I highly recommend you get extras on hand for when your collection bag gives up on you.
One last peeve with the bag is that the strap is made of thin nylon that cuts into your shoulder when the bag starts to get heavy and full.
Pros
All features work very well especially the vacuum and mulching features
Metal blade is strong; keeps jamming and clogging at bay while you work
Reduction ratio is 16:1
Cons
Bag isn’t durable and it is designed poorly
Not lightweight especially for seniors with weak or arthritic hands
Best Woodchip And Shredder Combo: WEN 41121
Do you want the beast-mode of leaf shredders? If yes, then what you want is this WEN electric wood chipper and shredder. It shreds leaves, lawn clippings, twigs, and even small branches into mulch that you can use for your garden.
It's got a 15 amp motor that does 8000 cuts per minute. Inside, it has two 7-inch cutting blades that do a great work of mulching foliage like oak, cedar, willow, and soft wood.
So far, ours is still working well but we’ve been careful not to put in branches over an inch thick even if the recommended branch size maximum is at 1.5 inch.
Safety Reminder: Always wear gloves for safety. Once it gets going, it will shake and bounce. It doesn’t suck in branches so what I do is to use an extra branch to push the others in. To avoid small cuts, splinters, or other injury, do NOT use with bare hands.
Pros
Does a good job of shredding and mulching soft wood
Reduction ratio is 17:1
Noise level is lower than expected
Wheels make it easy to transport
Cons
It is not ideal for some types of wood like bamboo, sycamore, and maple.
It does not mulch thin twigs.
Best Lightweight: WORX WG509 TRIVAC 3-in-1 Shredder
Another combination unit that works wonders on large and small yards alike, this is one of the lightest weight and easiest to use leaf shredders you find anywhere.
While not quite as powerful as some of the other options money can buy, this unit does run off of a fully electric motor (and battery power at that) so that you can cruise around unencumbered by extension cords the way you are with traditional electric models.
You’ll get extra versatility from this leaf shredder, too. It handles vacuuming leaves into a trash bag or carry bag (included) pretty well and can even be used as a mulcher, with a 13:1 reduction ratio that is pretty rock solid.
Pros
Super lightweight
100% cordless electric motor system
Can be used in three different ways with extra versatility
Cons
Not quite as powerful as some of the other leaf shredding options available
The warranty here is a little lacking
Best Budget: Toro Leaf Blower, Mulcher and Vacuum
Toro have been responsible for producing some of the best regarded lawn equipment for homeowners and landscaping companies alike for decades now, and this vacuum style leaf shredder is another great example of their engineering, quality, and performance capabilities.
Relatively inexpensive (especially when stacked up against some of the units from other companies with comparable performance), this 12 amp leaf shredder/mulcher vacuum system helps you to make quick work of your leaf disposal needs in a handheld system that’s easy to control even at full blast.
When cranked all the way up, you can put out vacuuming and blowing speeds of 250 mph in a very tightly controlled and easy to maneuver system – flipping between high-speed and low speed solutions to efficiently and effectively cleanup your lawn on the move.
Pros
Super lightweight
Very easy to use and even easier to clean and maintain
One of the most affordable options you’ll find on the market today
Cons
Not quite as powerful as other leaf shredding systems
Durability has come into question of late
Best Kettle-Style: Flowtron LE-900 Leaf Shredder
The amazing thing about this electric leaf shredder is the fact that it is able to produce such staggeringly efficient results out of a ridiculously compact little unit, a unit that weighs in at just 17 pounds (when completely empty).
Far and away one of the coolest new leaf shredder options to be made available in quite a while, this amazing little kettle style option uses a two-step process that reduces leaves, twigs, and small branches into shredded up mulch that can be as coarse or as fine as you like it to be.
This is all done thanks to the 36 individual cutting lines that make this shredder work, again swapping out the traditional bladed option that a lot of gasoline powered systems go with for a more efficient, quieter, and easily maintained cutting line system that works wonders straightaway.
Pros
Almost infinite adjustments to how you want your leaves shredded
Easily positioned to hold any angle for effortless loading and unloading
Dual shredding components with 36 individual cutting lines never taxes this electric system
Cons
May struggle if you load this unit up with a lot of other yard waste that aren’t leaves, pine needles, and lawn clippings
What to Look for in a Leaf Shredder
Let’s talk about some of the core elements and special features you’ll want to look for in this equipment.
Power
The most important thing you need to look for in a new leaf shredder is the power that it brings to the table.
Whether you decide to go with a gasoline powered or electric option makes no difference – you need plenty of raw power that can move quickly through leaves and small branches so that you can make quick work of everything that’s tumbled down into your lawn.
If you’re going with something running off of electric shoot for a machine that has at least 12 A of power, though 14 A is even better.
Speed
There are quality single speed leaf shredders and mulchers on the market today to be sure, but the best options have variable speed settings that allow you to adjust on the fly as you work through different material.
Shredding leaves alone is one thing, but shredding through small branches that the leaves may still be attached to may require a faster or slower speed – depending on the leaves and branches themselves. Variable speed options are a lot more flexible.
Capacity
Capacity is going to come down to finding a piece of equipment that lets you knock out your yard work as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Larger projects are obviously going to require a larger capacity, but smaller lawns that are shielded with mature trees that shed a lot of leaves may require larger capacity leaf shredders as well.
This is a personal thing that you will have to figure out for yourself, as only you will know how often you want to be emptying out the bucket of your shredder as you move through this project.
Reduction Ratio
As a general rule, it’s always a good idea to look for a leaf shredder that has a reduction ratio of at least 13 to 1.
This is the ratio of how many bags of leaves left whole you can reduce down into a single bag after shredding. With a 13 to 1 ratio you can fit 13 bags worth of leaves into a single bag, saving you a lot of time, a lot of energy, and obviously a lot of bags along the way.
Build and Blade Quality
High-quality leaf shredders are going to be a little more expensive (to be sure) but they also provide you with a lot of durability, a lot of longevity, and a lot of peace of mind.
It’s always a good idea to invest in the highest quality components, engineering, and blades to make sure that you are getting the most value for your money – and a piece of equipment that’s going to help you with your yard work for years and years to come.
Flexibility
It used to be that multipurpose leaf shredders were never as smart a choice as a single purpose leaf shredder was, simply because trying to do too many different things at once inevitably caused problems during use.
Today’s single purposely shredders are still fantastic pieces of technology, but there are a lot of versatile and flexible multipurpose options that get the job done just as well while providing a lot more flexibility, too.
They are well worth looking into, that’s for sure.
Final Verdict
Hopefully you now you feel confident enough to sift through the myriad of options available on the market today and settle on a leaf shredding system that works for you.
We have highlighted the very best of the best options from top manufacturers today, giving you inside information and insight into what makes each of these individual units so special.
Obviously, you’ll want to do your own due diligence and research just to confirm our findings – but the odds are pretty good that should you end up with one of the top leaf shredding systems we highlighted above you won’t find yourself disappointed.
All of these tools and each of these pieces of equipment will help you clean up your yard faster, more efficiently, and with a degree of consistency and control you just won’t get anywhere else.
More Exciting Garden Tools
