Garden shredders are a great boon. Not only do they allow you to bag up bigger items like brambles and tree branches so you can get them in the boot of your car (assuming you are using the green waste recycling at your local tip), but they also create wonderful mulch that can be matured separately in black plastic bin liners or added to compost.
The 4 most important features when choosing a shredder are…
1. Deciding whether you want to go for an electric or petrol option. Petrol isn’t as clean, but it means that locating the shredder isn’t restricted by the length of your extension cable. Petrol ones also have gutsier digestions and a lot more power.
2. Shred or chip? Most of us are shredding most of the time but if you want to pulverise larger branches you need ‘chipper’ capability. Always try and alternate tougher items with green waste when you’re shredding to stop your shredder clogging.
3. Noise! Nowhere near as likely to anger your neighbours as a great big bonfire, but shredders do make quite a bit of noise. In smaller gardens and urban areas this can be a real problem. Even if you buy a quiet one don’t be tempted to start shredding at the crack of dawn on a weekend. Not if you want to live.
4. Reverse action. Just because you’ve tossed something in one end of the shredder doesn’t mean it will automatically come out the other end. If things get stuck you need to back ‘em out the way they went in.
A word or two about price and brands…
Never send a man out alone to buy a shredder. There are some phenomenal beasts out there and he’ll come back wreathed in smiles dragging something the size of a small oil refinery behind him. Expect to pay between £100 and £200 for a decent ‘home’ shredder. (You can get some for less than that, but keep in mind they have to take a hammering.) If your man rings up and starts waxing lyrical about the Mighty Mac Woodsman 10 Chipper Shredder – get the bank to cancel his credit card.
Ryobi is a good brand, as is Alko.
Where to buy…
If you wander off to Mower Warehouse, don’t expect to surface until hunger and thirst drives you off the computer. This online emporium has got everything in the big and shiny garden equipment range. Their shredder section is awesome. Savvy Shopper recommends the Ryobi ‘Quiet Shredder’ if you want to keep the neighbours at bay.
>> Mower Warehouse Shredder section
>> You can find the Ryobi RSH-2455 Quiet Shredder in their Under £200 section
Calling all Make it and Mend it garden shredder users
If you’ve got a garden shredder we want to know. Did you go for a petrol or an electric model? And have you experienced any problems with the neighbours? Savvy Shopper wants to hear about all your wise buys (and your mistakes!). Just post your comments below.
More Savvy Shopper articles will be loaded into our Resource section. Coming soon – How to choose a sewing machine and How to choose a mower.
