Shredder

alanobrien

Anyone got any recommendations for a decent garden shredder ?

My brother has a cheapish one but its practically useless so i am a bit dubious about buying one. The Bosch AXT 2200 HP seems to get a good write up but seems costly.

Anyone have one they can recommend ?

Caroline2CV

The Bosch one we use at a Garden project definitely copes better with freshly cut wood than dead. We also prune off any side shoots for the branches to go through smoother.

Our tutor had told us that the wood chips from freshly cut wood needs 18 months before you can use it as mulch. It's ok for a layer in a compost bin.
Also a lot of it needs monitoring as it can be combustible.

BugFriendlyGardener_2

The Bosch model you mentioned is good. In fact ,any of the new generation "Quiet" shredders are all much the same, utilising a horizontally mounted cutting cog. They were over £300 when they first came out.
The old style shredders (you'll need ear defenders !! ) are available very cheaply on eBay. For best performance recommend you buy new blades on a regular basis (or at least keep sharpening the old ones)

dizzydux

Hi, I have a Bosch AXT 2000 which I have had for ages and its the best thing I ever had. It has a spiraL cutting system, which we have found really good.

I don't cut the side bits off branches either, I put the cut end in and all the twiggy bits follow. The reasonably thin stuff I put on my compost heap, no probs, and any thick bits I put down to make a 'path' between the beds.

I did think I'd like a different one, that shredded smaller - one that has two plate things that shred. But I rang up a manufactures helpline to check out a few things. Basically they said that the sticky stuff in branches etc builds up on the plates and causes problems eventually, and really stuff needs to be thoroughly dried out before its put in the shredder. This isn't always practical, and they said that I was better off with the spiral cutter for the way I want to use it - which is to get rid of the stuff and clear up the garden as soon as possible.
It is quite quiet in use and I wouldn't be without mine.

Don't forget to go on Pricerunner, Kelko etc to check best price - just put in Bosch Shredder & see what comes up.

hazzie123

Have you tried ordering one out of a catalogue? You can try it and send it back if you dont like it or just use it for what you need to do and just send it back.

amyandoli

we moved into an overgrown garden with a house in it (!) and had to buy a shredder to get through stuff.

we got a half price shredder and used my sisters 30% off at b&q, it came to about £100. bosch shredders always seem light enough to drag about, and small enough not to take up the shed. its been a great machine, gets through stuff quickly, and chops it up tiny. we get the odd blockage on thick leaves, but a big stick and its fine! its taking ages to get through stuff with the weather, but as soon as we're done with it, we plan to sell it or swap it.

my sis worked at b&q on customer services, and said it was the one brand of shredder that didnt get returned for swap/refund as much as the others.

alanobrien

hazzie123 wrote:

Have you tried ordering one out of a catalogue? You can try it and send it back if you dont like it or just use it for what you need to do and just send it back.

Trouble is i would probably end up sending lots back

My only experience was with a cheap one hence my original question.
from the responses it does sound like bosch shredders are ok though.

in_my_wellies

I want one like the council workers used on Sunday to remove a very old silver birch tree which had blown loose in the gales.
They put the branches in whole and it was all gone in an hour!

Probably settle for Bosch but reluctant as I've had so much trouble with their make of washing machine, dishwasher and fridge which have all broken at about two years old. (do Hotpoint do a shredder???)

alanobrien

in_my_wellies wrote:

I want one like the council workers used on Sunday to remove a very old silver birch tree which had blown loose in the gales.
They put the branches in whole and it was all gone in an hour!

Probably settle for Bosch but reluctant as I've had so much trouble with their make of washing machine, dishwasher and fridge which have all broken at about two years old. (do Hotpoint do a shredder???)

Thats very unfortunate i had Bosch appliances last years, i hope your experience isn't a sign they have gone down market.

Anyway it looks like Bosch so just need to find the best price now

Lord_Gardener

Might be worth seeing if you can get hold of a Parkside 2400W from Lidl. They are very robust and have a bigger electric motor than the Bosch!

scorpio_biker

Hi,

We have an Alko. Couldn't tell you what model as we have had it about 15 years but it's still going strong. It's handy as you can take the top part off by undoing a single bolt if you get carried away and it grinds to a halt.

The only thing I would recommend is to try to get a model with wheels on if you have to move it any distance (like more than 5 feet :rotfl:) as they are quite heavy to shift.