Shredders

guyos · « **on:** August 30, 2008, 21:30 »

Hi folks

Can anyone advise me on buying a shredder for my garden

I have lots of hedges that I cut often, and normally take to the dump.

What wattage is ample, and how best to use the shredded stuff? mulches on the beds? or composting. Please share your experience.

guyos

richyrich7 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 30, 2008, 21:51 »

Never had one to be honest but I have worked in a large DIY store selling the things.
You need to consider how much you are willing to pay, what kind of material you will be shredding and what kind of mechanism to choose there's 3 that I know of corkscrew kind, blade on a disc and the cog type. I heard plenty of moans about the corkscrew kind clogging with wet material.
And don't forget electric or petrol

Gwiz · « **Reply #2 on:** August 30, 2008, 22:54 »

couldn't have put it better myself.
I would add, however, that it's a very time consuming task putting handfulls of bits and bobs through a shredder. Many people buy one with great intensions, but stop using it after a short while because it eats time. Others get a satisfaction from reducing the bulk of clippings down to not very much, and use it for years.

richyrich7 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 30, 2008, 22:56 »

And don't wipe the blade with your finger tip when cleaning one

compostqueen · « **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2008, 22:59 »

I got a second hand Bosch heavy duty electric one off ebay and I get on well with it. Works best on dry wood but chomps it up very well and it's quiet. I'm using the chippings on the lotty paths. I think if you use it for mulch you have to age it for quite a while stockpiling it or bagging it up.

BarnBrian · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2008, 07:38 »

I've had a shredder in the past, electric. I personally find that my mower does a better job for anything up to about half inch thick, just keep piling it and going over it.
You can compost it or use it straight away for mulch. I don't think people in this country really appreceate the benifits of plenty of mulch, improves the soil, helps to choke weeds and reduces the need to water.

Brian

SnooziSuzi · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2008, 09:57 »

we've got an electric one (blade on a disc type - about £80 from B&Q) which we use when shredding our privet cuttings.

It's Ok, except as has been said it clogs up when too much green stuff is put through but it does chop inch thick branches without any problems, so if it's just normal shredding you're doing then this type should be OK.

I also kept back a lot of the larger branches when reducing the height of my hedges from 8-9 feet to 4 feet so that i could chip them and use them on my lotty paths but haven't got that far yet - they're still in a huge pile in my lottie. The birds seem to love them though!

guyos · « **Reply #7 on:** September 01, 2008, 19:29 »

Thanks for all the info, I will avoid the corkscrew. The Bosch 2000 seems to be Ok for my price bracket, I have always trusted Bosch, but wary of Ryobi.

guyos

cootuk · « **Reply #8 on:** September 02, 2008, 09:10 »

I had one of the spinning blade type, but it seemed to jam easily with chunks of stem from bushes.
The corkscrew Bosch was great for stems, but clogged with wet leafy stuff as it became a 'poultice' type mix. The key to the corkscrew type is always to have some woody bits to feed everything through with.

My solution now is to put a 1Te builders bag in the boot and fill that with the cuttings, so no more shredding.

thebear · « **Reply #9 on:** October 04, 2008, 22:27 »

Ive got a Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 and its excellent. Works perfectly with dry stuff but got clogged up once when I fed it with clematis cuttings.

Its very quiet but powerful.

Look at 'fredshed' website, he does reviews on all sorts of garden equipment and he rates it highly.

Shredders

Gwiz