Most shredders are equipped with a reverse switch to release trapped vegetation (it happens a lot) and some are equipped with a handy tamper to help force undisciplined branches into the portal of death. Ease of use: Looked at funnel size, noise levels, blade adjustment, cable length, safety features, collection boxes or bags, and how easy it is to clear blockages. It chopped and crushed the whole thing into tiny pieces and deposited them into the box below ready for easy disposal in the garden bin or compost heap – some shredding aficionados will even spread the nutritious remains over flowerbeds. Boasting a powerful 2,800 Watt motor and hardened steel blades, you can mulch pieces of garden waste up to 44 mm in diameter, but it’s not best suited for soft green vegetation. Design: We considered how hard-wearing and robust each garden shredder’s designs were to find a model that would stand the test of time.

A collection box or bag makes it easier to move and use your shreddings, and the bigger the better as it will save you emptying it less often. it’s light, and large wheels and a handle make it easy to move around the garden and in and out of the shed. There are no reports of the machine jamming – probably because of the design of the teeth on the roller – but, as mentioned earlier, this is going to lead to larger shreddings.Branch Diameter Limit: Any garden shredder with a cutting width of less than 40mm got a lower rating as this significantly limits its usage, particularly with woodier materials like branches and trimmings. This 'dirty' garden shredder may or may not be 'pro' but it is equipped with a powerful 2,500 watt engine that should be able to shred most things short of a crowbar. I fed it the same type of rose branches that the cheap Einhell model made light work of and it jammed up a few times requiring me to hit the reverse button to free up some of the leafy congestion.

With its reversible steel blades, it cuts through all your garden waste like it’s nothing, including twigs and wood branches. Rather considerately of Bosch, this heavyweight model comes ready-built with the wheels already attached, so all you need to do is clip in the top hopper, ensure the 53-litre collection box is properly engaged, switch it on and shred. We tested a range of electric corded shredders, using them with different prunings, including both woody branches and fresher growth, to help you find the right one for your garden. For the moment, you can be assured that all the good features attributed to the PWS01a apply equally to the LSRL PWS01A.It copes with all prunings fast, grabbing and drawing them into the funnel quickly and smoothly and shreds them into a fine mulch. For instance, the Bosch Axt 25 packs into the collection box, so you only have to free space for it. For users with heavy-duty shredding requirements, factors like the motor power, blade RPM and shredding rate will play greater importance. All things considered the Bosch is quite the bargain, especially considering that it’s able to cut wood branches along with the green waste. Even though this is a heavy bit of kit, hauling it around is made pretty easy thanks to a pair of large diameter wheels and a solid top handle.

Other negatives are that it’s really noisy and the power button is hidden out of sight so it doesn’t feel that easy to turn off and on.These are generally better at shredding larger items than impact shredders – often up to 45 mm in diameter. Derek Smith has been farming all of his life, and is an professional landscape gardener with over 22 years experience. The 2,500-watt Einhell uses a pair of fast spinning blade to cut through vegetation but larger pieces of hardwood and too many leaves will likely block the chute which means reaching for the included tamper.