Best Wood Chipper Reviews and Buying Guide 2018

When making a purchase, ultimately we want to get the best product from the market, but with a busy lifestyle, who has the time to go through a whole lot of products? Well, we do, and we have found the best wood chipper shredder for you!

Patriot CSV-3100B Gas-Powered Wood Chipper & Shredder is the most popular choice among online buyers who need a wood chipper and leaf shredder in one purchase. Out of the products that we have reviewed, the Patriot stood out as the best wood chipper shredder available on the market. Yes, there are other great shredders or amazing chippers available on the market but none offer both features with equal strength and affordable price. The Patriot CSV-3100B wood chipper can take twigs and wood pieces with a diameter of 3 inches, and it shreds leaves like nobody’s business.

There might be other wood chippers or leaf shredders on the market that are cheaper but the Patriot CSV-3100B Chipper/Shredder is the best value product and the best chipper shredder for the money.

Quick Comparison: Best Wood Chipper Shredders On The Market!

Rating	Image	Products	Score	Price
1 Best		​​Patriot CSV-3100B Gas-Powered Wood Chipper & Shredder​​​ Editor’s Choice
2		​Earthquake 9060300 Chipper & Shredder​​​​
3		​​YARDMAX YW7565 Wood Chipper & Shredder​​​
4		​​YARDBEAST 3514 Wood Chipper & Shredder​​​

Top 4 Best Wood Chipper Reviews and Buying Guide

Looking for the best wood chipper shredder that is equally powerful and affordable? Check out these chipper shredders now!

#1 Patriot CSV-3100B Gas-Powered Wood Chipper & Shredder

Patriot CSV-3100B Gas-Powered Wood Chipper & Shredder. Via: Amazon.com

The Patriot CSV-3100B Gas-Powered Wood Chipper & Shredder is by far the best wood chipper shredder on the market. It does not only chip woods but also shred leaves without getting clogged up. The product has a shipping weight of 181 pounds.

Pros

• It is perfect for large properties for it can process both branches and leaves, and even other vegetative materials.
• It does not need any belt nor pulley replacements due to the unique Patriot’s direct drive system.
• It is convenient to use as it can give you uniform sized chips without the hassle of changing messy screens or covers, and it has large wheels to make it easier for you to cart it around your yard.
• It has the Briggs and Stratton engine, which guarantees that your machine’s engine stays cool, clean, and operate with high fuel efficiency. It also has an easy-start feature.
• It has a high-quality muffler that reduces the machine’s noise.
• It also features an oil sensor that tells you when it needs to have a change of oil.

Cons

• It may not be able to handle some types of vines and curved branches.

#2 Earthquake 9060300 Chipper & Shredder

Earthquake 9060300 Chipper & Shredder. Via: Amazon.com

The Earthquake Chipper Shredder offers you a 5-year warranty. It functions as a wood chipper and a leaf shredder and can handle other types of vegetative materials in your yard. The Earthquake 9060300 Chipper Shredders’ product dimension is 27 x 23.5 x 34.2 inches. In addition, it has a shipping weight of 122 pounds.

Pros

• It does deliver a quick and efficient chipping and shredding.
• It has a Briggs and Stratton Engine, which is trusted to work continuously and is built to last.
• It has a powerful and heavy-duty chipping blades.
• It has a reduction ratio of 20:1.
• It has a 5-year warranty.
• Its tank has the capacity of 42.27-ounce of fuel.

Cons

• It may not be that durable. Although the product we checked worked great, feedback from verified purchasers say that the machine they bought broke down. However, it may be a case by case basis, depending on the usage and care of the machine.
• It is a little bit pricey.

#3 YARDMAX YW7565 Wood Chipper & Shredder

YARDMAX YW7565 Wood Chipper & Shredder. Via: Amazon.com

The YARDMAX YW7565 Wood Chipper & Shredder can also be coined as one of the best wood chipper shredder on the market because of its powerful engine and affordable price. The YARDMAX YW7565 Chipper & Shredder has a product weight of 226 pounds.

Pros

• It features a self-feeding option that is designed to handle long branches with ease.
• It also has a Briggs & Stratton engine which reputation speaks for its power and durability.
• It has pneumatic wheels, which allows you to cart it all over your yard even with an uneven terrain.
• It can handle up to branches that come in 3 inches in diameter.
• It has easy-access blades, which make clean-up a breeze.

Cons

• It doesn’t have a collection bag or anything to stop debris from flying out of your machine. So, you need to purchase a collection bag separately.

#4 YARDBEAST 3514 Wood Chipper & Shredder

YARDBEAST 3514 Wood Chipper & Shredder. Via: Amazon.com

The YARDBEAST 3514 Wood Chipper & Shredder is perhaps the strongest chipper shredder on the list, which earns its spot as one of the best wood chipper shredders on the market. The YARDBEAST 3514 Wood Chippers’ product dimension is 44 x 29 x 54 inches with 320 pounds weight.

Pros

• It is steel fabricated, and it comes with a 2-year chipper and a 3-year engine warranty.
• It has the most powerful engine for it can handle branches up to 3.5 inches in diameter.
• It comes with safety gears.
• It has a dual element air filter.
• It has a side feed chute.

Cons

• It needs a better-illustrated instruction for customers to follow.
• It is expensive.

Buying Guide: Key Features of the Best Wood Chipper Shredder

Because each property has different types of trees and shrubberies, you are more knowledgeable about what would suit you best. We took note of these features when deciding the best wood chipper shredder on the list, and you should do so too. So, keep in mind the following features when buying your equipment:

• The ability to chip the branches

Consider the size of the branches that you will be processing on your wood chipper and make sure that you pick the equipment that caters to that size. No matter how good a wood chipper is if its maximum branch is only 2 inches and you’ll feed it a 3-inch branch, it wouldn’t have the results you want. Feeding your wood chipper a branch that it isn’t equipped to handle might even lead to equipment failure, and thus you might end up hurting yourself. The best wood chipper shredder for you should be able to handle the largest branches which you plan to process.

If you generally have small branches to process, then you’ll save a lot of money in buying a cheaper and smaller wood chipper

• Its strength and portability

The strength of your chipper/shredder will depend on where it gets its power. They come in varying strengths and sizes and get their power from either of these sources: through electric motors, the PTO on a tractor, or gasoline engines. The electric wood chipper shredder motor powered ones are the most portable, and they require less maintenance. However, it can only handle smaller branches or can be feed lesser amount of leaves. The tractor PTOs and the gasoline engine-powered kinds may require more maintenance and can be bulky to move around, but their ability to handle larger branches and continuous leaf feed can’t be matched by the latter. You should consider this feature before you decide which is the best wood chipper shredder for you.

The Patriot HP Briggs & Stratton is a gas-powered wood chipper and leaf shredder. It isn’t that bulky and can handle most of the debris on your property.

• The Reduction Ratio of the Wood Chipper

This feature will tell you how well the wood chipper reduces the size of a debris. A wood chipper that has a reduction ratio of 12:1 can reduce debris down to 1/12 of its original size. Meanwhile, a wood chipper that has a reduction ratio of 8:1 can reduce the debris down to 1/8 of its original size. To decide on the best wood chipper shredder, think of how well you want your branches to be reduced. Now, what to do with wood chips from chipper? You make your own mulch, of course!

These are red cedar wood chips. This is how your branches will turn out after they are chipped

• Single or Dual Purpose

You can distinguish a chipper/shredder from products that are solely for chipping because it will have a smaller chute to feed your leaves into. If you want the best wood chipper shredder, this is one product feature you need to check if the machine can, in fact, handle both chipping and shredding.

An electric leaf shredder is lightweight

• The Bag Capacity

This is another key feature you need to consider when you decide the best wood chipper shredder for you to purchase. While it may not be of that much importance, the convenience of having all your shredded leaves or chipped woods collected in one place and ready for you to mix for mulching pretty much affect the purchasing decision. Although most of the products right now have a bushel that collects your processed debris, their sizes do vary. Think of how much debris you will be processing and see if the collection bag that comes with the product have the highest possible capacity. This is to save you time and the effort of frequently emptying the bag.

• Easy start

This is a no-brainer. Who would like to have a machine with an engine that will take you too long to start it? To be considered the best wood chipper shredder, the chipper shredder machine must have an easy-start option.

An easy start lever. Source: blog.extremehowto.com

• Easy Access to Maintenance

The last, but not in any way the least, feature to look for is whether it’s easy to maintain. The chipper shredder you buy needs to have an easy clean-up option. This means that the machine’s blades can easily be reached for you to easily take away any clogged debris.

Accessible blades for easy maintenance cleanup or unclogging

Maintenance And Safety When Using a Wood Chipper

The Kansas State University Research and Extension, Wood Chipper Safety manual has a comprehensive guide to the safe usage of a wood chipper machine. It also has a record of the accidents that have happened when users were not following safety precautions.

Below is the sum of the points in their manual:

Maintenance

• Before Usage

Before you use your machine make sure that no debris has gotten in and is obstructing the muffler, the chute, the control linkage, and the engine during the time you’ve kept your machine in storage. If anything has gotten into your machine, clean it thoroughly before use. Always check your fuel and oil levels and refill if necessary. To make sure that your machine won’t fail you, check all the bolts and screws, make sure they are all tight.

• After Usage

Every after use, you need to make sure that you thoroughly clean your machine from any debris. Make sure you remember to lubricate all moving parts like the control levers, hoppers, and the chute release rod. Always change the oil and air filter, and wash your collection bag too.

• As prescribed

You don’t really need to sharpen your blades every after use, but check the manual that came with your machine and makes sure that if it isn’t specified, you do this at least once a year. This is to make sure that your blades are sharp enough for the job. Also, make sure that all the parts are in good condition and replace them if it showing signs of wear.

Safety

• Educate Yourself

When handling a machine that has sharp blades, you must know everything about how to disengage the power if ever something malfunctions. Educate yourself and get familiar with all the parts that make up your chipper shredder. If you know how it looks like in top shape, then just by checking it, you’ll know when its already worn down. Read the product guide from start to finish and make sure you don’t throw it away.

• Be Smart, Be Safe

Always keep your wits around you. Remember that you’re handling a machine with sharp blades, so never place any part of your body near those blades. Use tampers to push the debris into your machine and never do it by hand. If your machine gets clogged up, make sure that you turn it off completely before attempting to unclog it.

• Safety Gears

Remember that you need to dress for the job. You will be processing debris that may fly out from the machine, and you must be prepared when accidents happen and your machine fails. Always wear reliable work shoes and clothing that can cover all parts of your limbs. Remember to protect your eyes from flying debris and your ears from the noise that your chipper shredder may continuously make.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you have gained valuable insights from this article. No matter which product you end up buying, just make sure that you choose the best wood chipper shredder that suits your needs.

If you have any questions or comments, please do leave one below. We would love to hear from you! Not satisfied with this review? Visit our blog and Check out our other best chipper shredder review. Thanks for dropping by!

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