Wood chippers and shredders provide an environmentally positive alternative to burning or hauling off yard waste. With a chipper-shredder, you can transform your yard waste into two useful products: compost and mulch. The compost and mulch can then nurture and protect your garden, flowers, shrubs and trees. A chipper-shredder is a relatively expensive machine, however. When you're comparing models, remember that their manufacturers generally give the most optimistic statistics, so understand that you may not get quite the performance they promise. For example, if you need to do lots of chipping of branches of 2-inch diameter, play it safe and buy a machine that claims to handle 3-inch branches. You'll be glad later. Fitting the model to your specific needs will ensure future satisfaction with your purchase.


Troy-Bilt Chipper-Shredder CS4265

The Troy-Bilt CS4265 uses such an impressive array of cutters for chipping and shredding your lawn waste into compost and mulch that it earned a Consumer Guide Best Buy designation. It uses two hardened-steel blades for chipping. It has one hardened-steel shredding blade and 12 steel flail knives for shredding. The unit houses a 6.5-hp Briggs & Stratton Power Built OHV engine that moves the impeller at a powerful 3600 rpm to use those cutting edges to their best advantage. You can transport the unit by hand, but it does come with a hitch for towing. The Troy-Bilt CS4265 will chip branches up to 2 inches in diameter. You will like the CS4265 if you want a fully portable unit with a strong shredding feature that also chips branches up to 2 inches in diameter.

Troy-Bilt Chipper-Shredder CS4265
Troy-Bilt Chipper-Shredder CS4265


Echo BearCat Chipper-Shredder 70050

The Echo BearCat 70050 can easily handle lawn waste and branches up to 3 inches in diameter. It uses screens that keep large pieces circulating to be cut down to proper size. Echo BearCat makes commercial chippers for logging and tree-service cleanup, and this little sister model benefits from their proven technology. It's a stable, well-engineered machine that can be moved by hand or towed into place. It's noisy, but it will definitely eat up branches. If you have a lot of chipping and shredding to do every year, you might justify the cost of the little BearCat for its performance and dependability. If you choose the Echo BearCat 70050, ask your dealer to include setup and training in the purchase price.


Patriot Chipper-Shredder CSV-2515

The Patriot CSV-2515 chipper-shredder offers you the convenience of flip-of-the-switch operation because a 1.5-hp AO Smith electric motor provides its power. That means, though, that you are limited to using the unit within 100 feet of a power outlet. The CSV-2515 won't take up much space because it's small for a wood chipper, but it will effectively shred twigs and leaves and chip small branches up to 2.5 inches in diameter. It's a good choice for a small yard that has lots of twigs, leaves and cones to shred and smaller branches to chip. If you like the idea of using a chipper in the garage or other structure, the Patriot CSV-2515 is safe -- there are no exhaust fumes to worry about because it runs on household electrical power.


Patriot Chipper-Shredder CSV-3060

The compact Patriot CSV-3060 chipper-shredder is outfitted with a 6-hp Tecumseh OHV engine. The unit will chip branches up to 3 inches in diameter. Its hopper will accept twigs and leaves for shredding. You can either push the unit to where you need it, or you can purchase an optional tow kit and tow it into place. With the optional vacuum kit, you can vacuum up small debris for shredding, meaning you can rake or blow leaves and such into piles, then vacuum them into the machine. The Patriot CSV-3060 makes sense if you need a small, portable unit you can push or pull to wherever you need it.


Troy-Bilt Chipper-Shredder-Vac CSV206

The Troy-Bilt CSV206 adds another dimension to the chipper and shredder category of lawn care equipment. The CSV206 is a walk-behind lawn vacuum that shreds what it vacuums and also chips branches fed into its chute. It looks like a combination vacuum cleaner and lawnmower with a chipper chute added to one side. This self-propelled machine relies on a 6.5-hp Briggs & Stratton Intek engine for its power. It vacuums a 24-inch wide path. It also uses an impressive arsenal of cutting edges. It chips with two hardened-steel blades and shreds with 10 stationary blades and nine hardened-steel flail knives. If you need a machine that will vacuum your lawn and do some chipping on the side, try the Troy-Bilt CSV206. You can use this model like a lawnmower to clear your lawn, or you can leave it in place and chip branches up to 3 inches in diameter.