A wood chipper can make your tree waste cleaning task a lot easier. A wood chipper is a tool that you can use to chop the tree limbs, branches, and woods into chips. So whenever you are planning to trim your large trees into a shape, you better use a wood chipper to clean the mess. However, if you want to complete the cleaning job effectively, you can get the best electric wood chipper/shredder.
Nowadays, several types of wood chippers are there, but choosing the wrong wood chipper may not be able to fulfill your desire. For example, you cannot use a chipper having a cutting capacity of up to 1-inch only to cut 1.5 inches of wood.
Also, everyone is concerned about saving the environment, and under this circumstance, you can go for an eco-friendly and user-friendly electric wood chipper. But not all chippers can fulfill your needs in the same way.
That is why you need to choose the appropriate one that suits your requirements. The following review will guide you to find the best wood chipper that may suit your requirements.
Our Top 7 Picks
1. Sun Joe CJ603E Electric Silent Wood Chipper (Best Overall)
2. WEN 41121 Rolling Electric Wood Chipper and Shredder (Second Best)
3. Sun Joe CJ601E Electric Wood Chipper (Best Budget)
4. Sun Joe CJ602E-GRY Electric Wood Chipper (Best Average)
5. Goplus wood chipper (Special mention)
6. Earthwise Garden Corded Electric Chipper (Premium choice)
7. Landworks light-duty electric wood chipper (Also considerable)
1. Sun Joe CJ603E Electric Silent Wood Chipper (Best Overall)
Sun Joe chipper ranked as an overall best in this review list. Its 15-amp motor enables uninterrupted shredding that results in the effective production of nutrient-rich mulch from tree wastes. It can cut branches up to 1.7 inches thick with an impressive reduction ratio of 21:1.
It also comes with a safety hopper that prevents the motor from operating when opened. It is easy to move with its 7-inch wheels despite weighing 38.6 pounds. Besides this, this eco-friendly chipper is also free from harmful fumes that a gas model produces.
Pros of this product
- Easy to carry from one place to another
- Good for dried woods
- High reduction ratio.
- Highly secured to prevent injuries.
- Eco-friendly.
Cons of this product
- Blades may decay if the machine is not in use for long periods.
- Too slow to maintain its lower noise feature.
FAQs regarding Sun Joe CJ603E
- What type of blade does Sun Joe CJ603E use?
Answer: It has enough sharp blades that are enough for chopping, shredding, or mulching hard or softwoods. It can cut up to 1.7 inches thick branches.
- Can Sun Joe CJ603E be used for shredding leaves?
Answer: No, you cannot use this chipper for shredding leaves as the hopper is tiny. It can take a small number of leaves at a time, and those leaves fail to pass the chipper mechanism properly.
2. WEN 41121 Rolling Electric Wood Chipper and Shredder (Second Best)
Wen’s rolling wood chipper is another best wood chipper within your budget. The 15-amp motor and two 7-inches powerful blades can shred, chip, or mulch woods like branches, leaves, wigs, etc., for about 1.5 inches in diameter. The reduction ratio is 17:1.
As this chipper weighs only 23.1 pounds, you can move it from one place to another with or without the help of wheels. Also, this chipper comes up with a bag that will help collect wood chips and mulch.
Besides this, you do not have to worry about safety. The hopper has an auto-shutoff feature that activates when the hopper is open.
Pros of this Product
- The chipper has a cutting capacity of 8000 cuts per minute.
- It has minimal maintenance.
- Easy portability.
- Highly secured.
- Eco-friendly.
Cons of this product
- It does not work for leaves or a small number of materials.
FAQs regarding Wen 41121
- Can it be plugged in at 220 volts?
Answer: It is not appropriate for 220v. Also, there are no rewiring instructions attached to it. So, it is not suitable to plug in 220 volts.
- Is the chipper belt driven?
Answer: No, the chipper is not belt-driven. A powerful 15-amp motor drive this chipper.
3. Sun Joe CJ601E Electric Wood Chipper (Best Budget)
This wood chipper comes up with a 14-amp motor that enables the chipper to shred and chip woods up to 1.5 inches in diameter. It can generate speeds up to 4300 revolutions per minute.
It can turn the unwanted branches and twigs into nutrient-rich mulch with a reduction ratio of this chipper is 16:1.
You can assemble this product as well as, because of its 6-inches wheels and weight of 25.4 pounds, you can move it where you need it. Besides this, this chipper has splendid safety features as well.
The safety feature of this chipper enables the hopper to stop when it is open. Also, using this product means you do not have to deal with unnecessary fumes or smoke. You can get this machine with a warranty of two years.
Pros of this Product
- It is lightweight and easy to assemble and move.
- Great safety feature.
- Eco-friendly
Cons of this product
- The reduction ratio and chipper ability are not the highest.
- It does not work well on forked branches.
FAQs regarding Sun Joe CJ601E
- Does it work well on wet woods?
Answer: No, it does not work well on wet woods like wet tomato vines or cucumber vines. Also, if you try to put wet woods, it may clog the hoppers. So it is better not to try anything wet on this.
- Can it shred thorn bush?
Answer: No, the hopper is too small to take fork branches or the branches with side branches. If you put them in, the machine may get jammed.
4. Sun Joe CJ602E-GRY Electric Wood Chipper (Best Average)
A robust 15-amp motor and a speed of 4300 rpm make the Sun Joe CJ602E electric wood chipper stand out in the crowd of the common wood chipper.
Its sharp blades can cut woods up to 1.57 inches in diameter with a reduction rate of 17:1.
This chipper also has a safety hopper that prevents the motor from operating when opened. Also, with the 6 inches wheels and a weight of 26.2, you can move it wherever you want.
Moreover, this motor-driven chipper can save you from the hassles of facing smoke and fumes from a gas-driven chipper.
Pros of this product
- Easy maintenance.
- Safety hopper.
- There are attached wheels for easy portability.
- Eco-friendly.
- High speed.
Cons of this product
- This chipper often works well for twigs but fails for dense or thick woods.
- Wet materials can get clogged.
FAQs regarding Sun Joe CJ602E
- Can Sun Joe CJ602E work for leaves?
Answer: Leaves do not go well in this chipper. The loading point of the chipper is tiny, and you cannot load a lot at a time. On the other hand, if you load a small number of leaves, they will go down unchanged.
So, it is not recommendable for leaves.
- Does it make noises?
Answer: Well, it does. But the chipper does not make any unbearable sound. It is normal while shredding dry woods in a machine.
5. Goplus wood chipper (Special mention)
Goplus wood chipper is another budget-friendly as well as eco-friendly wood chipper. It has a 15-amp electric motor that can chip woods at a reduction rate of 17:1 efficiently.
Also, the motor speed is 4200 rpm which helps the blade chop woods up to 1.77 inches in diameter.
The chipper has a stable position with its anti-slip foot stand. Moreover, its compact, lightweight design and two wheels attached to it have made it easily portable.
In addition, it comes with a bag that can hold up to 45-liter of waste. There is also a circuit breaker to prevent overload.
Pros of this product
- It does not make much noise.
- It comes with a circuit breaker to prevent overload.
- It has a great speed along with a reduction ratio.
- Eco-friendly and easily portable.
Cons of this product
- It is not appropriate for working with leaves.
- Sometimes works well only for one-inch woods.
FAQs regarding Goplus
- Are the blades replaceable?
Answer: Yes, the blades are replaceable. Four Allen wrench screws have held the cutter blades in place inside the chipper.
- Is this chipper self-feeding?
Answer: This chipper is not self-feeding. But it comes with a hand pusher so that you do not have to put your hand inside the chute.
6. Earthwise Garden Corded Electric Chipper (Premium choice)
The Earthwise electric chipper has a 15-amp motor that enables the chipper to mulch up woods up to 1.75 inches thick in diameter. The revolution power is 4500 per minute.
Besides this, you do not have to worry about injuries as the hopper and tamper tools are highly secured.
Also, the wood chipper comes with a bin of 10.5 gallons that collects the mulch and helps to compost them and cleanly. Besides this, the slim, lightweight figure and rear wheels make it easily portable.
Pros of this product
- Easy portability.
- Highly secured to prevent injuries.
- Large bushel bin to keep the process tidy.
Cons of this product
- It is difficult to understand when the mulch bin is full.
- Sometimes it causes trouble processing larger branches.
FAQs regarding Earthwise
- Can Earthwise be used for mulching leaves?
Answer: Yes, you can use Earthwise to mulch leaves. But it is wise not to use green leaves. You better dry the leaves a little bit.
- Can Earthwise be used for shredding cardboard?
Answer: No, this chipper is for mulching dry leaves, branches, or twigs. So, you cannot shred cardboard using this.
7. Landworks light-duty electric wood chipper (Also considerable)
Landworks light-duty deserves some attention when the topic is about electric wood chippers. The powerful 15-amp motor can cut woods up to 1.57 inches in diameter.
This chipper has a belt-driven electric motor that conducts with 1800 Watts, 120V, and 60 HZ. The reduction ratio of this chipper is 17:1 while having a speed of 4100 rpm.
This chipper is less noisy and smoke-free. For safety concerns, the chipper has a sturdy push paddle. That push stick is for putting the materials inside the hopper.
Also, there is an overload protection switch for avoiding accidents. Besides that, the chipper comes with two 6-inches wheels that help the user carry them easily.
Pros of this product
- High speed and reduction ratio.
- Easy portability.
- Eco-friendly.
- It is highly secured.
Cons of this product
- It works a little bit slower.
- No self-feeding option.
- It has no auto-shut facility for stopping the chipper during an accident.
FAQs regarding Landworks light-duty
- Can this chipper be used for plastics?
Answer: It is highly advisable not to use this chipper for plastics. It may cause accidents as plastics are hard.
- Can I use this for shredding cardboard?
Answer: No, this chipper works poorly with cardboard. The chipper will get clogged up when you put cardboard inside it because of its small hopper.
A Complete Buying Guide for Best Electric Wood Chipper
How to choose the best wood chipper?
It is hard to choose the best wood chipper when many alternatives are available. But it becomes easier if you can understand your need and select the one that can fulfill your needs.
That is why you need guidance to understand which chipper can match your needs and what things you need to consider while buying.
So, here is your guidance about choosing the best wood chipper.
Consider the type of input and output materials!
If the woods are more fibrous and large, you can choose the drum chipper. Drum chippers can create various chip sizes from your heavy materials using a lot of energy.
Again, if you want to chip small twigs or branches, you can use disc chippers. This kind of chippers is fast and energy-saver. They can also produce various chips, but you need to remove the leaves first.
Lastly, there is a screw chipper if you want something between the disc and the drum chipper, considering the speed. They also work well in forming different sizes of outcomes.
Consider the size of the wood!
Electric wood chippers can chop wood up to 1.5 inches in diameter, and the gas-driven chipper is 3-inches in diameter. The PTO chippers can handle woods up to 4 inches in diameter.
Also, the commercial one can cut woods up to 7 inches in diameter.
Blades of the chipper
Many people think that more blades in the chipper mean the chipper has more chipping capacity. But that is not the truth. A chipper can do well with a single-blade knife if the quality of the blade is good.
Before buying the chipper, check if the blades are capable enough to cut your desired size of wood. Also, check whether the cutter is self-sharpening or not.
Whether the blades are replaceable or not, blades material, etc.
Power
Before buying the chipper, check the power of the engine or motor that will operate the blades. Usually, the gas engines are good with 7 HP engines, and the electric ones with 15-amp motors work well for residential uses.
Also, you can check the revolution per minute of the motor as this will help you know the effectiveness of the chipper.
Reduction ratio
This ratio defines how smaller the size of the output material will be after passing the blades. Like when the reduction ratio of a chipper is 15:1, it indicates that the chipper will reduce the size of the woods to one-fifteenth of their original size. Generally, the reduction ratio of most chippers is from 8:1 to 20:1.
If you do not need the finest chopped woods, you can choose a chipper with a lower reduction ratio. Usually, the chipper with a higher reduction ratio is slightly expensive because of its increasing power.
Extra chute for shredding
You can choose a chipper that comes along with a shredding chute. By this, you will be able to shred small twigs, branches, weeds, and so on. It will be helpful for your cleaning job if an extra shredding chute is attached.
Weight and mobility
Many buyers ignore the consideration of weight and mobility in case of buying chippers. But a heavy chipper with no wheels means you cannot move it around effortlessly. As a result, that will reduce the effectiveness of the chipper.
That is why you should look for chippers that come with bar stands for a stable position and wheels for easy portability. Also, look for compact chippers, as the heavier the chipper, the more hassles to move it around!
Bag capacity
The chippers that come with a waste bag or bin make the cleaning job more convenient. If you are searching for a chipper with a waste bin or bag, you should check how much waste it can hold.
A bag with a large capacity would be great for giant gardens, but it will become heavier once it is full of chips. So, it would be difficult to clean the large bins.
Again, the smaller bins can be a good choice for small yards or households gardens. If you use small waste bins chipper for the giant gardens, you need to clean the bin repeatedly.
Even it can be injurious if you fail to notice the fullness of the waste bin.
Safety
In the case of working with a chipper, safety should come first. You should look for a chipper that will provide you with maximum protection.
You can look for characteristics like self-feeding, an auto-shutting sensor for the hopper, an auto-shut fuse, emergency pulls, etc.
Types of wood chippers
You can classify wood chippers under many categories. Like, its size, usage, design, and many more. But based on their power source, you can put them under three types.
Let’s discuss the types of wood chippers briefly here.
Electric
Electric wood chippers come with a compact design looking like a golf bag. They are small in size and a little bit more silent compared to the other kind of chippers. Even this kind of chipper is more affordable.
However, it cannot chip woods more than 1.5 inches in diameter in general. Overall, the chipping capacity, easy portability, and reasonable price make this type of chipper suitable for household usage.
Gas-driven
Gas-driven chippers are mainly renowned for their usage in the household. The advantage of using this kind of chipper is that you do not have to place it near a power source and worry about electric cords.
Besides that, gas-driven chippers are great for chipping woods of about 3 inches in diameter as they are more powerful than the electric ones.
But gas chippers are larger, noisy, and pollute the environment by producing smoke. Also, the price range is a bit higher for gas-driven chippers.
PTO
PTO wood chipper is the kind of chipper that gets energy from its connected vehicle. The PTO of that particular vehicle connects with the wood chipper through a driveshaft. This type of wood chippers is suitable for commercial use, as they can cut woods at a fast pace than the others.
But this type of chipper is expensive, needs a suitable vehicle to operate, and is not a great one for households as it also requires a large landscape for the setup.
Benefits of the wood chipper
- Wood chippers are best for removing the garden wastes rapidly in a neat way. The woods are difficult to move in their large sizes. But you can pile the wastes after chopping and move them wherever you want.
- If you want to save money and time together, you should go for a wood chipper. A wood chipper will save your time, along with reducing the maintenance cost of the waste after cutting the tree.
- Wood chippers are eco-friendly as well. Though the gas-driven chippers produce smoke, you can simply use the electric one according to your convenience. Also, using a wood chipper means you are recycling your waste.
- A wood chipper can also be helpful to turn your wastes into handy products like nutrient-rich mulch, pressed woods, biofuel, etc. It means you do not have to dump your waste meaninglessly. You can reuse them in your garden or for other uses in the household.
- You can also sell the chipper-produced products if they are too much for you to use. By this, you can have some profits.
FAQs regarding wood chipper.
How does a wood chipper work?
Answer: By using one or more sharp cutters or blades, the chipper cuts the wood into several pieces of different sizes. The cutters attach with a disc inside the chipper.
So, when the woods are going inside the chute, they pass through the blade and come out into fine pieces.
How to put the woods inside the chipper?
Answer: You can put long pieces of wood using your hands while holding the end of the wood. But if you find it too risky, you can use a hand pusher to push the woods inside the hopper.
What kind of wood chipper would be appropriate for twigs and branches?
Answer: You can use a chipper whose blades can cut the woods up to 1.5 inches. Usually, you do not need to have a large and powerful chipper to chip twigs and branches.
How much noise does a wood chipper create?
Answer: Generally, a wood chipper can be noisy as it produces noise of around 85 to 110 decibels.
Can I put wet woods in the chipper?
Answer: No, it is better not to put wet woods inside the hopper as it may clog the chipper. The wood should be dry yet moist.
If you want, you can mix some green woods with the dry ones to lubricate the mixture and soften the chipping process.
Can wood chippers be used to shred cardboard?
Answer: Yes, they can. But, the cardboard should be dried out appropriately. Yet, it is better to avoid shredding cardboard as it is not the purpose of using a wood chipper.
So, a problem may arise.
Do wood chippers work well with green leaves?
Answer: Wood chippers will not work well with dried leaves, let alone the green ones. If you put too many leaves, they will clog the machine. Again, if you put a small number of leaves, they will go down without being processed.
So, it is wise to use a separate leave shredder for shredding leaves.
What safety can I maintain while operating?
Answer: You can use thick silicone or rubber hand gloves and eye goggles to prevent any kind of initial injuries. Furthermore, you can take extra cautions to save yourself from flying wood chips.
What materials should I not process inside the chipper?
Answer: Any kinds of wet materials or hard materials like manure, pet waste, meat, bamboo, vegetables, pressure-treated lumber, golf shells, and coconut shells are the materials that you should not process.
Can I use a hose to clean the wood chipper?
Answer: Using the hose to clean the chipper is not a good idea. The high-pressure spray of water can be harmful to the engines or motors. You can use a watery sponge, dry clothes, or paper to clean it following the manual guide.
Also, make sure to plug out the cords and shut off the motors or engine before the cleaning procedure.
Conclusion
Wood chippers can be of great use if you desire to manage your garden wastes effectively. Having a chipper can give you so many benefits. Like, you can clean your yard waste in a tidy manner, you can recycle them as well, and so on.
We can consider the electric wood chipper/shredder as the best chipper. Like, they are eco-friendly, easy to carry, do not make noise, have high speed and power, and so on. Though you may face difficulty setting this up near a power source, you can have the best service from the electric chippers.
However, choosing the wrong chipper can give you a headache or be a total waste of money. So choose wisely. First, understand your need and then go according to it. We recommend you Sun Joe CJ603E Electric Silent Wood Chipper and Sun Joe CJ602E-GRY Electric Wood Chipper which will give you the best value.
I hope this article will help you get the best wood chipper as per your requirement.