We bought this one from here, and are reasonably pleased with it. We mostly use it for shredding hedge prunings (Privet, Pyracantha). It copes reasonably well with them, however we do have to unblock it quite regularly.
It doesn't like just leaves on their own, it works better when there is something woody in the mix. It's very light and portable.
Having boasted about my Shredder, it must have read this thread and has now died
I'm looking at 2 - both Bosch - the AXT 25 and the AXT 2200 Rapid. The branch diam. of 35 to 40 mm will suit but does anyone have a preference of one over the other and for what reason ? Thanks in advance
Ha! I held on, looking at the Bosch AXT2200, umming and ahhing, wondering if it was worth the outlay, then saw the Amazon Prime sale coming up and thought "If they knock a tenner or so off, I'll go for it". Anyway, £54 off and I'm now the proud owner! Not used it much unfortunately Philippa but looks good so far (some notes below though).
Huge difference between those 2, not least in price, but from my basic researches, the AXT25 is closer to the Spear and Jackson I was originally looking at - huge, quiet, "mills" rather than slices, so you end up with bigger chunks (fine for much, less good for composting).
On the plus side, you don't have to replace blades, and it'll deal with anything by the sounds (the brief go I've had with my 2200 had it complaining quite a bit at thicker, drier/older branches). You may already have seen it, but there's chapter and verse here: http://www.fredshed.co.uk/boschshredders.htm
PS - if you've got time, there are TONS of questions / reviews of the 2200 on the Amazon site, which I'll be looking at myself over the weekend.
My original idea was to let stuff dry before I shredded it and to do more twigs than leaves (as most complaints about shredders were of the "constantly gets clogged up" variety).
That's not how this type of shredder ("impact") works by the sounds (prefers softer material, not bone dry, year-old stuff), so I'm looking at those questions/reviews to see whether it'll cope with me slinging rained-on privet clippings through or what the best middle ground is.
What I can say it that it slices very thin, so I'm looking at bagging the stuff for use either as mulch or as browns in compost, whereas I'd previously only have considered for mulch.
Thanks very much for all that info @Rob Lockwood. I think I'll do the same as you and go for the AXT 2200. It seems the better bet for me. I'm used to "unclogging" every so often so that won't be too much of a shock Thanks again for your help
I've got the AXT 25 and am really pleased with it. It takes big branches and self-feeds them through and when composted makes lovely mulch. It's very quiet - never clogged and is happy munching through old perennials and the like. I bought mine in 2016 and highly recommend it
PS - it is a heavy bit of kit
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Thanks @Pete.8 - being sensible, the weight has to come into it - I have to keep it in my garage over the road ( sloping and on a corner ) and my current shredder is only about 14 kg. Bad enough with that dodging the HPC traffic so I think weight and manouverability is going to be more important in the long run. I've been used to relying on my old shredder for so many years, it came as a bit of a shock when it finally said " Enough is enough "
It's definitely not the sort of thing you want to be crossing a road with! there's often a lot of cussing when I try and wiggle mine back into the shed - it's quite top heavy
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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It doesn't like just leaves on their own, it works better when there is something woody in the mix. It's very light and portable.
I'm looking at 2 - both Bosch - the AXT 25 and the AXT 2200 Rapid. The branch diam. of 35 to 40 mm will suit but does anyone have a preference of one over the other and for what reason ?
Thanks in advance
I'm used to "unclogging" every so often so that won't be too much of a shock
Thanks again for your help
It takes big branches and self-feeds them through and when composted makes lovely mulch.
It's very quiet - never clogged and is happy munching through old perennials and the like.
I bought mine in 2016 and highly recommend it
PS - it is a heavy bit of kit
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I've been used to relying on my old shredder for so many years, it came as a bit of a shock when it finally said " Enough is enough "
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.