Best electric garden shredders UK 2023

From auto feed, noisiness, portability to waste containment size: we look at the features that make for a great electric garden shredder

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If you’ve got a gardening task looming that has the potential to generate large mountains green waste, it's worth considering investing in a garden shredder to help you keep things in order. Although the initial outlay may be steep, you’ll be saving on car journeys back and forth from your local recycling centre. Shredded waste will also take up less room in your green waste bin (if you have one) and you can use shredded matter for mulching your plants and vegetables.

As a rule of thumb, shredders tend to work best when fed solid stems and small branches. Leaves, grass and wet foliage have a tendency to clog cutting mechanisms and so are to be avoided. If you do have large amounts of soft green waste to process, mixing it with woodier detritus will help keep things running smoothly.

Auto feed

Most shredders will have an auto feed function which will grab the green waste you feed it and draw it down through the cutting mechanism to be processed.

Cable length

Most (but not all) shredders will be supplied with a power cable. If your intended shredding site is a distance away from your mains socket, make sure your shredder cable can comfortably stretch to the task.

Portability

You’ll want to store your shredder in a shed or garage to protect it from the elements when not in use. A lightweight shredder with decent wheels and a carry handle will make your life a whole lot easier after a long day of shredding.

Button functionality

Shredders will typically come with a stop/start button and a reverse function (much like a paper shredder). Before you begin your shredding session it's wise to familiarize yourself with the location of these buttons should anything untoward happen. Typically you’ll need to engage the reverse button if you get a blockage in the cutting mechanism.

Waste containers

Some shredders come equipped with waste containers, some do not. Shredders that can operate without containers are great for shredding in situ when you just want to spread the resulting mulch on the ground where it falls. Shredders that have integrated collection containers will not usually operate unless it is engaged, so a larger capacity container will save frequent emptying.

£999.00

Hansa have got some absolutely monstrous, petrol-guzzling shredders and chippers on their books, but for an electric option that's great for small to medium gardens, this mean, green munching machine is the one to choose.

Powered by a 2000 watt motor that sits at the heart of the strong steel housing, the C3E gobbles up branches with gusto using a steel cutting disc that slices and dices at a fearsome 2820 rpm. The resulting mulch is jettisoned through a side exhaust with the aid of a draught action rotor blade. There is no collection receptacle supplied with this machine, but an optional debris bag is available for an extra £110.

£339.00

The GHE 150 is one of Stihl's mid-range munchers and is a handsome, compact unit designed to tackle the debris generated from small to medium gardens. It boasts a unique integrated multi cut blade which quietly rips and shreds woody waste into small scraps, perfect for garden mulch.

The unique ‘cloverleaf’ chute opening and auto feed aids safe, speedy dispatchment of branches and twigs up to 40 cm diameter whilst protecting against anything untoward accidentally descending into the slicing machinery. In addition, a prominently placed cutout button and built in overload switch provides further peace of mind.

Like the Hansa C3E (mentioned above), this chipper/shredder spews its digested matter through a discharge chute directly onto the floor, but a 50 litre shredder bag is available for an extra £32.10.

£105.00

Einhell's hungry red shredder may appear a tad ungainly at first glance and can feel a little unstable when loading it with longer branches, but as long as you take it slow and steady, the tough, twin blade mechanism will happily chew on branches up to 40 cm in diameter.

Wheeling this unit around the garden is a breeze thanks to the lightweight tubular chassis and grippy wheels, and because it opts for a debris bag rather than a box, the unit requires very little storage space. In action, this shredder makes a bit of a racket and can be prone to clogging if you feed it overly wet material, but if you are in the market for a budget shredder to tackle your twigs and shred your stems, you can't go far wrong.

£210.00

Cobra's modestly priced mincer is an extremely quiet, low profile unit, ideal for small gardens. It packs a 2500w motor, crushing drum and autofeed function which perform best when fed with smaller fodder such as hedge clippings and twigs but will also chew on branches up to 40 mm in diameter at a push.

The start, stop, reverse and reset buttons are situated on top of the unit and are easy to access, and for added safety the unit will switch off if you attempt to remove the 50 litre waste container whilst the shredder is in action.

This unit also comes with a long 10m power cable which is an added bonus. It might not create the smallest clippings and will struggle to chomp through larger branches, but if you are looking for a cheap, reliable shredder then this cobra is king.

£249.00

So STIGA might be pushing it with the ‘silent’ moniker, but this certainly is a quiet shredder that runs well below neighbour-bothering noise levels. It's similar in design to Cobra's entry, but features an eight toothed rotary roller which we found gave a tad more torque for greater crunching power.

Like the majority of the shredders we’ve had on test, 40mm diameter branches are its advised limit, but we managed to sneak in a few thicker pieces without any repercussions. Shred size can be adjusted via a twist of the side dial, with the resulting material dispensed into a capacious 60 litre container. Just be aware that this shredder doesn't come with a power cable so remember to grab one when purchasing to avoid disappointment.

£390.00

This premium branch basher from Bosch is a high torque, high spec piece of kit that can handle branches up to 45mm in diameter. It's a compact, stylish looking unit that boasts ‘turbine cut technology’ which equates to speedy gobbling of branches and tough shrubbery.

Feed your greenery into the generously sized hopper and the auto feed function will kick in and draw it towards the cutting system which runs at a speedy 40 rpm.

The resulting, finely diced mulch is then dispensed into its large 53 litre collection bin, ready to spread on your flower beds or stuff into your garden waste bin. At a shade over 30kg it's quite a weighty unit, but once you’ve managed to drag it back to your shed after shredding duties you’ll find it’ll pack away neatly thanks to its removable hopper and slim body.

£273.00

This lurid, lime green garden shredder may resemble a droid from a dodgy StarWars spinoff, but will eat your woody branches for fun and sports one of the most powerful motors you’ll find on a machine of this size.

Again, this machine is not exactly silent as its name would imply but it does run noticeably quieter than some of the other shredders and chippers we’ve had on test. This is largely down to the relatively slow rotation of its twin, hardened steel cutting blades that rely on torque generated from the large 3000 w motor to crush and shred rather than high speed, high noise slicing.

Like most shredders, soft or wet green waste will clog its chomping mechanism relatively quickly, but a flick of the top mounted reverse switch will have you back up and shredding in no time at all.