Your trees, bushes, and other vegetation shed leaves, twigs, and branches, and you need to do something with all that stuff. An electric wood chipper lets you repurpose those materials without the added expense of gas or diesel fuel. Simply plug it into an outdoor extension cord and use your home’s electricity to power the machine and chip away at those big piles of leaves.
Finding the best one for you boils down to picking a size that makes sense for your home as well as choosing one with the features you see as must-have attributes. In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about picking the perfect machine for you and your wood chipping needs as well as reviews on all of our top picks.
Backyard Boss Top 5 Electric Wood Chippers for 2021
Best Overall
The Landworks 15-Amp Electric Chipper and Shredder not only takes care of all your pesky branches, twigs, and leaves, but it also comes with a convenient hopper to hold all of the mulch it produces.
- Includes a hopper
- rust- and dent-free polypropylene housing
- overload protection
- May clog with leaves
- Smaller hopper than some units
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This model is capable of chipping and shredding branches as thick as 1.57-inches. It has a 17:1 reduction with a speed of 4,100 RPMs. The unit runs on a 1,800Watt 120V 60Hz electric belt-driven motor.
Even more, unlike gas-powered units, this one puts off zero pollutants and makes very little noise. That way, you can make mulch anytime and don't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors.
The chipper is made up of long-lasting polypropylene housing and comes with dual reversible blades. It has an instant start ignition and an overload protection switch as well, making it even more safe and user-friendly than comparable models. The unit is highly portable and is equipped with sturdy six-inch wheels and a push paddle.
Best for Your Budget
If you’re in need of a chipper and mulcher that can handle anything under 1.5 inches and turns it into small bits of mulch, this one may be for you.
- Safety hopper
- Easy assembly
- Great customer service
- Small hopper
- No bag included
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There are several good reasons why the Sun Joe CJ601E 14-Amp Electric Wood Chipper and Shredder is a bestselling outdoor garden appliance. For one, it’s one of the most powerful, but affordable chippers on the market. You have to have realistic expectations, though. This isn’t an industrial chipper, so you can’t uproot that rotted tree in your backyard and expect this chipper to turn it all into wood chips for your smoker.
However, it can make quick work of some of the smaller branches. Anything bigger than 1.5 inches in diameter should just go into a firewood or kindling pile. In addition to wood, this chipper can handle leaves and yard trimmings, turning them into nutrient-rich mulch for your garden.
Even if all you’re doing is reducing the size of the piles of rubbish to throw out, this is an excellent tool to help you get it down to a more manageable bag of trash. Speaking of bags, there isn’t one included with this chipper, so you’ll have to find your own vessel for the mulch and chips. Plus, you’ll need to be patient when feeding leaves into this mulcher – the hopper is quite small.
Best for Quick Mulching
If you're looking for an electric wood chipper that is safe, reliable, and long-lasting, the WEN 41121 might be the model for you.
- Includes push stick and collection bag
- Quick start switch
- Overload protection
- Doesn't handle very large branches
- May clog with greenwood
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This 15-Amp bad boy will turn your grass, tree branches, brush, and leaves into high-grade mulch in a matter of seconds. The machine is capable of 130-plus cuts per second, for a total of up to 8,000 cuts per minute.
Branches of up to 1.5-inches are easily shredded with this unit. There is an internal safety mechanism that automatically cuts the machine off, or prevents it from starting if the hopper is open or overloaded. It is also easy to move around as it comes with dual six-inch wheels and a push stick.
The wood chipper comes with onboard storage, a collection bag, and a push stick as well. The manufacturer also throws in a two-year warranty as well. That way, your investment is protected in the case of factory defects.
Best for Small Jobs
If you are in need of a machine that will take care of your twigs, bush trimming, tree branches, and hedge trimmings, this could be the unit for you.
- 50L collection bag included
- Sturdy push paddle
- Safety cut-out switch
- Can’t handle large branches
- May clog with wet leaves
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This unit is powered by a 15Amp 1,800Watt 120V 60Hz electric belt-driven motor, which more than gets the job done in combination with its high-end blade. It easily handles branches with a diameter of 1.57-inches.
This chipper reduces branches down to a 16th of their original size and is easy to move around your property thanks to its lightweight body and built-in wheels. It also shreds leaves into nutrient-rich mulch in a jiffy as well. Even more, it barely makes any noise (in comparison to gas-powered chippers and mulchers).
Safety is also a priority for the manufacturer of this unit. It comes with a locking knob, a safety cut-off switch, a safety hopper, and a durable push paddle to boot. The chipper is super easy to assemble as all the hardware is included as well as for instructions and friendly customer service.
Best for Shredding Leaves
If you only need a machine that will chew up dry leaves to turn into mulch, this product may be a good choice for you.
- Mulches 53 gallons per minute
- 11:1 mulch ratio
- Easy assembly
- No bag or wheels
- Does not cut branches
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You may notice that the WORX 13 Amp Electric Leaf Mulcher looks a bit different from other wood chippers and mulchers. That’s because it’s more of a mulcher than a chipper. It can handle a few twigs, but branches are a bit too tough for this little garden tool.
Dry leaves go into the large mouth of this machine and come out chopped to bits and make a good mulch for your compost pile or to use around flower beds. The other difference between this and other chippers on the market is the material used to chop up the bits of debris you toss in the hopper.
There are no steel blades used, rather WORX equipped this tool with trimmer string. So, it’s a bit like a stationary weed whacker. There’s no bag included to collect all your mulch, but there is a bag holder.
Why Would You Need an Electric Wood Chipper?
Those small branches, twigs, and piles of leaves aren’t going to just decompose into the earth quickly and easily. Typically, you’d be expected to keep your yard clear of nature’s trash by raking it up, packing it all into trash bags, and then leaving it for your city’s sanitation workers to pick up (if you’re lucky) or haul it off to a dump yourself.
Alternatively, you could invest in a chipper or shredder to turn all that yard clutter into something more useful: mulch. It’s important to keep in mind that most of these electric wood chippers are meant for small stuff. You’d be pushing your machine a bit too hard if you were to shove a branch in there with a diameter of 2 inches or more. So, these chippers are mostly meant for those who have smaller pieces of organic matter that need to be shredded into small bits. With that said, there are all sorts of uses for a chipper.
Do you need wood chips for a smoker? If you have mesquite trees that need to be pruned down, you could run those smaller branches through the chipper to make wood chips for smoking meats and more. Straw makes a great bed for horses in a barn, but it can be somewhat uncomfortable when they’re bigger pieces. Run the straw or hay (make sure it’s dry) through a chipper and you’ll have fine pieces that are fluffy and comfy.
Take big piles of leaves and feed them into the mouth of an electric wood chipper to make your own mulch to place around bushes and other plants. Another great use of shredded organic material is to add to a compost pile. After trimming up rose bushes, hedges, and collecting all the leaves that fell after a storm, you can run the bits through and create a nutrient-rich layer for your compost heap.
What's the Difference Between a Chipper and a Mulcher?
A wood chipper does exactly what it says it will: It chips wood. A mulcher is meant to break down leaves, twigs, and clippings into mulch. However, you might be able to use these machines interchangeably.
The electric-powered chippers and mulchers aren’t going to handle whole trees or even large branches, so when it comes to power, you’re looking at a difference of half an inch or so diameter of branches. Chippers generally have a flywheel with blades that chop up wood to a smaller, more manageable size.
On mulchers (and some chippers), you get the same bladed flywheel, but there are also usually some flails included that beat away at the debris to turn it into mulch and not just smaller pieces of wood. You can check the different types of wood chippers to know more.
How to Choose the Best Electric Wood Chipper, shredder, or Mulcher
One of the best things about electric wood chippers is that they’re lightweight. Because they’re compact and easy to move about, this makes them portable and practical to use anywhere in your yard – as long as an extension cord can reach. Some features are needs, while others are wants.
Here’s what to look for in the best chipper, mulcher, or shredder for you.
Wheels
Most wood chippers and mulchers are made to be portable, but not all of them include wheels. While they’re all lightweight enough to move around without the help of wheels, you’ll be glad to have those large wheels after hours of chopping and shredding. The larger the wheels are, the easier it will be for you to move this along your yard, regardless of the terrain.
Hopper
You’ll find that chippers could have similar specifications, but one has a bigger hopper than the other. It’s a curious difference, but it could be because those with the smaller hoppers are meant for twigs and branches, while those with the larger hoppers are more amenable to piles of leaves. The hopper size won’t tell you anything about performance, though.
Safety features
Many electric wood chippers are made with your safety in mind. You’ll be using an extension cord with these outdoor garden tools, so there’s a chance of overheating, and many of these machines include an auto-shutoff feature in the event that the motor gets too hot.
Some of these chippers offer more than just overload protection, such as locking knobs on the hopper. If it’s open or loose, the motor won’t run.
Bag or Holder
All chippers and mulchers pretty much work the same way: stuff goes in, stuff comes out. Often these machines use gravity to help get the twigs, branches, and leaves to go through easily and out the chute at the bottom.
Sometimes manufacturers include a bag that collects your chips or mulch, which is a convenient feature. Most just include a holder where you can place your own bag, though.
Power
Generally, electric wood chippers aren’t terribly powerful, which is why you shouldn’t put any branch into these machines that are too big. If it’s 2 inches or bigger, it’s probably best to use it as firewood. The power you get from these compact machines typically runs from 13 to 15 amps.
Quiet Operation
A good wood chipper is quiet when you’re operating it, but you can’t expect whisper-quiet. It might be best if you wear ear protection, but these machines aren’t likely to disturb your neighbors.
To be sure you’re choosing the best one for your yard and all its trimmings, read through these electric wood chipper reviews. It’s the only way to know what others have experienced and you can learn from them.
Picking the Best Electric Wood Chipper for You
Whether you're looking for an electric wood chipper for cleaning up piles of leaves each fall or a more powerful machine that can handle the bigger branches that you’ve trimmed from your trees, there are loads of models to choose from. Hopefully, this guide helps you select the very best one for you and your specific needs.
All things considered, our highest recommendation goes to the Sun Joe CJ601E 14-Amp Electric Wood Chipper due to its versatility, power, and more than fair warranty options.
The Sun Joe is compact and can easily be stored in a garage, garden shed, or even a closet. The wheels make this a super portable tool, and the 14 amps are enough to power to shred through branches, twigs, and other debris easily. It can chip, shred, mulch, and even create composting material easily. That said, the unit might clog a bit from time to time, but you can unclog it and keep going. Even more, it’s an affordable garden tool that will help you keep your yard clean.
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