Buying An Electric Leaf Mulcher You Should Know This First!
Posted by: Editor Post date: January 2nd, 2011
These particular custom machines are described as either gas or electric leaf mulcher, leaf shredders, or leaf mulcher/shredder/chipper. The terminology can be a little confusing because not all of the products accomplish all that these names imply. The basic electric leaf shredder is a light duty machine designed to shread leaves. When working well these little machines can turn 9 or 10 bags into one bag of shredded leaves in a fairly short time.
Electric Leaf Mulchers Are Popular Tools
Some owners argue that anelectric leaf mulcher is in effect a leaf shredder and the term mulcher does not apply based on the end product they produce. Actually these machines when properly used are well liked by most owners with a few complaints of issues that range for a nuisance to shabby product design and construction. Even the harshest critic though seems to always mention that they like the machines and would only use more care when making their next purchase.
These machines effectively do the job they were designed for which is to shread or mulch leaves and with some models even chip limbs and twigs up to about 1 1/2 in diameter according to manufacturers. As with any yard implement that you expect to serve you well for a number of years a little research will go a long way in helping to make a quality purchase. Here are some important items that you show look for in a garden or leaf mulcher/shredder.
Low Maintenance Electric Leaf Mulcher
First these machines as advertised are run by electric motors. Many home owners choose an electric leaf mulcher just for that reason. Their hope is that the machines will require less maintenance, do not require fuel and oil and will run quieter than a gasoline engine. This seems to be the first complaint of most owners. They were not prepared for the noise level that some models with electric power produce. The noise in the case of these electrical driven units is not produced by the motors but rather by the internal machinery and blades.
Another issue is the amount of dust some models develop. Operators should always wear at least a dust mask or maybe even a respirator. Googles and ear plugs should always be worn. Eye damage can occur from dust and small particles thrown about and noise will surely damage hearing over time. However these precautions are only common sense when operating any machinery and should not be considered an obstacle to convenience these machines provide.
Electric Leaf Mulcher Assembly Instructions Cause Concern
Among the complaints about shoddy construction people found the following, weak base stands or being unstable on ground that is not perfectly flat. Assembly instructions seem to be less than adequate in some cases. Many of these machines use the same material that string trimmers use. These will wear and in some case it is somewhat difficult to get access to replace them. Some customers find the most useful operation is achieved by changing the strings after each full bag of shredded leaves is complete. This makes easy access a much desired feature.
Almost every owner of an electric leaf shredder stresses that only dry leaves should be shredded. Wet or damp leaves can quickly clog the machine. Some machines tended to clog easily and tended to clog every open space available. Unless your machine is designed to chip limbs and twigs many customer reviews mention that care should be taken to keep any thing but leaves out of the hopper as even some small twigs can quickly wear the strings.
Some models use metal blades which hold up much longer. However they will from time to time need sharpening or replacement. People found the following helpful. While it is fairly easy to sharpen these blades they are glad that their unit came with a spare set of blades because they can be expensive.
Other customers find that using care when feeding leaves in the machines so as not to overload them is the bst practice. Most owners admonish that the most important thing to remember is to consider what these machines are designed to do and to not overload them. as with any leaf mulcher or other yard maintenance tool it would appear that price is a governing factor in the quality and ability of these machines. Units with larger electric motors in the 14 or 15 amp models of course will handle more material faster and more efficiently than the smaller 13 amp electric leaf machines.
The important thing to take away from this discussion is that the electric leaf mulcher is a handy and useful tool that is well liked and seems up to the job if you just take a little time to research the features available and read the most helpful reviews and do not depend only on the manufacturers claims.
