Deal with Logs with the Best Wood Chipper
It’s amazing how a few fallen branches and leaves can turn your once immaculate garden into something completely different. If your yard is littered with fallen branches and leaves, or you need to trim a tree and dispose of the branches, you should consider buying a wood chipper.
Wood chippers can transform your discarded wood into something useful, such as wood chips or mulch. There are a variety of different wood chippers available. No one type is better than another per se. However, there are some types of wood chipper that are suited to a particular job than others. Wood chippers will also vary in quality, durability, efficiency, and price.
With that in mind, we have created a list of the top wood chippers in 2021.
Check them out below!
Best Wood Chippers Buying Guide
Things to Consider When Choosing a Wood Chipper
Many wood chippers are on the market, and knowing which one to buy might seem like a daunting task. However, if you consider the following factors and features before you buy, we are sure you will find your perfect wood chipper in no time.
Read what we suggest considering below.
Type of Wood Chipper
Electric wood chippers are usually lightweight and compact. They are easy to move and store. They are powered by an extension cord that needs to be plugged into a household outlet.
Pros
- Electric wood chippers do not release fumes so that you can turn wood into mulch in your garage.
- They require less maintenance than other types of wood chippers - no spark plug replacements or oil changes.
- Less expensive than other types of wood chippers.
Cons
- Electric chippers can only mulch branches that are small in diameter.
Gas-powered wood chippers come in 3 different styles, including gas chippers only, gas chipper shredders, and gas chipper shredder vacuums. Gas chippers are capable of chipping larger branches than an electric wood chipper. They can chip branches up to 7 inches in diameter.
Gas chipper shredders allow you to chip large branches and smaller branches and leaves.
Gas chipper shredder vacuums allow you to suck up debris from the ground to be shredded. This saves you an extra job of placing all of the odd bits and pieces into the chipper. It is the combination of a rake, mulcher, and vacuum in one.
Pros
- More powerful than an electric wood chipper.
- Faster wood chipping time.
- It does not require a plug and can be used anywhere outdoors.
Cons
- Louder than an electric wood chipper.
- Creates fumes.
- More expensive than an eclectic wood chipper.
Commercial-grade wood chippers are made with the intent to use on farms and other professional applications. These wood chippers are powered by vehicles.
Pros
- Extremely powerful.
- Can chip branches up to 10 inches in diameter.
- Many commercial wood chippers pull the wood into the hopper for you, saving you time and energy.
Cons
- Commercial wood chippers are expensive.
- They are noisy and large.
- They will be overkill for most people's yards.
Consider the Type of Wood Chips You Want and How Fibrous the Materials You Will Be Cutting Are
Every wood chipper is either electric, gas, or commercial model. Each one of these types of wood chipper is also either a drum chipper, disk chipper, or screw chipper.
Drum chippers handle more fibrous materials and larger loads. As a result, they create varying chip sizes and use a lot of energy.
Disc chippers work fast and are energy efficient. They also create uniform chips. This is best for smaller branches but does not handle fibrous materials well. If you are chipping small branches, you will need to remove many of the leaves first.
Screw chippers create uniform chips and offer a good balance between a disc chipper and a drum chipper in terms of speed.
Diameter of Wood You Need to Chip
Choose the type of wood chipper you want based on the diameter of the wood you will be chipping. Electric wood chippers chip branches up to 13/8 inches in diameter. Gas chippers chip branches of up to 7 inches in diameter. Commercial wood chippers will chip branches of up to 10 inches in diameter.
Power source
If you want to chip wood that is small enough to fit into an electric chipper, but you don’t have a power outlet where it is needed, you will need to use a gas-powered wood chipper regardless.
Safety features
Opt for a machine with plenty of safety features. You might want to look out for some safety features: feed control bars, panic bars, bottom feed stop bars, and emergency pull ropes. These features are designed to reverse or top the feed mechanism if someone becomes caught.
Wood Chipper Price Range
Wood chippers can cost from $100 and up to $2500. An alternative is to rent a wood chipper, but you can spend more renting one than it would cost to buy one in many cases.
How We Choose the Best Wood Chippers
To choose the best wood chipper, we tested the machines with various materials that fell into the suitable specs in the user manuals. We judged speed, efficiency, and how often we needed to unclog the device. We compared the price of the product with countless customer reviews. We will not recommend a product we would not buy ourselves.
What are the best wood chipper in 2021?
Snow Joe Electric Wood Chipper
– Best Wood Chipper Overall
The Snow Joe Electric Wood Chipper/Shredder has a powerful 14 amp motor that effectively shreds and chips branches up to 1.5-inches in diameter. The no-load speed describes the speed that the blades can rotate per minute while not chipping or mulching. This machine’s no-load speed is 4300 rpm. It can mulch unwanted branches and twigs, creating a nutrient-rich covering for your garden. Mulching will reduce your waste to ⅙ of its original size. This wood chipper has 6-inch wheels so that you can move it with ease. When opened, the locking knob will cause the machine to turn off- a great safety feature. There is also an option to buy this wood chipper as part of a set, including a chainsaw – useful for tackling particularly large branches.
- Shreds branches of up to 1.5-inches in diameter
- Will mulch branches
- Wheels for portability
- Safety hopper feature
- It does not work on forked branches and takes some prep unless chipping individual branches anyway
Sun Joe Electric Silent Wood Chipper
– Runner Up
The Sun Joe Electric Silent Wood Chipper is perfect for turning twigs, leaves, branches, and brush into nutrient-rich mulch. The 15-amp motor shreds and chips branches of up to 1.73-inches in diameter. This product also contains a safety hopper, which will turn off the motor when it is opened. The 7-inch wheels make moving this machine easy, so you can move it to where you need to with little effort. In addition, this product comes with a 2-year warranty—enough time to ensure its long-term durability.
- Shreds and chips branches of up to 1.73- inches in diameter
- Safety hopper feature
- 7-inch wheels for portability
- 2-year warranty
- Low noise level
- This works slowly, which is probably why it sounds quieter than many other wood chippers
Earthwise Electric Chipper
– Honorable Mention
The Earthwise Electric Chipper Powerful possesses a 15-amp electric motor capable of shredding branches of up to 1.75- inches in diameter. The chute and tamper tool is a great safety feature that will keep your hands safe from the steel blades. This is a fast and effective wood chipper with a motor that runs up to 4500rpm. This wood chipper also has a sizeable 40litre bushel collection bin to keep your yard clean and tidy. Rear wheels allow you to transport this product safely and efficiently anywhere for storage and near a power outlet when in use.
- Can shred ranches of up to 1.75-inches in diameter
- Chute and tamper tool safety features keep hands away from the blade
- Large bushel bin
- Rear wheels for portability
- There is no way to tell when the bin is full and about to cause a jam. So you will need to keep stopping and checking
Landworks Wood Chipper
– Also Consider
The Landworks Wood Chipper is a gas wood chipper. It can chip wood that is up to 3-inches in diameter. It has two chutes, a top chute, and a side chute. Use the leading chute for smaller pieces and the side chute for larger pieces. This machine is EPA and CARB certified. The super-dry wheels mean you can transport this device anywhere it is needed. It runs on gas means you don’t need to worry about placing it near a power source. The resting bar adds extra stability to the overall design of this machine. If you have many leaves in your garden, you may also wish to purchase the leaf vacuum attachment.
- Two chutes
- Can chip a branch with a diameter of up to 3-inches
- Large wheels make it easy to transport
- Gas-powered means you don’t need to use the machine near a power source
- Leaf vacuum attachment available
- The instructions are not clear on how to set up this machine
The GreatCircleUSA Wood Chipper has three functions including, shredder, mulcher, and wood chipper. The mulcher design has a massive reduction value of 15:1. The top hopper can chip wood with a diameter of ½ an inch, but the side chute can chip branches up to 3-inches in diameter. Another helpful addition you may like to buy is the leaf vacuum accessory, allowing you to effectively mulch many leaves without bending over to pick them up. A tow bar is also available for an extra price, so you can easily transport the wood chipper. This device can hold up to 0.7 gallons of unleaded gasoline—more than enough to complete a day of work.
- Top and side chutes
- Can chip branches of up to 3-inches in diameter
- Mulching capabilities allow you to reduce garden waste down to a ratio of 15:1
- Leaf vacuum and tow bar available as added accessories
- This machine is loud – we suggest wearing ear protection
Best Wood Chippers FAQs
A: It is best to chip wood when it is moist and cool. Wood chippers work well under these conditions. However, if you chip wood when it is dry, especially on a warm day, you increase the chances of sparks igniting and starting a fire.
A: When searching for a wood chipper, you have probably heard mulching referred to many times. Mulching is used to help the soil maintain its moisture for longer and stop weeds from growing where it is placed.
A: Some everyday things people try and put in a wood chipper that they should not include tires and rubber, bamboo, and pressure-treated lumber.
