Save your money and don't buy one of these electric chippers. If you think about it, it takes a lot of hp to shred wood. You just can't generate enough horsepower from a 120V 20A circuit.

Below is an old thread that catalogs my experience with one of these models.

Keeping the blades sharp helps a little but not all that much, they are still worthless.

I threw mine in the scrap pile.

Here is a link that might be useful: Electric Wood Chipper

Thanks, Olpea.
Sounds discouraging.
Now I guess I will have to figure out how to ditch the sticks in the woods without my nosy neighbors complaining...
R

I have the one from Harbor Freight. I used it twice in the season I bought it. For what it is, it does a good job on material just over an inch in diameter or smaller. It just takes some time. If I didn't have anything else to do, I find it almost relaxing and satisfying.

It makes fine chips that break down pretty quickly compared to the much coarser stuff from the tree pruning services.

If you are in a suburban environment with a handful of trees and would otherwise have to pay to dispose of your trimmings, it could be very useful, especially if you have uses for the chips as mulch or for compost.

If you are set up where you could keep it near an electric outlet that is close to where you plan to use and are pruning a few trees at a time you might like it.

But if you have to unbury it from your garage/shed, find an extension cord (12 gauge) wind it out, get a tarp, drag the limbs over, lop off the parts that are under 1.5" and saw up the rest, etc... you'll probably find that you don't use it much.

I've had one for five years now (Harbor Freight) and have put huge piles of trimmings through it. It works good on trees that have a lot of suckers, like Walnut, Mulberry, apple, etc. The long, 1" branches get eaten up to a satisfying small pile. It saves weeks of cutting up branches to fit in our green waste dumpster. No engine to maintain and starts every time, for our 100-tree orchard it works just fine. Larger branches get cut up for firewood.

If you have a bit of room like me,..I just keep tossing them on the same piles over the last 25 years, the piles keep shrinking and by now there must be a foot or more of rotten wood on the bottom.

Is there a tool rental shop near you?
We have them down here but I rented mine from a friend before the holidays.
Rather give a buddy the cash.
You are right. Shopping for an electric chipper is so discouraging
The reviews were really lame when I shopped last fall
my experience buying a large electrical tool from amazon or lowes
like both my electric lawnmowers that bailed
is its loads easier to return local

I tried one once [forget the make], put it together, and it wouldn't run. I called customer service, who offered some suggestions that didn't work. The guy told me the machines often just didn't work. I shipped it back.

Still want a chipper.

I'd never go w/an electric one. I have a gas-powered one from Sears and like it. However, all my fruit wood trimmings go in my smoker or my grill--or I sell it.

I agree that an electric chipper/shredder is not strong enough. I had one and got rid of it after one season and bought a gas powered one from Home Depot that could chip limbs about 1.5 inches in diameter. This was about 12-15 years ago and the cost was about $675.00. Worked great, but I only used it about 5 times and it has sat dormant for several years. I cut my larger trees down and now have the chipper but no real use for it.

Not sure why I bumped into this thread... I have an older Bearcat 70050 chipper/shredder. Came with a 5HP B&S engine. I hated that engine and hated the pulley/belt power transfer. Every time I let the engine sit for a few months unused it took a major effort to start it again. Yeah, should have run it bone dry first, etc., etc.

Eventually I unmounted it and got a quality 3HP 220V Leeson electric motor and a chain and some sprockets to go from the 3600 electric motor RPM to ~1900 flywheel RPM. You'd think 5HP vs 3HP means it's gonna suck. Well, turns out the opposite is true. Electric torque vs. gas lack of torque specially at low speeds makes the electric win every single time! With the gas engine it took a good 10 seconds to baby the flywheel from standstill to full speed. Electric: under one second! I'm really not making that up. When I'd jam some thick wood into the knives with the gas engine and bog it down I'd have to wait several seconds for the gas engine to open the throttle and come back up to speed. With the electric it's a fraction of a second.

Overall, the 3HP electric motor has turned my chipper from an underpowered machine to a scary beast. The motor power is not any limitation on what I can chip. The knives get hot and the grease in the bearings starts to smoke before the motor limits anything I do. From a safety point of view I don't recommend this mod to anyone! I just wish there were good electric chipper/shredders to buy like there are in europe. Yes, I did have to run some good 10ga copper 200v circuit to my chipping spot, but for me, that was much more pleasurable than cleaning carburators to no end.

Of course, everyone's tradeoffs are different...

I've had my Harbor Freight electric model for several years and love it. It's perfect for my small orchard.

Depends on your requirements. For chipping a few half inch to one inch soft wood branches 110 volt lectric will do the job. Dead dry wood is more difficult. I've owned an electric, a 5 hp from home depot and a Sears 8 hp. The electric was easy to use but slow. For piles of brush 2 ft high or more with wood 2 or 3 inches thick the 5 hp was not adequate. The 8 hp Sears works well and does not bog down and can handle 3 inch wood if it is soft.

I had the Harbor Freight electric chipper. It seemed built well enough that I assume the other inexpensive electrics have comparable function.

My impression was that it was good primarily for entertainment or a pastime. If you want to get rid or a significant amount of trimmings, or create a significant amount of mulch, you will probably be disappointed.

If gardening and yard maintenance is your hobby, and you spend several hours a day out there just looking for things to do or enjoying the outdoors while you admire your landscape, it may be for you.