A roller is quiet and slow; blades are fast and loud
A shredder turns a heap of prunings into something that fits in a bin or goes back on a bed, and the whole shelf divides on one choice: the cutting system. A roller shredder — « Walzenhäcksler », and also sold as a « Leisehäcksler » — turns a toothed drum slowly against a plate, drawing the branch in by itself. It is quiet, it does not throw material back at you, and it handles green and woody waste without jamming as readily. A blade or turbine shredder — « Messerhäcksler » — spins a disc at high speed and cuts by impact. It is faster on dry wood, it is markedly louder, and it needs the material pushed in. Both appear here at 2 400 to 3 200 W, and the price difference between them is smaller than the noise difference. The max branch diameter is the headline figure, 40 to 45 mm on this shelf, and it is a maximum for dry hardwood in good condition rather than a working figure: a 45 mm machine fed 45 mm branches all afternoon will stall. The feed matters more than the catalogue implies — self-feeding on the roller machines, hand-fed on the blade ones, and a wide hopper opening is what lets you drop a whole armful of hedge trimmings in at once. Then the catcher volume, an integrated box of 45 to 60 litres on most, and the guaranteed noise, which on this family is the figure that decides what time of day the machine can be used at all. We compare cutting system, max branch, motor power, catcher volume, feed, guaranteed noise and weight.
2500 W blade system, 45 mm branches, 45 L bag, self-feeding
A blade shredder with self-feeding, overload protection and a 45-litre bag — 45 mm branches on the cheapest machine here.
Best for: Occasional hedge and shrub prunings on a small garden, at the lowest entry price
208 cc, 5.2 kW, 76 mm, 22 blades, 75 kg, 10-inch wheels
A 75 kg petrol machine with 22 blades in three types, two hoppers, 10-inch wheels and a 76 mm stated capacity.
Best for: A large property with real woody prunings, where a 75 kg machine can be left in one place
2800 W roller, 45 mm branches, transparent 60 L box, reversing
A roller machine with a transparent 60-litre box, a reversing switch and a safety cut-out when the box is removed.
Best for: A medium garden where the shredder is used in long sessions and the box will be emptied repeatedly
2800 W / 4 PS, 50 mm wood, 38 kg, hinged hopper and chute
A 38 kg mains machine taking 50 mm wood, with a hopper and chute that hinge open for maintenance.
Best for: Regular woody shredding on a property with a socket, by somebody who expects to maintain the machine
2800 W roller, 44 mm branches, 92 dB(A), 60 L bag, reverse
The only shredder here with a published noise level — 92 dB(A) — on a quiet roller system with reverse and an adjustable counter-plate.
Best for: A garden with neighbours and a lot of hedge trimmings, where the noise and the self-feeding both matter
212 cc / 7 PS, 76 mm stated, 45–60 mm on hardwood, 15:1
The only listing on this site that states its headline figure is conditional — 76 mm on fresh wood, 45 to 60 mm on hardwood.
Best for: A property with woody prunings, by somebody who wants to know what the machine will actually do
389 ccm, 9.7 kW / 13 PS, 89 mm, flail drum at 2 400 rpm
A flail drum at 2 400 rpm on a 9.7 kW engine, with two hoppers, pneumatic tyres and a towing bar.
Best for: A smallholding or a large wooded garden, where the machine is towed to the heap
3000 W roller, 44 mm, 3-stage planetary gearbox, 60 L box
A three-stage planetary gearbox, a kickback-free roller, automatic reverse on a jam, and a storage compartment for the plunger.
Best for: Regular, heavy hedge and shrub work where the machine will be fed continuously and left to pull
420 cm³, 9 kW / 12 PS, 120 mm, 2 reversible blades, 120 kg
The largest machine on this site: 120 kg, 9 kW, 120 mm branches on two reversible blades, with electric start.
Best for: A smallholding, a large wooded plot, or shared use between neighbours
