What are the Best Wood Chippers of 2024?

The Sun Joe CJ601E 14-Amp Electric Wood Chipper/Shredder is the best wood chippers you can buy for the value it provides.

If you have a large yard with trees, you’ll have to clear it from the sticks, branches, and leaves that fall.

That’s where a wood chipper can come in handy. It’ll help you get rid of the debris and turn it into mulch for use in the garden.

Let’s look at some of the best wood chippers you can consider before making your buying decision.

Product	Rating	Price
Sun Joe CJ601E 14-Amp Electric Wood Chipper/Shredder	1	Check Price
Earthquake TAZZ 30520 Heavy Duty 212cc Wood Chipper	2	Check Price
Earthwise GS70015 15 Amp Electric Garden Chipper/Shredder	3	Check Price
PowerSmart PS10 15-Amp Electric Garden Chipper/Shredder	4	Check Price
WEN 41121 15-Amp Rolling Electric Wood Chipper and Shredder	5	Check Price

What is a wood chipper?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypy-gUdBA9o

A wood chipper consists of a bladed wheel that is powered by an engine. This machine works by feeding the wood or other debris into an inner chamber, where it is then chopped up by a set of rotating blades.

The machine uses either gravity or a fan to eject the wood chips in the desired direction. The chips can then be collected and used as garden mulch or animal bedding.

What are the different types of wood chippers?

The main differences between the various models will mostly come down to three things: Size, blade type, and engine type.

Wood chippers come in various sizes, although none of them could ever be called “small.” As for engines, these machines can run on gasoline, diesel, or electricity.

There are three basic mechanisms that a wood chipper might use: Drum chippers, disk chippers, and screw chippers. In this case, the names simply denote the shape of the cutting blades.

Do you need a wood chipper?

If your yard is not particularly large, or if it has very few trees, you won’t use this thing often enough to justify its cost. However, those who regularly need to deal with tree-related debris can benefit from one of these machines.

You should also think about what you will do with the wood chips that result from the use of this machine. If you don’t have any particular use for wood chips, you might consider an alternate method of disposal. There are many different uses for wood chips, including:

• Mulch for gardens and flower beds
• Fuel for woodburning stoves or fire pits
• Bedding for animal enclosures
• Adding potassium to the soil to increase fertility

How to choose the best wood chippers

This section is meant to give you a better idea of what to look for when buying a wood chipper for your yard.

Size:

It is hard to give you a set rule here because this factor will depend not only on the size of your yard but also on the size of your trees. Any good brand of wood chipper will tell you the size of the largest stick that the machine can process.

Most tree branches are not larger than 5 inches in diameter, but again: it depends on how big those trees really are. Size also matters when you are thinking about where to store this big beast of a machine.

Engine Type:

An electric-powered woodchipper will require an extension cord in order to work. Further, its range will be limited by the length of the cord.

You could use a gas-powered generator and connect your extension cord to that, but it’s kind of silly when you think about what you are doing. If you’re going to do it that way, you might as well just use a gas-powered chipper.

A professional who uses this machine on a daily basis should opt for one that is powered by gasoline or diesel. Those who are not as concerned about portability might find it cheaper to use an electric model.

Blade Type:

There isn’t a huge difference between one blade type and another. While various manufacturers will always claim that their product is at least a little bit better than the others, any blade type will do the job.

You should think about which blade type will be easier to remove and clean/sharpen and which blade type will be less likely to jam.

The drum chipper seems like it’s probably the least likely to jam, while the disk chipper seems like it would probably be the easiest to clean. A screw chipper would definitely be the hardest to clean and might be the most likely to jam.

Ease Of Use:

You should look closely at the product and imagine yourself using it. Go through all the steps in your mind and consider how easy it will be to use this thing.

Don’t just think about the process of using the chipper; think about transport, setup, cleanup, and maintenance. All of these things will make a difference in terms of how much trouble this thing will give you.

Price/Warranty:

A wood chipper is an expensive machine. That’s all the more reason to make sure that you don’t buy too big of a chipper. Not only will you waste your money, but you will also be stuck with a tool that is needlessly difficult to transport.

Any good woodchipper should have a warranty, period. This is not the kind of item that should be purchased without some kind of guarantee that it will work.

Finish:

Because this machine will only be used outdoors, it will probably be stored in a shed, on your porch, or in a garage. While these environments provide good protection from the elements, the chipper needs to be tough nevertheless.

Most of these machines are made of steel, so make sure that they have a thick enameled coating on every part. Any bare steel should be considered a red flag, as it will eventually rust and fail.

Precautions when using a wood chipper

Wood chippers can be pretty dangerous. Anything that is designed with a set of spinning blades is always going to be a little bit unsafe by its very nature. Always observe the proper safety precautions when using this device. Some of these precautions are:

• Keep your distance as much as possible when feeding wood into the chipper
• Don’t wear loose clothing
• Do wear eye and face protection at all times
• Don’t stand in the exhaust area
• Always keep your eyes on your work-distraction could cost your life

These are not the kind of safety precautions that you follow “most of the time.” These are the kinds of safety rules that must be followed all the time, every time, without fail. These machines occasionally kill people, although these deaths are almost always the result of pure foolishness.

How to use a wood chipper

Begin by looking at the safety checklist, and make sure that you are wearing eye protection, face protection, and non-loose clothing. Long, dangling jewelry (or anything long and dangly, for that matter) must also be avoided.

Gather up your sticks and debris before starting the machine. That way, you can save a little bit of money on electricity or fuel. Now set up a collection bag or something of the sort in the area where the wood chips will be ejected. With the setup out of the way, you can proceed to the actual use of the wood chipper.

Bring the machine out to the work area and start the engine/plug it into the cord (depending on engine type). Take your sticks one by one and feed them into the machine. Do not let your hands get within a foot of that opening.

Keep all parts of your body as far away as you can. It should only take a gentle push to move a stick into the blades. You should feed the larger end first, allowing the safety rollers to grip the wood and pull it into the blades.

Your machine may have some kind of a safety bar that allows you to disengage the machine if something goes wrong. If so, make sure that you know where it is and how to use it properly.

Maintaining your wood chipper

Like any heavy-duty kind of machine, the wood chipper will need some occasional maintenance in order to keep working effectively. When your chipper is taking off big chunks instead of fine shavings, it is probably an indication that your blades are too dull. Thus, they must be removed and sharpened.

If you know how to sharpen a knife, you should have no problem sharpening a chipper blade. Of course, a screw chipper might make the job a little more difficult. A drum or disk chipper will both have relatively small blades as opposed to the screw, which is basically one big cutting edge.

These devices may become clogged from time to time. You will be able to tell that the machine is getting clogged up because it will run more slowly, and it will probably run louder.

What you are hearing is a machine working harder than necessary, so turn everything off and clean the blades. Safety rollers, chutes, and fans can also be clogged, so check them as well if your problem persists.

This will require you to look at the product manual and learn how to do some basic disassembly. At the very least, you need to know how to reach the blades, the fan, and the rollers.

Reviews

Last update on 2024-04-25 // Source: Amazon Affiliates

At just over 26 pounds, this is the second-lightest chipper on our list. It’s a relatively small wood chipper intended for light jobs only.

It can only handle branches up to 1.5 inches in diameter, which rules out the branches of most full-grown trees. Still, it might be a good choice for someone with a lot of bushes to trim.

As an electric model, this one is limited by the length of its cord, but at least it’s on a sturdy wheeled stand that makes it exceptionally portable.

This thing definitely gets full marks in the portability department, but some customers have reported problems with random motor failures and frequent clogging.

Pros	Cons
Powerful 14-Amp motor Shreds branches up to 1.5-inches thick Compact design with 6-inch wheels Safety hopper with locking knob Full two-year warranty	Can get clogged sometimes

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Last update on 2024-04-25 // Source: Amazon Affiliates

This one is quite a bit larger, and quite a bit more expensive as well. In fact, it is the most expensive chipper on our list by a wide margin. However, it has a lot of good things in its favor.

First, every bit of this machine is made of thick, enameled steel. When I look at this thing, I feel pretty confident that it’s going to hold up over time.

Most of the machines’ size (other than the bag) is vertical, making it easy to store. The five-year warranty certainly helps to justify the price as well. This one can handle branches up to 3 inches in diameter.

Pros	Cons
Powerful 212cc Viper engine Limited five-year warranty Compact design 11-inch wheels for portability Rugged easy-to-use debris bag	Expensive Difficult to access oil filler plug Noisy

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Last update on 2024-04-25 // Source: Amazon Affiliates

This machine doesn’t even look like a wood chipper, but it does look really cool. If you saw an alien using a wood chipper, you might expect it to look something like this. At the same time, it’s a decent medium-size chipper for the average home user.

This machine is electric, so it requires no fuel. It has a large and powerful motor that does a good job of grabbing the sticks and debris, but it has one large failing.

In order to be chipped, sticks must pass through a relatively small hole. This means that you will need to spend more time feeding each piece through the holes.

Pros	Cons
Powerful 15-Amp motor Shreds branches up to 1 ¾-inch thick Leaf chute and tamper tool to keep you safe Easy clean up with the 1.2-bushel collection bin Overload protection with reset switch	The opening is a bit restrictive to place branches Blades wear out fast Flimsy

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Last update on 2024-04-25 // Source: Amazon Affiliates

This is probably the most compact chipper on our list. When you look at it, it’s hard to believe that this is a wood chipper at all.

However, it’s pretty strong for such a small model. Although it cannot handle sticks larger than 1 and 5/8 of an inch, it does a good job within its weight class.

This thing does lose some points in the safety department, as it does not have a very long chute at all. Instead, it has two relatively small holes through which all sticks must be passed. This makes the chipper a pain to use since you have to be so much more precise.

Pros	Cons
Powerful 15-Amp motor Shreds branches up to 1 ⅝ inch thick Compact design 6-inch wheels for portability Limited two-year warranty	Branches with odd shapes can get stuck Blades dull fast

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Last update on 2024-04-25 // Source: Amazon Affiliates

This one gets some points for being the most lightweight chipper on our list. At only 23 pounds, this one will be easy to move around.

Its blades can handle sticks up to 1.5 inches in diameter, which is respectable for a chipper of this size.

Blades and internals are extremely easy to access, and we can see that most of the inner parts of this machine are made of steel.

Instead of having holes or a chute, this one has a curved slit, which is good for irregularly-shaped sticks.

Pros	Cons
Powerful 15-Amp motor Shreds branches up to 1.5-inches Internal safety mechanism prevents start with open hopper Limited two-year warranty 7-inch cutting blades	Not able to handle certain types of wood Not suitable for wet leaves and branches

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Our recommendation

We think the Sun Joe CJ601E 14-Amp Electric Wood Chipper/Shredder is the best wood chippers you can buy.

It comes with a powerful 14-Amp motor that can shred branches up to 1.5-inches thick. The design is compact and the 6-inch wheels make it quite portable.

There’s a safety knob for your protection and it comes with a limited two-year warranty.