There’s nothing like spending an afternoon raking and putting leaves in the leaves bag so that your yard looks nice right? A lot of people still do that because they enjoy the labor. But some people don’t want to do that anymore because now there’s such a thing called a leaf mulcher, which basically shreds leaves into little piles of mulch.
Some people even buy the vacuum leaf mulcher, so they practically saved themselves a lot of time from raking and putting in a leaf bag. In this guide today, you’ll see why you should buy a leaf mulcher and our top recommendations.
Top Picks
Best for: leaving behind less mulch – BLACK+DECKER (BV6600) 3-in-1 Electric Leaf Blower, Leaf Vacuum, Mulcher
This 3 in 1 mulcher can grind up to 16 bags of mulch all the way down to one.
Best for: shredding leaves quickly – Sun Joe SBJ606E-GA-RED 14 Amp 250MPH 4-in-1 Electric Blower/Vacuum/Mulcher/Gutter Cleaner
This 4 in 1 mulcher can power through large loads of leaves without much effort.
Best for: shredding and mulching leaves quickly – Sun Joe SDJ616 13-Amp 16:1 Reduction Electric Leaf Mulcher/Shredder
This electric leaf mulcher is lightweight and compact making it easy to transport around the lawn.
Best for: heavy duty yard work – Landworks Leaf Mulcher
With this powerful leaf mulcher, you can shred and mulch your leaves without any effort.
Best for: shredding 50+ gallons of leaves – WORX WG430 13 Amp Foldable Bladeless Electric Leaf Mulcher
This WORX leaf mulcher is not only powerful but it can chop 53 gallons of leaves per minute.
Best for: doing yardwork without much effort – Toro 51621 UltraPlus Leaf Blower
The Toro leaf blower is a 3 in 1 machine that can shred leaves in mere seconds.
Best for: using different speeds on the fly while mulching – Sun Joe 4-in-1 Electric Blower/Vacuum/Mulcher/Gutter Cleaner
The Sun Joe 4 in 1 mulcher is a quiet but powerful machine that can destroy leaves in seconds.
How to Choose a Leaf Mulcher
You’ve decided by now that you are interested in leaf mulchers to make yard work so much easier. They’re also great for leveling up your landscaping skills. There are two forms of leaf mulchers, one being handheld and the other being a standalone. How do you choose between the two? We’ll discuss here:
Handheld
These types of leaf mulchers are usually convertibles (you see 3in1, 4in 1, etc.) between being a mulcher and a blower, so that means it sends the mulch into a collection bag.
Standalone
These types of leaf mulchers mean they require you to put the leaves in them and it will do its job by shredding it and mulching out at the bottom.
Now that you see what kinds of leaf mulchers there are, we’ll talk about what they are run on so that you can make your decision.
Most leaf mulchers actually run on electricity, but there are still a few that run on gas. So, when you hear the word gas, you’re right, it can shred/break down harder stuff such as branches. The gas-powered ones can almost be considered as a woodchipper when describing a multi-function mulcher. (A couple was listed in our top picks).
What Kind of Leaf Mulcher Should I Buy?
It really depends on how much leaves you need to clean up from your yard. If it’s just a few gallons of leaves, then a cheaper unit will work for you. But if you have a huge yard clean up that also includes branches and even trash, a more expensive unit should be considered because they can handle that kind of debris.
Pros and Cons of a Leaf Mulcher
Pros:
- One of the best benefits of using a Leaf Mulcher is that it saves time and effort when harvesting and disposing leaves. It only needs a turn to ‘vacuum mode’ and the mulcher gathers the shredded leaves in a removable container. These leaf bags attached to the Mulcher come with the option of biodegradable bags that can decompose the leaves.
- A decent Leaf Mulcher can be capable of gathering both debris and sticks to some degree. And you don’t need to think about sweeping your gardens with a leaf vacuum mulcher.
- Gas-powered leaf mulchers are heavier than their electric counterparts but they provide more coverage (not in one area because of a cord). The electric leaf mulcher is actually more powerful when it’s functioning and it’s clearly lightweight which makes it a popular choice to buy.
Cons:
- Some of the leaf mulchers create a lot of noise that contributes to annoyance from nearby neighbors. At the time of buying, caution should be taken to pick a mulcher that creates less noise so that you can do your work in peace and of course, don’t annoy neighbors if you have any.
- The protections to be observed by using electric leaf mulchers as they generate a lot of dangerous dust are a further aspect to be remembered. It’s a smart idea to wear a mask while dealing with such a mulcher, especially if you have breathing issues. And one more argument is that it is advisable to turn off the mulcher before washing it. Sometimes this might not be listed in the manual, but reading the manual absolutely eliminates those hazards.
- Price also becomes a big factor in deciding to buy a Mulcher with many characteristics such as lightweight, noise-free, speed differences, and dust-free. The more functions a mulcher has, the higher and more expensive they will be.
Best Leaf Mulchers
BLACK+DECKER (BV6600) 3-in-1 Electric Leaf Blower, Leaf Vacuum, Mulcher
This BLACK & DECKER BV6600 Performance Mulcher has 3 in 1 features that is always a bonus when buying one. The other 2 features are leaf blowing and a vacuum. It also comes with a bag that can handle 1.5 bushels so you can dump the mulch part away when you are done doing yard work.
This model has a 12 amp motor with a speed of 140-250 miles per hour so you can rest assured that it can shred leaves with ease. This mulcher is electric and lightweight making it a popular choice because it’s environmentally friendly and less strain on yourself when trying to cover larger areas. This model is also extremely quiet so if you want to do yard work in the morning or even at night, you can. You can also buy other versions of this mulcher such as the bag, gutter cleaner attachment, leaf collection and safety glasses if you don’t want just the mulcher itself.
Pros:
- Electric
- Lightweight
- Bag
- Low noise
Cons:
- Buyers have reported quality issues
Sun Joe SBJ606E-GA-RED
The Sun Joe SBJ606E is a 4 in 1 mulcher that can handle huge bushel of leaves within seconds. This handheld mulcher’s other features also includes vacuum, blower and gutter cleaner. It has a 14 amp motor with speeds up to 250 miles per hour.
This model is also electric and lightweight which is a plus because that means little to none maintenance. What makes this model special is the extra attachments it comes with. The extra attachments are the 18-gallon collection bag and PVC Gutter Attachment which means you can reach up to 15’ with it. You can choose between colors for this model as you have a choice of Red, Green, Dark Blue, and Dark Gray.
Pros:
- Electric
- 4 in 1
- Variety of colors
- Extra attachments included
Cons:
- Buyers reported issues with the included gallon bag
Sun Joe SDJ616
This Sun Joe SDJ616 Shredder is a stand alone mulcher/shredder which works pretty well. It doesn’t have as many features that a handheld one would have, but it still packs a punch. It features a 13 amp motor (yes its electric) with a speed of 8000 rpm. This model is extremely lightweight and portable which means you can move it anywhere and get the job done.
This mulcher can shred 55 gallons of leaves per minute and leave behind little mulch piles. It also has a smart shred technology which is dust reducing motor to reduce the amount of dust going through the mulcher/shredder. It also boasts a control dial so you can adjust the settings for dry/wet mulch. You can easily attach a leaf bag if you should decide you want the mulch to go in there.
Pros:
- Compact
- Lightweight
- Smart Shred Technology
- Leaf bag attachment part
Cons:
- Buyers have reported overheating issue
Landworks Leaf Mulcher Shredder Electric Green and Waste Management Heavy Duty
The Landworks Shredder has a powerful 15 amp motor with speeds up to 4100RPM. It is also 1800 watts which makes this appear powerful and heavy-duty. This shredder reports that it produces no smog (like the gas powered ones do) so you don’t have to worry about air quality while doing yard work.
This model is heavier than the last two mulchers we talked about as it is 55.6 pounds. So you probably are limited to a certain area that needs a job done unless you don’t mind wheeling this mulcher as it has 2 6” wheels to make transporting easy. This leaf mulcher has an instant start switch and an overload protection switch which makes operating very easy and of course safe. The design on this leaf mulcher is made out of heavy steel which means it’s durable and can withstand thousands of bushels of yard waste (leaves, branches, random trash). This model comes with a reusable leaf bag which makes cleaning up a breeze.
Pros:
- Powerful, can handle branches
- Easy to start
- No smog
- High RPM
Cons:
- Buyers have reported quality issues
- Buyers have reported blade issues
WORX WG430 13 Amp Foldable Bladeless Electric Leaf Mulche
The WORX WG340 Bladeless Electric Mulcher is small but mighty. It is a standalone mulcher but it can shred through 53 gallons of leaves per minute with its powerful 13 amp motor. This model has a leaf bag attachment that you can attach a leaf bag for super easy clean up. One of the best features about this model is that it’s bladeless so no worries about cutting yourself. This model does need to be on a cord in order to operate, but it’s 20 pounds so easy to move around.
Pros:
- Bladeless motor
- Lightweight
- Compact
- Shreds 53 gallons per minute
Cons:
- Needs to be on a cord
- Doesn’t shreds wet leaves
- Buyers reported it stops working
Toro 51621 UltraPlus Leaf Blower Vacuum
The Toro 51621 UltraPlus mulcher is powerful with its 7.0 amp motor with speeds that can get up to 250 miles per hour. This is also 3 in 1, which the other two features are vacuum and blower. This leaf vacuum mulcher also has an adjustable speed control so that you can blow at a speed that you are comfortable with. This model also comes with a kit, which includes the bag and an oscillating nozzle kit which helps save your wrist because it will do the twist and turns for you.
This mulcher is extremely lightweight at 8.9 pounds which makes moving around with it easy and it’s of course easy to store. You will need an extension cord (which is sold separately) to operate this mulcher.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- 3 in 1
- Different speeds control
- Comes with a bag and oscillating nozzle kit
Cons:
- Buyers reported that the vacuum feature doesn’t work well
- Buyers have reported quality issues with the design
Sun Joe SBJ606E-GA-SJB
The Sun Joe SBJ606E 4 in 1 Vacuum Leaf Mulcher packs a punch for it’s small size. Coming in at 8.8 pounds, this model has a 14amp motor that has speeds up to 250 miles per hour. On this model, you can choose between 6 adjustable wind speeds for your needs. The other three features that this mulcher has, is of course, a vacuum, blower, and gutter cleaner which will make yard work seem much more fun.
This mulcher also comes with the 18 gallon bag and it comes with a PVC gutter attachment. You can also convert easily, going from vacuuming to blowing to mulching within mere seconds.
Pros:
- 4 in 1
- 6 adjustable speeds
- Comes with bag
- Compact
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Buyers reported issues with bag quality, *breaking after 1 use*.
FAQ
What is the best leaf mulcher?
The best leaf mulcher in our opinion which is already on our top picks is the BLACK & DECKER 3 IN 1 Leaf Blower.
Are leaf mulchers worth it?
Yes, they are worth it if you want easy clean up of your yard.
How much does a leaf mulcher cost?
If it’s for a light-duty job, a leaf mulcher will cost like $70 to $150. But if you need to do a huge job around your yard or business, a leaf mulcher will likely cost you $175 to even $300.
What is the best way to shred leaves?
There are a few ways that you can shred leaves besides using a mulcher:
- Run it through a leaf shredder
- Run over leaves with lawnmower a few times
Bottom Line
By now, you read about leaf mulchers and why you should get one. You’ve also seen the best leaf mulchers and the reviews so you can decide which one you’d like. In order to decide which one is for you, you need to address the needs of the job. You may need either a 4 in 1 or just a simple stand-alone leaf mulcher. Whichever you decide, you can rest assured that you will select the best leaf mulcher for your yard work.
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