Shredders are expensive but do a good job of helping with gardening. Find out below what the differences are between shredders and how you can build a shredder yourself.

The heart of the chopper is the roller or the knives

The differences in shredders

Chopper (€199.99) is not just a chopper. They can be distinguished in several ways. On the one hand in their drive form: There are shredders that work with normal current (220 volts), those that are driven with high current (380 volts) and are therefore more powerful, and those that have a petrol engine. The latter are particularly suitable for places where there is no power connection.
Furthermore, shredders can be differentiated according to their shredding technology. There is:

  • Knife shredder: Here the clippings are sliced with a series of knives.
  • Roller shredder: The clippings are crushed with a roller. The chopped material is therefore very fine and rots faster.
  • Turbine shredder: Here, a knife turbine shreds both fine and coarse clippings.

Roller shredders are significantly quieter than knife shredders, but they are usually a bit more expensive. A knife shredder from a well-known brand costs €168, but the same model as a roller shredder costs €199. You can get turbine shredders online from about 400.

Is it worth building your own?

Building a shredder yourself does not make sense for many reasons:

  • You need a lot of know-how and expertise to build a functioning, safe shredder yourself
  • Safety regulations must be observed. If these are not adhered to, insurance companies will not cover any costs in the event of a claim.
  • The individual parts are difficult to obtain and often so expensive that building one yourself is not financially worthwhile.

Alternative: Convert the shredder

However, it is possible to convert an existing shredder or to use it differently. Several do-it-yourselfers report that they use a corn chopper to chop branches and twigs and have had good results with it. Some also report that they exchanged the knives. Here, too, the safety and accident regulations must be observed. If an accident occurs due to a manipulated device, insurance companies will not pay.

Alternative lawn mower shredders - is it worth it?

If you don't want to buy a shredder but need a lawnmower, you can kill two birds with one stone and get a lawnmower that also shreds. However, this device is so expensive at €669 that you can buy a good shredder and a lawn mower with it and still pay less. So this combination is not worth it, at least not yet.

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