Forget Lawn Mowers: There's A Neat Tool For Shredding Fall Leaves

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If you've already spent hours winterizing and storing your lawn mower, you may be at a loss about how to shred all those fallen leaves into tiny flakes before they decompose over the winter. Raking is only half the battle, and according to hundreds of Home Depot customers, there's another neat tool for shredding fall leaves you should consider. The Sun Joe Electric Leaf Mulcher/Shredder is a $150 investment that promises to quickly reduce yard waste to 1/16 of its original size.

The Sun Joe SDJ616 model essentially consists of a large funnel that clips onto a 13-amp motorized shredder, both of which sit on top of three adjustable legs. It features a bladeless design that relies on cutting lines (similar to a weed whacker) and requires no tools to assemble or disassemble for storage. Despite weighing just 14 ½ pounds, far less than a heavy and cumbersome lawn mower, the electric leaf shredder reportedly mulches up to 55 gallons of leaves per minute. Meanwhile, an adjustable dial provides the ability to customize the motor settings up to 8,000 revolutions per minute (rpm), depending on whether you're mulching your landscape with wet or dry leaves, pine needles, or grass clippings.

Overall, the product has an average 4-star rating from over 500 reviews. Users describe it as effective, a time saver, and easy to use, with one reviewer writing, "This works great as long as you don't put in branches or twigs, as it is not designed for those." It's also important to wear a mask, safety glasses, and earplugs, as several reviewers advised, since the shredding process can get quite dusty and loud.

While a lawn mower is technically capable of chopping up a light layer of dry leaves on your lawn, it has some limitations that are easily overcome with this electric shredder. For instance, mowing over wet leaves can damage your lawn mower blades, but according to reviewers, the Sun Joe's plastic string line can handle them, as long as you don't overload the shredder. 

Using an electric shredder also gives you more control over where to use the mulch. Even if your mower can mulch leaves without any issues, it spreads the tiny flakes right back into the ground instead of allowing you to gather them for targeted use around the garden. And while both a lawn mower and the Sun Joe can be fitted with bags to collect the mulch, the mower will pick up grass clippings along the way, resulting in a heavier, messier, and less uniform mixture.

After collecting the shredded leaves from the Sun Joe, you can spread them around trees and plants, use them in flowerbeds, or add them to your compost pile. As the mulch decomposes, it releases calcium and magnesium into the soil, creating a supportive environment for beneficial earthworms and other organisms. It's also high in carbon, which helps balance out fresh grass clippings and other green yard waste in a compost pile. Plus, like other types of mulch, shredded leaves can help retain moisture and block unwanted plant growth. Just be sure to clean the electric shredder's motor filter regularly to prevent overheating, an issue several reviewers have experienced.