You’ve done your research and decided you need a shredder/vacuum. These versatile tools combine the leaf moving power of a blower with the option to vacuum leaves and shred them into more manageable yard waste. It’s a quick way to make garden mulch or get leaves ready for a compost pile. But how do you know which shredder/vac is the best for you? Let’s take a look at what two brands carried by Richardson Saw & Lawnmower offer in their shredder/vacs.
Leaf Chopping
Echo Shred ‘n’ Vacs work fast to chop up yard waste. They’re designed using a patented 4-blade shredding mechanism to reduce the volume of yard waste by a ratio of up to 12:1. These shredder/vacs will make short work of yard waste like leaves, twigs and grass.
STIHL shredder vacs can chop yard waste even finer, reducing the overall volume by a ratio of up to 14:1. These shredder/vacs can only chop dry leaves this fine, but they will still work on twigs and cut grass as well. They feature “a specially designed shredder blade located on the fan wheel.”
Power and Speed
Both Stihl and Echo shredder/vacs use professional-grade engines. The Echo Shred ‘n’ Vacs use a 25.4 cc engine, and the Stihl shredders use a 27.2 cc engine. Engine displacement and power aren’t the only things you’ll want to look at, though. How fast the shredder/vacs work is also dependent on air speed and volume.
- Echo ES-250 – speed: 165 mph, volume: 391 cfm
- Echo ES-255 – speed: 191 mph, volume: 354 cfm
- Stihl SH 56 C-E – speed: 143 mph, volume: 418 cfm
- Stihl SH 86 C-E – speed: 154 mph, volume: 453 cfm
The higher each number is, the faster your shredder/vac will work. These numbers are also important when using the shredder/vac in blower mode. Speeds listed here are for a round pipe attachment. Higher speeds are available using flat pipe blower attachments, which are available on most models.
Ease of Use
The Echo shredder/vacs feature a 2-bushed capacity storage bag with a rear zipper, so it’s easy to empty. Stihl models have bags that hold 1.2 bushels, which means that even though they’re more efficient at chopping yard debris the bags may need to be emptied a little more often.
Ease of use features on the Echo shredder/vacs include a 35-inch intake tube that’s long enough you won’t have to stoop over to reach leaves on the lawn and a Pro-Fire ignition system for easy starting. The ES-255 also includes Echo’s i-30 system for 30% reduced starting effort. For Stihl, both shredder/vac models include their Easy2Start system. The SH 86 C-E also features anti-vibration technology, a built-in stop switch and a washable air filter.
Weight is a consideration, especially if you’ll be using your shredder/vac to clean a large yard and plan to be working with it for several hours. In this category, the smaller Echo shredder vac comes out on top with the ES-250 weighing only 10 pounds. Echo’s ES-255 weighs 11.8 pounds, making it slightly heavier than Stihl’s SH 56 C-E, which weighs 11.5 pounds. The SH 86 C-E weighs 12.3 pounds
