Yard-Man Leaf Shredder / Wood Chipper / Leaf Vacuum

Leaf blowers are a step up from raking. Wheeled leaf shredders / wood chippers / vacuums go an additional step beyond that for ease of maintenance; but their far bigger price tag isn't worth it. They also won't chip up branches as well as true wood chippers. My advice: buy a leaf vacuum instead and put the money you'll save as a result toward the purchase of equipment designed specifically for wood chipping. These "3-in-1" gadgets try to play too many roles all at once.

Yard-Man's chipper / shredder / vacuum cleans up all lawn debris -- branches, acorns, maple seeds and pine cones -- not just leaves. Best of all, your work is kept to a minimum. In using leaf blowers for leaf removal, you have to swing the blower's arm back and forth. But Yard-Man's chipper / shredder / vacuum is pushed on wheels, like a lawn mower. Still, are you willing to pay substantially more money to save yourself this small amount of extra exercise? I'm not. But in case you disagree, here's how the equipment works. The vacuum nozzle (24" wide) cleans the bulk of your lawn debris. The chipper / shredder function grinds up leaves and small-sized tree branches. But it will choke on the bigger branches. Click the "Compare Prices" button to check on the availability of Yard-Man's chipper / shredder / vacuum.

For my money, I'll take a separate leaf vacuum and a real wood chipper. To read a review on a real wood chipper, please see the first link below under, "Related Guide Picks." If you're still looking for leaf clean-up options, see the link just below that, which takes you to a review on mulching lawn mowers.