I've run my new chipper three times now, each time for probably 90 minutes or so. What a beast. I'm handy around the house, but I'm not an engine expert, not by any means, so I was a bit apprehensive. But I have lots of branches to get rid of, and more to come, so this is really what I needed. After
some positive YouTube reviews, I pulled the trigger. So far, so good! Fairly easy to assemble, well packaged. Comes in two boxes, one more of a wooden crate. Bolts, etc., marked for each step. No problem there. Wrenches provided, I used them along with my socket set. Directions not bad. Air filter directions a bit fuzzy, but look at the pictures, it falls into place. After filling it with oil and gas, I cranked it up. Like other reviewers have said, starts on first or second pull. It takes a little more work than I had expected to get things down the chute, you have to kind of help odd shaped things along. If you have 2-2.5 inch branches, no matter how long, it eats those for breakfast. I keep a larger branch aside, probably 3 or 4 inches, that I use as a prod-poker to help get brush and branches into the blades. Haven't had a jam yet, that I'm glad for. You can't help but reach into the chute at times, but the blades are pretty far down there, I haven't felt like I was in any danger of losing a finger or anything. BUT-stuff will come shooting out from time to time, and it is LOUD (I mean REALLY loud), eye and ear protection are a must. Very manageable size and weight, I can roll it down my steep driveway while also carrying a rake or a trash can. One of the handles broke on the foldable bin they include the first time I used it, but that's kind of a throw-in anyway. I bought a 20 gallon trash can at HD that fits perfectly under the chute. I really can't think of a downside, unless it suddenly stops running or something. Warranty seems good, new blades are available online, plus they give you a second set with purchase anyway. Doesn't look like I'll be buying mulch for a while. I had some interaction with customer service, answered my questions promptly, no problems there. Shipped from Irwindale, Ca., so at least there is some U.S. presence Do your research of course, but my experience has been good. Very happy with this well built machine, really gets the job done. UPDATE 5/6/2021: Still happy with machine, only problem I've had is with sharpening blades. I must be bad at it, because don't work very well at all after I sharpen them. I may try to have them professionally done next time. They do seem to run out of blades online a lot lately... Update 9/1/2021: I've been using this a lot lately, clearing out trees and brush. My latest set of blades have lasted a very long time, happy with that. I have had a few jams (machine stops instantly), but they clear out pretty easily once you take off the covers. Takes 20-30 minutes. I also have started putting fresh cut branches down the chute, leaves and all. Still works great. Better if dried, but can't always wait. Feel I've gotten my money's worth and more. 2/3/2022-With the cold weather, I changed the oil, blew out the air filter and stored the chipper in the shed. We had a somewhat warm day this week, thought I'd get rid of a pile of sticks and branches I've been saving for spring. Started first pull! Last time I changed the blades, some of the bolts rounded off when I used my impact driver. Had to invest in a stripped bolt remover set from Lowes, problem easily solved. You'll end up changing out all the nuts and bolts that go along with the blades from time to time. Efcut Customer service sent me a link to Amazon item for correct size, good to have extras.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2020 by Aka329 Aka329
