I am intending to purchase a garden shredder and am looking for an electric
model in the 300 - 500 pound range. I have been told that cheap shredders
are a waste of time, and like most people I am cash rich but time poor. Why
people waste money on cheap junk always fascinates me!

Two models that receive good write-ups are the Scheppach Lonos 3 and the
ALKO SP5000. These appear to be the same machine despite a difference in
price of seventy pounds.

Are these the same machines or is the Scheppach made to a higher standard?

Does anyone have any experience of either shredder or can recommend an
alternative?

Yours Piers - The Surrey Plantsman (Only an acre but well tended!)

Piers Parkin wrote:
[...]
like most people I am cash
rich but time poor. Why people waste money on cheap junk always
fascinates me!
[...]

Maybe because "most people" are actually poor in both time and cash!
Having been time-rich and cash-poor for quite a chunk of my life (and
actually rather enjoyed it, on balance) I believe wholeheartedly that
the best is usually the cheapest; but do understand that sometimes a
hundred quid in a lump is as big a treat as a spare thousand may be
for you.

My prescription for that situation, of course, is "Don't buy a damned
shredder at all!" But in a market where a good electric drill you
only use four times a year makes more financial sense than a very
good one designed for daily use at three times the price, it's hard
to criticise anybody who assumes the cheaper shredder will probably
be OK for his simple needs -- it'll probably be a mistake, but I
don't blame him.

Mike.

I'm on my third shredder in 3 years (a time rich cash poor contribution
you'll have guessed) The Black & Decker kept going wrong (as did the B&D
scorpion saw - wouldn't ever buy B&D kit again any more than I would buy a
Hewlet Packard printer). The Power Devil shredder at £70ish worked
wonderfully and didn't jam anywhere near so much as the B&D. Both had
spinning discs with blades to chop the stuff. Not Power Devil's fault it got
junked, my own stupidity. Now have a JCB(?) at £180 which has a rotating
cogwheel that chews the branches. It's not as efficient imho as the spinning
disc as it doesn't always produce little chunks, often get a long string of
perforated branch instead. If you spend £500 perhaps you get one with
goblins with hacksaws inside who do a perfect job - depending on how much
you use it I'd go for the Power Devil



"Piers Parkin" wrote in message
...
I am intending to purchase a garden shredder and am looking for an electric
model in the 300 - 500 pound range. I have been told that cheap shredders
are a waste of time, and like most people I am cash rich but time poor.
Why
people waste money on cheap junk always fascinates me!

Two models that receive good write-ups are the Scheppach Lonos 3 and the
ALKO SP5000. These appear to be the same machine despite a difference in
price of seventy pounds.

Are these the same machines or is the Scheppach made to a higher standard?

Does anyone have any experience of either shredder or can recommend an
alternative?

Yours Piers - The Surrey Plantsman (Only an acre but well tended!)

So how 'pants' are the cheap models, will this break the very first time I
try and use it.

Argos is clearing one of its cheap offerings;

http://www.argos.co.uk/ProductDispla...Number=7200061
to see Challenge Shredder. (cat no. 720/0061) £39.99*.

I have less of a reason to get one now as the local council have just
provided me with a brown bin.

But I do like the idea of the goblins and the hack saws, do you think they
will be able to sharpen each others blades?

s (time and cash poor)

"Oxymel of Squill" wrote in message
...
I'm on my third shredder in 3 years (a time rich cash poor contribution
you'll have guessed) The Black & Decker kept going wrong (as did the B&D
scorpion saw - wouldn't ever buy B&D kit again any more than I would buy a
Hewlet Packard printer). The Power Devil shredder at £70ish worked
wonderfully and didn't jam anywhere near so much as the B&D. Both had
spinning discs with blades to chop the stuff. Not Power Devil's fault it
got junked, my own stupidity. Now have a JCB(?) at £180 which has a
rotating cogwheel that chews the branches. It's not as efficient imho as
the spinning disc as it doesn't always produce little chunks, often get a
long string of perforated branch instead. If you spend £500 perhaps you
get one with goblins with hacksaws inside who do a perfect job - depending
on how much you use it I'd go for the Power Devil



"Piers Parkin" wrote in message
...
I am intending to purchase a garden shredder and am looking for an
electric
model in the 300 - 500 pound range. I have been told that cheap shredders
are a waste of time, and like most people I am cash rich but time poor.
Why
people waste money on cheap junk always fascinates me!

Two models that receive good write-ups are the Scheppach Lonos 3 and the
ALKO SP5000. These appear to be the same machine despite a difference in
price of seventy pounds.

Are these the same machines or is the Scheppach made to a higher
standard?

Does anyone have any experience of either shredder or can recommend an
alternative?

Yours Piers - The Surrey Plantsman (Only an acre but well tended!)

"Piers Parkin" wrote in message
...
SNIP
Does anyone have any experience of either shredder or can recommend an
alternative?

I have the smaller AL-KO 3500 and can tell you it's brilliant!
Prior to getting it I hired the cheaper high speed types but the slow speed
AL-KO gear type are far better.
I've had it five years to fill six compost bins per annum plus many refuse
bins when space ran out.
It just recently need a new roller which cost £20 and was fitted in half an
hour.

Slatts