Bosch AXT 25 D Quiet Shredder

 

 

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It loves hard woody material up to 1 1/2 inches diameter, you'll struggle to get soft or mainly leafy stuff through (which the Rapid doesn't have a problem with), but then soft stuff rots down fast enough anyway so not really a problem. The 22 & 25TC has a new type of cutter that is meant to overcome this, but I decided not to be the Guinea Pig and let someone else try out the new system. Recommended by Fredshed, worth a read before you commit to buying, if you've got time. It's the same toothed gear against a metal plate in a drum, as on it's predecessor the AXT 2200HP Quiet, but with an extra 0.3kW's, which you can see in action on YouTube `Best Electric Garden Shredder for Home use'. That part works well, plenty of torque, and will chew through stuff that cause most/any other electric shredding machine to jam up, the AXT 2200HP Rapid included.
The difference between this one and it's predecessor is the built in collection box, and why I only gave it 4 stars, once the box gets about 1/2 full the mulch builds up under the drum and tends to get drawn back into the machine again, and starts blocking it. It would be better to let the mulch fall on the ground but you can't easily do this as without the box the bottom of the cutter is exposed to children's fingers and dogs noses, and it has a safety transponder in the box that cuts out the motor if it's not in place. Soft stems have a tendency to come out bruised rather than cut, but if woody material is only chewed and still in one length you have to wind in the metal plate against the drum with the drum turning until you can just hear metal against metal. The Hardened steel cutter will actually bed into the softer alloy plate, and the cutter is then set. All garden shredder tend to work better if you put the material through within a week of it being cut, as woody material dries out it gets much harder.
I would say buy the predecessor that doesn't have the collection box if the 2200HP Quiet wasn't more expensive than the newer 25D. Despite this the 25D is a good well made, built to last machine, that would eat my previous £90 1600w Performance Power impact shredder for breakfast, it's not perfect, but one of the best on the market.

It is hard to know what or who the AXT 25D was designed for. Possibly those who need a shredder to be very quiet and have little garden waste to dispose of. For us, it had a very slow through-put and mangled more than shredded the material. We sold it on at a greatly reduced price and bought instead the Bosch Rapid Shredder 2200 - cheaper than the AXT 25D and superb. Not unduly noisy, excellent throughput and genuine shreddings.

This is a durable, quiet, good shredder once you get the knack of how to use it without clogging it! I'm led to believe that the older model without the box is less likely to clog (axt 2000?) and newer models may handle green stuff better.

This shredder has chomped through loads of overgrown material from our garden, and is still going strong after 1 year of significant use (our garden was a bit neglected!). I have used it for extended periods and it has never overheated. It is best for woody material, which can be as large as the manufacturer states (4cm I think). The feeding funnel prevents you from feeding anything too big. Woody stuff is really easy to shred and comes out in very small pieces. Greener stuff needs to be put in slowly (a handful at a time for really soft stuff) or it will clogg - it is quicker to include woody material with it, to help it go in. However, it comes with a pusher to help it go down in these circumstances, and has a reverse function if all else fails. But you don't really need to shred the leafy stuff, do you? It self feeds in a very satisfying way, freeing you to pick up the next batch - so it is really good for long branches/stems.

There is a large box for collecting clippings underneath. Personally I'd prefer not to have this, since once it gets about half full the clippings pile up and clog the cutting blade. It's easy to unclog again (wearing gloves, stick your hand up the bottom and pull it out). A safety feature prevents the cog from turning when the box is out of position. Empty th ebox often to avoid clogging.

It is really (relatively) quiet, which is a big plus for me. No louder than an electric lawnmower - so I don't feel self conscious about annoying the neighbours when I use it for an hour or so (something I was worried about). This means I use it for everything. Downside to this is that, due to the way it works, it is (I expect) slower than the noisier 'Rapid' ones (compare the quoted decibel levels before buying).

The clippings are small enough to compost quickly, which is why I bought it. It makes a great compost. In some cases I've used them as a mulch/soil improver after 3 months. Great! (Of course, you can use it immediately but I think experts advise against this as it is bad for the plants). When the shredder gets 'blunt' all you need to do is turn the knob on the side, and then shreddings are cut perfectly again. (NB I had to do this before first using it even though the instructions said I shouldn't need to.) You can buy replacement parts for the 'pressure plate' that is worn away for around £5 when it eventually wears out (apparently after several years) but the cutter is more expensive (£40?) so look after it - don't shred stones and wire!

It is very heavy (not something I enjoy wheeling around). The 2 wheels are also quite close together so it is prone to falling sideways - particularly as the centre of gravity is quite high. If you are not very strong, or will have to move it up and down multiple steps, get a lighter one.

In summary, I will probably buy a different Bosch shredder when this one wears out, due to the clogging and weight issues, but I don't think that will be for a very long time, and I'm pretty happy with it in the mean time.

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5.0 out of 5 stars now ive tried it!
review delayed to give this baby a good working out!... this is a very HEAVY solid bit of equipment, the quality in build etc is apparent. Read more

Published 1 month ago by chris m

3.0 out of 5 stars Problems with returns
I purchased this shredder a little over 6 weeks ago, when using it for the first time a small screw that holds a cutting plate in place broke off (after only a few hours working),... Read more

Published 4 months ago by AT

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and Quiet
Worth spending the extra on this rather than the really cheap shredders. Really quiet, no ear protectors required and no angry neighbours. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Chris D

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping the waste down.
If this shredder turns out to be as sturdy as the package it came in, it will be superb! Only took me 20 mins to unpack it. Read more

Published 4 months ago by A. Ridett

4.0 out of 5 stars A Useful Purchase
We have a large garden with lots of trees and mature shrubs which seem to constantly need cutting back, pruning and lopping. Read more

Published 4 months ago by ChrissieBee

5.0 out of 5 stars Bosch AXT 25D Garden Shredder
It was necessary to adjust factory setting for cutters: couldn't be easier. Most pleased by the ease with which it could be unblocked by removing collecting box then pulling... Read more

Published 4 months ago by PepperPiper

4.0 out of 5 stars Does the job well!
Before this purchase I tried borrowing an impact shredder but I ended up having to sort Rose from Ivy from Stinging Nettles from Blackthorne etc., otherwise it would jam. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Jezz

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for chunky, not so great on 'green'
Bought this to deal with large budleija's 'trees' ~ 6-10' tall.

Does well on the dry thin bits or any large branches (what it is designed for). Read more

Published 5 months ago by Pye's Mum

4.0 out of 5 stars Bosch shredder
I had high expectations of this machine. It does the job reasonably well, I have been using it to shred the remains of a large holly bush. Read more

Published 5 months ago by M. A. Davis

4.0 out of 5 stars Garden shredder
A sturdy product which will handle quite large branches. Does not chop up resinous (pine) items very well - leaves them in long strings which then block it up. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Forester

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