The Westinghouse 15 Amp Electric Chipper Shredder, Reviewed for Suburban Pruning Piles

Who this chipper is for

A suburban yard produces a pile of prunings every spring and fall: rose canes, fruit tree suckers, hedge trimmings, the odd dead limb. Hauling it to the curb is a chore and burning it is often banned. The Westinghouse 15 amp electric chipper shredder is sized for that pile and nothing bigger, with a motor that runs from a household outlet, a 12-gallon bag to catch the chips and a weight of about 19 pounds, so it can be carried to the pile rather than the pile to it.

This review is based on the maker’s published specifications and on recurring owner feedback. We have not run this product ourselves.

What you get

The machine is a corded electric chipper shredder with a 15 amp motor the maker rates at up to 4000 RPM. The title gives a 1.7-inch branch capacity and the feature list says 1.8 inches; call it about 1.75 inches, which is the norm for 15 amp electric chippers. It has a dual-hole feed hopper, one opening for branches and one for leafy material, and SK5 steel blades. Safety features are a hopper interlock, overload protection and a no-wait restart after the overload trips. It rides on 7-inch wheels, weighs 19.2 pounds per the listing and ships with a 12-gallon collection bag. Westinghouse states a two-year limited warranty and lifetime technical support.

Chipping capacity

About 1.75 inches is the maker’s maximum for a straight, dry, clean branch fed slowly. In practice an electric chipper of this class is comfortable on material up to about an inch to an inch and a quarter, and the last half inch of its rating demands patience, a steady feed and a branch with no forks. Green, sappy wood up to the limit is fine; dry hardwood near the limit stalls the motor and trips the overload, which is what the no-wait restart is for. The dual-hole hopper is the right design for mixed yard waste: branches go in the narrow chute where the blades meet them, leaves and soft stems go in the wide one. Owners of this class of chipper consistently report that leaves and wet greens clog the discharge unless they are fed in small handfuls mixed with woody material.

Feed, throughput and the bag

Fifteen amps is the ceiling for a standard US outlet, so every electric chipper in this class has the same power budget and the differences are in the blades and the hopper. SK5 is a hard, high-carbon steel that holds an edge well, and blades on chippers of this design are typically reversible, so a dull edge is flipped before it is replaced. Throughput is measured in branches per minute rather than cubic yards per hour: a wheelbarrow of prunings is an afternoon with a drink nearby, not a job for a weekend crew. The 12-gallon bag fills quickly on leaves and more slowly on wood chips; it is a convenience for a patio, and on a lawn many owners simply let the chips fall.

Build, handling and ergonomics

At 19.2 pounds with 7-inch wheels, this is one of the lighter chippers in the class and the easiest to move. The light weight has a cost: the machine shifts on the lawn when a stiff branch is forced in, so feed with one hand and steady the hopper with the other. Hearing and eye protection are sensible; a 15 amp chipper is loud enough to notice indoors. Use a 12-gauge extension cord no longer than needed, since a long thin cord drops voltage and makes the motor stall sooner.

Living with it

Blades dull on dirty or sandy branches; keep the prunings off the ground and flip or replace the blades when chips turn to splinters. Empty the hopper and discharge after each session, since damp material rusts the blades. It stores upright in a garage corner. Westinghouse’s two-year limited warranty is at the better end for electric chippers; register it. Lifetime technical support is a phone line, not a parts guarantee.

Alternatives to Consider

The WEN 41119 is the direct rival, with the same 15 amp motor and a 1.75-inch rating, a push stick with onboard storage and two 7-inch blades, from a brand with a long record of spares availability. The Sun Joe CJ603E is the other established 15 amp chipper, with a similar capacity, a slightly larger hopper and a large owner base, so advice and parts are easy to find. If the pile includes limbs up to 3 inches, no electric chipper will do and the SuperHandy 7HP gas mini chipper is the next step up.

Verdict

Buy the Westinghouse 15 amp electric chipper shredder if your yard waste is prunings and small branches under about an inch and a half, you want the lightest machine in the class with a bag and a two-year warranty, and you have an outlet within cord reach. Skip it if you have storm limbs, fruit tree cuts over two inches or a wooded lot, where a gas chipper is the only honest answer.