5 Best Wood Chippers Under $500 – Consumer Guide

Are you finding it difficult to clean your garden and maintain it? Then you are at the right place, where I have filtered out the best 5 wood chippers under $500, for gathering all the branches and twigs and then converting that all into the nutrient mulch.

Yeah, you got it right. Wood chippers act as a life saver, when there’s no other option other than collecting all the debris spread around and then not only cleaning your backyard or garden but also generating the nutrient rich mulch.

And this mulch could be proved really beneficial for your garden’s ground since it is a great shield for protecting the ground and keeping it moist and fresh.

I know it often becomes difficult to search for the desired product, since there are several products of different brands available in the market and also for different prices from very high to very low, according to their quality and durability.

Then filtering out something really beneficial, good quality and also durable, by remaining in the budget that suits you, often looks difficult too. 

Need of a wood chipper

If anyone owns a backyard or garden, then mulching is the best choice to consider, for me at least, because it’s not only productive but also an interesting task that can be carried as a hobby too.

If we talk about me, then covering the ground with munch is what I find most attractive about my garden or backyard other than the plants and greenery, and especially for the autumn lovers, this is such a treat to watch and feel.

I’ve been watching the wood chunks and trees limbs and small branches fall to the ground, and then wasted somewhere, or increasing the work and struggle of gardeners by finding the means to take them up and then put them somewhere else.

So, then I came across this machine, a wood chipper, that could resolve the problem of gardeners as well as soothe the soul of an autumn lover, who just gets excited by thinking about walking on such a munching treat to their feet.

Using Mulch From Affordable Wood Chipper For Plants

Also, one can make money by selling the mulch, so isn’t it quite interesting to convert the waste of your garden or trees to money? 

We often waste these twigs and branches that we find in our garden, thinking that they are just useless now, and aren’t of much benefit for us, but we forget that we could make money by using this waste and making something productive from it.

I have a friend who easily earns 15 to 18 dollars for 5 to 10 bags of mulch that he gathers from chipping the branches and twigs of his garden.

The idea was quite perfect as well as easing much difficulty, but then what about the budget?

So I started searching for the ones (wood chippers) that could perfectly fit my budget and fulfil the requirements and needs of my work. 

Mulch In Trolly By Using Wood Chipper

In the middle of all these, or eventually at the end, I concluded some tests and results of the best wood chippers in the market out there, based on the things one must have in an ideal wood chipper.  

But,, just before jumping to the filtrations that I got after a huge research on the wood chippers under my budget (under and around $500), let us have a look at a short comparison of my top picks and some other essential and important things that you should know before any final decision.

So let’s dive in:


Comparison Table of the 5 Best Wood Chippers under 500 Dollars

If you are in a hurry and quickly want to look and compare my top picked affordable and cheap wood chippers then below I have compared my top 5 picks.

Also, make sure to checkout their full reviews in the later section below for better understanding and decision.

Select any two Wood Chippers from the dropdown option below in the table to compare.

Top wood chippers under $500VS
1. Sun Joe CJ603E Electric wood chipper2. PowerSmart Electric wood chipper3. Earthwise electric wood chipper4. WEN 41121 Rolling electric wood chipper5. Sun Joe CJ601E Electric Wood chipper
Product Product-Review Product-Review Product-Review Product-Review Product-Review
Capacity1.73 inches1.63 inches1.75 inches1.5 inches1.5 inches
Motor15-Amp15-Amp15-Amp15-Amp14-Amp
Wheels22222
Ratings4.2/54.2/53.9/54.2/54.1/5
Weight(pounds)38.6 333123.125.4
BrandSun JoePowerSmartEarthwiseWENSun Joe
Reduction ratio21:120:115:117:116:1
Good forHigh capacity and reduction ratio Easy useHigh capacityLight weightLightweight 
AmazonCheck on AmazonCheck on AmazonCheck on AmazonCheck on AmazonCheck on Amazon
EbayCheck on EbayCheck on EbayCheck on EbayCheck on EbayCheck on Ebay
Full ReviewJump to Full ReviewJump to Full ReviewJump to Full ReviewJump to Full ReviewJump to Full Review

Types of Wood Chippers

There are mainly three (could be more or even less) kinds of wood chippers, we usually find in the market:

  • Electric wood chippers
  • Gas wood chippers
  • Commercial-grade wood chippers

Now, let’s dive in their details a little bit too:

Electric Wood Chippers

Everyone looks for the easiest way to complete some journey, or the most peaceful one. So are the electric wood chippers in regard to chipping the wood and chunks.

The electric wood chippers, as the name says, work with electricity, and are considered as the most lightweight and easy to handle as when we compare all the kinds of wood chippers out there.

The compact size of electric wood chippers make them easy to fit in at any place and store too. So, as a homie, this kind of wood chipper fits my needs so well that this machine couldn’t bother me ever.

Since these wood chippers are electric, all one could need to do is to plug the electric cord in and start chipping whatever wood material, dry leaves, tree branches and limbs are there. So easy. 

Best Wood Chipper Under $500 Review

One more benefit of these wood chippers is they are environment friendly, since as an inhabitant of this planet Earth, all we could try is reduce pollution and play our part in saving the atmosphere from being polluted.

These electric wood chippers do not produce any fumes, and that’s very clean of them.

Moreover, as compared to other kinds of chippers, they do not need much maintenance except for some plug replacements and oil change etc. 

So far, due to the compact size of an electric wood chipper, it could only chip the chunk up to 1 ⅜ inches (as the diameter of whatever wood you are chipping or munching).

Since, they couldn’t carry on much larger branches and wood, so you might come across a word ‘shredder’ with the electric wood chipper while searching for them.

Because of all of these reasons, my main focus will be towards Electric Wood Chippers under 500 Dollars in this article because only these are reliable in this budget range.

But what if you have some larger diameter branches of trees as well to munch? Then we had gas-powered wood chippers as well.

You may like to read: Top Jigsaw Under $100 Reports

Gas Wood Chippers

As the name suggests, gas wood chippers are powered by gas and they tend to be more powerful and larger in size as well when compared to electric wood chippers.

Because of their larger size and more power, they can chip the branches of 1 ½ inches up to approximately 7 inches (as the diameter of the wood). 

So that makes a huge difference between the electric wood chipper and a gas powered wood chipper.

Best Gas Wood Chipper Under $500 Review

All you must know is what’s your requirement, whether you will use it for larger branches or just tiny ones. 

Gas chippers further come in different kinds, like:

  • Only Gas Chipper
  • Gas Chipper Shredder

Popular and mostly used by the residential consumers who could shred the leaves as well as chip the big branches and wood as well.

  • Gas Chipper Shredder Vacuum

Because of the versatile nature of the sizes of gas wood chippers, they could be the priority for a homie as well as the professional worker too.

Big Machine Wood Chipper

Commercial-grade wood chippers

These commercial-grade wood chippers are used by the professionals mostly for the farms etc. and aren’t preferred for a homie like I am or the one who is searching for a wood chipper under 500 Dollars.

There are commonly three types of them available, like:

  • PTO wood chippers
  • Two behind wood chippers
  • Skid-steer wood chippers 
Commercial Wood Chipper

And also, they are costly, so let’s just focus on the things most, that suit our budget, for now.


Things to consider for the best wood chipper under $500

Below I have mentioned all the important things/features to look for when you are looking for a cheap and best wood chipper.

Capacity

The first thing that raises the need of a wood chipper in anyone’s house or outside, is the branches and wood debris, right?

So, it is quite obvious to keep in mind, what’s our level of chipping, like what’s the maximum size of the branches or wood for which we need a wood chipper. This capacity feature tells us what maximum size a wood chipper would be able to chip the wood (in diameter).

The smaller wood chippers would have a capacity of up to 3 to 4 inches in diameter, most probably.

But the larger ones (used for commercial purposes) could handle up to 160 inches diameter even, pretty huge!

Capacity Of The Best Wood Chipper Under $500

Engine

For just home use, or non-commercial use, the smaller wood chipper machines work fine, that are electric-powered mostly and are fume free as well as light-weight and need a very low maintenance.

But these features couldn’t satisfy the person who’s looking for a commercial usage wood chipper machine, so he would, most probably go for a gas-powered wood chipper. 

Blade

The quality of the blade matters, of course. Now, here, few people have a very confused mindset, like they believe that a wood chipper with more blades has more chipping power as compared to the single blade wood chipper.

This belief isn’t true at all, because quality always dominates quantity.

So it doesn’t really matter how many blades are there in the chip chamber, but the quality of the blade.

Reduction ratio

Reduction ratio of any wood chipper tells us how small the material would be after it has been converted from a large bulk to small chips or shreds.

Like if any wood splitter has the reduction ratio of 10:1, that means that it will reduce the size of a wood (or other compatible material) down to the 10th size of its actual size.

Reduction Ratio Of A Wood Chipper For Chipping Under 500 Dollars

So, it’s also an important factor to keep in mind, and also the requirement of how much small size you want the chipper to convert the debris into.

Some luxurious features

Some more features that one could look for in a high-end wood chipper include:

  • Self-sharpening blades
  • Towing drawers
  • Collecting bins
  • Hoppers etc.

You may also like: 10 Best Log Splitters Under $1000


Top 5 best wood chippers under $500 (Reviews)

I kept all of the above discussed things and considerations in my mind while finalizing my top picks and also from my personal testing and experience.

1. Sun Joe CJ603E Electric Silent Wood Chipper/Shredder

Sun Joe Cj603E Electric Silent Wood Chipper And Shredder Side View Review

This Sun Joe electric wood chipper/shredder is actually the first ever choice I could ever go for under such a budget, for its reviews/ratings, quality, long run and what not.

This wood chipper didn’t leave me desperate looking for the mess to clean up. One wouldn’t need to wear the ear plugs for its quiet nature.

Let’s dig in to the features now:

Specifications

  • Power: 15-Amp motor
  • Cutting diameter: 1.73 inches
  • Weight: 38.6 pounds
  • Wheels: two 7 inches 
  • Brand: Sun Joe
  • Reduction ratio: 21:1
  • Dimensions: 8 x 15 x 31 inches

Power and capacity

The Sun Joe Electric wood chipper comes with a powerful motor of 16-amp with the rated voltage of 120 Volts, 60 Hz. The powerful motor of Sun Joe can easily turn the branches, twigs and brush up to 1.73 inches in diameter into small chips. 

There’s no doubt about its efficient and durable working because its quality and tendency to run longer has proved this.

The only thing this motor could be obstinate with, is the fresh/green leaves, that aren’t dried up yet. Since, they aren’t dried so they can stick to the blades too, and could create problems sometimes as well. 

Portability

The wood chipper comes with 7-inches wheels that make it quite portable, easy to move from one place to the other without the effort of carrying it with some means to shift it anywhere.

So, these wheels are quite helpful in this regard, since it wouldn’t be possible for you to carry a weight of up to 38.6 pounds, or if you could, it would hurt your back too.

Reduction ratio

This wood chipper could reduce the size of the wood, branches, twigs etc. with a 21:1 reduction ratio, which simply means the 21th size of the original size of the material, pretty small. 

When it’s hopper is opened, the built-in safety stop engages automatically easing our work even more while shredding the debris.

Sun Joe Cj603E Best Electric Silent Wood Chipper And Shredder Under $500 Review

Ratings and reviews

Since, these ratings and reviews are now the last permit to mark the wood chipper done. So, let me tell you this Sun Joe wood chipper has got 4.2 out of 5 ratings overall and that’s actually the highest one among all the wood chippers there in the market.

Its safety feature is what that made it more demanding in the audience, as its users voted 4.8 out of 5 stars for its safety feature only, while it’s easy to assemble style and nature has got it 4.5 ratings overall.

Moreover I and most of the users find it very easy to use that adds value to the money. 

Warranty

One can also register for the Sun Joe’s wood chipper with a 2 years warranty.

Since, the users love to have warranty on whatever they buy because it boosts their confidence to go for that thing without any doubts or hesitation.

Pros

  • It doesn’t produce any dust due to its not much small sized mulch. So, it can be used easily for house use or the backyard etc.
  • It’s quite quiet and safe, so the user wouldn’t need to wear any ear plugs to reduce/eliminate its noise.
  • It’s a self-feeding wood chipper that reduces the risk of cutting or injuring your hands with the blades or machine.
  • The wood chipper comes with a collection bag as well that perfectly fits the exit chute so no need to worry about the mulch or chips going around.

Cons

  • It doesn’t handle the green leaves very well.

My verdict

This wood chipper has no doubt performed very well as compared to all the other chippers out there but it is not a shredder, if you want more smaller shreds then you can go for other wood chippers stated below.

It’s eco-friendly nature plus the versatility to chip the different kinds of wood stuff has eased the difficulty of buying a single machine for every single kind of stuff.

Since the machine is top-rated, it wouldn’t be unjust to say that if anyone wants an easy to handle and use wood chipper/shredder for home usage under $500 budget, this Sun Joe Electric wood chipper would be a good choice for use.

Note: For not fully dried up leaves or branches, allow them to fully dried up up to 8 to 10 weeks before mulching them up to maintain the durability and consistency of your machine.

I give it a rating of 9 out of 10 stars.


2. PowerSmart Electric Wood Chipper

Powersmart Electric Wood Chipper Under $500 Review

The PowerSmart Wood Chipper comes with a little bit less price than the SunJoe wood chipper, around $5 to $10’s difference just, but has been rated the same as the Sun Joe’s wood chipper.

Let’s see if there are some extra or upgraded features in the PowerSmart’s wood chipper that make it better than the Sun Joe wood chipper, because it is also the top-rated one in the market.

Specifications

  • Power: 15-Amp motor
  • Cutting diameter: 1.63 inches
  • Weight: 33 pounds
  • Wheels: two 6 inches 
  • Brand: PowerSmart

Power and capacity

Just like the Sun Joe wood chipper, this wood chipper also comes with a powerful motor of 15-Amp. This motor can handle the wood sticks or branches up to the diameter 1 ⅝ inches (1.625 inches) thick.

So here’s the first difference between the Sun Joe and PowerSmart wood chippers that the thickness of the sticks for Sun Joe can go upto 1.73 while the ones for the PowerSmart could be just 1.625 thick.

So Sun Joe is better in this regard here.

Portability

The PowerSmart wood chipper has 2 wheels at the rear of 6 inches in size.

The wheels of PowerSmart make the machine easy to move from one place to other, since we all know it isn’t possible and quite boring too, to just stick it to one place, while you are mulching the debris to layer your garden.

The size of the wheels for the Sun Joe wood chipper was 7 inches, not much difference though, but a difference at least, but its weight is 33 lb less than that of 38.6 lb of Sun Joe wood chipper.

Quick start and hopper lock

The wood chipper comes with this safety feature that whenever the power gets overloaded, it automatically cuts the power off, making the machine more durable and protects the wood chipper.

Also, it provides safe operation by locking the knob, whenever the hopper is opened, it prevents the motor from being operated, resulting in avoiding any risk or injury that could happen to the user.

Mulch And Chips Using Powersmart Electric Wood Chipper During Review

Warranty

PowerSmart offers 2 years warranty on all of its products, including the wood chipper.

Since, it offers good features as those of Sun Joe and also has a warranty at a somewhat less price, it’s a good choice to go for.

But the amount that makes it less than that of the price of Sun Joe could go for buying a basket for it, or if you have a basket or any means to store the mulch already then no problem in going for it.

Ratings and reviews

The PowerSmart electric wood chipper has got 4.2 out of 5 stars because of its efficient use and value of money.

I and many other users found it quite satisfying due to its extra silent and eco-friendly nature. Overall, this wood chipper has got its place in making its name for its ease of use, adding value to money.

Its ratings, looking at its features as well, make this machine the best value wood chipper in the market among all.

Pros

  • The machine is easy to use for various kinds of wood stuff.
  • The wheels are also durable.
  • Its quiet nature makes it easy to use and a treat for ears as well.
  • The compact size of the machine makes it easy to store anywhere, also being lightweight.

Cons

  • It cannot handle the green stuff (green leaves) very well.

My verdict

As one user, or even most of the users say, that the Very High Speed design of the machine makes the smaller chunks very easily.

Also, for less than $500 and even $200, the machine is quite helpful in making the money, as a user just got 6 bags of mulch from it at the very first use of worth $18 and ran it quite straight for 2 hours at the first without even a single problem.

So this machine is just high on the recommendation list.

I give it a rating of 8.5 out of 10 stars.


3. Earthwise GS70015 Electric wood chipper

Earthwise Gs70015 Electric Wood Chipper Under 500 Dollars

The Earthwise Electric wood chipper is the third top-rated wood chipper due to its durable nature and easy to use and clean features.

This wood chipper costs the same as Sun Joe wood chipper and also comes with a collection bin that the PowerSmart wood chipper didn’t have.

Moreover, the Sun Joe also didn’t have a collection bin, rather it had a collection bag, so the Earthwise wood chipper has more solid things than that.

Specifications

  • Power: 15-Amp motor
  • Cutting diameter: 1.75 inches
  • Weight: 31 pounds
  • Wheels: two wheels 
  • Brand: Earthwise
  • Dimensions: 24 x 18 x 42 inches

Power and capacity

The Earthwise wood chipper has a 15-Amp motor just like those of Sun Joe and PowerSmart wood chippers.

And it could shred the branches and wood sticks of up to 1.75 inches, that is more than both of the Sun Joe (1.73) and PowerSmart (1.625) wood chippers.

So it’s quite fair to go for Earthwise when you want to handle the thicker stuff. The motor runs at the speed of 4500 RPM.

Collection bin

This is one of the good things to consider about this wood chipper, that it comes with the collection bin, so there wouldn’t be any stuff spread around, making this feature quite helpful. The collection bin can store up to 10.5 gallons of mulch, that’s quite huge.

This feature is of great use when you have to put the mulch in bags, because one the bin gets filled, the mulch can easily be transferred from the bin to the bag, making the packing process quite efficient and convenient, and also adding ratings to its easy to clean feature.

Wood Chips And Mulch By Using Earthwise Gs70015 Electric Wood Chipper

Portability

The two rear wheels of the wood chipper make it easy to move it from one place to another, making the task easier. This feature of the Earthwise wood chipper is same as those of Sun Joe and PowerSmart wood chippers.

Since the weight of the Earthwise wood chipper is 31 pounds, that makes it lighter than both the Sun Joe (38.6 pounds) and PowerSmart(34 pounds) electric wood chippers.

So, it’s a plus point for the Earthwise wood chipper. 

It also offers 1 year warranty on its parts.

Ratings and reviews

The Earthwise Electric wood chipper is the third top rated wood chipper overall so it got 3.9 stars out of 5 considering all the reviews from its users.

Its easy to assemble and lightweight nature attracted its users a lot more than anything.

Moreover, it adds value to the money of its users by being so easy to use.

Pros

  • It’s very easy to use as well as clean.
  • The machine is quite light in weight.
  • The collection bin is very helpful in keeping the surroundings clean from the mulch.
  • The maximum diameter of wood is also good enough to handle the thicker woods as compared to other wood chippers.

Cons

  • It sometimes couldn’t handle harder wood.

My Verdict

I would say this wood chipper is also good to use because what I liked the most about this wood chipper is the collection bin that is installed in it already, protecting the surroundings as well as the user from getting the dust and easiness in packing the mulch too.

If these features and its reputation satisfy you too, it’s quite a fair choice to choose.

I give it a rating of 8 out of 10 stars.


4. WEN 41121 Rolling Electric Wood Chipper

Wen 41121 Rolling Electric Wood Chipper Under $500 Review

So, let’s talk about the wood chipper whose design just got me to go for it.

Also, it’s relatively cheap when compared to the Sun Joe electric wood chipper(stated above), PowerSmart electric wood chipper and the Earthwise wood chipper.

And when observed overall, it’s the second most cheapest electric wood chipper in the market out there among the best electric wood chippers and also runs in the race of being the most top-rated wood chippers under $500.

Specifications

  • Power: 15-Amp motor
  • Cutting diameter: 1.5 inches
  • Weight: 23.1 pounds
  • Wheels: two 6 inches 
  • Brand: WEN
  • Reduction ratio: 17:1
  • Dimensions: 21 x 16.5 x 36 inches

Power and capacity

The WEN electric wood chipper comes with a powerful motor of 15-Amp just like the other wood chippers above, with two 7 inches blades.

The machine can come up with 8,000 cuts per minute (approximately 130 cuts per second). It can shred the branches and wood sticks of up to 1.5 inches in diameter. 

So here’s the first thing that makes it different and less efficient than others, by being less in cost too, because the maximum diameter for Sun Joe was 1.73, similarly for PowerSmart and Earthwise, it was 1.625 and 1.75  respectively.

Portability

With its two 6 inches wheels and a pull handle, it is very easy to move it from one place to any other without being worried about its weight that is already very less as compared to all others. 

Yes, its weight is only 23.1 pounds, surprisingly less than all the other best electric wood chippers stated here, making it ultimately the most lightweight electric wood chipper among all yet.

Reduction ratio

The reduction ratio of the WEN electric wood splitter is 17:1, which means it could minimize the actual size of the stuff to the 17th portion of it, but this ratio is less than that of the Sun Joe electric wood chipper(21:1).

But still it is preferred for home usage, for shredding the sticks in the backyard.

The safety feature is also quite appreciated since it doesn’t let the machine start when the hopper is opened, making you safe from any injury.

Much By Using Wen 41121 Rolling Electric Wood Chipper

Ratings and reviews

The WEN electric wood chipper has got the same ratings as that of Sun Joe electric wood chipper and also the PowerSmart wood chipper and by now you would know it too that 4.2 out of 5 is the highest ratings among all the wood chippers under this budget.

So yes, this wood chipper is also the highest rated one from the best wood chippers.

Pros

  • The machine is quite cheap in price, so good to use if you can’t afford the ones with the higher price.
  • The size of chips is also acceptable and fine.
  • This is very light in weight making the work more easy and handy.
  • Overall it has good positive reviews from its users for its light and efficient work.

Cons

  • Cannot handle bigger sticks.
  • Few users find it difficult to replace or change the parts of it.

My Verdict

Since this is among the first highest rated wood chippers, I couldn’t deny its working and features that it offers.

Even users were not unsatisfied by this machine or disappointed because of the cheaper price range.

I give it a rating of 8 out of 10 stars.

Recommended Read: Tacklife Compound Milter Saw Review


5. Sun Joe CJ601E Electric Wood Chipper/Shredder

Sun Joe Cj601E Electric Wood Chipper And Shredder Under $500 Review

This Sun Joe CJ601E wood chipper couldn’t be neglected while talking about the best affordable wood chippers because of its cheap price and the second top rated one.

So this electric wood chipper is also a good option at a cheap price. 

Specifications

  • Power: 14-Amp motor
  • Cutting diameter: 1.5 inches
  • Weight: 25.4 lbs
  • Wheels: two 6 inches 
  • Brand: Sun Joe
  • Reduction ratio: 16:1

Power and capacity

This wood chipper comes with a 14-Amp motor that helps shred the sticks and branches of the trees and leaves of up to 1.5 thicker diameter.

The diameter capacity of this Sun Joe’s wood chipper/shredder is less than that of the Sun Joe’s CJ603E wood slipper, PowerSmart and the Earthwise electric wood chipper and same as that of WEN electric wood chipper.

It works at the speed of 4,300 RPM.

Portability

There are 2 rear wheels of about 6 inches to make it portable just like other wood chippers.

Its weight is 25.4 pounds, making it the second most lightweight wood chipper too, but still it’s heavy to carry it up.

So the wheels wouldn’t let you carry it yourself, but will help you to move it anywhere according to the need and requirement of the time and work.

Reduction ratio

The reduction ratio of this Sun Joe’s wood chipper is 16:1, less than Sun Joe’s other version (stated above) and the WEN rolling electric wood chipper.

But still, the outcomes are satisfying and acceptable since the users like it much because it is cheap as well. 

Warranty

The machine comes with the warranty of 2 years. It’s just like icing on the cake for the users who are in a dilemma whether to get it or not because of its cheap price and satisfying features.

Now one could go for it easily because everyone knows that there’s a warranty of 2 years for this item, if any problem occurs, then it can be replaced or resolved as well.

Mulch Using The Sun Joe Cj601E Electric Wood Chipper And Shredder During Review

Ratings and reviews

This wood chipper is the second most top-rated among all the wood chippers that are present in the market at the range below $500.

Overall it got 4.1 out of 5 ratings but what the users liked the most in it is its easy to assemble and safety features along with its price.

Its high ratings give the users confidence to go for it without any hesitation because if so many persons loved using this machine so would they do too, most probably.

Pros

  • It is lightweight and compact.
  • Easy to move and store somewhere.
  • The safety knobs prevent the motor from operating when the hopper is opened, so it is quite safe too.
  • It has a circuit breaker for better safety.
  • Good quality blades.

Cons

  • A user complained that it got jammed when he tried to put a slightly larger stick. So, for the durability of your machine, don’t put the larger sticks or branches in it, exceeding the criteria/limit given in the manual.

My verdict

What could I say even, when it’s the cheapest of all the wood chippers here and also fulfils all the basic needs of a wood chipper for home or personal usage.

This wood chipper is recommended if one wants to get a quality machine at a low price too. This machine comes in the list of those that are considered the best value machines.

So, the choice is always yours.

I give it a rating of 8 out of 10 stars.


How to safely operate a wood chipper?

Beware of your own safety as well. So, below are the steps which one should follow to safely operate a wood chipper.

Also, make sure to check in detail about using a wood chipper and other essentials you should know about it.

Safely Operating A Wood Chipper
  • Wear proper eye-glasses and thick layered gloves while operating a wood chipper.
  • Try to wear clothes that don’t fly in much wider (like baggy clothes), in order to protect them from getting caught in the hopper. 
  • Try to place the wood chipper on a levelled surface, not an uneven or rough one.
  • Check the debris you are putting into the machine, there shouldn’t be any metal or some stones, since they could damage the blades of the wood chipper as well.
  • Protect your hands, not only by gloves, but if the debris you are putting into the machines are much smaller then use some supporting material like a longer branch to feed the debris in.

How to maintain a wood chipper for longer use?

So now, you have pretty much information about the wood chippers, and are ready to try one too, so let’s see how to maintain your wood chipper, because carelessness makes the things less durable than they actually are.

The first thing I’d recommend you to do must, is to read the manual that comes with the machine, because where a wood chipper has eased your work, the other way it could become dangerous somehow, if it’s not properly maintained.

  • Grease the moving parts of your wood chipper regularly, or for some specified interval of time.
  • Clean the air filter of your wood chipper, or you could replace it too, if you desire so.
  • Change or replace the oil of it as well.
  • Rotate the blades when necessary or not used for so long, or replace them.
  • Blades should be sharpened when they become dull (follow the manual must).

FAQs

Below are some of the frequently asked question regarding cheap wood chippers that I have answered.

Is a wood chipper under $500 worth it to buy?

Yes, for sure, but for domestic usage only as it fulfils all the basic requirements and need for home usage. 

When should we go above $500 for a wood chipper?

If you want the one that could work with on a professional level for the sticks and other stuff bigger than the estimated diameter (above 2 inches). Then you should go for a gas-powered wood chipper as it works very well on a bigger scale.

Here I’ve got the best gas wood chipper for its efficient performance: Landworks Mini Wood Chipper.

Which is the best domestic wood chipper under 500 dollars?

The Sun Joe CJ603E and PowerSmart electric wood splitters are the best domestic wood chipper under $500.


Conclusion

This was all about the best 5 wood chippers one could go for. Since the gas-powered wood chippers work on a larger scale, they usually do not come under the budget of $500.

From where I stand, the Sun Joe CJ603 wood chipper is the best one among all the stated wood chippers or if you want the approximately same best performance but a little bit more thickness (0.2 difference) then the Earthwise Electric wood splitter is another option to go.

But keep it in mind too, that other wood chippers like the Sun Joe CJ601E, WEN and PowerSmart are no less good in performance too. So you are free in your choice too. 

I hope this helps you!

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