The WORX WG430 Mulcher/Shredder is designed to take all of those piles of fall leaves and reduce them down to 1/11 of their original size. This process creates a fine mulch for use in gardens or flower beds. The mulcher features a 13 Amp electric motor that produces an 8500 RPM max speed controlled by an oversized on-off switch. The clean-air motor cooling system filters debris while controlling motor temps.
A 13-inch diameter cutting system uses standard string trimmer cutting line. The trimmer line can be replaced without the need for tools. The WG430 is rated for mulching up to 53 gallons of leaves per minute. Mulched material can be fed directly into a paper or plastic bag under the unit with the included bag holder.
Assembly of the unit is tool-free, all parts nest together for storage. The total weight of the mulcher is less than 20 pounds making it portable. The Work WG430 comes with 24 replacement cutting lines, the universal bag holder, and a 2-year warranty.
Worx WG430 Product Specs
- 13 Amp electric motor with 8500 RPM max speed
- Tool-Free assembly
- Tool-Free cutting line replacement
- 11 to 1 reduction ratio of leaves
- Weighs less than 20 pounds
- 2 year warranty
What the reviewers said…
Assembly/Storing the Mulcher
The WORX WG430 Electric Leaf Shredder assembles easily and the process is tool-free. The quick assembly is a big plus. It’s really nice to be able to break down the unit before storing it away for the season. It takes up much less space this way. All of the pieces nest nicely inside of each other when disassembled which is also great for storing away in small spaces.
The WG430 is very lightweight at less than 20 pounds. and this makes it very easy to move the mulcher wherever it is needed in the yard without straining.
Assembly of the unit is tool-free
Power and Mulching Capability
The 13 Amp motor is larger than some of the other leaf shredder models. This gives it plenty of power for cutting through a varitey of materials. The cutting system is basically just an inverted string trimmer. It works well at shredding leaves, especially the dry variety.
It greatly reduces down giant piles of leaves into a fine mulch. The 11:1 reduction ratio adveretised is fairly accurate. If you bag leaves for curbside pick-up or carry them off yourself, it will reduce the number of bags needed. This also cuts down on the effort it takes to drag/drive all of those bags around.
The Worx WG430 Reduces Material by a 11:1 Ratio
The mulch is great for using around the garden and as a good addition to compost. It’s nice to be able to recycle all of that leaf waste into something useful each year. The ability to shred the leaves directly into paper or plastic bags is a big help. It would have been nice though, if the WG430 was a bit taller to accommodate large size leaf bags better.
An Easy Fix to a Common Problem
Small twigs that are mixed in with the leaves can also be mulched up with no problem. The larger sized sticks will sometimes cause the cutting string to either wear down quickly or break. The small size trimmer string that comes with the WG430 doesn’t hold up as well to sticks or wet leaves.
An easy fix for this is to simply replace the included trimmer string with a thicker, higher quality standard string trimmer line. You can get trimmer line at any home improvement store. Trimmer string comes in different sized spools with varied thickness. One spool is fairly cheap and lasts a long time. A 0.095 inch thickness string or larger works best.
If you go too large on the trimmer string size, you may have to drill out the string hole in the shredder. Make it slightly bigger to allow the larger cutting line to go through. This is easy to do and greatly extends the life of each piece of cutting string even when the occasional stick gets into the unit.
Cutting Line and Feeding in Material
The cutting string line is very quick and easy to replace. It can be done without using any tools. Inside of the mulcher is a cutting blade that always assures the proper cutting string length. There is no need to spend a lot of time getting the string to the exact size when replacing.
Leaves go through the funnel and are shredded into mulch.
The funnel on top is big enough to allow large amounts of leaves to be put in at one time. The leaves feed through smoothly, as long as they are poured in loosely, and not packed tightly. It helps to try and sort out any hard debris such as rocks, very large sticks, or pine cones as you load up the leaves. This will extend the life of the cutting string and reduce the chances of that hard debris being thrown back at you during mulching.
It’s a Dirty Job
As is the case with pretty much all other mulchers, mulching/shredding with the WORX WG430 can become dusty. The dust is worse when working with dry leaves, so it definitely helps to stand in a spot upwind of the unit. You may also want to consider using goggles and dust mask to protect yourself.
THE GOOD
- Very easy tool-free assembly
- Lightweight and easy to store
- 13 amp motor has lots of power
- Works very well on dry leaves
- Recycles yard waste into a rich mulch
THE BAD
- Needs to be a bit taller to better accommodate large size leaf bags
- Small size cutting string that is included doesn’t hold up well to sticks mixed in with leaves
BOTTOM LINE
The WORX WG430 Electric Leaf Shredder is very lightweight, portable, fairly easy to use, and works really well at reducing down piles of leaves for easier disposal. The mulch created is great for gardens, flowerbeds, or as an addition to compost for organic gardening. Although the cutting strings tend to wear down and break fairly often, a couple of modifications can greatly increase their life, and make the WG430 a very functional addition to the fall clean up routine.
