Flowtron The Ultimate Mulcher 8 Amp Electric Leaf Shredder #LE-900 | 
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| Brand: Flowtron
Category: Home Improvement
List Price: $199.99
Buy New: $149.99
You Save: $50.00 (25%)
New (5) from $149.99
Rating:  183 reviews
Media: Tools & Hardware
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 20.6
Dimensions (in): 23.2 x 19.6 x 19.3
MPN: LE-900
Model: LE-900
UPC: 026713099001
EAN: 0026713099018
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | 1-bushel electric leaf shredder; special positions for grass, thatch, pine needles | | • | 5 amp motor (8 amp max), 21-inch hopper; reduces 11 bags of leaves to 1 bag | | • | Light, rugged polyethylene funnel and housing; some assembly required | | • | 36 heavy-duty cutting lines and legs included | | • | 17 pounds; limited one-year warranty |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The wide 21-inch diameter funnel swallows leaves as fast as you can feed them, mincing them down to fine mulch. This little unit is surprisingly powerful, and at only 17 pounds it's so light you can mount it atop a trash can or bungee-cord a plastic bag to the outfeed and collect the waste. Out of the box, it goes together literally in minutes with just a screwdriver. The hopper tilts to 45 degrees to make loading easier, and the sliding control lever is easy to read, with settings for grass, thatch, wet leaves, dry leaves and pine needles. Double cutting lines are powered by an 8-amp motor on regular household current, and the motor intake filter comes out easily for cleaning. A built-in storage compartment keeps extra line at the ready, and changing cutter lines is easy. It's a great unit for the homeowner, reducing 11 bags of leaves to just one bag of mulch, ready for use in flower beds and vegetable gardens.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste
Product Description
The Ultimate Mulcher quickly recycles yard and garden waste into nutrient rich mulch, solving the disposal problem. It can reduce leaves, pine neddles, grass clippings and even paper, wet or dry, from 11 bags into only 1. The mulcher is constructed of steel and rugged high-density polythylene for long life and easy maintenance, has a powerful 8.0 amp thermally protected universal motor with overload protection, and runs on an ordinary household current. Please note, this mulcher is NOT designed for sticks, twigs or branches. Moderate assembly required. It features:
A. Coarse to Fine Shredding Adjustment- special settings for pine needles, thatch, and grass clippings
B. Convenient Built-in Storage Compartment- holds replacement cutting lines, gloves, safety glasses, etc.
C. Special Tilt Adjustment- rotates 180 degrees for compact storage
D. Elastic Bungee Cord- holds leaf-bag firmly in place
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| Customer Reviews: Read 178 more reviews...
 Leaf Shredder - works great December 1, 2008
L. Handy (SE Penna.)
Works as advertised - especially on dry leaves
I did not find it to be overly noisy or dusty
similar to an electric weed-wacker.
Just do not over feed, and keep the sticks out.
 So far, so good - with room for improvement November 29, 2008
Dig It (Rockport , MA USA)
Overall, performance has exceeded my expectations. As other reviewers have said, it is awkward to assemble as the two sides of the hopper didn't fit together quite right and required another person to help with pulling it into shape so all the attachments could be made. Have used it quite a bit this season and as long as we turn it on before starting to feed the leaves and we feed them a little at a time, it works great with no jamming. The legs are a little too short to fit a good size barrel underneath, so the machine has to be lifted and moved alot and because the base isn't quite wide enough, the lifting and moving is again awkward. If Mr. and Mrs. Flowtron are listening, let me suggests some improvements: 1) make the base legs a little wider and longer and put it on wheels allowing the user to roll it over a standard size trash barrel and make the process faster and easier OR 2) decide on a recommended size and shape trash barrel and put cross pieces on the legs so that the machine sits on top of the barrel. Flowtron is pretty much the only game in town when it comes to a relatively inexpensive leaf shredder, so I'm sure the market would bear a few more dollars in cost for an easier to use machine.
 Great gadget November 23, 2008
WinterGardener (Zone 5)
In spite of the mixed reviews, I ordered the Flowtron leaf shredder, and it arrived, to my surprise, two days later. It took 90 minutes for a friend with a mechanical mind to put it together, but it was worth it.
This machine does exactly what it claims to do -- shred leaves. The only bother, and it isn't much, is that you have to pull out twigs that can interfer with the shredding process. Otherwise, I like using it. I don't jam large handfulls into the funnel all at once, but sprinkle them in. The machine is not noisy, as others have claimed (it is certainly quieter than a lawn mower or a weed-eater)nor does it produce dust. I recommend this gadget to anyone who wants a mindless activity that produces instant results. It's easy to carry from place to place, too.
Flowtron Mulcher-Shredder November 22, 2008
Linda Carlson (Muskegon, MI.)
I was so excited when I got my flowtron shredder-mulcher, until I tried to assemble it. What a nightmare!! It took 2 people to hold the top together to put the screws in. It needs something to push the leaves down so that you don't get your fingers chopped off. It was not heavy to carry, thank goodness. It worked great on dry leaves, but when I switched it to wet leaves and tried that, it didn't work so well. I do like the fact that the ratio is 30 to 1 because I use a lot of the shredded leaves for mulchng my flower gardens.
Flowtron Leaf-eater produces gorgeous leaf meal for the garden but not without some some headaches November 21, 2008
Kelly Calandrino (Utica, MI)
This is my second year using the Flowtron Ultimate mulcher and as many of the other reviews maintain, it is a great machine if you recognize its limitations. Keep in mind that this unit is a lot cheaper than other, better built units on the market!
The main problem I encountered is that the unit easily overheats. The spinner which holds the string "blades" melted on me TWICE in a year (from Spring & Fall usage) but the upside is that Flowtron mailed me replacement parts free of charge which were received about 4 days later. This machine has its flaws but the customer service is OUTSTANDING!!
The second spinner I received was a harder plastic than the original but still melted after being "overworked". This is a serious flaw and one I DO NOT feel has been adequately remedied but I still love the ease with which I can produce finely shredded mulch. Grinding DRY leaves is essential, otherwise the unit clogs.
As another reviewer pointed out, the unit can be gently shaken to help the material reach the string blades for grinding. This "gentle" motion caused the leg clamps on my unit to break--nothing that a little duct tape couldn't fix though. LOL Again, Flowtron sent replacement parts but I just kept the duct tape on and it works fine and even allows the unit to move more easily when being shaken.
I recommend allowing the unit to cool down for at least 20 minutes after about 45 minutes of use. Also, beware of sticks, rocks, and sturdier stems (such as from coneflowers, etc) which which simply break the string blades. Changing the strings, however, is easily done and replacement ones can be purchased at most any hardware store or at your local home improvement center. You will know that the string need to be changed when the leaves are being ground as a reduced rate.
The mulch produced by the Leaf-Eater is a beautiful finishing touch to flowerbeds and I have noticed an increased worm population since I began dressing my beds with the leaf meal/mulch 2 years ago.
Despite having had 2 meltdowns, I still LOVE my Leaf-Eater. It is an invaluable tool and well worth the money! After the 2nd spinner meltdown, my hubby investigated other sturdier units but those were priced between $600-$1200!! So respect the machine, wear eye protection & go green and save green with the Flowtron Leaf-Eater!!
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