Customer Reviews

Flowtron LE-800 Leaf-Eater Electric Leaf Shredder

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The unit was easy to assemble. It is a bit on the noisy side, as other reviewers have mentioned. Also, it is sometimes hard to get stable on a slightly slanted yard. If you are serious about doing leaf shredding, then you'll want to set the machine on top of a tarp and move it around the tarp as the piles of shredded leaves mound up under the machine.

The biggest downfall is how fragile it is: This is a leaf shredder only. It cannot handle even the smallest twig or branch without jamming or breaking the shredding devices inside. This was a big problem for me since its very difficult to 'screen' out every little branch before loading rake-fulls of leaves into the hopper. I got tired of having to constantly shut it down, unclog it due to some unshredded twig, restarting it, and then re-loading all the unshredded leaves, trying to screen out any twigs on the way.

Because of this I have since stopped using it.

This is an excellent value. Good basic item for fall cleanup chores. As others have mentioned, it is a string trimmer mounted upside down in a funnel. Replacement strings are easy to replace. Small bits of brush and twigs are handled well. It is, however, meant to reduce the volume of leaves, not brush. It will do slightly wet leaves, but care must be taken not to feed them in too fast, or the machine can overload. Used with a bit of common sense, it is a great yard cleanup aid.

At first i wasn't all that thrilled with how well this thing worked. I started brainstorming on ways i could improve this thing and i finally got it!

I went to home depot and bought the Echo Rapid-Loader replacement string trimmer cutting head(Universal Fit).

Remove the original cutter head from the Flowtron. Place the large spacer that comes with the Echo cutter head in the Flowtron.

Place the small spacer inside the Echo cutting head and then place the Echo cutting head on top of the large spacer you just put into the Flowtron.

Use One of the universal(1 of 4) placed on the opposite side of the small spacer and the hex screw to tighten down the Echo cutting head.

I used the .095 trimmer string and it didnt last too long but BOY DID THIS THING EAT LEAVES WITH AN APPETITE FOR MORE.

Im going to load it up with .105 and .155 trimming string which should work even better and last longer than the .095 trimming string.

Got my LE-900F yesterday from Amazon.com. I thought that the assembly was pretty easy. Heck, there were only a few parts to put together. The manual wasn't really needed for assembly. I did use the book but I could have easily put it together with out it. Reading other posts did help some before putting it to use. After assembly the first thing I did was tighten the plastic covered lock nut. Read a few posts that mentioned the nut flying off during use. This afternoon I shredded 21, 30 gallon bags of assorted leaves (oak, maple, pecan, etc.). I fed the thing with two handfuls each time, just like some of the posts recommended. I removed several sticks and a few did pass through. The breaker never popped and the original strings were used for the whole 21 bag operation. The ends of the chords were slightly frayed. Tomorrow I have about 25 more bags to shred and will start off with the original strings. I am using the shredded leaves as organic material for my garden soil. I have raised beds and just set the machine in the center of the garden. I cut the top off the shipping box and used it to collect the shredded leaves. Each time the box filled up I would shut off the motor and dump the contents into the beds. I dumped the bags into a large metal trash can which was right next to the machine. I sat in my lawn chair while feeding the machine. I used the dry leaves medium setting during the whole operation.
After putting a two-inch layer on top of the beds I tilled the shredded leaves into the soil. Tomorrow I'll be doing the same thing with about 25 more bags to shred.

This is the first shredder that I have ever used so I can't compare it to any other machines. Before I used to put leaves in a large plastic trash can and chop them up with a weed eater. The Flowtron is pretty messy but not near as messy as doing it with the weed eater.

Be sure and wear eye and hearing protection. I just stuffed cotton in my ears and used a pair of safety glasses from my wood shop. I also used the standard cheap paper breathing mask with elastic straps and nose clips.

For making organic material for the gardens the Flowtron LE-900F worked perfectly. Assembly is very easy and a Phillips screwdriver is all that is needed. One or two posts that I read mentioned that the funnel unsnapped and the plastic nut flew off. I didn't experience this while shredding the 21 bags. I tightened the nut first thing after assembly. I don't see how the darn funnel could come off if it was assembled properly.

The LE-900F is not as expensive as my neighbors gas operated shredder/chipper but it does a good job and will perform perfectly if you use a little common sense and not overload the thing. I love it.

Bruce in Oklahoma

I found the Flowtron to be relatively easy to assemble. My experience with assembly is an electric lawnmower and assorted kid's toys. There have been many kid's toys that are significantly more difficult to assemble. I found it on the noisy side; however, my electric blower is noisier. I had no trouble with our oak and maple leaves. Does produce a good bit of dust, but my leaves have been sitting around for several months. The product met my expectations.

Machine is quick to clog when leaves are slightly wet. Requires frequent stopping to unclog. Red string cutters wear out quickly, have to be replaced often. I think machine would do well if leaves are completely dry, but that is not often the case here in Oregon.

I gave a lot of thought to this purchase and read many helpful reviews. I determined in advance that it would only work for leaves. I am quite satisified. It allows me to make good mulch from leaves so that I have the moisture-conserving, soil-improvement of mulch without having to buy anything. I had used my lawnmower to chop up leaves but it fouls it up badly. This product is simple to use and does a very good job. A few little sticks by mistake don't do a lot of harm though they shorten the life of the strings that do the cutting. The item is light and easy to store away.

Just used it for the first time and it is great. Fairly easy to assemble and use - straightforward. I placed it on top of a barrel and started feeding it leaves. It quickly and efficiently went through piles. I'm sure there are better products out there, but for the money it did exactly what I wanted. I'm looking forward to next weekend already to clear up more leaves. BTW, unlike other reviewers, I had no problem with slightly wet leaves and small (very, very small) brush.

Last year we had 17 full bags of leaves. This year it was 10, so the Leaf-Eater did what it was supposed to do. The only drawback was that the leaves had to be dry. When we put wet or damp leaves in they would clump and stall out the machine.

Photos indicate a large unit sturdily built like my 15yr old shredder. Not so, the parts do not fit together, the hopper is only 15 inches across and would hold only a small amount of leaves. The black hopper attachment is a flimsy piece of plastic, Guess where this was made! I am hoping to return mine. Customer service at Flowtron recommended using oil to get the upper and lower units in place! When that didn't work, they offered to send another top unit as there have been alignment problems.