Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsDo more research before buying----better yet, don't buy
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019
Update: 7/8/19 After a total of about 15 hours of use some ugliness is starting to show. A small chunk of wood had fallen into the chute and jammed the rotor. This necessitated the opening of the inspection hole (vacuum attach) on rear of chipper. After removing obstruction, I took a little look at the blades since I had it opened. Both knife blades were shot. Instead of a knife-like edge, they had more than a 1/32" flat apex. That's like trying to fell a tree with a baseball bat. No wonder why it wouldn't chip/shred. I also looked at the "hammers". Again all four hammers are shot. The recommended interval to even inspect here is at the 25 hour mark. So for 15 hours of use, I need to install $100 worth of parts to remedy. I tore it down to repair and found the rotor attach bolt only finger tight. Scary, as this could have resulted in a major failure to the cutter, engine AND injury to operator. I just wish I could change to zero stars now..........
Here’s the low down on this K33 chipper. I ran the K33 twice, each time going thru a full tank of gas. The first outing was general yard cleanup of fallen branches from oak trees. The limbs were dead and in advanced state of decay. The K33 handled everything very well absolutely pulverizing the limbs up to 3 inches with little effort. The second outing was to clean up fresh pruning from our crepe myrtle trees. All of the wood was less than 2 inches in diameter. This time the results were a bit disappointing. The K33 unfortunately struggled with the task.
Pros: Assembly was straight forward and easy to accomplish.
Engine seems strong, relatively quiet considering the activity.
Easy manual start
Hopper, frame, chute, etc., all appear to be well built
Collection bag has good heavy duty zipper
Chip debris size was perfect for mulch
Cons: Will NOT handle anything greater than 1 ¼” diameter
Collection bag seams are weak and started failing after 10th fill
Outlet flapper hinge is in direct flow of debris and jams easily
Gas tank cap poorly located and inhibits filling.
Top hopper useless except for DRY leaves
Vines will jam if top loaded, chute loading just shreds them
Spare set of knives will set you back $60
Other improvements could include a couple of clips on the handle to stow the bag support rod. Since only the chute is truly usable, it could be positioned higher to eliminate so much bending over. I am not sure this was the best value out there.
