If you have trees in your yard (every homeowner does) then you know how much of a hassle it can be to keep your yard spotless. When tree branches fall, the first thing that comes to mind is thinking of ways how to get rid of them. With a wood chipper, you no longer need to worry about carrying heavy branches for disposal.
Wood chippers can pulverize branches into bits, turning them into a more manageable size for disposal or mulching. There are several types of wood chippers, based on their shape and source of power. In this article, we’re going to take a look at electric wood chippers as the more environmentally friendly option available.
Today, we’re comparing two electric wood chippers from Sun Joe, one of the most well-known garden tools manufacturers on the planet. These models are the CJ601E and the CJ602E-GRY. They have the same branch capacity and maneuverability, so it can be a bit difficult in determining which would be the more valuable product. Keep reading to find out the results of our comparison.
Motor Power
CJ601E
When it comes to corded-electric tools, it’s of the utmost importance to find a model with enough amperage to power operations. The CJ601E comes with a 14-amp motor which is more than enough for chipping branches and shredding leaves.
CJ602E-GRY
The CJ602E-GRY features a slightly beefier motor. This 15-amp machine, like its smaller 14-amp counterpart, is more than capable of pulverizing leaves and chipping branches. You’ll have a fun time reducing the size of branches and leaves when using this machine.
Conclusion: A common problem among electric wood chipper/leaf shredder machines is that they oftentimes don’t perform both tasks well. This isn’t the case with either of these machines. We find that electric wood chippers with motors of at least 14 amps work best.
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Speed
CJ601E
Checking out the speed of the blade can help you determine how well a machine works at reducing the size of lawn debris. This 14-amp wood chipper has blades that spin up to 4,300 RPM.
CJ602E-GRY
As for the 15-amp CJ602E-GRY, it has a maximum speed of 4,100 RPM. Despite its beefier motor, the blades rotate a bit slower than the CJ601E, but we couldn’t find a difference in terms of performance.
Conclusion: In general, we prefer quicker moving blades. Higher speeds help in reducing lawn debris down to a smaller, more manageable size for disposal. However, when looking at their respective speeds, we think that there’s not too much of a difference. They both work extremely well.
Hopper Dimensions and Branch Capacity
CJ601E and CJ602E-GRY
The size of both of these machines’ hoppers is 2 x 5 inches. The largest-sized branches that you can feed into the hopper are 1.5 inches in diameter. This means you’ll need to break larger branches down to size before feeding them through the hopper. Electric wood chippers are considerably weaker than their gas-powered counterparts so they can only demolish branches of smaller dimensions.
Noise Production
CJ601E
While feeding branches into this machine’s hopper, the resulting noises can reach levels of up to 108 decibels – about the same noise levels produced at a rock concert. Wood chippers aren’t known for their quiet operations so you should have some safety ear muffs at the ready.
CJ602E-GRY
The 15-amp model produces noises of up to 113 decibels. This isn’t much different from the CJ601E so have some ear defenders on hand. Even though these machines may seem loud, they are nothing compared to heavy-duty, gas-guzzling wood chippers with larger branch capacities.
Conclusion: In terms of noise production, there’s not going to be a significant difference. Essentially, these machines are loud and require a good pair of ear defenders or plugs to sufficiently block the sound out. Furthermore, we recommend not running these machines during the nighttime unless you hate your neighbors.
Reduction Ratio
CJ601E
The most important factor to consider when looking at different wood chipper/leaf shredder models is how much they can reduce the size of your lawn debris. The greater the ratio, the more manageable it is to handle and prepare for disposal or mulching. The CJ601E has a reduced rate of 16:1. This means the amount of debris that would normally fill 16 large plastic bags, after shredded, can fit comfortably in a single bag.
CJ602E-GRY
The magic of the 15-amp motor on the CJ601E-GRY shines when looking at its reduction ratio. Though not much different than the previous model, even the slightest difference can mean huge savings in plastic bags and time spent. This machine has a reduction rating of 17:1.
Conclusion: If you have a small lawn with few trees, you can get by with the CJ601E and not worry about saving a tremendous amount of money on plastic bags. However, even homeowners with tiny lawns could benefit from the 15-amp CJ602E-GRY as it will help reduce lawn debris to a size better suited for mulching. Any wood chipper and leaf shredder will help you with creating a mulch pile, but the smaller the debris is, the quicker it will decompose and turn into an all-natural fertilizer for your home garden.
Sun Joe CJ601E vs CJ602E-GRY: Verdict
A wood chipper is a great tool to keep your lawn free of debris and to help with the beginning stages of making your compost pile. Corded-electric models are even great since they don’t only require fewer maintenance checks (changing the oil and replacing spark plugs) but they’re also more environmentally friendly.
Between the two Sun Joe wood chipper/leaf shredder models – the CJ601E and the CJ602E-GRY – we feel that you can get more value out of the 15-amp Sun Joe CJ602E-GRY. Essentially, it has a bigger motor that pulverizes lawn debris more efficiently than the 14-amp CJ601E. However, the factor that we consider highly important is the reduction ratio.
The CJ602E-GRY can reduce debris down to 1/17 of its original size. The Sun Joe CJ601E has an almost identical rating of 16:1, but when it comes to eliminating branches, fallen leaves, and making compost, smaller is better.
Electric Wood Chipper | Recommended
Last update on 2024-04-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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