Review At A Glance
Want something great value and ideal for small to moderate sized backyards? The WORX WG430 13 Amp Electric Leaf Mulcher is perfect for you.
MY RATING: 88%
Editor’s Note
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Specifications
- Power – Corded Electric
- Model – WG430
- Dimensions (H x W x D inches) 13 x 22.5 x 22.5 inches.
- Weight – 20 lbs
- Cutting diameter – 13 inches
- Line diameter – 0.09 inches
- Voltage – 120V 60Hz / Amps – 13A
- RPM – 85
- Mulch Ratio – 11:1
- Mulch Capability – 53 gallons per minute
- Two Year Warranty
PRICE: $
About the WORX WG430
Setting up the WG430 is simple and takes less than a minute. Put together the stand, insert a bag (not included) into the support ring (is provided) and fold it over the top and place it onto the stand.
Next:
Set the motor and funnel on top and lock into place and you are ready to go. I found it is best if you feed the leaves in slowly and steadily.
It uses a grass trimmer line to mulch the leaves rather than metal blades, and it comes with 24 replacement lines.
Remember:
You will also need to check the motor often (around every hour) and clear it if necessary and you might want to have ear and eye protection handy, and maybe even a dust mask when you use this.
The Good
The first thing you will notice if you buy this is it is very easy to assemble. You don’t need any tools and it will literal take five minutes for you to go from opening the box to mulching leaves.
It is that simple.
Tied into this, it is easy to take apart and the separate parts are small and stack neatly together so it easy to store in the off season and the WORX WG430 is very lightweight – it weighs less than 20lbs, making it easy to move around.
It doesn’t use blades, it has what WORX call a ‘flexiline bladeless mulching system’, which essentially means it cuts with a heavy duty grass trimmer line making it safer.
Pretty smart, eh?
These trimmer lines do break, but they can be replaced literally in a matter of seconds, without any tools, which is another plus point.
It is as easy as it could be to use, simple fill the WG340 with leaves and turn it on. You might need to give it a little shake, but everything feeds through quickly and easily.
Bottom line is:
The mulch it produces is good. The leaves are shredded very finely, to 1/11th of their original size and they are chomped up into a nice light mulch that can be reused in your landscape and benefit your plans.
It is well priced and being an electric mulcher it has reduced noise and air pollution in comparison to a gas mulcher.
The Not So Good
The main issue with the WG430 is that it really struggles to handle wet leaves.
And that is a problem.
Wet leaves or debris mixed in with leaves slows down the process and it wears down the grass trimmer line used to shred the leaves.
The end results is also not chopped anywhere near as fine as the dry leaves. It also cannot handle anything larger than the very smallest of twigs – and I mean really small!
Basically:
Anything of any slight size ends up clogging up the machine so you have to shut it off and clean it out or break the grass trimmer line.
Talking of the trimmer lines they do break quite often, especially if you accidentally put anything other than leaves in.
As mentioned earlier they are quick and easy to replace, and 24 replacement lines are supplied, but you will get through them pretty quickly.
You have two options:
- To bite the bullet and replace them with like for like, or
- To buy a different thicker string that will last longer.
However if you go for Option 2 and use a thicker string please note you void the warranty. Standard replacement lines cost around $7 or so for 24.
Remember this as it is important.
For an electric mulcher it is reasonably loud and does kick out a fair bit of dust/mess through the funnel. You probably will want to invest in a mask and safety glasses and maybe even some ear plugs.
The opening the mulch comes through is not adjustable, so you can’t control the size of it, so you might get some leaves falling through the opening unmulched.
Finally:
If you dump a lot in at once, you might overload it and cause a jam. This isn’t a major issue, so as long as you are sensible it is fine.
At A Glance
✔ Pros
- Very easy to assemble
- Easy to use
- Easy to store away
- Lightweight
- Safe – no blades
- Produces good quality of mulch
- Well priced
✘ Cons
- Struggles with wet leaves and twigs
- Trimmer lines break quite easily
- Loud and kicks outs a bit of dust
- Can’t control size of mulch
Conclusion
My Verdict
Design - 87%
Performance - 86%
Price - 91%
88%
Easy to use and great mulch
The WORX WG430 13 Amp Electric Leaf Mulcher is a great value option for someone in a residential setting or with a moderate sized backyard. It is easy to put together and take apart and doesn’t take up much storage space. What is more for the price it produces quality mulch.
Of course there are a couple of quibbles, mainly how it struggles with wet leaves and if you have a large garden with lots of trees you might want a large shredder, which will naturally be more expensive.
However these minor faults aside it does its job very well and it is easy to see why this is one of, if not the, most popular leaf mulchers on the market.
FAQs
Can I replace the trimmer line with something heavier?
The standard line that comes with this is (0.090 inch x 13 inch). You can replace it with a heavier gauge line which inevitably will last longer, but note it will void your warranty.
How often will I need to change the trimmer line?
Obviously this depends on use – each string seems to last roughly what is about four yard waste bags of leaves. Maybe as a very rough estimate I would say you might need to change the strings weekly.
How easy is it change the trimmer line?
It is very straight forward, will take a minute or two at the most.
Do I need ear plugs?
It is reasonably loud, and whilst they aren’t essentially investing in a cheap pair of ear plugs maybe sensible.
Is it easy to clean?
Yes as it is easy to take apart, each piece can be washed separately. Just be sure not to wash the motor part though!
You Might Also Like…
Check out my Best Leaf Mulchers Guide to see if there are any other Leaf Mulchers you might want to consider. To the right are a list of general resources that maybe be of use.
You can also view my Site Index to see everything on my website on one page or you can use my recommended links below.
Useful Resources
My Dad is an avid gardener and Christmas is coming up. He will be sure to love this. He could grind up the leaves and then use them to make into a fertilizer. It will make him quite happy.
I do have a question though. In general, how does this mulcher compare to other ones on the market? I look forward to hearing your answer. Otherwise, thank you for sharing and I hope you have a great day!
Hi Alex, glad this review helped! Sounds like it could be the perfect Christmas present for your dad. Personally I think this is the best leaf mulcher on the market – it is hugely popular and that is because it is reasonably priced and does a great job of mulching the leaves – the final product is really nice.
0.5
Hey there! Fall season just ended and there’s a lot of tree leaves in our backyard. My dad take cares of our backyard and cleans it and he keeps on complaining about the leaves on how big it is and how it waste the plastic bags. I’m looking of things to solve this kind of problem and landed on your review about work leaf muclhers. This is a really great equipment that will help my dad. I will surely try to buy him this. Thank you for sharing this information.
So pleased I could be of use John! The Worx WG430 is a great leaf mulcher and at a good price – not only will it help your dad clean up his backyard in no time he will also get some great mulch out of it – win win! Oh and Happy Christmas!
I am so glad to read this review and learn of the Worx leaf mulcher. Sounds like just what I need.
I live under many oak trees in a city that requires us to bag the leaves we rake in the fall before they will pick them up. What a problem! We’ve looked for other alternatives, but found none affordable. Until now.
Worx is a good tool, and with a 13 amp motor, I think I can use this leaf mulcher during the summer to grind up our grass cuttings and kitchen waste we use for composte? Thanks
Hi Mike, it sounds like it could be a good solution for you. WORX are very reliable, however I wouldn’t recommend it for grass cuttings as it is bladeless and also I don’t think it would work on kitchen waste due to the moisture in it. On dry and semi-dry leaves though it would be perfect! You can also check out my look at the Best Leaf Mulchers of 2018 in case that helps?
This product is brand new to me, I have always used the Troy Built shredder for the past 20 years, I have never used an electric shredder before so this is all new information for me.
I recently moved to a smaller home with a much smaller yard and I need to replace my old troy build gas shredder with a product not so large and heavy since I am getting older.
I think this shredder would do the job in my yard, but how can I be sure this is the best electric shredder for my yard? So many to choose from this can be overwhelming, I also am concerned about this shredder using grass cutting line and not blades?
I would suggest, that to get the best shredder for your needs you check out my roundup of the Best Chipper Shredders of 2018, there are some excellent choices here and I am sure you will be able to find something you need. But if you do have any more questions just shout.
Steve
I’m not up to date with new yard equipment. I’ve always mulched my leaves with my lawn mower. This product does look pretty easy to use. I like the fact that it is light weight and easy to assemble. Though it seems like it’s more work then using my lawn mower.
Thanks for your comment. This is really easy to use, I would say if you have a mulching mower you are happy with then maybe don’t worry about getting it, but if you are looking for a dedicated leaf mulcher that produces better mulch than most mower mulchers then this is well worth the investment.
I have never seen one of these, it is a very good idea, so many people are plagued with leaves which blow from outside of their garden. It is neat easy to put together. For myself, I am fortunate I don’t get leaves in my backyard but for those who do I would say have a good look at this one.
Thanks Pamela, It is a really good leaf mulcher and well worth a look.
The Worx Wg430 kicks some serious butt. I really like the idea that it uses a trimmer line instead of metal to actually grind the leaves to pieces. I guess in a sense, it sounds safer to work with.
I am assuming that the line uses some kind of high oscillating speeds to cut the leaves. It is a bummer that it doesn’t work well on wet leaves, because we have plenty of rain in the area I live in.
Nevertheless, you can’t go wrong with a two year warranty. You have around two to three autumns to play around with it.
This leaf mulcher is perfect to make worm composting bins. My father has some plants he wants to grow and he really wants some natural fertilizer. Leaves are the perfect candidate. We can turn the leaves into small bite sized particles with the mulcher and feed it to the worms. Do you think it will work out this way?
Hey Win, yes this is a really good mulcher and you are completely right it basically oscillates at a high speed to cut through the leaves. Unfortunately I know what you mean about having plenty of rain!
Your idea sounds a great way to create natural fertilizer for the worms to feed on – you might also want to have a look at my Best Leaf Mulchers guide for some other mulchers before you make your choice.
Good luck!
Hi Steve, I remember seeing a ted talk about the value of leaves as a composting material. Apparently they are recognised in countries like France as being an important source of minerals.
As I recall, the roots of trees dive deep down into the earth, a little more every year, in search of these minerals, and then distribute them upwards and outwards into their leaves.
In Autumn, when they fall, these leaves drop to deposit all these rich harvested minerals and nutrients back onto the base of the tree.
The trick to composting them however was that they must be shredded first, otherwise they just form a blanket, which in nature, has the purpose of suppressing competing weeds.
The speaker at that talk recommended a leaf blower, set to reverse, with a shredder attached (apparently they are a standard accessory).
Would you know anything about the performance of these machines?
Thanks,
Carlos.
Thanks Carlos, yes leaves can provide vital nutrients back to the soil if they are mulched and the mulch is sprinkled on the soil.
Leaf blowers essentially work as you have stated. The blow the leaves and then in reverse they vacuum the leaves up and shred and mulch them. There are some great leaf mulchers on the market and I’d recommend you check out my Best Leaf Mulchers guide to get yourself one that suits you – there are some fantastic options.
All the best,
Steve
OK now as a keen gardener this is the sort of product review I like! I am thinking about getting one of these for my place. I have HEAPS of leaves all year round and I want to compost them rather than send them away as part of green waste. I like that it is so quick and simple to set up. The other thing I really liked was that there were no blades for my kids to hurt their fingers with.
I was just wondering if it can be folded up for storage so does it stay pretty close to its original size?
Thanks Glenys. Yes if you are looking for a dedicated leaf mulcher, this is a really good option. If you want to store this the stand, support ring, motor and funnel all detached and reattach quite simply meaning you have four separate parts that take up next to no space. As you say it is also really safe to use – a win win all round! Good luck if you decide to buy this.