Best leaf mulchers

Dealing with leaves is hard work. First, you need to rake them all into a pile, and then the shoveling and bagging begin. And let's not forget that you still need to load all those bags up in your car and take them to your local compost pile. Talk about a back-breaking project!

Today we're taking a look at some of the best leaf mulchers. Some are handheld devices resembling leaf blowers and perform multiple tasks like blowing, ingesting, and mulching leaves. Others are standalone units that finely shred huge piles of leaves quickly. 

Leaf mulchers trim the amount of time you need to set aside for yard work, and they're good for the environment. Finely cut leaves take up less room in garbage bags and are also useable as lawn compost. Save your back, the planet, and time with one of our favorite leaf mulchers.

The WORX TRIVAC is a 3-in-1 yard tool that outperforms every leaf mulcher on our list, making it our staff pick. This electric mulcher has two speeds. It blows leaves off driveways and sidewalks and then, with a flick of a switch, turns into a vacuum. The TRIVAC sucks up leaf piles, shredding the leaves and depositing them in a bag you sling over your shoulder. The innovative tube design has no trouble reaching under lawn furniture, bushes, and landscape decorations. This is an easy-to-use tool, and it's one of the best leaf mulchers your money can buy.

If you're looking for the most affordable leaf blower, throw the BLACK+DECKER electric 3-in-1 in your cart now. We love the wide-ended tube. It's capable of powerfully blowing leaves in any direction and also sucking them up. The heavy-duty mulcher can chomp ten bags of leaves up so small they fit into one bag. When the leaf vacuum is running, leaves are collected in an over-the-shoulder sling-style bag, and they're automatically shredded.

Most of today's best leaf mulchers come with some sort of over-the-shoulder bag to hold the mulched leaves. CRAFTSMAN one-upped the competition with their backpack leaf carrier, which makes toting leaves around less of a chore. The 12-amp corded electric yard tool also blows leaves, vacuums them, and mulches. It converts from blower to vacuum and mulcher without tools, making it one of the best user-friendly mulchers around.

If you're a commercial landscaper or need a little extra power, the Husqvarna 2-cycle gas leaf mulcher should be a good fit. It has high air volume and velocity for clearing leaves quickly from your property and superb suction for vacuuming. The variable speed throttle also has cruise control, so hand fatigue is a thing of the past. This heavy-duty gas mulcher cuts up leaves in a flash and starts right up with a push of a button.

You'll get more done in less time with Sun Joe's upright electric leaf mulcher and spreader. Equipped with a 13 amp motor, the Sun Joe eats up to 55 gallons of leaves in minutes. You control the speed with a front-facing dial. Put a bin or garbage bag under the Sun Joe, and sliced leaves fall right in. Even easier, you can set the hopper directly on a trash can. If you need a speed demon that pushes out leaves but not dust, this is the one to throw in your cart.

If you keep your leaves and use them as compost, The Ultimate Mulcher from Flowtron is the one for you. It's a lightweight, electric upright shredder with a big barrel. Set the hopper on a garbage can or use the carry handles to move it about the yard. Using a control dial, you can adjust the shredded leaf size from coarse to fine. Best of all, adjustable pressure knobs at the sides of the hopper help you move the barrel to any angle for effortless loading.

Get shredded with a new leaf mulcher

Leaf mulchers are one of the most underrated lawn maintenance tools out there. They're inexpensive, easy to use, and save your body from the strain of bending over to rake. What's not to love?

Our staff pick and one of the best leaf mulchers out there today is the electric WORX TRIVAC. It handles well, mulches leaves quickly, and comes with an over-the-shoulder leaf collection bag.

If you want to save a few dollars, we recommend the BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 electric leaf blower and vacuum. It has a broad tube that forcefully blows leaves into an organized pile and then sucks them up and shreds them.

We love the backpack-style leaf carrier system that comes with the CRAFTSMAN electric leaf mulcher. It hangs over your shoulders and out of the way so you can concentrate on blowing leaves and sucking them up.

Why trust us?

At GardeningEtc, we recommend the best products to enhance your life. As expert curators, we handpick products based on quality and usefulness to positively impact your day-to-day, from cart to doorstep. We take our responsibility seriously — testing products, reading reviews, and sourcing knowledgeable outlets to ensure our selections are worthy of your time and money. We deliver detailed product overviews, balancing objective information with subjective opinions, so making the best choice for your home and lifestyle is as easy as possible.