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Fallen leaves can be a problem, whether you collect them or let them be. Opt to gather them, and you’ll use a lot of bags as well as take up space in local collection trucks and municipal waste disposal systems. Let large piles of leaves lie on the landscape, and you risk contending with a matted layer of debris that can starve plant roots of moisture. Mulching is one of the easiest ways to eliminate these issues. It makes fallen leaves more compact and easier to handle, and it also shreds the leaves into small bits that can be used as compost or to protect plant beds.
The WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher is designed to solve the problem of autumn leaf disposal. I recently had the opportunity to give it a go in my own backyard, which gets fairly heavy leaf drop each fall, and I was impressed. The machine quickly grinds piles of leaves into a dense yet lightweight and easy-to-handle mulch, making leaf disposal a lot easier.
WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher: At a Glance
Rating: [8.6/10]
PROS
- Easy setup and takedown
- Mulches directly into leaf disposal bag
- Works much faster than a leaf vacuum
CONS
- Single-task tool
- Leaves must be lifted into the hopper
- In storage most of the year
Get the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher at:
What Is the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher?
The WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher is a freestanding device that uses string-trimmer lines to reduce the volume of leaves for disposal or composting. It is easy to assemble and disassemble without tools and operates quietly, without sparks or fumes. The air-cooled electric motor and simple, bladeless design are low-maintenance.
The tool stands on a three-legged base, under which a bag may be placed to catch the debris. The motor and mulcher assembly rests on the base, with the hopper latched to the top. In storage, all of the parts nest together, and at about 20 pounds, it’s light enough to store on a shelf. The mulcher comes with a universal bag support ring to hold the collection bag in place and 24 replacement trimmer lines.
How Easy Is It to Assemble the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher?
The WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher arrived with the parts nested together, which is a great way to store it when it’s not in use. No tools are needed for the five steps to assemble the unit, and the first set of trimmer strings comes preinstalled.
- Insert the three leg extensions into the base.
- Place a leaf collection bag inside the base.
- Stack the mulcher motor onto the base.
- Use the universal bag support to secure the mouth of the bag to the bottom of the motor housing.
- Latch the hopper to the top of the motor housing.
Assembly took about 2 minutes and was very intuitive. All that was left was to plug it in and turn it on. When the time comes to change the trimmer lines, the user simply cuts off the old ones with a utility knife and threads the new ones into the cutter head—another simple and intuitive procedure.
How Does the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher Work?
The WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher is powered by a 2-horsepower, 13-amp electric motor that turns the cutting head at 8,500 revolutions per minute. It plugs into a standard household outlet or outdoor GFCI outlet by means of a heavy-duty extension cord (not included). The cutting head uses sections of string-trimmer line to chop up leaves, twigs, and other small debris. It can process up to 53 gallons of leaves per minute. Dump the leaves into the hopper, and gravity pulls them through the mulcher, where they are reduced at a rate of 11:1.
Consider these tips: Operating location is limited by the length of the heavy-duty extension cord, so be sure to blow or rake your leaves into an accessible area. Better yet, because the mulcher is built for convenient access from all sides, you can pile leaves all the way around the unit for maximum efficiency when feeding. In fact, feel free to make feeding the hopper a two-person task. No matter how many leaves I fed into the hopper, it never bogged down or became stuck, so two people working together could process a huge quantity of leaves very quickly.
Is the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher Worth the Money?
At an average price of around $180, the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher may seem like a major expense. After all, it will only be used for a month or two and takes up storage space the rest of the year. The payoff comes by reducing or eliminating the cost of leaf disposal. The more leaves you mulch each year, the faster the machine pays for itself.
Americans pay an average of about $350 per year for leaf disposal, according to HomeAdvisor. Common leaf disposal costs include buying leaf bags, paying a waste hauler to pick up leaves that you collect and bag, paying dump fees for hauling the leaves yourself, or paying a landscaper to collect and remove leaves. By mulching and reusing the leaves in your landscape, recouping the purchase price of the mulcher could take less than a year. Plus, your plants get healthier soil, thanks to the mulch.
Should You Buy the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher?
If you’re burdened with loads of autumn leaves, the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher could be right for you. Instead of paying a landscaper or waste hauler to dispose of mountains of debris each year, you could easily reduce the piles to one-eleventh of their original size and use them as mulch in your own yard.
Leaf mulch boosts the health of landscape plants by returning valuable nutrients to the soil, reducing the need for fertilizer, and boosting the soil’s organic content, which improves drainage and water-holding capacity. So reusing your own fallen leaves improves the yard while saving on lawn care costs. The WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher can help by converting bulky full-size leaves that are subject to matting and generally difficult to work with into a lightweight, easy-to-spread mulch.
For storage, the machine is easy to disassemble and stow away, as it was packed for shipping. It fits into a space 23 inches tall by 23 inches wide by 23 inches deep.
Where to Buy the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher
Get the WORX WG430 Leaf Mulcher at: