Mantis Chipmate
Phil Ngai
product. I got a few responses related to the "Super Weed Eater
on a Stand" type products but my needs included wood branches.
No one had any experience with the Chipmate so I bought one anyway.
(you get a 30 day trial period so this was a no risk plan)
I decided to post a review since some people might have lots of
yard debris at this time of year. I'm in California so this might
be too late for the East Coast but better late than never.
The Mantis Chipmate is an unusual device. It has a 12 amp motor
(rated at 1.6 HP) where the inner part (normally the rotor) is
fixed and the 14 lb casing rotates. There are two sharp knives
mounted on the casing and they work against a single stationary
counter-knife. The knives are maybe 5 or 6 inches wide. Naturally
there is a hopper input and a discharge chute to reduce the chance
of feeding your fingers into this thing. The motor rotates
at about 1750 RPM. It is rated for a 60% duty cycle and the
vendor suggests using it for 40 minutes out of every hour. It
does have a thermal cutoff switch for self protection.
I used it to grind up some branches and bark I had lying around.
For 1/2 inch branches it could basically eat them as fast as
I cared to feed them. For 1 inch branches I had to slow down
a bit and for 1.5 inch branches, the maximum it's rated for,
I had to feed slowly. In my application, I don't need any more
capacity. The bigger stuff goes in my fireplace. The device
was relatively quiet, as such machines go. I preferred wearing
hearing protection but I am very wimpy about such things.
One of the best features of this chipper is its weight. It's
only 35 lbs! My back yard is about 24 feet below my front
yard and a 100 or 200 lb 8 HP monster would be essentially
unusable for me. Although the Mantis Chipmate is not capable
of eating anything with impunity like the $1,000 models, it
is a good value for $300 and meets my needs quite well.
--
I voted. Did you?
Lee M. Bollard
to get a shredder, but need "Maple leaf capability" but I don't want to
have to spend a thousand bucks on a shredder from Troy Built or Garden-
Center.
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| Lee Bollard unix: bol...@hpspkla.spk.hp.com |
| Hewlett-Packard HPDesk: Lee BOLLARD / HP1000/53 |
| Spokane Division Compuserve: 72105,423 |
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Nigel Goddard
>Any idea how the chipmate works with Maple leaves (wet or dry)? I'd like
>to get a shredder, but need "Maple leaf capability" but I don't want to
>have to spend a thousand bucks on a shredder from Troy Built or Garden-
>Center.
I borrowed a Chipmate from a friend to chip some branches/brush. While
I had it, I fed some dry leaves through it. Feeding the leaves in was
incredibly time-consuming. I wouldn't do it again. My friend told me
there are large leaf shredders that you dump a garbage can full of
leaves into, for less than $100. I'd look for one of those.
Nigel
--
Nigel Goddard
god...@b.gp.cs.cmu.edu
Phil Ngai
|to get a shredder, but need "Maple leaf capability" but I don't want to
|have to spend a thousand bucks on a shredder from Troy Built or Garden-
|Center.
I haven't tried any leaves but I think it should work. The knives
are very sharp. Is there a reason you don't want the "Super Weed
Eater on a Stand" type of product? By the way, I wouldn't call the
big stuff shredders, maybe chipper/shredder. Perhaps you should
order a Mantis, they do have a 30 day trial period. It's a nice
high quality Swiss product. Uses allen head bolts etc.
--
The Sierra Club got their butts kicked in California on election day.