Customer Reviews
Exceeded Expectations 
2008-05-04
Quickly reduced a yard full of leaves to material for my compost bin. Was even able to shred some wet leaves that where in the bin from fall. My experience has been that I have to change the cutting cords about every two hours of operation. Overall have been very satisfied with performance. However if you want to shred sticks, this is not machine for you.
Why the bad reviews 
2008-04-29
I bought a Flowtron electric Leaf Eater. Model #LE-900F to be exact. Had I made my decision on the (bad) reviews, I would have made the mistake of not making the purchase. Someone said it was a two man job putting it together. I did it by myself in less than 45 minutes. Someone said it is too noisy. I did not want some thing playing a symphony, I wanted something to shred leaves, and fast. And for the work it does it is not noisy at all. Someone said it won't do the job on oak leaves. My 3 1/2 acres of land has mostly a variety of oak trees, and I am shredding oak leaves just fine. Someone said it will not do wet leaves. I admit the wet leaves are a little harder on the shredder, but using smaller amounts of wet leaves worked well. Someone said (and I still can't believe someone whined about this)using this machine makes too much dust. For crying out loud, the machine is shredding leaves, from fine to course at your selection. Anyhow buy it; it does the job it says it does. And Amazon shipped it much quicker than I had expected, great job Amazon personnel.
Above Expectations 2008-04-13
Flowtron The Ultimate Mulcher 8 Amp Electric Leaf Shredder #LE-900
East to assemble, directions very clear. Light and easy to handle. Did a great job on Oak and Sycamore leaves. Like the ability to select the size of the shredding. Easy to store in my garage. Wish I had one 10 years ago!
Good Machine 2008-02-11
Assembling this product is straightforward except for attaching the hopper. Two people make that job doable.
I've got alot of oak leaves...alot! I gather them, pile them 6' high and 20' long, anchor a tarp over them to keep them dry, and shred them using this machine. I shred them into a 32-gallon plastic trash can and empty them into a bin for a rich organic mulch.
Understand this machine's limitations and it'll work fine. It's all about not burning out the motor. First, the instructions recommend an extension cord of 14-gauge or heavier, no longer than 75'. I use that gauge but 50' long to be safe. A 12-gauge, 50' length would be ideal. Next, feed the hopper slowly. When you hear the motor slow down (under the strain of shredding, say, wet leaves) let the machine work through those and regain full speed. Like I said it's all about not burning out the motor. Finally, shred only in the "Wet Leaves/Coarse" mode. The shredder discharges all material fastest on that setting thereby producing less strain on the motor, and the actual difference of particle size is negligible.
Forget about shredding sticks or even many small twigs. This machine is for leaves only. At $150 it's overpriced, but it was the only machine I found that would address my needs. My last one (a Sear's model, no longer available but exactly the same as this one) lasted 6-7 years before the motor burned out.
I gave this shredder 4 stars because it shreds alot of leaves for me, works trouble free, and is lightweight.
upgrade the strings right away 2008-02-04
One of my old llamas has a chewing problem, which requires I cut up his grass hay into short pieces. I have used the LE-900 leaf shredder regularly for this purpose for well over a year. In other words, it has seen a lot of use. The most frequent complaint I see in the reviews is the short string life. Just like a new car that comes with inexpensive OEM tires, this shredder comes with cheap strings. My suggestion is to put them aside from the beginning and buy a spool of premium string. I've been using Husqvarna Titanium .095 string, which lasts much longer and cuts faster too. My biggest complaint is with the hub that holds the strings. It's made of plastic and held on with a nylon nut. Both should be metal. These parts wear out too quickly. They haven't been replaced yet, but will soon need to be.
Used twice and no longer works 
2008-06-30
I used this twice according to instructions and it no longer works. I specifically bought it because it had a pine needle setting, but I would not recommend it for this. I am also disappointed with the service help I have received. It is unclear to me who is reponsible to take care of the non-working product - Amazon or Flowtron.
Almost Great!! 
2008-06-29
The idea is great. I typically have about 40+ bags of leaves and pine needles each year. If this could be ground into almost-powder and returned to the ground it would eliminate a few trips to the dump. The first time I tried this product it seemed to work great. It definitely needs heavier line (.095) AND a better center screw (it holds the spinning mechanism in place). It comes with a plastic screw which broke within an hour's use... not the easiest thing to replace. IMHO it really needs a metal screw. Then, the machine works great.
faster 2008-05-13
was just what I was looking for could have gotten here faster in sat in one spot for 2 days
Leaf mulcher no match for my pile of leaves... 2008-05-12
I am disappointed in the leaf mulcher and I had to return it. The first day it worked great and I really reduced a huge mound of leaves I had saved from the fall and spring. However about 5 hours into the process, it stopped running and the reset button popped out. The next day my husband tried it and it would only operate for a few seconds and the reset button would again pop out. I had high hopes for it because I didn't want a huge piece of heavy equipment that was going to rip my arm off. This seemed to be the perfect light weight, easily manageable machine but alas it could not stand up to the job I needed it to do. Rita
Bad, bad, bad 2008-05-08
I just burned out my second one! The first thing that gets me about this item is that they come with a 5A motor, not 8A as described (I mean, just turn the thing over and it says 5A right on it, not to mention the breaker is 5A...). The motor is also not sealed or dust proof - which would make more sense on something like this that is a dust, particle producing machine.
Needless to say - I hate this thing! I have hundreds of bags of leaves to mulch and I get through about 20 dry bags of maple leaves and the motor burns out on me? This is crazy! You would think they would lose money selling these crappy motors, but apparently there are enough people who buy them and keep them with dead motors or something.
At least I bought from Amazon and I can keep getting replacements or my money back. I guess I will have to figure something else to get my leaves chipped up. :(
