Westinghouse 1.7-Inch 15 Amp Corded Electric Mulcher Chipper Shredder with 12 Gallon Collection Bag for Easy Cleanup Ideal for Branches and Twigs

A fresh pile of weekend prunings on the driveway is a great way to see what a small chipper is really made of. I put the Westinghouse chipper through several cleanup sessions—oak, elderberry, pepper tree, and a grab bag of yard trimmings—to find out where it shines and where it doesn’t.

Setup and build

Assembly is quick: bolt on the legs and 7-inch wheels, hang the collection bag, and you’re ready. At 19.2 pounds, the unit is easy to lift into a shed or roll across a lawn, and it doesn’t feel flimsy. The housing and hopper plastics are stiff enough to inspire confidence, and the SK5 steel blades are a welcome choice for a cutter-style chipper in this price bracket.

Westinghouse includes a push paddle and onboard storage for it, plus a 12-gallon collection bag. There’s a safety interlock on the top cover and overload protection on the motor. The interlock worked reliably in my testing: open the lid and the machine shuts off; close it and you can restart immediately without a long reset.

One setup note: this is a 15-amp tool. Use a short, heavy-gauge extension cord (14 AWG for up to 50 feet; 12 AWG if you need more length) and a dedicated circuit to avoid nuisance trips and voltage drop.

Performance and capacity

This is a cutter-chipper, not a roller/crusher. The 15A motor spins a blade at up to 4,000 RPM, and it’s happiest on straight, reasonably dry branches up to about an inch in diameter. The stated capacity is 1.8 inches, and you can reach that with patience, but it’s not a feed-and-forget experience. Near the limit, I had the best results by letting the machine bite, then pausing to allow the motor to recover before feeding more. Rotating the branch helps the blade find fresh purchase and prevents glazing the cut.

On smaller trimmings it’s quick. Stacks of pencil-thick to thumb-thick branches disappeared efficiently, and the chipper rarely bogged. Very thin, fresh green whips (the bendy, 1/16-inch stuff) didn’t always chip cleanly; they tended to turn into short, stringy pieces rather than fine chips. Dry twigs of the same diameter behaved better. This is normal behavior for blade chippers and worth planning for if you’re after perfectly uniform mulch.

It’s not a leaf shredder. Mixed leaves ride through with the chips and don’t get much smaller, so don’t expect the bag to come out looking like compost-ready leaf confetti.

Feed system and workflow

The dual-hole hopper is designed to separate larger straight branches from brushier, smaller material. The concept works, but the geometry of the openings and the rubber flaps means you’ll rely on the push paddle frequently, especially with wiry brush or irregular offcuts. Larger limbs need prep: cut off forks, snip side shoots, and feed the straightest end first. Doing so keeps throughput smooth and reduces the chance of a chip chute backup.

The push paddle is essential for safety and does its job, though the shape can snag on the hopper flaps or get hung up on odd-shaped brush. It’s a small annoyance rather than a dealbreaker; just expect to use two hands and a bit of finesse to keep the feed steady.

Chip quality and bagging

The chip size is on the fine side for an electric homeowner unit—closer to coarse shavings than big chunks—which I prefer for mulching beds and top-dressing around trees. The 12-gallon bag fills predictably and keeps cleanup tidy. If you let the bag overfill, you can clog the outlet chute. The chipper telegraphs this with a change in motor pitch and slower feed; stop, swap bags or dump, and you’re back in business.

One ergonomic note: a translucent or windowed bag would make it easier to judge fill level. As is, I just learned the cadence and checked by feel.

Safety, noise, and dust

As with any chipper, eye and ear protection are a must. This unit is loud for a small electric but nowhere near gas-chipper territory. Expect dust and fines, especially with dry wood. The safety interlock encourages safe jam clearing because you have to open the top to access the blade area. Always unplug before servicing, even with the interlock in place.

Maintenance and durability

Routine maintenance is straightforward: brush chips out of the hopper, check and tighten the blade bolts periodically, and keep the cord and switchgear clean. Clearing jams is easy thanks to the top-open design; with the tool unplugged, you can access the cutter area and remove stuck pieces without disassembling half the machine.

Blade life depends on what you feed it. Clean, knot-free hardwood and dry conifer branches kept the edge sharp through a few sessions. Hitting soil, rocks, or gritty bark dulls any blade quickly. Here’s my real frustration: I could not find a clearly documented replacement blade part number or source from the included materials. For long-term ownership, that matters. If Westinghouse offered a straightforward replacement kit, my confidence in the tool’s lifespan would be much higher.

The 2-year limited warranty and lifetime technical support are reassuring on paper, and the overload protection did its job in use. Like most electric chippers, several safety switches and connectors stand between the outlet and the motor; keep them clean and protected from moisture to avoid intermittent behavior.

What it does well

• Produces fine, uniform chips suitable for mulch and composting
• Light, compact, and easy to store and roll around the yard
• Simple jam clearing with a reliable safety interlock and fast restart
• Honest motor behavior: you can hear when to back off the feed
• Good value for homeowner cleanup tasks, especially on small to medium branches

Where it falls short

• Near-limit branches require slow feeding and frequent rotation
• Flexible, very thin green twigs don’t chip cleanly
• Hopper geometry makes the push paddle almost mandatory for brushy material
• Collection bag can cause outlet clogs if you overfill
• Replacement blade availability isn’t clearly documented

Who it’s for

If you keep up with seasonal pruning, want tidy mulch from your trimmings, and prefer a plug-in tool over gas, this chipper fits nicely. It excels as a light- to medium-duty homeowner machine for branches under an inch and a half, turning yard waste into useful chips while keeping setup and storage simple. It’s not intended for heavy, continuous duty or fibrous materials like palm fronds and vines, and it won’t replace a pro-grade chipper for storm cleanup.

Tips for best results

• Pre-trim forks and side shoots so branches feed straight
• Feed thicker material gradually; pause to let the motor recover
• Rotate branches as needed to help the blade bite evenly
• Don’t overfill the bag; swap early to avoid outlet clogs
• Use a heavy-gauge extension cord and a dedicated circuit
• Keep dirt and grit off your material to protect the blade edge

Recommendation

I recommend the Westinghouse chipper for homeowners who want a compact, affordable, electric solution for routine pruning waste and small branch cleanup. It produces better-than-expected chip quality, is easy to live with, and makes quick work of the kind of yard debris most suburban properties generate. Its limitations are clear—slow going at the size limit, fussy with stringy green whips, and a hopper that all but requires the push paddle—but those are manageable with technique. My only significant reservation is the lack of clearly available replacement blades, which leaves a question mark over long-term maintenance. If Westinghouse addresses that, this would be an easy, unequivocal yes. As it stands, it’s still a solid buy for light to medium duty, provided you use it within its comfort zone and value fine chips over brute-force throughput.