Crytec | CRC200X | 60mm Capacity | Compact | Lightweight | Wood Chipper

So happy with this purchase. A lot better than expected. This goes through pretty much as advertised. Would recommend some thread lock on everything though, as the vibration whilst chipping trend to loosen some bolts. I've got a lot of growth to go through, and this definitely a worthy purchase at a great price.

Just purchased a crc 200x chipper delivery was very quick and the driver was very helpful. Felled a very large apple tree and managed to chip half the branches up to 2inch thick in half a day which was quite a lot, the machine handled that with no problems, It was easy to put together but I did have a slight problem getting it started ( Remember to pull the chord out slowly till you feel the biting point then let it go back before a strong pull ), Once up and running it seemed to be well on top of its job, if I get another 10 to 15 sessions ( which hopefully i will) it will have paid for itself .

I bought this item to chip cut off branch from fruit tree at allotment and in garden. This makes light work of all I can throw at it. It has started up first time every time I've tried. So far I've had no problems.

Came in two boxes, easy to assemble.
After filling with oil and petrol it starts on a single pull first time every time.
Turned tree branches into a small pile of wood chips.
I did find that the bolts I attached came undone through vibration so fitted some spring washers and disk washers to keep tight.
Other than that a really good design.
Didn't jam once or need clearing in 5 hrs of operation.

Amazon kept steering me towards this machine's ubiquitous green rival, but I had nagging doubts around its small hopper, the absence of a grip for moving it, small wheels and thin tyres. The YouTube videos were also inconclusive, so I kept holding off. Also, I don't like not having a choice of products to compare.

Eventually, Amazon coughed up the CRC200X and I found the Crytec website and liked what I saw. It was greatly helped by a convincing YouTube video. Better still, the machine was on offer. After a slightly glitschy online sales process, I had my order.

From the first glimpse and feel, you can tell the CRC200X is a serious machine. A lot of design thought and experience seems to have gone into it. It is solidly and simply built and easy to assemble. The large, pneumatic wheels and the grips at the top of the chute make it very easy to move around, even up my steep drive.

The engine started first time and runs smoothly. It is loud - so ear defenders are a must for me. Also, I ran it a bit close to a wall for a while and found I was breathing in noxious fumes, so moved to a more open area.

I like the action of the chipper, which is a rotating cutting disc with two blades that slice the branches up and spit them out at a right angle and at the same speed as the disc. Simple and decisive. It's like a giant, upmarket food processor.

On my first session, I processed many types of hedge and tree clippings including leylandii, beech, sycamore, hawthorn, holly and ivy. Some were as long as 2.5 metres. It is powerful, but I restricted myself to 40mm thickness, as there seems no point in stressing the machine when I can cut larger pieces up for firewood. I got used to manually dividing widely branching clippings with shears, to avoid them getting stuck in the neck of the hopper. The chipper got through them all quickly and conclusively, with a healthy pull on material being fed in. It can be a little snatchy, so it's best to stay clear, especially when putting scratchy things in.

The input hopper is large and more than an arm's length, so there seems little risk of mutilation under sensible use and the machine feels safe. I nearly lost a loose glove, though! Just as with shredding paper, it is happiest when you feed it one thing at a time, maintaining the engine's momentum. I did stall the machine once, with a long, complex 40mm branch - I thought I had blocked the cutting disc, but it was clear and I simply had to restart the engine. I think the (dry wood) branch had simply slowed the disc to the point of stalling the engine. I could probably have avoided it by holding the branch back a bit, or simplifying it.

The output chute has a good flow of air coming through it, keeping the clippings mobile. Keeping an eye on the output allows you to regulate what you put in and keep things moving, avoiding clogging. I was a little concerned that the chute outlet is close to the ground but it makes sense that the machine in no way has to fight gravity and I found that a lidless plastic storage box worked well for catching the chippings and transferring to the 1 ton bag.

It handled green and dry wood equally well. Originally, I had inclined towards the competitor's green chipper/mulcher, but realised that chippings were more important to me than mulch. I'm so glad I did! Although it is not a mulcher, I found I could actually process small hedgetrimmer clippings by introducing a little at the same time as linear branches, resulting a homogeneous mix that is much more maneagable than the unprocessed clippings.

I should say that I had kept all the material dry before putting it through the machine. Things may well be different with wet material, but I expect that to be manageable, e.g. by reducing the throughput (I don't fancy the idea of flushing water through the machine). It's hard to mow a wet lawn quickly, after all.

Altogether, I made a 1 cubic metre sack of very neat chippings in around 2 hours, using perhaps a litre of fuel - a very successful first session!

This was a big purchase for me and a strategic one, because I need to turn a lot of growth in an unruly garden into material that I can use to lay paths with and keep weeds down. I have a feeling it will help me to tame my outdoor space and last me for a good many years.

So, full marks for the Crytec CRC200X! I thoroughly recommend it - a grown up machine for a very reasonable price.