Bosch AXT 25TC – Our Electric Garden Shredder of the Year 2017 to 2021

The Bosch AXT 25TC boasts 2500W of garden shredding power.  It is not the most powerful shredder we have reviewed but its unique cutting mechanism delivers an incredible 230kg/hr shredding capacity. Unlike other machines, the AXT25TC can readily meet the quoted throughput figure. In fact, it exceeds that of many, smaller petrol machines.

The Bosch AXT 25TC is now the second most widely reviewed garden shredder on Amazon behind only its smaller, more raucous sibling – the Bosch AXT 2200 Rapid.  It has accumulated over 1800 reviews and enjoys a stellar rating.

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The Garden Shredder Review

To maintain that sort of approval rating compared to all other garden shredders on Amazon is nothing short of astounding. It has been our choice for Electric Garden Shredder of the year for the last 5 years. No other electric shredder comes close in performance or reliability.

Bosch Garden Shredder AXT 25 TC (2500 W, Plunger for Trimmed Material, 53-litre Collection Box, Material Throughput: 230 kg/h, Max. Cutting Capacity: Dia. 45 mm, in Carton Packaging)
  • The AXT 25 TC quiet shredder – the first universal shredder for both soft and hard materials
  • High torque high-performance 2500 W motor
  • Patented block release system allows blockages to be loosened easily without the need to remove the hopper
  • Effortlessly shreds woody materials up to a maximum diameter of 45 mm thanks to extremely high torque of 650 Nm

Designed for all of your garden clippings

If you have read our reviews of impact and quiet shredders you will know that impact shredders are best for softer green waste but may stall if presented with larger pieces of dry, woody waste.  Quiet or crusher style shredders are excellent for crunching up woody waste but can become blocked by too much green waste.

Enter Bosch’s unique Turbine Cut system.

Bosch AXT 25TC Turbine Cutting Mechanism
Bosch AXT 25TC Turbine Cutting Mechanism

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Bosch calls the AXT 25TC mechanism the Turbine Cutting system. What it has got to do with turbines escapes me.  The cutter more resembles a cylinder lawnmower.

As the turbine rotates the blades trap the larger cuttings against the side plate. The blades then cut into the firmly held branches.  As the wood is cut through the ongoing rotation of the turbine pulls the branches through the machine. Branches and clippings are cut by the blades rather than crushed so the shreddings are cleaner and more precise than those produced by the roller/drum mechanisms deployed in quiet shredders.

Smaller clippings and waste drop between the turbine blades and are swept to the side and cut against the side plate. The gaps between the turbine blades ensure there is nowhere for the softer, green clippings and waste to accumulate and jam. Turbine cut shredders will almost never jam.

If you are still unsure, take a look at our guide to choosing the garden shredder that is right for you and your garden.

The AXT 25TC in Operation

The short video below shows the AXT 25TC in operation. While the women cuts off any big branches or knots with the lopping shears, the guy just gets on with feeding the machine.

No matter what he throws in the shredder doesn’t miss a beat. The sound level is pretty realistic too.

Note: The self-feed mechanism is very strong. Branches can get whipped out of your hands and can thrash around while being drawn in. Ear defenders are not essential while using the AXT 25TC but we strongly recommend using gloves and eye protection.

Sound Levels

Turbine Cut shredders are pretty quiet. The 25TC is rated at 82dB while idling. It doesn’t seem to get much louder in use either. 82dB is about the noise level in a crowded pub. Importantly, it is below the level at which HSE recommend the use of ear protection.

The Turbine Cut relies on strength (torque) rather than speed to cut. The turbine rotates at around 41rpm making it inherently quieter than impact and rapid shredders. 

Consequently turbine cut shredders are not too noisy – 82dB as mentioned.  That’s about a quarter of the volume from a typical impact shredder.  (Check out this link if you want to know more about decibel (dB) levels). This is the quietest electric shredder on the market (at least as far as we know). 82dB is equivalent to the conversation level in a busy pub. It’s not too noisy but it is a long way from being a silent garden shredder. Be wary of marketing hype.

OK, so much with the description on how they work but, are they any good?  We’ll get on to that but for now here are the technical details.

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Technical Details

FeatureValueComment
1Throughput230kg/hr
2Motor2500 Watt Induction
3Shredding MechanismTurbine cut - good for tough woody waste and finer more leafy stuff too
4Max diameter that can be cut45mm
5Collection box capacity53 litres
6Cable length4mNot bad but you will still need a heavy duty, outdoor extension lead so you can easily move the shredder to where you want to do the shredding.
7Other features41rpm cutting
650Nm torgue
Slower rotation speeds helps keep the noise down. It is still a lot louder than the Bosch crusher shredders.
8Weight30.5kg
9Guarantee/Warranty2yrs parts and labourExtendable to 3years when registering the shredder

Manufacturers Description

A 3 in 1 universal shredder for all your shredding needs. The powerful 2500 Watt induction motor significantly increases throughput to 230kg per hour whilst minimizing blockages. The touch pad control panel also helps prevent blocking via its “pulse” reverse mechanism, making the shredder easier to operate and control.

This innovative turbine cutting system is designed to shred large volumes of branches, shrubs and green material of up to 45mm in diameter. It also features a 53 litre collection box with a patented interlocking mechanism to make handling and storing shredded material simple and safe. It also includes a patented detachable hopper for convenient self-feeding and compact storage.”

Bosch Amazon sales page

Had Enough Review? Check Out the Bosch AXT 25TC on Amazon now

Is it Any Good?

The Good

The Bosch 25TC is a distinct improvement on both the usual crusher and impact type shredders.  Waste is chopped more finely than with crusher shredders and, unlike impact shredders, they do not jam on knotty branches.  You can even expect to shred right up to the quoted maximum allowable diameter.

Trust us – 45mm is getting up to small log size.  It is quite something to put something of that diameter through an electric garden shredder and see it chewed up in moments.

The ability to shred bigger branches undoubtedly has something to do with the higher throughput these machines can achieve. We always look at the manufacturers quoted throughput figures with a touch of scepticism – after all, you are trying to push all of your cuttings and waste through a slot that is much smaller than most letterboxes. 

Bosch AXT 25TC folds for easier storage

However, the Bosch AXT 25TC seems to happily cope with large shredding jobs.  Some of this might be down to the feed hopper which seems much easier to feed than other shredders.

These shredders are quiet in operation – just listen to the video above – and certainly seem to live up to their quoted sound figures.  You won’t have to use ear defenders for short periods of use – a real boon on a hot summer day.  If you are going to use it regularly, or for any period of over 2 hours, you are still advised to wear ear protection.

Bosch AXT 25TC Shreds everything from soft, green shoots on up to 45mm branches

As with all Bosch products the 25TC seems solid and well built.  If you do have a problem Bosch’s customer service is excellent.

Bosch also recognise the need to reduce the size of the machine for storage. It breaks down into itself for storage that packing

Bosch AXT 25TC achieves throughput claims

It’s a really nice touch – one that has been replicated by many of the manufacturers of quiet shredders. To be fair, I am not sure I have anywhere as neat and tidy as the slot shown for storing the shredder in the picture below. Folding down for storage would not be that much of a benefit for me.

Bosch AXT 25TC neat design.  Easily folds for storage

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The Not so Good

You certainly get what you pay for – the Bosch Turbine Shredders are the best electric shredders on the market right now. Sadly there is no escaping the fact that these machines are expensive.  You can reckon on paying at least 50% more than for an equivalent quiet/crusher shredder.  That’s likely to be more than 3 times the cost of an impact shredder. You can buy a Bosch AXT 25TC for Price not available on Amazon right now.

Put another way, you could buy the Bosch AXT Rapid 2200 at £331.95 for your finer, green cuttings and an Bosch AXT 25 D at £398.00 for your woody waste for a little more!  We know people who have done this but it isn’t much of a solution for most of us.

Manoeuvrabilty can be a bit of an issue. Turbine Shredders have to be solidly built to deliver the torque and force required to cut large branches.  Consequently they are heavy.  They are also a bit top heavy. Despite the large handle and large wheels, it can take some effort to get them to your clippings.

The supplied cable is short. Four metres isn’t overly miserly for a supplied cable but it doesn’t allow you to reach the corners of even a relatively small garden.  Under load these machines could be drawing upwards of 10 Amp current.  Make sure you have a [amzon link=”B00BGI1IQU” title=”heavy duty, outdoor extension lead”] so you can easily move your shredder to where you want to do the shredding.

In operation the only complaint we here is that smaller cuttings and green waste don’t really get broken up enough.  It’s not much of a problem as the bits are still small enough to breakdown as compost pretty quickly anyway.

Should you buy it?

In a word – yes.

There can be little doubt, the Bosch AXT 25TC sets the standards against which Electric Garden Shredders should be reviewed.  When set-up well, it will effortlessly consume vast amounts of just about any plant waste you can put through it.

For many people the only thing that should hold you back is the price.  You do get a lot for your money though and, with Bosch’s record on delivering quality products you should continue to enjoy reliable shredding for many years to come.

So, if you have a medium to larger garden, need to shred mixed woody and green garden waste, and you can afford it, choosing the  Bosch AXT 25TC is an easy choice.

Bosch Garden Shredder AXT 25 TC (2500 W, Plunger for Trimmed Material, 53-litre Collection Box, Material Throughput: 230 kg/h, Max. Cutting Capacity: Dia. 45 mm, in Carton Packaging)
  • The AXT 25 TC quiet shredder – the first universal shredder for both soft and hard materials
  • High torque high-performance 2500 W motor
  • Patented block release system allows blockages to be loosened easily without the need to remove the hopper
  • Effortlessly shreds woody materials up to a maximum diameter of 45 mm thanks to extremely high torque of 650 Nm

Turbine Cut Shredders – The top alternatives

This is an extremely short section.  There are no Electric Garden Shredder alternatives to the AXT 25TC.  The turbine cut technology is proprietary to Bosch and is presumably covered by several patents.

if you find the price of the Bosch Turbine Cut you could take a look at our current pick for best quiet garden shredder – The Tacklife PWS01A

No products found.

If you want something that can compare or exceed the throughput capacity of the AXT 25TC you are going to need to look towards a petrol shredder.

Some of the Amazon top rated petrol shredders are listed below.

6.5HP PETROL WOOD CHIPPER TIMBER GARDEN SHREDDER MULCHER

T-Mech 6.5HP Wood Chipper Petrol Garden Tree Commercial Timber Brush Branch Shredder

Garden Chipper Shredder | 7HP Mulcher | Petrol Chipper Titan Pro

Garden Chipper Shredder | 7HP Mulcher | Petrol Chipper from Titan Pro
  • Side chute for chipping branches up to 50mm/2" in capacity.
  • Large brush hopper and safety cover for leaves and small branches.
  • Large wheels for easy manoeuvring.
  • Overload protection system.

Last update on 2024-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API