Have been wondering whether to get one of these - no longer have anywhere to dump the garden cuttings and will soon be cutting down some hedging which is starting to block our view.  I can't find any reviews to know what to look for so wonder if anyone has any advice to offer please.

We've had a smallish electric Al-Ko model for years, and it's been very useful. The shreddings, added to lawn mowings, help to make marvellous garden compost!

We have a black and decker one form b and q . seems good at its job as long a the branches arnt bigger than 2 " diameter (I think)

It just depends what you are wanting to shred and how much there is. We had a small one years ago and it was useless. We had a very long holly/hawthorn hedge and it just couldn't cope with the quantity (took ages to shred it all too). We bought a large petrol driven one which could cope with the bigger volume and also thicker branches etc. We used old plastic fertiliser sacks (or similar) to store the shreddings until they had rotted down before putting them on the garden beds etc

> it just couldn't cope with the quantity (took ages to shred it all too

That is what I was afraid of.  I just looked at the price to hire one - for when we do the undergrowth in the field below us.  Some of the branches I can use but the field owner said we can cut it down but we must clear it away after.  They are over £50 to hire!  I don't think the small ones are going to be suitable anyway.  I have just cut down my son's pyracantha and that might be OK.  Don't really have the space for a bonfire like we used to! 

Have you thought if its lots of thick wood that a tree surgeon may take it? They shred theirs and often sell it or they may get rid of it at a fraction of the price.

I was planning on keeping anything thick enough to burn on the woodburner!  Also wanted the whippy branches to make a fence.  My son-i-l has made a beautiful job of a woven fence by using odd branches cut off trees round about him.  I rather thought I would do the same at the back of my property to thicken up the back boundary before the land next door is sold and I have other dogs etc coming close to my fence.  We haven't looked into paying someone else to remove the shrubby trees yet.  They are sycamore, ash and hazel so potentially will completely block our view in a few years time.  The land in front of us is completely wild now but as we live on the side of a hill with views right over to Somerset we have no intention of loosing them.

Get some builders bags and fill them up then run them down to the local tip.
You might find a local company willing to do the removal of waste but they may charge a fair bit. You also have to check they are registered waste carriers like I am which is available online via the Environment Agency's web site.
Good shredders cost a fair bit and I can't recommend the cheaper ranges as I've not used them.
I have in the past filled a ton bag up and then used my clearing saw to cut the cuttings up which enables me to pack more in.

Got a cheap shredder from B and Q.  It was reduced from £199 to £125 and my husband made them an offer of £80 and they took it!   haven't tried it yet - but I cut back some shrubs in my son's garden the other day and will start with that.

Like you we have a smallish one that does really well and provides me with mulch. With branches and tree trunks we have been cutting them down to size and stacking them in a spare gabion bag wire cage we have and we have made a bug home thing so the old apple tree is recycled.

Now Im trying to buy a new apple and plum to replant.

For blackthorn we hired in a shredder from HSS for the day, stacked the stuff and made the thing earn its money, got a few ton bags from builders merchants and Im using it as a mulch over black terram in the new grass plot in the garden.

Best of luck!!