"Any suggestions on a good cheap model?"

Good and cheap don't usually go together. Do you happen to have a lawnmower that bags?

MM

In reply "mainman"'s question about a lawnmower:
Yep, not only do I have a lawnmower -> I have a Honda Harmony Dual Blade Mower (with special leaf shredder attachment).
Yeah it works fine, IF:
1) the leaves are very brown
2) the leaves are very dry
3) I can make a pass every day before the leaves get too deep.
My problem is that I usually can't get to them until the weekend. And even if conditions 1 & 2 are good, the leaves can easily be 6" deep by then.
NOTE: when I say "cheap", I am easily willing to spend ~$500 for a shredder.

Walksindarkness,

I am partial to MacKissic products because I have one of their tillers (Merry Tiller) and one of their shredder-chippers (Mighty Mac) and I really like both of them. I currently rake up and pour my leaves, both old and new, into my shredder/chipper. However, their leaf shredders all exceed your $500 figure. Whether you want to go beyond that is up to you.

I know you aren't interested in chipping, but you might want to take a look at their LSC 506 Leaf Shredder-Chipper for its "sweep in" and bagging capabilities.

I know it's well over your price target, but MacKissic's LC6000EZ Leaf Cycler is pretty much a "jack of all trades" when it comes to leaves.

MM

I've used B&D's BV2500. Its a blower/vac and has a 10-1 mulch ratio. 10 bags of leaves mulched into 1 bag. it does ok, but i think my predators do a better job.

Troybuilt makes a nice CSV (chipper/shredder/vac) right in your price range @ $499

Here is a link that might be useful: Troybuilt CSV065

I have a Yard Machine 5hp chipper/shredded which I think works great. I know there was a long thread on here by someone dissastified by theirs, but mine work greats.

The drop down hopper for leaves works very good for me. What I do is rake or blow a huge pile of leaves and drop the hopper at the edge, start it up and rake leaves into the hopper, there is enough air being blown through the unit that there is a suction that sucks the leaves into the shredder. If there are sticks in the leaves, they may clog it up depending on the angle the stick is stuck.
I would get one with the plastic drop-down chute, not the metal one. The plastic one seems to me like it would allow for much better suction of the leaves into the shredder. The metal hopper allows much more air for air to be sucked into the shredder.

It also has a chipper, which is nice for branches but you said that isn't a concern, still, it is nice to have.

There are usually some on ebay. If I had to buy one, I'd opt for the large HP one, but the 5hp works fine and if you are just doing leaves, the 5hp should be plenty.

I know if I had 15 large mature oak trees, I would be looking for something with a drop down chute or a large diameter suction hose (Mackissic leaf cycler would work).
Getting one with only a chute you have to drop leaves into I think would leave you with a very sore or at least very tired back from all the bending over and picking up-not to mention that would take alot of time!

Mackissic is out of your price range if you buy new, but maybe look for a used unit?
-Bruce

Here is a link that might be useful: yard machine

Actually, Sears has a pretty good leaf shredder for about $400. The one pictured is $600, but they have a cheaper model. The one thing I like about the Sears (Craftman) shredder is that you can bag the shredded leaves or it has an attachment so that the shredded leaves are blown back on to the lawn and will make a fine, layed compost.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sears shredder

Has anyone used the Mackissic leaf cycler? My house is in a woodsy area, and I have quite a bit of stone landscaping where mulching is not an option. My method has been to blow and rake leaves onto a tarp and haul them into the woods. My long, sloped, gravel driveway yields about 40 such trips. I mulch as many leaves as I can into the grassy areas, but would really like a better way to remove leaves from around shrubs and non-grassy areas. I have a stand up shredder, but manually feeding leaves, etc is very slow and does not address my need to collect leaves more efficiently.