I have oak leaves - they need to be shredded well or they'll take forever to decompose. I bought a leaf blower/vacuum which helps in tight spots of the yard but doesn't shred as well as using the lawnmower with a bag. Since I use them for mulch, I don't need to wait to use them. I had a big old chipper/shredder that worked well but took up a lot of room in the garage. It did a decent job on the leaves.
