1. Does anyone have a mulcher for sale for small branches/ trees?
2. Can any one recommend a brand NOT to buy, cheap ones that may cause human pain and suffering (not that I'll be mulching humans), but could fall over easy, too much noise, etc.
3. Any recommendations on what to look for other than sheer ripping power? (replacement parts, maintenance, etc)

Also : can anyone tell me how to rent equipment like this. In the UK there was a Travis-Perkins nearby which I was able to get ploor-polishers, tree-mulchers, cement mixers, or anything of that kind on a day/week rental basis.
Here in CH is there a similar chain that does this. Or an outlet (Ticino) where 'big' equipment can be rented.

This brings back memories from "Fargo"

I apologise in advance for trying to inject humour into an otherwise serious thread, but in a moment of inspiration, I wondered whether for small stuff you might be able to use one of these

though you should probably avoid the use of these

and if you have bigger stuff, why not one of these

Not sure about a mulcher exactly, but you can rent a load of "Tim Allen" power tools from Obi, have a look.

We bought one last year from the Co-op which works fine and was pretty cheap, I'll dig out the make and come back to you. But have you checked with your local government? Ours here in Flums installed a large municipal one which is free to use, you take down your garden waste in sacks and bring back your own mulch.

What was really sweet was that for residents who decided they didn't want to take advantage of this free service they got a 4 KG Alpine Cheese in compensation!

Assuming you mean a shredder (mulch is the organic stuff I use around the base of my roses and the bark I scatter on the surface of the soil to keep in the moisture):
1. There's a few Garden shredders ("Garten Häcksler)" on http://www.ricardo.ch/Handwerk-Garten/Gartengerate
The one closest to an instrument of torture is an "Abfall Zerkleinerer".
2. I don't recommend Einhell. A Bosch 2200 is good for garden hobbyists and can take branches up to 3 or more cm diameter.
3. Maintenance: WD40 is good for many things includng maintaining the blades of a shredder to avoid blunding due to culimination of sap. Don't dry to shred use wet stuff. Wear protective glasses. A twig in the eye can be a disadvantageous