Chipper/Shredders

Fall is quickly approaching and I'm looking for input from anyone that has (or had!) a chipper/shredder.

I have 3/4's of an acre for my yard and it is completely covered by trees so I get a LOT of leaves.

I've looked at the Troy-Bilt 5.5hp chipper/shredder vac unit that Lowes sells amd the Cub Cadet 6.5hp model that Home Depot sells. Both get "fair" reviews with people either loving or hating them. One major complaint seems to be that they do a poor job of actually shredding the leaves.

Are there other (better) vac type units out there or am I better off just going with the hopper type of unit and raking the leaves into it? The shredding function is high on my list of "wants" since I compost the leaves or use them for mulch. Chipping is a "nice to have" function.