Although thats a good reminder to obey the manufacturers recommended page capacity, we still think shredders should make jams easy for you to resolve by using the reverse or forward mechanisms. Reigate paper pure hsm 2331 shredder stripcut german sheet shredders bonsaii shredder lubricant c149 120ml shredder ativa paper indicators shredder The eight-sheet capacity is enough for you to shred a couple of bank or credit card statements at a time, and you can get through hundreds of papers in under 10 minutes. The wide, angled shredding slot in the eight-sheet Amazon Basics also made it easy for us to feed the shredder continuously, even if all the papers in the stack werent perfectly aligned. The Fellowes Powershred 9C Cross-Cut Shredder was the only shredder to overheat in our round of testing at the timeand it did so at three minutes in rather than at the rated five minutes of run time. Anti-Jam with Smart-Sense technology, auto reverse. The 12-sheet shredder tore through 480 pages before the bin was full, in contrast to the eight-sheet models 360 pages. For this guide, we consulted several experts in the security field: Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for Privacy Rights Clearinghouse; cybersecurity expert John Sileo; identity-theft and scam consultant Rob Douglas; and Robert Siciliano, security-awareness expert and CEO of Safr.me. Item prices may vary from in-store prices. Though this model is slightly bigger than eight-sheet shredders with lift-up tops, it still fits under most desks, and we think the pullout bin and wheels are conveniences that make it easier to keep up a shredding habit. (Note: Dont do this at home. And in any case, the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Shredder still produced consistently high-security, P4-level-size shredsenough to give us peace of mind knowing that identity thieves or snooping neighbors wouldnt be able to piece together the original documents. shredder capacity duty heavy sheet royal cross cut paper This shredder produces larger shreds than some other models we tested. The three Amazon Basics shredders we recommend are pretty much variations of the same machine, just with different page capacities (and in the case of the six-sheet version, a pull-up versus a pull-out bin design). For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. 2022 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company, Amazon Basics 8-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Shredder with Pullout Basket, Amazon Basics 12-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Paper, CD, and Credit Card Shredder with Pullout Basket, Amazon Basics 6-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder, Our pick: Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Shredder, Upgrade pick: Amazon Basics 12-Sheet Micro-Cut Shredder, Budget pick: Amazon Basics 6-Sheet Micro-Cut Shredder, processed more than 400,000 cases of identity theft in 2018 alone (PDF), blend them with bleach and water until theyre pulp, stored in a universal bin until the company shreds them, more than 2,000 pieces versus 400 or fewer pieces, Fellowes Powershred 8MC5 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper Shredder, Bonsaii 12-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper Shredder C221-B, Amazon Basics 15-Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder, Aurora AU1210MA 12-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper and CD/Credit Card Shredder, against using alternatives to shredder oil, Amazon Basics 15-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper, CD Credit Card Office Shredder, Aurora AU870MA High-Security 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder, Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder, Amazon Basics 12-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder, Fellowes Powershred 9C Cross-Cut Shredder, Fellowes Powershred 73Ci Cross-Cut Paper Shredder, Fellowes Powershred 79Ci Cross-Cut Paper Shredder, Amazon Basics 6-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder, Swingline Duo Super Cross-Cut Shredder 1757394, Aurora AU1240XA 12-Sheet Cross-Cut JamFree Paper / Credit Card Shredder, Fellowes Powershred M-12C Cross-Cut Shredder, Fellowes Powershred W11C Cross-Cut Paper Shredder, Questions to Ask Before Buying a Shredder, security-awareness expert and CEO of Safr.me, director of policy and advocacy, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, identity-theft expert and information security consultant, executive director, Identity Management Institute, Wirecutters 100 Most Popular Picks in April 2022, Wirecutters 100 Most Popular Picks in January 2022. Cross Cut 110 L Professional Touch Screen Shredder for medium office use with continuous duty motor and heavy duty chain drive with steel gears 2 sets of cutting knives. It instantly overheated both those times, requiring us to wait 30 minutes to clear the jams. microcut shredder Its noisier, but not by a whole lot. We found the bin to be a significant hassle, to the point where we were cursing at the bin as we tried to kick it in place, and the bin-overflow warning lit up when it was only half full. Finally, the shredding slot is slightly curved on the left side, which made feeding the shredder more difficult in our tests. Intelligent SelfOil feature extends cutter life, and Intelligent Self-Cleaning Cutters automatically remove shreds that can cause build-up and lead to jams. Trust us: After collating hundreds of stacks of paper to shred, weve found that a 12-sheet capacity is more than enough for basic home-office shredding. Multipurpose Professional Cross Cut 60 L Shredder for medium office use with continuous duty motor and heavy duty chain drive with steel gears. shredder platinum series shredder crosscut sheet paper If the shredder does jam, you can easily clear it by throttling the gears into reverse (slide the switch to reverse). You could also pay to have your documents shredded at places like Staples or FedEx, but youll have more peace of mind doing it yourself rather than having your documents stored in a universal bin until the company shreds them. Please enable JavaScript in your browser and reload the page. As we do for all of our guides, we made our picks here based on extensive comparisons, research, and testing. She has contributed to print and online publications such as The New York Times, Lifehacker, and PCWorld, specializing in tech, productivity, and lifestyle/family topics. That required us to empty the wastebasket before continuing, and it meant that we were never able to overtax the shredder enough to force it into a 30-minute cool-down modeunlike our experience with the Fellowes Powershred 8MC5 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper Shredder, which overheated within five minutes of continuous use. Service fees may apply. Melanie Pinola previously covered all things home office as a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. Multimedia Professional Straight-Cut 85 L Shredder for medium office use with continuous duty motor, heavy duty chain drive with steel gears. shredder goecolife crosscut In testing, the Amazon Basics 12-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder ran for only five minutes before jamming on a stack of 13 sheets of paper. Its also one of the more affordable options we recommendroughly half the price of similar but higher-capacity micro-cut paper shredders. The pull-out wastebasket glides out and back in easily, which in our tests made shredding less of a chore than with eight-sheet shredders that had lift-up tops. Multipurpose Professional Straight-Cut 60 L Shredder for medium office use with continuous duty motor and heavy duty chain drive with steel gears. However, long shredding sessions like that for a small shredder will make it run and feel warma sign that you should take it easy. We didnt run through complete testing of the Bonsaii 12-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper Shredder C221-B because after six minutesshredding over 300 pageswe found the burning smell nauseating. paper shredder royal sheet cross cut capacity duty heavy zoom shredder These two shredders are about the same sizejust about an inch more in each direction for the 12-sheet versionand they produce the same tiny, micro-cut shreds. shredder This compact shredder is best for occasionally shredding a few documents at a time. shredder crosscut casters shredders Although its rated for eight sheets, we were able to run batches of 10 sheets of paper, including stapled stacks, through the shredder without jamming it (note that we do not recommend doing this at home). However, considering that it is a cross-cut shredder with a roughly 50% higher price tag than our upgrade pick has, we dont think this model is a good value for most people. The Fellowes Powershred W11C Cross-Cut Paper Shredder doesnt do micro-cuts, and was louder than most shredders we tested. (We were able to run stacks of 16 sheets through the shredder without jamming it, but, again, we dont recommend doing that at home.). The non-stop Jam Free feature allows users to prevent jams before they occur. Our budget pick is currently out of stock. For the utmost safety, if you have young children, we recommend unplugging any shredder when its not in use. Consider your Shredder purchase as your Insurance policy against Identity Theft and Corporate Fraud. shredder ativa paper In our testing, it worked as intended, quickly tearing discs apart into several small shards. Other great features include Ultra-Quiet Operation,Intelligent Self-Cleaning Cutters, and Intelligent Power Save Auto Shut Down Feature. This model also jammed four times during our tests when we stuffed in a thick batch of folded sheets or pages with a large paper clip, so dont expect it to take the abuse of a busy office. After researching more than 25 shredders and running more than 4,000 sheets of paper (along with staples, CDs, and credit cards) through seven of them, we recommend the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Shredder with Pullout Basket for personal and home-office use. A higher security rating is especially important if you need to destroy documents with highly sensitive information, such as medical or financial info. Please login and you will add product to your wishlist. shredder paper office dvd cd colour fellowes shredder powershred Stick to the maximum page capacity recommended by the manufacturer or fewer pages to avoid overworking your shredder and potentially shortening its life.). shredder Unfortunately, it was also one of the few shredders to overheat during our testing; the machine shut down after four minutes of continuous use, and we couldnt turn it back on for 20 minutes. All of them offered their advice on the importance of shredding documents and the best ways to do so. To keep your shredder running smoothly, shredder manufacturers recommend regularly oiling the shredder blades. shredder As with other shredders, you can definitely hear this model; its about as noisy as a vacuum cleaner but not as noisy as a lawn mower. After testing models from Fellowes, Aurora, and Bonsaii, we found that once again the Amazon Basics shredders performed the best and were the easiest to use. shredder goecolife crosscut We timed the shredders run time and cooldown time. shredder It also couldnt handle more than the suggested amount of sheets, which is why we disqualified it as a possible pick. Surrey In the past, when we overloaded other shredders, we were unable to clear similar jams, even when they had both reverse and forward jam-clearing options. You have other ways to dispose of documents with sensitive information on them, of course. Continuous duty run time lets you shred more paper faster. The spacious, 5.7-gallon bin also means you wont have to empty the bin as often as you would with lower-capacity shredders. Office-supply store Quill, meanwhile, advises against using alternatives to shredder oil, such as canola oil, since they can gum up the shredder. As such, we have a hard time recommending this model. Powerful, best selling strip cut shredder for Professional users, Top selling commercial strip-cut shredder with 100% Jam Proof System, Jam Free cross cut 18 sheet shredder ideal for departmental usage, Jam Free high performance and high capacity 20 sheet cross cut shredder for large office, 100% Jam Proof small office shredder with slim design for professionals. indicators shredder shredder orca Ive written about technology and home-office topics for more than a dozen years for sites such as Lifehacker, PCWorld, and Laptop Magazine, and Ive tested and reviewed various gear for Wirecutter for over five years. Whether you plan on shredding a pile of documents occasionally throughout the year or you shred receipts and junk mail as they come in on a daily basis, a paper shredder is the most convenient option for most households. We're keeping an eye on the situation. shredder capacity duty heavy sheet royal cross cut paper These are useful features for households with small children who like to push buttons, but we dont think theyre essential for most people. paper pure hsm 2331 shredder stripcut german sheet shredders shredder destructora shredders shredding Run the shredder in reverse every now and then to keep the blades from clumping up with bits of paper, and empty the bin before it gets fullmost shredders either simply wont work or could jam if the bin is overloaded. Even if youre not a secret agent and you dont think you have anything to hide, you need a paper shredder. bonsaii c149 shredder shredder destructora shredders shredding This GBC Swingline DX18-13 Jam-Free 18-Sheet Level P-3 Cross-Cut Paper Shredder is backed by a 2 year warranty on machine and 15 year warranty on cutters. Wirecutter doesnt do sponsored contentbrands cant pay us to be reviewed or featured in our guidesand we make our picks independent of any affiliate compensation or business arrangements. (For additional info, read more about how we work.). Don Ruffles Limited Professional Straight-Cut 39 L Shredder for small office use with continuous duty motor - 2 entries - 2 sets of cutting knives. Paper is still the path of least resistance when compromising identity, said Robert Siciliano, security-awareness expert and CEO of Safr.me. Unlike the eight-sheet model, this 12-sheet shredder doesnt have a separate slot for destroying discsbut these days, thats not likely to be an issue for most people. Superior 100% Jam Proof small office shredder with slim design for shared use. During our tests, the six-sheet shredder was able to handle a stack of up to eight sheets at a time, but it was a struggle. bonsaii shredder lubricant c149 120ml Available at Newegg, Target, and Walmart with a rated 60-minute run time, it promises to shred six times longer than the 12-sheet Amazon Basics shredder we recommend. Although this model has an overload LED indicator thats supposed to warn you if you try to shred too many sheets at once, it didnt work as we expected: It lit up only when a jam already existed, rather than warning us before said jam would happen. We purposely inserted more pages than the maximum load to see when the shredder would jam and how easily we could clear jams. paper shredder royal cut cross refurbished sheet officedepot source It can run jam-free for nearly 10 minutes without overheating. shredder bonsaii 26 West Street 13-gallon pull-out waste bin with bin full indicator alerts you when it needs to be emptied. Sorry, this webpage requires JavaScript to function correctly. Because the shredder has a small page capacity, you need to feed it just a few pages at a time for optimal performance and to avoid jamming. We threw everything we had at itstapled sheets, folded junk mail, plastic credit cards, and data DVDs (in the handy separate disc slot)and the shredder chomped through them all like a champ, producing minuscule, undecipherable bits of paper and plastic. microcut shredder You could throw them in the fireplace, rip them by hand and toss the pieces in with food or pet waste, or maybe even blend them with bleach and water until theyre pulp. *At the time of publishing, the price was $47. This shredder is nearly identical to the Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Micro-Cut version, but it can handle 50% more pages at a time, has a larger bin, and still fits underneath typical desks. shredder goecolife crosscut The Fellowes Powershred M-12C Cross-Cut Shredder was capable of shredding up to 15 sheets at a time in our testing. If you tend to shred a couple of pieces of paper here and there rather than plowing through stacks of documents in large batches, the Amazon Basics 6-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder will probably suit you best. We decided not to retest our previous top pick, the Amazon Basics 15-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper, CD Credit Card Office Shredder, because we think the higher security of a micro-cut shredder is worth the trade-off of smaller page capacity. Doing this is a little more of a hassle than tugging on a pull-out bin, and it tends to result in more shreds scattering on the floor, but its not that big a problem if youre not emptying the bin on a weekly or even monthly basis. paper shredder ativa sheet microcut office crosscut depot (In our tests, both shredders ran for about three minutes longer than their rated run times before their bins got full.) You can read more about the models we didnt pick, and why, in the Competition section. Our top pick and upgrade pick helpfully tell you when to empty the bin. bonsaii shredder The Fellowes Powershred 79Ci Cross-Cut Paper Shredder is the most powerful shredder we testedwhile other shredders struggled with heavy-duty paper clips, this shredder chewed right through them. Whereas some other tested shredders jammed or emitted a burning smell after a few minutes, the eight-sheet Amazon Basics ran trouble-free well past its five-minute run time as we continuously fed it batches of paperit tore through about 360 pages (or 90 four-page credit card statements) before the bin was full. Overfeeding the shredder could quickly wear down the blades, motor, and other shredder parts. It can handle old plastic credit cards, as well, and it has a separate slot for data DVDs, which is helpful for reducing wear and tear on the main shredder gears. Theyre also more likely to have a higher, P4 security-rating level. If you have light shredding needsfor example, you get most of your statements and other paperwork digitallythe Amazon Basics 6-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder is the best option for occasional use at home. Its wastebasket also feels a bit flimsier than those of other shredders, and the design tapers slightly at the bottom, which makes it easier for this top-heavy device to topple. The main trade-off lies in the hassle of the lift-up top, which weighs nearly 10 pounds and is messier to deal with than pull-out bins; stray shreds will surely sprinkle throughout your room whenever you need to empty the shredder. Its a bit noisier than our other picks, and the pull-off top means more cumbersome bin emptying, but this smaller shredder is more affordable, and it shreds pages to the same itty-bitty pieces as its larger siblings do. Available in select zip codes or location. This is the gear and the strategies we at Wirecutter use to move from a paper-based home office to an all-digital filing and storage system. For the utmost safety, its best to leave your shredder unplugged when its not in use, or at least turned to the off position rather than the auto setting. The GBC Swingline DX18-13 Jam-Free 18-Sheet Level P-3 Cross-Cut Paper Shredder provides continuous shredding, allowing you to shred more paper, even faster. Our previous top pick, the Amazon Basics 15-Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder, offers a larger page capacity for about the same price, but we think the higher security of a micro-cut shredder is more important. Please give our Service dept a call at 800-944-4573, and they should be able to set up an service call. cross cut paper shredder royal sheet shredders ft freezer stainless steel biz So how did we end up with three recommendations for Amazon Basics models? shredder bonsaii In other words, that claimed advantage is debatable in the real world. The Amazon Basics 6-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder got the job done, but it did so with multiple delays, as it jammed more than a few times. (We recommend shredding only a couple of pages at a time, though, to avoid jamming and overworking the shredder.) Learn more. *At the time of publishing, the price was $114. Theres no avoiding junk mail, and a shredder can help you avoid identity theft by destroying credit card solicitations, well as medical information and anything else with personally identifiable info. These 100 useful things were the most-purchased Wirecutter picks in January 2022. Should you want to buy a shredder from a company besides Amazon or perhaps see it in person before buying, consider the Aurora AU1210MA 12-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper and CD/Credit Card Shredder. Also shreds DVDs, CDs, credit cards, paper clips, and staples. We think shredder sharpening and lubricant sheets are a simpler, still-inexpensive option that removes any guesswork. Cross Cut 135 L Professional Touch Screen Shredder for medium/large office use with 2x460W continuous duty motors and heavy duty chain drive with steel gears 2 sets of cutting knives. The jam-free sensor on the Aurora AU1240XA 12-Sheet Cross-Cut JamFree Paper / Credit Card Shredder was too sensitive. Unlike the larger, more expensive Amazon Basics shredders, which have pull-out wastebaskets, this six-sheet version consists of just a plastic can with a shredder unit that fits into the top. The Fellowes Powershred 8MC5 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper Shredder reduced pages to the smallest bits, but it had temperature and jamming problems that negated that advantage. If an eight-sheet shredder wont cut it because you constantly have large stacks of sensitive documents to dispose of, the Amazon Basics 12-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Paper, CD, and Credit Card Shredder with Pullout Basket is the upgrade model to get. *At the time of publishing, the price was $74. If a shredder overheats or malfunctions, it could be a safety hazard. In our tests, it would sometimes pause for a second or two before accepting subsequent stacks of paper to shred, and often the gears would spin a few moments after all the paper was through, which could cause the machine to wear down over time. Shredding CDs or DVDs, as expected, made the shredder sound louder than when it was shredding plastic credit cards or paper, but its noise while shredding matched the average for the shredders we testedabout 83 decibels for CDs, 70 decibels for credit cards, and the mid-60s for stacks of paper. As someone who still gets way too much mail containing personal or sensitive information, I came into this guide with a vested interest in finding the best paper shredder for my household and home office. In this case, the jam was impossible for us to fix, and the shredder was kaput. For our 2021 update to this guide, we decided not to consider cross-cut shredders, focusing solely on micro-cut shredders because theyre much more secure and their prices have dropped to the point where theyre not significantly more expensive than cross-cut models. Finally, whereas the other Amazon Basics shredders all made a loud whirring noise, measuring in the mid to high 60s in decibels, the noise level for the smaller, six-sheet shredder was more often in the 70s. Fellowes recommends oiling every two months, or, if you shred a lot, every time you empty the wastebasket. When we fed the shredder a stack of 11 sheets of paper, it finally jammed, but we easily cleared it up using the forward and reverse buttons. Garbage and recycling bins full of bank statements and credit card offers are treasure troves for identity thieves. Professional Straight-Cut 39 L Shredder for small office use with continuous duty motor.