Shredders for Office & Personal Use
- Shreds 12 sheets per pass into 5/32 x 1-9/16” cross-cut particles (Security Level P-4) for enhanced security on highly confidential documents to help keep your information safe
- Provides powerful deskside shredding and, in addition to paper, can also shreds staples, paper clips and unopened junk mail
Keeping your information and documents secure should be a priority for everyone, not just people who work in an office. Paper shredders can help you do that by destroying your receipts, tax returns, bank statements, and more so they won’t get into the wrong hands. Or, they can help you eliminate more low stakes items, like old reports and photos.
When purchasing a shredder, it’s important to consider how you’ll use it because, like most things, all shredders are not created equal. Will you only shred papers or will you need to shred more substantial materials, such as plastic CDs or credit cards? Also, how often will you be shredding? All of these questions, and more, can help you decide which shredder to get.
Additionally, here are some other things you should keep in mind before buying a paper shredder.
Shredder Types: How Secure Do You Want Your Information?
Different shredder models have different ways of cutting materials. Depending on how important data security is to you, you may purchase a strip-cut, cross-cut, or micro-cut shredder.
- Strip-cut shredders - Cut your materials into thin vertical strips which can be reassembled after shredding
- Cross-cut shredders - Cut your materials both vertically and horizontally, adding an extra level of difficulty for reassemblage
- Micro-cut shredders - Cut your materials into pieces so small that reassemblage of the document or material is highly unlikely (great for your most private documents and financial records as well as confidential business material such as PII, FACTA, and HIPAA documentation)
Shredding Volume: How Often Will You Shred?
Another related point to consider is how often you’ll be shredding. Overloading your shredder can result in frustrating paper jams, so if you think that you’ll be destroying a lot of documents, you may want to consider a higher sheet capacity as well as a larger bin capacity, or possibly even additional shredder bags to ensure you don’t make a mess.
You’ll also want to consider the shredding speed and continuous run-time. Many shredders are equipped with automatic shut-off capabilities to prevent overheating, but you should also check the cooldown time that your shredder will require prior to restarting.
If your shredding volume is on the heavier side, you’ll also want to consider purchasing a lubricant to maintain the health and performance of your shredder blades.
Shredding Materials: What Will You Shred?
Any shredder you buy will likely be able to handle regular paper, but you should make sure that your media shredder is up to the task of shredding heavier materials like:
- Heavier bond paper (32 lb and up)
- Card stock
- Credit cards
- CDs, DVDs
- Hard drives
- Metal items (staples, paper clips, etc.)
Other Paper Shredder Features to Consider
Lastly, while these aren’t necessarily going to improve the functionality of your shredder, these features are important to consider:
- Loudness - Many shredders specify their decibel noise levels, which should help you pick the shredder that’s right for your environment
- Dimensions - How much space do you have available for your shredder? Some can be almost three feet tall and weight more than 60 lbs
- Convenience - Auto-feed shredders feature helpful loading trays that allow you to add your pile of documents and feed themselves so you don’t have to do it manually
Paper shredders have a place in every home and office, you just need to find the right one for you. Luckily, we have a great selection (including popular brands, such as Fellowes shredders) for you to choose from.