HSM1001 Multishred Shredder – Cross Cut Shredder

Fellowes  C-220Ci 100% Jam Proof Cross Cut Shredder

If you shred A LOT, you need a burly shredder capable of continuous shredding. We shred thousands of sheets a week and after exhaustive research, I chose the Fellowes C-220Ci for its speed, power and huge capacity. For the vast majority of consumers, however, this shredder is overkill. Save some serious money and get the excellent SB-89Ci (which I also have). It’s about 1/3 the size, weight and cost of this beast.

This shredder has some interesting technology, some good, some not so good. One of them is the auto oiling feature. The single most common cause of shredder failures is the failure (no pun intended) to oil the blades/cutters. The 220 remedies this with a built in 12 ounce oil reservoir that will automatically oil the blades at regular intervals. Unlike most other shredders, including the SB-89Ci I mentioned above, the 220 is capable of continuous, non-stop shredding. You can literally shred hour after hour without it overheating.

The “Jam Proof” system measures the thickness of the paper stack before it reaches the cutters and will determine if it’s able to shred it, literally eliminating jams. This works nearly perfectly; the problem surfaces when you want to feed it something thick but easy to shred; cardboard, for example. The sensor will prevent it from shredding because it’s too thick, even though cardboard is mostly air. To get around this, you can manually override the sensor and feed the shredder that way.

Another technology is called “Safe Sense”; this instantly turns off the shredder if your fingers come in contact with the metal that surrounds the entrance slot to the blades. Never mind that your fingers physically can not fit through the slot. I suppose if you have small children around, this could be helpful; then again, children should be no where near this thing.

Finally, there’s a “Mess Reduction Feature” that actually works quite well. When you pull out the basket to empty it, a plate slides in to place under the shredder blades that prevent any stray shreds from falling where you just pulled the basket from. It makes it the cleanest shredder I’ve used.

In summary, this is a pretty impressive piece of equipment. Make sure you take a close look at the specs; this thing is massive; literally the size of a small refrigerator. For huge shredding jobs, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Pros:

- Super fast, continuous shredding (20 feet a minute)
- Huge bin capacity
- Separate CD shredder
- Auto oiling
- Incredibly quiet
- Casters make it relatively easy to move
- Storage in the door for extra oil and plastic bags
- “Jam Proof” system works great
- “Mess Reduction Feature” works quite well
- Idiot proof display tells you when the bin is full

Cons:

- Huge and heavy (almost 100 pounds)
- Pulls paper in slightly crooked
- Occasionally doesn’t grab thick stacks of paper; you have to physically cram the paper in.
- Odd sized, expensive bags for the bin
- “Safe Sense” sensor (turns off the blades if your hand gets too close) is annoying

by Ross Fenton

Fellowes  C-220Ci 100% Jam Proof Cross Cut Shredder

Dahle 20394 Office Micro Cut Paper Shredder

If security is your top concern look no further than the Dahle 20394 Shredder. This shredder is massive and designed to run for long hours. It comes with a 2 hp motor and is chain driven.

The output from this device is amazing. The paper is not only shredded, it is smaller than confetti. With an NSA Security Level 6 rating (NSA Highest Rating), it is IMPOSSIBLE to put a sheet of paper back together,

It is built to work ALL day long, every day. If you are looking to empty your paper bins and NEED this level of security, this is the only machine for you. If you are looking for a high Capacity (50 Sheets at once) check out the Dahle 20390. This is the strip cut model. If you require cross cut, check out the Dahle 20396 (35 Sheets at once).

By Barry (Morganville, NJ United States)

Dahle 20394 Office Micro Cut Paper Shredder

Equipped with a 9″ wide paper entry, the SB-97Cs easily accepts standard letter or legal size documents. The SB-97Cs shreds CDs in a designated safety slot. Durable steel cutters also accept credit cards, staples and small paper clips. An auto start-stop feature ensures quick and easy automatic shredder operation. The shredder automatically shuts off and alerts the operator when a jam occurs, door is ajar or wastebasket is full. This model includes a fully enclosed 10-gallon pull-out wastebasket, and the cabinet stand has built-in casters for portable ease. Fellowes provides a seven-year warranty on the cutter.

Fellowes 32197 Powershred SB-97Cs Paper Shredder

Given the massive quantities of credit card offers that we receive in the mail, and the fact that we run a small business, my husband and I have been searching for a reliable shredder for years with little luck. We tend to burn out most shredders in under 60 days.

We’re already past the 90 day mark with the SB-97Cs and it is as good as new! We haven’t had a single paper jam!! The shredder even handles super thick credit card offers with fake credit cards included in them!

The SB-97Cs has some really cool features as well. My favorite is the fact that it will not allow you to feed a document into it too quickly. The problem with our old “wimpy” shredders is that we could feed junk mail into it at a faster rate than it could handle, which would ultimately jam it up. If this shredder gets to a point where it senses that it is going too quickly, or that the bag inside is getting to full, it just won’t let you feed anything into it! (And it tells you why with an indicator!)

By Kirsten (OH United States)

Fellowes 32197 Powershred SB-97Cs Paper Shredder

The ShredMaster Jam Free Series offers extra-intelligent technology. The paper opening illuminates RED to warn when there is too much paper inserted. Simply remove paper to continue shredding. No time wasted, no mess made. Also includes super-quiet operation, easy-to-use controls. Shreds CDs, paper clips, staples and credit cards. 2-year limited warranty on machine, and 20 years on cutter. Strip-cuts 17-18 sheets.

GBC ShredMaster 1758590 Jam Free Series RDS1819 18.5 Gallon Capacity Strip-Cut Shredder (Charcoal/Grey)

I purchased a GBC ShredMaster RDS1819 and I’m very pleased with it. This is the second Shredmaster I purchased. After going through the hassle of purchasing a “top of the line” Fellowes Shredder from Staples, and having them deliver the Fellowes Shredder to me, after unpacking the thing, it turned out to be a dud. Didn’t work at all! Now that’s a “LEMON” if I ever saw one! Don’t buy Fellowes Shredders! They are terrible! I then had to go through the hassle of calling and calling Staples to get them to pick up the dud and bring me a new one. It was a massive hassle just to do that. Finally, the delivery guys came back, picked up the first expensive Fellows Shredder which did not work, and delivered another NEW Fellows “Top of the Line” $1000+ model. Believe it or not, that puppy was a ‘dud’ too. It was damaged in transit! Great “quality Control!!” Believe it or not, the second Fellows Shredder was a piece of crap too.

I blame myself somewhat for this. This was my second experience purchasing a Fellows Shredder. I ordered one a few years ago, and had the same problem I had now. I should have known better than to order it again. After returning the Fellowes Shredder a few years ago, I then purchased a ShredMaster. It was a great shredder. It finally “died” but it did it’s thing flawlessly for about four years! I use these shredders a lot! They are essential if you want to avoid having your identity ripped off! Fortunately, the ShredMaster I got recently from Amazon equals or exceeds the quality of the first Shredmaster which I had purchased from Staples. I don’t know why Staples continues to stock the Fellows Shredder. They really suck! Shredmaster seems to back up their hype with putting out a really good product. The one I got I use for my business (I do a lot of shredding),and it is flawless. The one thing I don’t like however, is that it “overheated” once and I had to let it cool down for a few minutes before cranking it up again. Nevertheless, the technology is excellent, and I would highly recommend it. It does NOT jam! You can also put a massive amount of paper into it. If there is too much paper, it senses it and all you have to do is take out some paper and it will ‘do it’s thing.” If you need a good shredder, don’t get a Fellowes…it’s crap. Shredmaster is the best of the lot!

B.E. (Woodland Hils, CA)

GBC ShredMaster 1758590 Jam Free Series RDS1819 18.5 Gallon Capacity Strip-Cut Shredder (Charcoal/Grey)

Aurora 4-sheet Cross Cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder with Translucent Wastebasket

Aurora AS420C Desktop Style Crosscut Paper Shredder

Talk about simple! It’s ready to go right out of the box. About the size of an oblong gallon milk jug. Controls consist of on, off, and reverse — simple. Really cuts paper up, which is what I wanted for security reasons, where no one could put back together if they wanted to. UI did a search about how to select a shredder for home use, and it was definitely recommended to buy a CROSSCUT shredder, which this one iks.

The base is a thick plastic, and the motor/shredding apparatus fits onto the base snugly (doesn ‘t snap on–just sits securely down into the base) and lifts off with use of the handle when needed to empty the base. The handle lays neatly recessed into the top when not in use. The 1st day, I shredded a pretty large bag of old bills and receipts. After maybe 8-10 minutes of shredding, it is ready to be emptied (I just empty into a plastic bag), and then right back to shredding, as it never once got overheated. There is function where it cuts off if it does get overheated, but, as I said, this never seemed to be issue.

As far as credit cards, I shredded one and it labored a little but got the job done. I don’t think I would do this on a regular basis, but then I don’t often need this done. It is also OK to shred staples but, here again, I didn’t want to tax the machine so I just tore them out when I found them. The shredder seems to work best with 2 pieces of paper–e.g. folding a single piece of paper long side to long side (this makes 2 pieces/thicknesses and a perfect width to fit comfortably into the opening) even though it will take 4 thicknesses. I did put in the 4 thicknesses a few times, and the machine really slowed down & labored — I can see how doing this over and over may cause overheating. It was just as easy to quickly fold a piece of paper in half as mentioned and stick that through.

The shredder comes with a little tool to help dig out any pieces of paper stuck up in the “teeth” which I actually never used because I just used my fingers, being extremely careful not to hold it by the handle and not inadvertently cut it on. With all truthfulness, I didn’t test out the little tool the 1st day because I had placed it in one of the side pockets on the base, and when I emptied the 1st shredding, the tool fell out and into the bag of shreds! Yes, it took digging through all the shreds to find it!! Because of this, I would recommend that the manufacturers devise a snap-on area on the outside of the shredder for this little tiny tool, as it just fits loosely in the side pocket and can (and maybe will again) get easily displaced or lost. Since that 1st day, I have used the tool and it works quite well to get little pieces of stray paper that might remain up a little ways in the teeth. Actually, that’s not a big problem because when you start shredding again, the paper bits will come on out.

Other than the easily-lost tool, I would recommend this shredder to anyone who has mail, old bills, receipts, etc. to shred; it’s perfect (and nicely small and compact) for home use.

By K. Robertson (Southern Virginia)

Aurora AS420C Desktop Style Crosscut Paper Shredder

Equipped with a 9″ paper entry, the DS-1 easily accepts standard letter or legal size documents. The durable steel cutters also accept credit cards, staples and small paper clips. An auto start/stop feature ensures quick, easy shredder operation. It includes 4.75-gallon mesh wastebasket – just step down and lift out to remove it for emptying. A magnetic safety interlock shuts shredder off when wastebasket is removed. Fellowes provides five years of warranty coverage on the cutter blades.

Fellowes Powershred DS-1 Paper Shredder

I made the mistake of puchasing a couple of the cheaper shredders in the past. I figured that I could get away with it since I don’t shred that many items. After learning my lesson and having those ones break down on me, I finally looked into a better quality shredder with a little more strength and shredding capability. I purchased this shredder (the Fellowes DS-1) and it is worth every penny!

My criteria were:

1. A shredder with a slide-out wastebasket.

I don’t like having to pull off the (usually heavy) top portion of a shredder in order to empty it. I prefer the slide-out basket style of the DS-1. Due to the large basket and smaller shred cuts, the DS-1 step can has tons of capacity before you have empty it. I find that it is easier to use and empty without lining with a plastic bag, but it’s up to you.

2. Ability to shred mail (i.e. tons credit card offers!) immediately without having to open it.

The DS-1 performs effortlessly, even at a continuous pace. It never seems to strain and is pleasantly quiet. Not silent of course, but much less noisy than previous shredders I’ve had. It also handles credit cards, small paper clips, and staples with ease. I also purchased some shredding lubricant oil for the cutters and use it as directed.

I’m extremely happy with this shredder and use it daily to shred items any personal information on it as well as all of the junk mail I receive daily. It handles the shredding effortlessly and I don’t have to empty it out every time I use it. Plus, the unit looks really nice in the room! Not one of my initial criteria but it certainly helps!

By  Stacey (Los Angeles, CA)

Fellowes Powershred DS-1 Paper Shredder

Intimus 502 Cross Cut Paper Shredder

• Royal Machines Shredder 6-Sheet Micro Cut 3 x 9 mm with Handle – NO CD
• Medium Duty Micro Cut Shredder Shreds Up to 6 Sheets in a Single Pass
• 3mm x 9mm Shreds
• Auto Start/Stop & 6/08 Gallon Pullout Wastebasket
• Key Locking Basket for Added Security

Royal Machines SP60MC Shredder 6-Sheet Micro Cut 3 x 9 mm with Handle – NO CD

IMHO the purpose of a shredder is to shred. Other comparably priced machines cut paper into long strips or cross-cuts large enough to read. This machine cuts paper or credit cards into tiny bits. It only handles 4-5 sheets of paper at a time so it’s best for a small office or home use. If you care more about how it matches your decor than how it works, it’s basic black and goes with anything. The basket removes easily to empty and the machine can be locked for safety if you have small children around. It’s light and the wheels and telescoping handle make it easy to move around (although I don’t have the need). I’ve only had mine a few weeks so it remains to be seen how durable it will be in the long run. But it seems solid and well made. If the reason you want a shredder is for security this one is a bargain.

By G. Eigenhauser (California)

Royal Machines SP60MC Shredder 6-Sheet Micro Cut 3 x 9 mm with Handle – NO CD