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Cheap Paper Shredders, Best Paper Shredder Reviews
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Cheap Paper Shredders Buying Guide
Identity theft has made paper shredders an essential component of modern life, for individuals and organizations alike. Given the armada of choices, which shredder should frugal consumers select? The most popular brands are Fellowes, Aurora, and several store brands, such as Staples.
What To Look For: Cheap Paper Shredders Features
Budget Paper Shredders Shredding Capacity.
How much paper can a shredder shred? Shredding capacity is perhaps the most important feature to consider and the most misleading fact advertised by paper shredder manufacturers. The number of pieces of paper that can be shredded at any one time ranges from five to 15 on units designed for home or small office use. Unfortunately, research shows that shredders rarely live up to their stated standards. Even the Fellowes Powershred P57-C (starting at $55, Amazon
), which is billed as accepting up to eight sheets at a time, comfortably handles only half of that amount, according to paper shredder reviews by users on Amazon. Bear in mind that shredders intended for the home have less shredding capacity than shredders designed for heavy-duty office use and may need a longer "cool down" period between bouts of shredding.
Paper isn't the only thing shredders can shred; they also do a number on entire envelopes of junk mail, staples, paper clips, CDs, and DVDs. If you plan to shred any of these items, make sure to choose a shredder than can accommodate such objects, like the Staples M5 Mailmate (starting at $70, Amazon
Cheap Paper Shredders Security.
The primary motivation for shredding is, of course, preventing sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. That means you want a shred cut that is difficult, if not impossible, to piece together. In other words, the finer the shred, the more secure the shredder. The crudest form of shred cut is the strip (lengthwise or widthwise, depending how you load the paper) found on models like the Aurora AS810SD 8-Sheet Strip Cut Paper/CD/Credit Card Shredder (starting at $30, Amazon
) or the Techko SH2106PV (starting at $33, Amazon
). Although useful for shredding junk mail and the like, or for making your own packing material, strip cut shredders are not recommended for sensitive material; a dedicated identity thief can reassemble strip shreds fairly easily.Â
A more secure shred is the crosscut or confetti cut, which cuts paper vertically and horizontally into tiny strips. Models like the Staples M5 Mailmate, the Aurora AS890C (starting at $40, Amazon
Moving up the security ladder, and beyond the Cheapism price range, gets us to the diamond, or microcut, which turns documents into small diamond shapes. Not a feature on budget shredders, microcut is reserved for high-end shredders costing upwards of $300, like the Fellowes Powershred MS-450 and the $1800 Destroyit 2360 Super Micro-Cut.
Most individual users will be satisfied with the security provided by confetti shredders, and the undemanding will find the strip cut better than the alternative. Incidentally, the smaller the shred, the more the bin, or basket, can hold before you have to empty it.
Discount Paper Shredders Shredding Slot.
Most cheap shredders have similarly-sized "throats" -- approximately 8.5 inches -- that gobble up the material to be shredded. Larger capacity shredders, such as the Staples 30-Sheet Strip Cut (starting at $120), may have a 9-inch throat. For letter- and legal-sized documents, a throat narrower than 9 inches can be tight and require careful attention when inserting the papers; this can be a frustrating exercise, as this user of the Aurora AS890C, with its 8.7-inch throat, notes in a cheap shredder review on Amazon. On the Staples site, users likewise report the 8-inch throat of the Staples SPL-TXC15A is too narrow for legal-sized paper; ditto for the Staples MailMate, according to paper shredder review posts on Reviewstream.com. The Aurora AS420C (starting at $30, Amazon
) is an even smaller desktop model and has a 4.5-inch shredding slot; obviously, all papers must be folded prior to shredding.
Bargain Paper Shredders Buttons.
Most shredders must be switched on and then, when material is fed into the throat, they start shredding automatically. In addition, there's usually a reverse button that you can push in when pesky shreds of stuff get caught in the shredding mechanism; this button reverses the motor and sends pieces of paper and plastic outwards.Chaep Paper Shredders Bin Capacity.
As with any waste receptacle, the larger the bin, the less frequently you need to empty it. And depending on the shredder, this can be a more or less messy task. That said, bin sizes for cheap paper shredders generally range from 1.5 gallons to 8 gallons. The Staples 15-Sheet Cross Cut has a holding capacity of 6.9 gallons while the Staples M5 Mailmate has a relatively small 1.6 gallon bin, a feature that irks many user shredder reviewers on Staples.com.Inexpensive Paper Shredders Safety.
Shredders produced by Fellowes feature what the company calls "SafeSense Technology." Effectively, this means that when a living body part, be it a finger or a cat's tail, gets too close to the shredder throat, the shredder automatically shuts off until the body part is moved away. Fellowes shredders are the only models with this technology. Other brands have their own safety mechanisms, albeit not sensor-based. Staples, for example, features Blade Guard, a mechanical feature that ensures none of the sharp teeth of the shredder are exposed.Cheap Paper Shredders Run Time.
Shredders will do their thing for only a limited amount of time before the motor shuts down. According to the manufacturer, the Staples Mailmate and Staples 15-sheet Crosscut, for example, run for eight minutes before needing 80 minutes of down time. Fellowes' own product information notes that shredders are designed to run for 10 minutes on and 12 minutes off, although one user review of budget paper shredders on Associatedcontent.com says the Fellowes heats up after a while and then needs 30 minutes to cool down. If you're looking for a workhorse, the Royal 85X 10 Sheet Cross Cut (starting at $56, Amazon
) might fit the bill; a user commenting on Buzzillions claims it can shred for up to an hour at a time.
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What to Expect: Cheap Paper Shredders Performance
Budget Paper Shredders Shredding Capacity and Run Time.
Low-cost paper shredders is a product category that promises a bit more than it can deliver. As a rule of thumb, assume that a shredder will comfortably handle half to two-thirds the amount of paper it says it can at any one time if you want to avoid overheating or jamming. Some paper shredder reviews on Staples.com say the Staples SPL-TXC15A chews through 10 or more sheets at once. The Fellowes Powershred P-57 ostensibly shreds eight sheets at a time, although users say four sheets is really the maximum if you want to avoid overheating and/or jamming. The Aurora AS890C can eat eight sheets, according to shredder reviews by Amazon users, and the little Aurora AS420C four sheets can only cope with two or three because you first have to fold the paper. In general, though, the finer the shred (micro vs confetti vs strip) the closer you'll get to the shredder's advertised capacity. As for running time, most low-priced paper shredders can work for five to 15 minutes at a stretch. The Staples M5 Mailmate has an autosafe feature that shuts it down for 90 minutes if it runs more than eight minutes straight.Cheap Paper Shredders Throat Sensitivity.
Most discount paper shredders have an automatic feed, which means the shredder comes to life as soon as you feed paper into the throat. The Aurora AS890C is said to be unusually sensitive, and shredder users reviews on Amazon warn that papers must be positioned precisely. The trigger, or automatic feed, on the Royal 85MX also starts, stops, and jams frequently, according to paper shredder reviews on Amazon. On the other hand, the throat on the Fellowes P-57 behaves properly, stopping when touched by human hands and smoothly reversing when the feeder jams, comments a user on Epinions.Low-cost Paper Shredders Noise.
Cheap paper shredders (as well as pricier models) are not known for their quiet operation. Product specifications for the Staples 15-Sheet model peg the noise level at 85 decibels, and shredder reviews on Staples indeed describe it as quite noisy. Other Staples models have lower decibel ratings – 70db for the Staples M5 Mailmate and 72db for the Staples 30-Sheet Strip Cutter – but users regard these as noisy. The Fellowes P-57 is commended by users as being unusually quiet for a shredder; its higher-end cousin, the PS-79Ci (starting at $177, Amazon
), says one paper shredder review on Amazon , is so quiet that you could sleep with it running in the next room. The Aurora AS890C is quiet when used according to specifications, says one post on Amazon but another warns it sounds stressed to the max when you try shredding 15 sheets (despite its eight-sheet limit).
Budget Paper Shredders Basket Functionality.
There comes a time, of course, when the bin is so fill of confetti or strips that it must be emptied. Although it's probably not a good idea to wait until the bin is ready to overflow, you do want a bin that won't spew paper all over while you're cleaning it out. Some cheap paper shredder bins, like that on the Fellowes PS-79Ci, are designed to accommodate a liner, which minimizes the chance that little bits of paper will get loose and jam up the shredding mechanism and eases the emptying process (assuming you don't trip and dump the bag all over the floor.) To avoid lifting out the entire bin, one shredder review on Buzzillions writes about rigging a plastic bag to serve the purpose. The bin on the Staples MailMate does not have a liner, but it does have a handle that easily swings open; the basket is also translucent, so you can monitor the paper level. The Aurora, at 3.5 gallons, is a relatively small capacity shredder but the specifications boast it can hold 125 sheets of shredded paper. Still, one shredder review on Amazon says the bin requires frequent dumps or tamping down of the contents. The smaller Aurora AS420C can only hold 40 sheets of shredded paper and the shredding head must be removed to empty the basket. With its six-gallon capacity, the Fellowes PS-79Ci bin seems adequate for most users. And while it does include bin liners, some users posting on the Office Depot site gripe that the liners tend to rip and catch on the bin.Low-cost Paper Shredders Shredding Speed.
Shredders are not designed to run continuously. They can handle a certain number of passes per day or hour, and then the motor will shut off so it can cool and regroup. (Do not mistake this for the motor actually burning out.) Paper shredder reviews by users speak positively about the Fellowes PS-79Ci run rate, with one claiming on the Office Depot site to have fed it papers for 30 minutes straight without stopping. The Aurora AS890C, on the other hand, may take up to 24 hours to recover if pressed, according to one paper shredder review on Amazon. The Staples MailMate is advertised as being able to shred for 10 minutes straight, though users say that number is more like five minutes. Another shredder review on Amazon says the Fellowes P-57 has a "good" recovery time from shredding.Budget Paper Shredders Durability.
Paper jams and motor burnout are the primary issues affecting shredder reliability. While users appreciate the compact size and shredding ability of the Staples MailMate, reviews on multiple websites, including PCWorld and Staples complain about its short lifespan.Budget Paper Shredders Warranty.
Shredders typically come with a one-year warranty, which users insist is sometimes needed. Fellowes offers the longest paper shredder warranty (two years) and seems to provide good customer service. Staples offers the option of an extended warranty at a cost of $7.95-$14.95; users complain that the warranty is essentially worthless due to the cost of shipping the shredder to a designated repair facility.Final Note.
Have a lot of paper to shred all at once? Consider using a one-time bulk shredding service, such as Shrednation. A box of paper weighing 30 pounds or less will cost about $25 to shred, including shipping. Back to top »
Best Cheap Paper Shredders
Fellowes Powershred P-57
An effective, reliable confetti-cut shredder, the Fellowes P-57 is best for moderate shredding needs; users like the sensor that detects fingers getting too close and don’t seem to mind its struggles when shredding the advertised maximum of eight sheets.
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Products Mentioned in This Review
Aurora AS890CRoyal 85MX 10 Sheet Cross Cut
Staples M5 Mailmate
Staples 15-Sheet SPL-TXC15A
Fellowes Powershred P-57
Aurora AS420C
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