Buying a Shredder - What to Ask

Looking for a shredder? Here are some things to keep an eye out for.

1.What is the Shred Pattern? The first thing you will want to take into consideration when you are buying a shredder is the pattern into which it cuts the documents that it is fed. In the world of paper shredding, there are two basic shred patterns: strip cut and cross cut. In almost all cases it is highly recommended that if given the choice, you opt for going with a cross cut shredder. To put it simply, cross cut shredding means that your confidential documents will be reduced to confetti-like shreds, and thus offers you a much higher level of security than a strip cut machine, as documents that have been shred in a strip cut pattern are much easier to piece together.

Cross cut machines are no more expensive than their strip cut brothers, and these days, the difference in overall sheet capacity is less than what it has been in years past, making the choice of a cross cut shredder almost a no brainer.

2.What is the Capacity? This will depend on what you intend to use your shredder for and how often you plan on using it. If you are looking for a shredder for your home or small office, the standard these days seems to be somewhere between six to eight sheets at a time. For larger office use you can find machines that can shred upwards of 25 sheets at a time, and that can be used on a continuous basis. The latter is something important to consider, as the vast majority of shredders are meant to be used intermittently rather than continuously throughout the day. If you overuse a shredder, it may shut down for a time to prevent itself from overheating and damaging the motor. You can find a shredder's run time if you dig into its specs a little bit. A continuous use shredder will almost certainly use that fact as one of its main selling points.

3.What Does it Shred? Paper, of course, but what else? There are a growing number of shredders on the market that shred compact discs (confidential information comes in many forms these days) and credit cards. If you have the need to discard these items on a regular basis, this is definitely something you may want to look into. Also, there is no reason these days to settle for a shredder that doesn't handle staples and paper clips.

4.Is it Safe? Shredders utilize steel cutting heads that are razor sharp and intended to last for a lifetime, so it is always fair to ask what safety precautions a manufacturer has put in place. Most paper slots are far too small for fingers to get caught in, but one of the better brands has a sensor at the feed opening that detects hands that are too close and stops the machine automatically. Others use electronically controlled shields that keep foreign objects like ties and laces free from the cutting heads. There is no real way of determining which safety system is better than another. It is a choice you will have to research and decide for yourself.