Best Paper Shredders to Keep Your Business Ideas And Card Details Safe

While most types of information these days are stored in digital storage systems, some important data are indispensable to have on paper. While that piece of a document might be trash for you, it could provide valuable information to others. And the last thing you want to happen is to know that some other companies within your industry have copied your information, such as your product model and business structure.

With the rise of identity theft cases, paper shredders have become popular these days. And if you search online, you will be surprised to know that they come in various built and capacity. You’ll find everything that you might need, from the basic paper cutter to powerful shredders that can destroy not only paper documents but also credit cards, identification cards, CDs and DVDs, even cassette tapes!

Here’s a collection of the best paper shredders on the market today. They are widely purchased by businesses from various industries because of their durability, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability. Most likely, you will be able to find a brand that will address your specific needs.

Top 10 Paper Shredders Of 2020 Reviewed

1. Fellowes Powershred Jam Proof Medium-Duty Cross-Cut Shredder

Shredder For Home

Fellowes is a renowned brand of paper shredders. Child-safe and pet-safe – this shredder is perfect for eliminating tax documents, even credit cards, CDs/DVDs, and other confidential materials. This well-recommended machine has enhanced security features to ensure that your highly sensitive information is well-kept.

Paper jams are a common issue with shredders. The Fellowes Powershred 79Ci comes with a patented jam-proof technology for a frustration-less shredding. Great for home/small office use, it provides 20-minute continuous shredding before it needs to cool down for 30 minutes.

Furthermore, the SafeSense Technology will automatically disable the machine when hands touch the paper opening. It also includes a 6-gallon bin with LED indicator to alert you when it’s time for you to empty your machine with paper shreds. What’s more – the SilentShred design of this machine offers an ultra-quiet performance all the time.

2. AmazonBasics 6-Sheet High-Security Micro-cut Paper and Credit Card Home Office Shredder

Best Micro-Cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder

The best micro-cut paper and credit card shredder is one of the most popular products of its kind today. It is a high-security machine that is capable of destroying up to 6 sheets of paper and credit cards. The pieces of paper you get after shredding are too tiny for someone to view the contents. In fact, they have a P-4 security level, which is high enough to secure your information. The machine runs continuously for 3 minutes and cools down for a period of 30 minutes.

Operating this machine is easy, given its auto-start capabilities. To remove the shredded paper, you will have to manually reverse the machine. It carries a 4.1-gallon wastebasket, which will take a long time to fill up. As testimony to the quality of this machine, AmazonBasics provides a 1-year warranty.

3. AmazonBasics 24-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper Shredder

Shredder For Commercial Use

Here’s another great product by AmazonBasics. This particular model lets you shred 24 sheets all at once. Durable, high-quality, and loaded with plenty of amazing features, the AmazonBasics 24-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper Shredder is a top choice for commercial purposes.

There’s really a lot this powerful shredder can do. Shredding begins the moment it detects paper in the feeder, and it runs continuously for 25 minutes. The cooling period takes 60 minutes. And if you happen to overuse it and operate the machine longer than 25 minutes, the unit automatically shuts down. And this is good because?

Here’s another feature to expect in AmazonBasics 24-sheet cutter: it offers different levels of protection by providing you different shredding options: strip-cut, cross-cut, and micro-cut shredding. It also comes with a large pull-out bin that can accommodate up to 270 sheets of paper, which means less time emptying. The LED indicators make it easy for you to check if the machine’s status, such as when it’s overheating or overloading.

4. Royal 1840MX 18-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper Shredder

Shredder For Small Office

Backed with over 100 years of experience in manufacturing office equipment, Royal is a trusted brand when it comes to the paper shredder. The Royal 1840MX lets you shred 18 sheets in a single pass, with one sheet taking just about 5 seconds.

This powerful cross-cut shredder makes a wonderful addition to your home or office. It’s classy and beautiful, durable, easy to maintain and operate, and most of all – ultra-quiet. It comes with a roller to reduce paper jams, an 8.5-gallon paper bin, auto start/stop and reverse function, and casters for mobility. With its micro-cutting ability, this machine is great for destroying sensitive information. Another outstanding feature of this shredder is it’s run time of 40 minutes. This is relatively longer than most shredders, which makes Royal 1840MX perfect for offices.

But this machine is not resistant to paper jams. To avoid this issue, you have to carefully align the sheets you will be shredding. Otherwise, the narrow feeder could cause the paper to jam. Royal shredder is also more appropriate for light commercial use as it provides too much capacity for home use.

5. Bonsaii EverShred Pro 4S16 6-Sheet Micro-Cut

Shredder For Business

The Bonsaii EverShred Micro-Cut Shredder is a high-quality machine that offers high level of security at a relatively affordable price. Packed with great features, this shredder is another well-recommended brand. It’s capable of shredding not just papers but also credit cards, clips, staples, and CDs/DVDs. In addition to the standard wastebasket, it also comes with an extra bin for the credit card/CD/DVD shredded pieces. The transparent window lets you see whether the bins already need to be emptied.

A really notable feature of this shredder is its 60-minute continuous run time. What’s more, it only needs a 10-minute rest before you can use it again. This incredible feature is made possible with a built-in cooling mechanism that is patented by the company. Furthermore, it’s equipped with an automatic anti-jam detection system which reverses the machine when there’s overloading to prevent paper jams from occurring in the first place.

The only downside of Bonsaii micro-cut shredder is it only processes 6 sheets at a time. Thankfully, its long operation time and short motor rest still let you destroy lots of documents in a relatively smaller amount of time.

6. Swingline Paper Shredder

Shredder For Credit Cards

The Swingline Paper Shredder has a streamlined design for easy use and maintenance. It can shred 14 sheets at a time, including unopened junk mail. The unit comes with two shredding slots – one for the paper and another for plastic materials, such as credit cards, CDs/DVDs.

It offers 20-minute continuous operation period, along with a cool-down indicator. Because there’s a separate cutter for the plastic documents, you can be sure that your machine won’t wear off easily. The pull-out gallon is pretty small, however, at just 4 gallons. Good thing, there’s a transparent window that lets you see if the bin should already be emptied. The Swingline Paper Shredder makes a wonderful choice if you’re in search of an affordable yet high-performing machine.

7. Aurora High-Security Micro-Cut Shredder

Micro-Cut Shredder

With the ability to shred paper into pieces 6 times smaller than the standard cross-cut unit, the Aurora AU1020MA Micro-Cut Shredder is another high-security machine at a budget-friendly price.

The Aurora micro-cut shredder is among the popular brands available in the market today. Well, that’s not a surprise at all. If you’re looking for an inexpensive machine of good quality, this one is really worth considering. It features ShredSafe technology which automatically stops the machine when there’s a paper jam or other issues. It also comes with light indicators for overheating, overloading, “open door” and “bin-full” status. You’d hear fewer complaints about malfunctions and problems with this product.

8. CBC Paper Shredder, 14-Sheet Super Cross-Cut, Junk Mail, Credit Card, DVDs

Medium-Duty Shredder

Do you have a lot of paper documents to shred? If yes, this 14-sheet paper shredder is what you need. It is the best compact paper shredder, given its 4-minute continuous run time. Within no time, this machine can help you to declutter your home office and destroy unwanted items. After shredding the paper, it will leave you with a P-4 level of security. With that, you won’t have to worry about sensitive information leaking out.

Unlike the other paper shredders, which tend to collapse for no apparent reason, this particular machine is designed to last for long. No wonder its makers are backing it with a 2-year warranty. It can shred paper, CDs, DVDs, paper clips, and staples. The shredded materials go straight into the 5-gallon wastebasket, which you can pull out for emptying.

9. Bonsaii EverShred High-Security Micro-Cut Shredder

Shredder For Heavy-Duty Use

A machine that can shred lots of documents in one hour straight, the Bonsaii EverShred High-Security Shredder is surely a top-notch brand. This heavy-duty shredder accepts all letter and legal-sized documents. it’s unique blade design shreds 12 sheets at a time while the auto-stop and reverse options prevent paper jams.

This quiet machine has a sleek and stylish design and is equipped with four casters so you can move it around with ease. Meanwhile, the transparent window in the waste bin lets you know when it’s time to empty it.

10. Sentinel FM121P 12-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Paper Credit Card Shredder

Shredder For Small Business

Want to know all about the best 12-sheet shredder with a large bin? Well, you are in the right place. The Sentinel FM121P can shred a maximum of 12 sheets of paper or a single credit card at a go. It shreds the paper to extremely small pieces of paper with a P-4 level of security. Why should you worry about sensitive information leaking unnecessarily?

One thing you will love about this machine is how easy it is to operate. For instance, it has an automatic start and stops. When paper gets stuck in it, you can easily remove it using a manual reverse function. Compared to other shredders, which are noisy, this particular machine produces a sound of up to 72 Db. That is safe for your ears. It has a 2-minute run time, and up to 4-gallons of a pull-out wastebasket. The machine is backed by a 1-year warranty.

Choosing The Best Paper Shredder – The Ultimate Buying Guide

If you have a small business idea that needs to be developed or not, having a paper shredder in your home or office is not only a mandatory policy, but this special piece of equipment also serves a very important purpose in your daily operations – and that is to protect confidential information. It gives you peace of mind knowing that no one is going to access your information. As it is so important, choosing it is a serious process. There are several things to have in mind while picking a paper shredder.

Identify Your Needs

To narrow down your choices, list down the ways in which you will use the shredder. This includes determining the types of paper you normally use in the office as well as the type of information those documents would have.

Generally, paper shredders come in three major security levels: low-level, mid-level, and advanced/high-level security shredders.

Low-level Security Shredder

As the name suggests, this refers to the very basic type of paper shredder. It’s capable of shredding a standard letter size into about 40-50 strips. This machine is great for documents that don’t contain sensitive information, and a big step above tearing the paper before throwing it in the trash bin.

Mid-level Security Shredder

This is the most popular type of shredder. Unlike the low-level type, this machine is capable of shredding a standard letter sized paper into 200-400 small square pieces. This is a pretty good machine that will protect sensitive information like bank account and credit card details. And because the shredded pieces are pretty small, it’s almost impossible to collect information from the document you just disposed of, especially when thrown away together with other documents.

High-level Security Shredder

This is the best type of shredder if you’re looking to destroy highly confidential documents. It cuts a standard paper into 2,000-6,000 tiny pieces, making it impossible to retrieve any vital information. Since the shredded pieces are so small, you don’t have to change the bags of the machine too often.

Cross-cut or a Strip-cut shredder? What’s Better?

There are two types of shredder – the cross-cut and strip-cut models.

Strip-cut Shredders

This is the most common type and you’ll see it virtually everywhere, in schools, small offices, homes, and so on. This machine will turn any paper into spaghetti-like strips. The downside is that there is still a possibility of the information being re-assembled once it falls into the wrong hand. The strip-cut shredder is good for destroying junk mails but it’s still not recommended if those documents contain vital information.

Cross-cut Shredders

It’s nearly impossible for anyone to re-assemble a document shredded by this type of machine. The cross-cut shredder is great for destroying confidential documents like bank statements, health records, old tax returns, papers containing vital information, and all other items that shouldn’t be disclosed to anyone else. The best shredders make use of cross-cut blades.

Determine Your Preferred Capacity

Once you’ve decided on the level of security and between a strip-cut and cross-cut type, the next important thing you need to consider is your preferred capacity. If you run a small office and only require the shredding of document one paper at a time, you may settle with a small home paper shredder. But if you run a big business and require destroying a large volume of documents regularly, there are commercial-grade machines that will certainly address your needs.

Shredders come in all sorts of sizes, from home-use size to heavy-duty machines for departmental use. here’s a rundown of the different types of shredders, based on their capacity:

Personal and Deskside Shredders

These are the smallest paper shredders you can find in the market. With the ability to shred up to 10 sheets at a time, they are perfect for home use. These machines can also be used in small offices by one or two people.

Office Shredders

Great for small offices and shared workspaces – this machine can destroy 20-30 sheets at a time.

Heavy-duty Shredders

Also referred to as ‘departmental shredders’, these are used in large-scale businesses that require continuous shredding of paper, such as banks, hospitals, financing companies, professional offices, and so on. Typically, these machines can shred 40 sheets at a time. These heavy-duty machines usually come with high-security levels, making them ideal for disposing of sensitive information.

Industrial Shredders

Capable of destroying over a hundred sheets all at once, they are the ‘mother’ of all shredders. Widely used in mailrooms and print shops, these machines can be equipped with different types of cutting systems. And it’s not only paper that industrial-types can rip into pieces, but also other materials like plastic, metals, etc.

Other Features

The security level is non-negotiable, for sure. Lessening the clutter in your office isn’t either. But there are some other features that are also worth considering when purchasing this equipment.

Continuous-duty Motor

If you will be using your paper shredder on a regular basis or would be sharing it with your other colleagues, it can be worth considering a machine that features a continuous-duty motor. This means you can shred all day and you don’t have to give your machine a break. Of course, machines with this type of motor are more expensive than basic models. If you won’t have to shred a lot of documents on a regular basis, you can forego this feature.

Automatic Oiler

An automatic oil injection system can be one of the best additions to your new shredder as it takes out the guesswork and hassle of manual oiling. Except for the strip-cut shredder, all other varieties of paper shredder require regular oiling and maintenance to keep running smoothly. It also prolongs your machine’s life, thus reducing the need for costly repair or replacement.

Casters

The presence of casters makes it easier for you to move your shredder around. This is a good feature to have especially if your machine is bulky and heavy.

Auto-feed Shredding

Some shredders allow you to stack paper and have them shredded automatically, depending on the machine’s stack shredding rate. This way, you won’t have to stand and manually feed the sheet. You can stack all the papers needed to be destroyed all at once and walk away to perform other tasks.

Bin Size

All shredders come with a bin where all the shredded pieces are stored. A large bin would mean that you need not empty it too often, compared to a smaller bin.

Sensors and Indicators

You may want to choose the shredder which comes with a control board that communicates errors, paper jams, full bins, and other issues with your machine. This makes troubleshooting easier and it allows you to keep your machine in the best condition.

What is the oise Level of the Shredder?

Paper shredding machines can be noisy. If you will station it in a shared work environment, choosing the model which produces minimal sound is a good idea. Check the shredder’s decibel rating to determine how loud it can be.

Throat Lize

This refers to the maximum width of paper that you can shred using the machine. While the standard size is 9″, some models have throat sizes of 12″. Check the types of paper you normally use in the office and see if you need a bigger throat size or if the standard size is sufficient.

Safety!

Paper shredders have sharp blades. The machine you’re buying should have narrow openings that prevent curious kids from sticking their hands inside. Some shredders automatically stop working when they detect other objects being fed, other than paper.

Sounds like a lot of work to do! But if you’re in search for the best, it’s worth the effort. By keeping in mind these steps to choosing the best shredder, you should be able to find a highly functioning machine that suits your needs and gives you peace of mind.