Paper Shredder

[Dave T]

With identity theft on the rise, I am considering purchasing a paper shredder for my home use. 

Anyone have a recommendation for a brand or model.  Volume should be minimal but the shredder should have the capability to shred credit cards, cancelled checks, bank statements with staples, expired leases, rental applications, etc., without jamming or damaging the blades.

Office Depot has only one brand in their catalogue with prices from $50 to $1000.  All advice, even warnings, is appreciated.

[justin0419]

Dave,
You definitely get what you pay for with those.  We used to have a $50 Fellowes shredder from Wal-Mart.  It would work fine for 1-2 pages going through it at a time.  I never put staples in it.  After awhile, the paper gets wrapped around the edges of the rotating assembly and makes the shredder work harder.  We got a better shredder as a Christmas gift a couple years ago.  I can't remember the name of it right now because our stuff is in storage since we're in transition right now.  I believe it cost somewhere around $120 or so.  It was from one of the office stores (Office Max or Office Depot).  It has a separate slot for credit cards, cds, etc.  It has a black plastic base where the front has a small plexi-glass window and the front slides out for emptying.  It stands about 2.5 feet tall and has a grey top.  We haven't had any problems with it.  I just leave it in auto mode all the time so it's standing by.  No matter what the shredders have listed for capacity, I wouldn't put more than 4 sheets through at a time.  You'll hear the motor slow down if you do more than that.

[propertymanager]

Dave,

I have a TechSolutions TS-8000 Shredder.  It will shred credit cards, papers with staples, etc, and it is a cross-cut shredder - meaning that it makes confetti (which is much more secure than strips).  I shred everything that has my name on it and it gets a lot of use.  I think it was about $100 (two or three years ago).

Mike

[Dave T]

Thanks Mike.  Does you also need to run a lubricating pad through it periodically to keep the blades from getting clogged or jammed?

[propertymanager]

Dave,

I believe that it said something in the operating manual about putting some machine oil on it periodically.  I've never done it and the machine continues to make confetti day after day.

Mike

[mcwagner]

I have a small shredder (as well as a service for bulk stuff.) and it has done quite a lot of shredding over the years.  But I keep it to 2 sheets at a time and oil it frequently. 

Like my cars, I prefer to buy cheap, maintain it, run it forever and dispose of it when it is completely worn out. 

even the cheap ones are a good value if you take care of them.

[p1nn4cl3]

Like my cars, I prefer to buy cheap, maintain it, run it forever and dispose of it when it is completely worn out. 

Well technically if it ran forever, it never completely wore out yeah?  j/k

But what a funny topic to find here. I was also thinking of getting one of these. Maybe we can get enough people and qualify for a bulk purchase. 

[p1nn4cl3]

double post

[jfpen]

Like my cars, I prefer to buy cheap, maintain it, run it forever and dispose of it when it is completely worn out. 

even the cheap ones are a good value if you take care of them.

I'm with you on that. I put 320K on a Toyota Corolla then gave it to a friend who put another 40k on it before retiring it. I then bought a Dodge Grand Caravan and put 304K on that and sold it for $300. Now I have an Infinity with 133K and a GMC3500 with 160K. Both run great. 

-JP

[j1dias]

I bought my shredder at Costco - it is a Fellowes - it cuts confetti. Don't buy one that doesn't cut confetti. In my opinion is not worth it.

Costco has 2 models - I bought the smaller one. I shredd everything - credit cards and staples. I put some oil once every 2 or 3 months. It works good.

My only problem right now is that the sensor got stuck and when I turn it on it stays on forever... So I keep it off until I need to shred.