With the ever-growing prevalence of identify theft and other security concerns, a paper shredder may be exactly what your home or office needs to keep your personal and business documents secure. Before you dispose of your waste paper, shred it to help keep information on it from being misused. This paper shredder buying guide will help you determine how to buy a paper shredder that is right for your needs.
Choosing the right paper shredder means:
Finding a shredder that can handle your shredding capacity needs.
Selecting a shredder with a shred type that meets your privacy needs.
Getting all the other features you're looking for.
Paper shredders come with all sorts of descriptions of their capacity, such as light-duty, heavy-duty, "continuous use" and so on. Keep in mind that these descriptions are not standardized across manufacturers and should generally just be used as a descriptive rule of thumb when selecting a paper shredder.
So how should you gauge a paper shredder's capacity? The horsepower rating of the shredder's motor may be insightful, though not all paper shredders will give this rating. Horsepower ratings on paper shredders will range from a fraction of a horsepower (1/8 HP or less) to about 2 HP; bigger is generally better, but this really doesn't give any absolute guidance in selecting your shredder.
Often, a shredder will offer guidelines for its suggested use. These are given in terms of how many pages at a time it can shred and how many total pages a day its motor can handle. This is generally your best criteria for selecting a shredder, unless you need to select a shredder for another particular feature, such as it's abililty to shred CDs or credit cards.
If you're shopping for your first paper shredder, then you may be tempted to think that any shredder will suit your needs. Instead, try to consider how much shredding you truly plan to do. For example, if your shredder states that it can handle four pages at a time, but you consistently try to feed it more, then you may soon find yourself with a burnt-out motor (and a paper shredder that needs to be replaced).
Keep in mind the two measurements of a shredder's capacity:
How many pages it can handle in a day
How many pages it can handle at once
If you foresee yourself wanting to exceed either of these measurements, then you may simply want to consider a higher-capacity shredder. That includes "sporadic" paper shredding -- if you don't think you'll be shredding very often, but then you'll occasionally need to shred a large pile of papers, consider if you'll really want to shred those papers just a few sheets at a time. Feeding a shredder too many sheets can overwork the motor, quickly shortening its lifespan. Make your first shredder choice the right choice, and select a shredder that can truly meet the demands that you'll place on it.
Paper shredders generally feature one of a these shred types:
Strip Cut: This is the simplest type of shred. The sheets of paper will be cut into several long strips, generally about 1/8 inch across.
Cross/confetti cut: These shreds will cut the paper into small rectangles, typically around 1/8 inch by 2 inches in size, although sizes of a cross or confetti cut will vary from model to model.
Micro cut/High security: Shredders such as these will cut the paper into extremely small pieces, sometimes as small as 3 millimeters by 8 millimeters across.
How do I choose a shred type?
The smaller the shred, the more protection your documents have from being reconstructed and potentially being used maliciously. Consider how costly it would be for your documents to reach the wrong hands, as well as how concerned you are of this happening, and then choose the shred type that you feel best reduces these risks.
For example, if you'll be shredding personal documents that are not very sensitive and you feel are unlikely to be used for anything malicious, then a strip cut may provide all the security you need. If, on the other hand, you're concerned about your documents being used for identify theft or other malicious uses, then consider the added security of a cross/confetti cut. Finally, if you need the utmost in security, micro cut or High Security shredders will make reconstruction of your documents extraordinarily unlikely.
You can expect any paper shredder to feature some basic modes of operation:
Auto: The shredder is always ready to work but will not shred until it senses something being inserted.
Reverse: This setting is useful if your shredder is jammed or if for any other reason you need to remove the un-shredded portion of your document from the shredder.
In addition to the basics, a paper shredder may come with any number of features, such as:
Auto-feeder: Shredders with an auto-feeder will let you place up to 100 sheets in the auto-feeder to be shredded automatically.
CD/DVD/Floppy Disc slot: While some shredders can take non-paper media in their primary shredder slot, others will have a slot specifically for shredding things like CDs, DVDs, floppy discs and other heavier media.
Paper jam indicator: Typically an LED indicator, this lets you know that the shredder has a paper jam that needs to be addressed.
Overheat indicator: This also typically comes as an LED indicator to let you know that the motor is being overworked.
Touch sensor: A few shredders include a sensor that will stop the shredder if it senses anything touching the paper entry area; this feature is great for home shredders where you want to keep kids' fingers safe!
What can I do to keep my paper shredder working its best?
First and foremost, don't overwork your shredder. Follow the usage guidelines from your particular shredder to keep from overworking the motor -- nothing shortens a shredder's lifetime like an overheated motor.
Also, consider using a lubricant with your shredder. Many manufacturers recommended oiling the cutters in your shredder once a month to keep it shredding optimally.
Do I need waste bags to go with my shredder?
Many models of shredders will have waste bags available specifically for that model; however, you'll generally find that waste bags are recommended but not required. Of course, waste bags can make emptying your shredder a simpler task.
Be sure to follow manufacturer recommendations about using waste bags with your shredder.
Looking for more ways to enhance the security of your home or office?
Check out Overstock.com's selection of security cameras and other surveillance equipment. Having enough cameras to cover your entire home or office means you can always have eyes on all your valuables.
A security safe can help keep your personal or business valuables where they belong -- in your home or office. Add a fireproof safe to help minimize losses from a catastrophe.
Keep the electricity flowing smoothly
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) can do more than keep your office equipment running briefly during a power outage. Most UPSs also have surge protection, keeping your office equipment from being damaged during lightning storms and other electrical events. A good UPS can also keep you working normally through brownouts -- a potential killer for unprotected electronics!
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