A paper shredder is a mechanical device that serves the purpose of cutting paper into strips or reducing them to fine particles. It is commonly used to destroy confidential documents before disposing of them. These machines serve the purpose of giving both security and organizational benefits. Do you need a paper shredder, but don’t know much about them? Well, if so this is just the thing for you. Strip-cut paper shredders simply help save you from identity theft. They also help secure confidential information that you would not like to be seen by others for personal and security reasons.
Now this question might arise in your mind, what exactly is identity theft and what threats does it pose? Well, identity theft refers to the usage of someone’s personal information. For example name, credit card details etcetera to commit crimes. And manipulate the person whose details have been illegally recruited by these identity thieves. The damage caused by this theft can have long-lasting impacts and cause great personal and financial damage to the victims.
However, various ways can help you protect yourself from this identity theft. One simple step is to start using a paper shredder. It will shred all your important documents and personal information so that they will no longer be readable. This will ensure that nobody will steal it from you to cause any sort of manipulation or harm. Hence, in this article, we will be looking at a strip-cut paper shredder, its uses, working, advantages, and disadvantages.
What is a strip-cut paper shredder?
A strip-cut paper shredder is usually considered to be the most basic type of shredding system. It still has enough facilities to entertain and impress any user that is less-sophisticated and needs it to destroy information that isn’t business-related. So it is something that is encouraged to be used by people who want to destroy their home-related documents.
The perfect example of a strip-cut shredder user would be a home user. He desires a reasonably low level of security, but still wants a machine that provides features sufficient enough to protect information from possible identity theft. Moreover, students can use it to get rid of old exam papers and assignments. Especially if they need to shred a huge amount of old schoolwork regularly. And just in case you were wondering, yes you have to shred schoolwork too. Because some thieves can still use the information it contains for illegal purposes and invade your privacy and cause you a great deal of harm.
A strip-cut shredder normally cuts sheets into strips of about 3/32″ to 1/2″. Although you can fix the length measurement according to what works best for you and the security level demanded by the shredded document. The length is also dependent upon the type of media that you are putting in. So for instance you want a sheet of A4 shredded, you will have approximately 30-50 strips produced. Moreover, it is also important to know the type of environment that strip-cutters work best in. This is normally when the speed of shredding is paramount because the faster the process, the better performance it has.
How do they work?
A shredding machine works in a very simple way. You just need to put in the piece of paper you desire to have shredded and the machine will perform its job. The strip-cut shredder will cut the sheet into strips that make your document too distorted to enable anyone to easily read them.
The machine normally consists of a bin also known as the receptacle where it collects all the shredded waste. On top of the bin is where the lid is located. Through this lid, the paper is inserted into the machine so that it can go through the process and result in the desired strips. At times this strip-cut shredder has built-in rotating knives that cut the sheet smoothly and efficiently in very little time. So this was the easy-to-understand working of a strip-cut shredder type.
Mentioned below are some of the benefits and drawbacks of using strip-cut shredders.
Advantages
Massive sheet capacity
When it comes to strip-cut shredder machine, one of the most apparent dominance that it has is mostly considered to be in terms of its sheet capacity. If compared to the cross-cut or micro-cut model, the strip-cut machine has a 40% more capacity of sheet storage. So, if you want to shred a large stack of sheets, the strip-cut paper shredder would be extremely beneficial for you. It will make your work easy and convenient. This would be especially beneficial for people like school teachers who have huge amounts of sheets to shred daily.
Proper recycling system
The sheets of paper that have gone through the strip-cut machine can be recycled. Or used for various purposes such as for making packages, fire kindling, or even animal bedding. This is because strip-cut machines cut the sheet into neat and fine, equal lengths of paper. Compared to other shredders, the strip-cut machine makes way less waste and does not release too much dust. So it is much more convenient and mess-free to use.
Affordability
Strip-cut paper shredders are generally considered to be the most pocket-friendly as compared to all other types. This is attributed to the fact that the cutting blades used in this machine are far less complex and less capital consuming to produce. Strip-cut machines also contain fewer moving parts. Some are even available in hand-crank desktop varieties that do not run on electricity. All of these factors when combined make the strip-cut shredder the least expensive shredding device available. That makes this machine a great entry-level device to add to your home.
Trust and reliability
Strip-cut paper shredders last quite long and you can trust them to continue working efficiently for a significant time. This is because its blades create far less friction and heat. Hence they wear down slowly and gradually. They also handle CD/DVDs, clips, and staples in a much more efficient and harmless way. They require less maintenance, so once you have made this purchase, you will not need to constantly worry about spending money on its maintenance.
In addition to this, strip-cut shredders come with security features that play a major role in preventing problems. Like a reverse mode, paper jam buzzer, and automatic shut off systems. All of these features give signals to the user and help figure out the problem before it becomes too late to fix it. Or before the machine undergoes any form of severe wear and tear. It has very little maintenance that mainly includes oiling the machine after 60 minutes of continuous use. What is even more beneficial is that the oil this machine needs is relatively inexpensive. So even with the maintenance, the capital demand is much less.
Speed
Strip-cut shredders are also much faster. This is because they make one continuous cut on the paper. Hence speeding up the process greatly and making life easier for all those running short of time.
Disadvantages
Lack of security
While strip-cut shredders outperform many of their counterparts, in terms of security they are considered to have some lacking. They are unfit for use at offices and other heavy financial transactions. You prefer them only for at-home uses. Many people believe that the strips produced as a result of the shredding purposes can still be used by identity thieves. Especially if they have a lot of time on their hands and are talented in solving puzzles. They can find the other strips of the same document and try to put it all together and read the discarded personal information. While this may not be possible all the time, a chance remains and so does the doubt regarding its 100% security.
Summary
Conclusively, it can be said that the usage of strip-cut shredder is one of the most convenient, cost-effective, and suitable ways for home users to destroy and safely discard their personal information without having to risk the theft of their identity. Especially in today’s time of modern technology and banks where huge sums of cash can be transferred through mere paper cheques. All of us are prone to identity theft. But with machines like this, it has become easier to protect ourselves from such evils.
The availability of these machines in different styles, colors, and a variety of new features has made it even more attractive. It has become a staple part of every household and has also made it widely available. So go now, if you still do not have a strip-cut paper shredder. Buy it for yourself and make discarding of personal documents safe for yourself and your family and away from the hungry eyes of dangerous predators.