Paper shredders have these days become an essential machine in almost all offices and many homes due to their ability to destroy unwanted papers while saving time in the process. The machines come in three main types: micro-cut, cross-cut, and strip-cut shredders. They all perform the same function except that they have varying levels of security.
Microcut shredders are the most secured due to their ability to cut papers into tiny particles that would take donkey years to rearrange. Crosscut shredders are the next in line being able to cut papers into rectangular pieces. Their security level is not as high as the former but it’ll still take a whole lot of effort and determination to put the pieces back together. Stripcut shredders unlike crosscut and microcut shredders are not very secure. This is due to the fact that they cut papers into long strips and anyone who takes it upon him or herself to put the document back together would achieve success eventually.
They are mostly employed in homes or offices that do not deal with highly confidential documents. As long as the document is converted to easily disposable pieces, they are okay. Their advantage is a very high speed, reliability, and low price. If you are searching for an inexpensive paper shredder, then definitely consider strip-cut machines.
Today, we’ll be reviewing 3 powerful strip-cut shredders in order for you to get all the information you need before setting out to purchase any. Ensure you carefully go through each of the features so as to make a choice that best suits your needs.
Fellowes Powershred 225i
Fellowes is one of the trusted brands in the market today when it comes to the production of shredding machines. The Fellowes Powershred 225i Jam Proof 20-Sheet Strip-Cut Commercial Grade Paper Shredder is designed to destroy documents that are not too confidential. They also come with a lot of features that’ll make your shredding operation fast and easy. The Powershred 225i is not a cheap paper shredder comparing to other models, but that is because it can handle more operations. Fellowes describes it as a commercial shredder and that is what it really is.
The machine has an ability to swallow up a whopping 20 sheets at once, and continuous runtime. These are features that are hardly seen on other shredding machines. It instantly makes this unit stand out from its competitors.
A workhorse as this requires a waste bin with sufficient space or else, workers may become frustrated having to always dispose of the shreds. Fellowes provides a 16-gallon capacity waste bin which is just perfect and capable of housing a very large amount of shreds. Since the bin is not transparent, a LED indicator on the machine will come on as soon as the bin is full so that you don’t have to always pull it out to check.
Features
The first and foremost feature is its advanced jam prevention technology. Machines that deal with a lot of papers have the tendency to experience jams at some points and this can be very frustrating. In order to avoid wasting time leaving your duty post to attend to paper jams, the Powershred 225I has three advanced levels of jam protection. The first level involves a sensor whose job is to detect overfeeding by sensing the overall paper thickness and preventing the machine from running. The second level involves the machine increasing its power output so that it can destroy papers that fold or wrinkle while in the machine.
It is also fitted with an auto-reverse function whose job is to reverse the motion of the paper thereby clearing jams, before carrying ahead with its normal forward motion. The third and final level saves time and maximizes productivity by giving you instant feedback on the sheet capacity as you feed it into the machine.
Silent and energy efficient
Gone are the days when shredders operate noisily and the occupants of an office have to cope with such annoying noise. With Fellowes Powershred, you get smooth and silent operation; thanks to the ultra-quiet SilentShred™ technology. You can now have your shredder operating directly beside your desk and remain focused on your job like it’s just you and your computer in the office.
Paying heavily for energy bills could impact the profit being made by a company. For that reason, it is best to purchase machines that are energy efficient. The 225i is a machine that is efficient in all aspects. As much as it can destroy huge amounts of paper in a day, it is also energy efficient. The efficiency doesn’t only come when the machine is out of use. When in use, its performance is such that it requires only a minimal amount of to shred. When out of use, it goes into standby mode, and possible sleep mode after a while of idleness.
Safety and Durability
Safety is extremely essential when it comes to mechanical machines. The Powershred 225I is designed to take both the safety of the machine and your personal safety into consideration while in operation. To that effect, a safety sensor is fitted around the paper entry of the machine. Its job is to automatically disable the shredder if it senses fingers around that area.
Another feature that must not be forgotten is the high-grade materials with which the machine is constructed. The 225i has solid steel cutters, a powerful motor, solid plastic, and other authentic parts designed such that their competitors are easily outperformed. Apart from the ability to shred papers, this unit is also capable of strip cutting CDs, DVDs, credit cards, paper clips, and even staples.
AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Strip-Cut Shredder
The AmazonBasics 8-Sheet Strip-Cut Paper CD and Credit Card Shredder is a low budget machine designed to handle small to medium range disposal tasks. It comes with two openings:
- one for feeding 8 sheets of paper at once for shredding
- the other for feeding credit card and compact discs for destruction
Papers fed into the machine are generally cut into 1/4 inches strips at a rate of 9.84 feet per minute. Although not very secure, you wouldn’t expect more from a strip-cut shredding machine. The following are some more features you could enjoy from purchasing this low-budget machine.
The AmazonBasics 8 sheet shredding machine is capable of safeguarding your identity by destroying confidential documents such as:
- bills
- bank statements
- mortgage statements
- insurance packets
- pay stubs
- ATM receipts
- junk mails
The machine is best used for documents that are rendered useless once tampered with in any form. If on the other hand, the document is such that it contains vital information that you don’t want in the wrong hands, purchasing a micro-cut shredder would be your best option. As long as confidentiality is not an issue, this strip-cut shredding machine could be the best shredder you have ever come across. It is affordable, fast, durable, and reliable.
Features
The machine can be set to operate automatically such that it springs into action as soon as its sensor detects any material that needs to be shredded. Shreds drop directly into the 3.2-gallon capacity bin just below the machine. The bin is not very large, but for a low budget machine designed for small to medium disposal tasks, it is just ideal.
Another feature that is very important for shredding machines is the manual reverse function. Paper jams can be very frustrating especially when you have your hands filled with office work. The manual reverse function on this unit automatically clears paper jams by reversing the normal motion of the papers in the machine. Then the squeezed areas can be straightened out. The forward motion automatically resumes after the jam is cleared thereby completing a smooth shredding operation.
The auto-start and auto-stop feature do much more than automatically turning on the machine when it senses paper input. The machine is able to run continuously for two minutes. Then the motor will have to cool down to prevent overheating. The auto start/stop function ensures that this resting rule is obeyed by automatically turning off the machine after running for two minutes in order to protect the motor. The rest time is 15 minutes after which the machine can once again operate continuously for another 2 minutes.
Just as earlier stated, this machine is the cheapest paper shredder (or at least one of them) but an efficient one. Designed for small business or home office. It has dimensions of 12.99 x 12.8 x 6.5 inches and weighs 6.2 pounds only. It can therefore fit conveniently under your desk enabling you to carry out your shredding operation without getting up from your chair.
Aurora AS810SD 8-Sheet Strip-Cut Shredder
The Aurora AS810SD Strip-cut Paper CD and Credit Card Shredder Basket is another low budget shredding machine designed to destroy important documents for you. It’s an ideal choice for light-duty shredding at your office or home. It can effectively cut full-sized A4 or letter sheets into 1/4 inch strips. Thereby putting your important documents beyond the reach of impersonators and other unwanted persons.
The machine is designed with extra-sharp durable steel cutters capable of destroying 8 sheets of paper at once. It is also capable of destroying tougher items such as credit cards, CDs, DVDs, pins, and staples. The machine has a 4.5-gallon waste bin. That is just ideal and capable of holding a good amount of shreds before disposal. An estimate shows that the bin will comfortably collect 100 sheets of shredded A4 papers.
Its dimensions are 13 x 12.8 x 6.5 inches and a weight of 7.2 Lbs. It can therefore fit perfectly under your desk for easy access whenever you need to shred. Its lightweight feature also improves its portability allowing you to switch positions at will. You may choose to make it your personal companion by taking it home whenever you need to shred at home. Then you bring it back to the office whenever you need to shred there.
Features
The auto-start/stop feature on the machine enables it to turn off or on under various conditions. In an event that the machine is overfed with papers, it automatically turns off until the appropriate amount of paper is fed. It also has an overheat protection sensor which senses excessive heat on the motor as a result of continuous usage. The information is relayed to the auto-start/stop switch which then turns off the machine. That allows it to cool down for some time before it becomes ready for the next batch of operations.
Another function that is very important in shredding machines is the manual reverse feature. It helps protect against paper jams by automatically smoothening rough papers in the machine. So the shredding operation always goes through uninterrupted. This would save you a lot of time at home or in the office.
Noise is usually an issue in most offices and even at home. The AS810SD is designed to be silent. You can effectively proceed with your office work even while the machine is operational. The fact that the machine is small, coupled with its silent nature means you can place it directly under your desk. It will not interrupt your office work in any way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
So there you have it! Three of the best strip-cut paper shredders you’ll come across in the market today. If your office is a very busy one and the shredder located centrally, the Fellowes Powershred 225i is unarguably your best option. This is because workers may have to queue up to perform their shredding operations in companies having medium or small-sized shredders centrally located. A situation like this is not only unprofessional but also leads to unproductivity.
If on the other hand, you need a machine just for light office shredding or home use, the AmazonBasics 8 sheet strip-cut shredder is a great machine. It is extremely cheap, silent, and portable. The Aurora AS810SD is just as good as AmazonBasics but has just one-sixth of the customer reviews the latter boasts of. This proves that AmazonBasics is preferred by customers and is definitely the best strip-cut shredder on the market. Below you can find the strip cut paper shredders’ best prices on Amazon.
Leave a Reply