Good price
Securely shreds paper, optical discs, and credit cards
Decent collection bin capacity
Quiet operation
Slower than some competing models
Longer than average cooldown period between sessions
Viewport on the bin is difficult to see through
Design
Setup Process
Performance
Bin Size and Handling
Noise
Price
Competition
Final Verdict
Specs
Design: Unimpressive to look at, but easy to use
If you do need to pick the shredder up, it has convenient handholds placed on the sides. On the front, you’ll find a small viewport that allows you to see how full the bin is without removing it. The port is difficult to see when the unit is on the floor, but it is a nice touch.
The controls consist of a single switch with three positions: Off, Automatic Feed, and Reverse. Indicator lights up top show when the unit is ready to use, overheated, or if the bin isn’t properly inserted.
Paper, credit cards, and optical discs are all inserted through the same slot at the top of the unit. Since the same shredding mechanism handles everything, your credit cards and optical discs receive the same micro-cut treatment as your documents. That means this shredder is a more secure method of disposing of credit cards than shredders that use a strip or cross-cut shredding method.
Setup Process: Virtually no setup required
Performance: Modest duty cycle, decent speed, and great security
In addition to paper, the shredder is also designed to shred credit cards and optical discs. When you shred a credit card or optical disc with this shredder, you place it into the same feed slot, and the same shredding mechanism, that handles paper. That means credit cards are reduced to tiny chunks, to the point where it’s highly unlikely that anyone will be able to identify your personal information.
In terms of shred size, it’s a micro-cut shredder, which means the particles it generates are smaller than your typical cross-cut unit. The paper basically looks like confetti and is impossible to piece back together. The shreds are still on the larger end of the spectrum for a micro-cut unit, at 5/32-inches wide and 15/32-inches long, but it’s still a really good level of security for the price. Overall, the shredder fails to impress in terms of duty cycle and speed, but it works well enough for home, home office, and light small office use.
Since the same shredding mechanism handles everything, your credit cards and optical discs receive the same micro-cut treatment as your documents.
Bin Size and Handling: Large collection bin boosted by tiny shred size
The shredder has a decently-sized 6.7-gallon collection bin that’s big enough you won’t have to stop in the middle of a job to empty it. Even if you manage to feed it constantly for a full eight-minute run cycle, you’ll still have space left in the roomy collection bin. The tiny shreds generated by this unit are able to settle in quite compactly, and gently shaking it back and forth on its casters can help them settle even further.
The bin itself is very easy to operate with one hand. It clicks in place for safety, but it’s still quite easy to pop it out even without bracing the unit with your other hand. Once out, the bin can get a little heavy if you’ve managed to fill it all the way to the top, so be careful not to drop it.
Even if you manage to feed it constantly for a full eight-minute run cycle, you’ll still have space left in the roomy collection bin.
Noise: Surprisingly quiet for a micro-cut shredder
Using a sound meter, we measured the shredder’s noise output at 66 decibels, which was pretty close to the similarly priced Swingline Prostyle+ that we also tested. This might seem loud, but the sound generated by this shredder is deep and muffled, so in actual usage, it seems quieter than measurements would indicate.
Price: Excellent value for what you get
It’s hard to find a shredder that can match it in terms of security at a similar price point.
Interested in other options? Read through our list of the best paper shredders available now.
Secure option for shredding sensitive documents, optical discs, and credit cards.
