Top 12 Best Paper Shredders You Can Buy Right Now!

Emily Kelley
  May 4, 2023 10:57 AM

Paper shredders are indispensable for any office, especially when we have to work regularly with sensitive information.

Using specialized destruction devices will help you minimize the risk of accidentally disclosing information to a third party.

There are many products with different designs and types on the market. If you don't know which is the suitable device, the complete guide to buying the best paper shredders below is for you. Dig into it now!

Top 12 Best Paper Shredders You Can Buy Right Now!
How to choose the best paper shredder? Immediately read the full instructions below to understand a few tips to consider before picking one.. Image source: Amazon.com

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Buying Guides

Here are some notes on the factors we need to pay attention to when choosing a paper shredder. To make the best decisions, you should carefully consider the information I am about to provide below.

Size

Manufacturers provide many size options for us to consider and choose for many different purposes freely.

The size and performance of paper shredders are often closely related. The best product is not always the most excellent product. Instead, choosing a suitable size device will bring more benefits.

size of paper shredder for home office

If the need for use is only at the individual level or on a small scale from 2 to 3 people, then small machines will be most suitable for you. A product with a large size will bring the highest efficiency when a large number of users use it.

Cut Type

The more complex the cut, the greater the security of the document.

To choose the most suitable cutting style, we need to base on your wishes and the importance of the information contained in the paper.

cut type paper shredder

Spam and useless documents will usually only need us to cut long threads to hide a small amount of sensitive information inside. 

Some papers that involve a lot of personal data will need more than one cutout. 

Finally, the paper samples containing confidential information will become thousands of pieces so as not to reveal the secret.

Speed

The simpler the slicing, the faster it takes to process a page of data. Conversely, the longer the machine runs when the slicing patterns are more complex.

speed of shredder

When using a cutter, you have to choose between speed and security. To make the best decision, we need to consider which elements will be more critical.

Noise Levels

High-efficiency machines will also become much louder when compared to lower power devices. If you don't want the annoying sounds to affect you, you must consider using lower-performance machines.

Security

The safety scale has seven levels corresponding to the ability that others can extract information from the document you have just destroyed.

At levels 1-2, devices will only provide low cutting capacity to process documents most simply quickly.

With levels 3-5, the papers will be challenging to reassemble due to the complexity of the cuts.

However, if there are skills, crooks can still exploit information from the machine's debris at levels 3-5.

hight security level

6-7 will be the two levels commonly seen when we destroy top-secret documents. Even recognizing the machine's debris after being discharged is already a challenge. So, recovering information after destruction is impossible.

Power Saving

Paper shredders with high performance will consume more electricity. You need to choose products with Power Saving functions to reduce this consumption.

In addition, smaller models also need functionality for users to control and optimize the device's power usage.

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Quick Comparison

1
BONSEN Paper Shredder, 18-Sheet 30 Mins Nonstop Heavy Duty Paper Shredder for Office, 52dB Ultra Quiet Cross-Cut Shredder with 6.6 Gals Basket, Anti-Jam CD and Credit Shredder for Home Office (S3104)
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    9.9
  • Brand
    BONSEN
2
Bonsaii 16-Sheet Paper Shredder for Office, 40-Minute Home Office Heavy Duty Shredder, Crosscut Shredders for CD, Credit Card, Mails, Staple, Clip, with 4 Casters & 5.3 Gal Pullout Basket (C267-A)
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    9.6
  • Brand
    bonsaii
3
Fellowes AutoMax Micro-Cut 100M Commercial Office Auto Feed 2-in-Paper Shredder with 100-Sheet Capacity
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    9.5
  • Brand
    Fellowes
4
Bonsaii Home Office Paper Shredder, 12-Sheet 40-Minute High Security Micro Cut Shredder for CD/Card/Staple/Clip, Jam-Free Quiet Heavy Duty Shredder with 5.5 Gal Big Pullout Bin, C267-B
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    9.4
  • Brand
    bonsaii
5
Aurora Professional Grade 14-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper and CD/Credit Card Shredder/ 30 Minutes Continuous Run Time (AU1410MA)
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    8.6
  • Brand
    Aurora
6
Aurora Commercial Grade 200-Sheet Auto Feed High Security Micro-Cut Paper Shredder/ 60 Minutes/ Security Level P-5
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    9.4
  • Brand
    Aurora
7
Amazon Basics 8-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Shredder with Pullout Basket
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    8.4
  • Brand
    Amazon Basics
8
bonsaii 18-Sheet Heavy Duty EverShred C149-C Cross-Cut Paper and Credit Card Shredder 60 Minutes Running Time, 6 Gallon Pullout Basket and 4 Casters, Black
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    8.7
  • Brand
    bonsaii
9
Bonsaii Paper Shredder, 20-Sheet Cross-Cut 20-Minutes Paper Shredder for Office with 6.6 Gal Basket & 4 Casters for Credit Cards/Staples/Clips(C222-A)
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    9.1
  • Brand
    bonsaii
10
Aurora High-Security 8-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper, CD/DVD and Credit Card Shredder, White/Gray
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    8.9
  • Brand
    Aurora
11
BONSEN Heavy Duty Paper Shredder, 24-Sheet Cross-Cut Shredder, 40-Min Continuous Running Time, Commercial Grade Shredder for Office, 9-Gallon Big Basket, 55dB Super Quiet, P-4 High Security (S3105)
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    8.9
  • Brand
    BONSEN
12
Aurora AU1210MA Professional Grade High Security 12-Sheet Micro-Cut Paper/CD and Credit Card/ 60 Minutes Continuous Run Time Shredder
  • Mt Score

    Mt Score is a product scoring system we created based on evaluation data of industry experts and customers. Product rating system from 0 to 10, this score is evaluated independently and is not influenced by the manufacturer. Learn more

    8.5
  • Brand
    Aurora

Last update on 2024-10-15 / Affiliate links / Images, Product Titles, and Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API

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Types of Paper Shredder

Each manufacturer may give their devices different names or classify them into many specialized models. But there are only six main types of paper shredders.

You can group all the products on the market into one of these six models:

Strip-cut

The strip shredder, a straight cut or tape shredder, is one of the most popular Paper Shredder products.

It is not too difficult for you to find every Strip-cut product on the market because the machine's reasonably simple structure makes the price we have to spend to own is not high.

strip cut

Strip-cut paper shredder uses only a single blade to cut documents of all paper formats into long vertical fibers. With a simple operating process, the tape shredder has a relatively fast action time and does not require many operations.

However, the contents after destruction can still be reassembled into an original document because the machine is not capable of erasing the ink on the paper.

You can also equip yourself with a product of this type to destroy spam or damaged documents.

Cross-cut

Cross-cut is a completely upgraded version of Strip-cut because this line of equipment allows users to cut in two different directions.

Instead of just a simple vertical line, the cross-cut shredder cuts important documents by two diagonal lines to create more shreds.

 

You will find it difficult to restore the original state of the information from this debris. That is the ability to enhance the security of these devices.

According to reports, at least 400 different pieces of paper are the number that cross-cut products like Fellowes Powershred 99Ci can produce.

Cross-Cut Paper Shredder

Cross-cut shredders often operate with high intensity when working from both sides of the paper, so damage conditions are also more frequent.

To keep the equipment in the best shape, you will need to maintain it and limit the equipment overload periodically.

Micro-cut

This style comes with more modern technology than some other basic designs. 

With a modern texture inside, it can cut a single sheet of paper into a large amount of small-sized debris.

Every sheet of paper will become tiny pieces after going through a series of processes inside the device. These fragments are hardly visible to the naked eye.

When even recognition becomes difficult, reading the text above the paper after going through versions like the Woolsche 6-Sheet will be impossible.

Sheet Micro Cut Shredder, Shredders for Home Office

Like the Cross-cut shredder, the Micro-cut operates at high performance, so regular maintenance of the internal structures is essential.

This type is also relatively slow because it performs the destruct operation repeatedly to wipe out any remaining content.

Auto-feed

Auto-feed is a paper shredder product capable of automatically operating to process documents that we no longer need.

You can save a lot of time and effort thanks to the automatic operation. We need to set up, put the paper to be destroyed, and wait until the machine cleans up.

With this convenience, it is not difficult to understand that many units love Auto-feed. The ability to feed is also a factor in the quality of this product. 

It can perfectly handle the number of documents up to hundreds of sheets.

The specific number here is about 100 to 500 sheets/time, depending on the device. Many also have a manual paper flow so you can quickly load more documents to be destroyed.

Continuous duty

Continuous duty is the most suitable product for companies or organizations that need to continuously process large amounts of documents, thanks to its unique construction.

The paper shredder will only work for about 15-30 minutes before needing a break to cool down. But with Continuous duty, you can efficiently operate continuously for a long time.

As a result, the user will no longer have to be constantly at the device because the destruction time is shortened.

Large trash cans and enormous document compartments are also accompanying this high-performance device. All the components must maintain cutting operation even when the paper quantity is too much.

Another benefit that the device gives you is to reduce not only the time but also the effort required to operate or clean.

Although it can operate continuously for a long time, you still need regular maintenance and oiling for the smoothest operation.

Industrial

Industrial is the common name for industrial paper shredders characterized by their large size, awe-inspiring performance, and high prices.

It will be difficult for you to find an industrial version because of its large size and high price. Instead, government agencies or factories are the best places to put these complex paper-cutting systems.

Q&A

How long should you keep bills before shredding them?

3 years is a good time for you to keep your receipts before sending them to the shredder.

Should I shred mail with my address?

Instead of destroying all the messages that you consider unnecessary, there is still a better option for you to consider.

By sending it back to the sender, we can eliminate the risk of information leakage without worrying about needing to use a circuit breaker.

Should you shred photos?

There is no reason to keep old photos instead of destroying them all if you feel these photos are not necessary.

Conclusion

It is not easy to buy a suitable paper shredder model on the market. However, you can choose some quality products like Bonsaii 6-Sheet Cross-Cut or Amazon Basics 8-Sheet Strip-Cut.

With this article's information, I am sure that you will gain valuable knowledge and make a choice easier.

Thank you for taking the time to read the post!