
That's when retailers sell the most shredders and often put them on sale. The best time to buy a shredder is from fall through spring tax season. Models with drawers were also easier to empty. Note that wastepaper-basket shredders, which lack drawers, tended to be top-heavy, making them more prone to tipping over. All tested models are designed with a slat that should be too small for children's fingers to get caught.

We didn't find serious safety hazards with any of the tested shredders during testing. Some machines, including the GoEcoLife GXC120Ti ($200) and the Staples SPL-TXC10A ($100), lack a window but have an indicator light that lets you know when the drawer is full.
#Mailmate shredders full
It lets you stack up to 100 sheets on an interior shelf and then slowly shreds while you attend to other tasks.īecause you'll want to keep tabs on the shredded paper so that the bin doesn't get too full and possibly interfere with the shredding, look for a machine with a window for monitoring the shredded buildup. If you frequently shred large piles of paper, consider a model like the Swingline EX100-07 Stack and Shred ($225). You won't have to turn the shredder on and off as you work. This feature lets you keep the shredder at the ready, without the noisy motor running, until you insert papers and other items. If you'll shred papers only occasionally, say when you sort through your monthly bills, consider a model with an "auto" button. If you store your annual tax records or other important documents on data discs, make sure you choose a model that can handle them. One desktop model that we tested but which is discontinued easily handled credit cards, discs, and staples.

Keep in mind that this type might shred more slowly, and you might need to empty it more frequently than larger, more-expensive machines.

You can also find desktop models, which have a smaller footprint. They are 20 to 25 inches tall, which means that they can store more waste between emptying. If you have the room, consider one of our recommended models. Here are some other points to consider when choosing a shredder. They were also among the most expensive units we tested, costing $150 to $270. The four recommended models-one each from Black & Decker and GoEcoLife, and two from Staples-in our Ratings of shredders proved to be easy to operate, shredded paper faster than the others, had fewer paper jams, and required less frequent emptying. The shredders designed to deal with CDs, DVDs, paper clips, and staples capably shredded those items, too. All the shredders met the manufacturer's claims about how many sheets you can feed at one time, and they all successfully handled credit cards. Half the paper was 20-pound stock, and the rest was thinner paper printed with color photographs.

Our testers fed the shredders about 25,000 sheets of paper left over from a recent printer test. With a pull-out console model, you empty the device by pulling out a drawer that collects the shreds with a wastepaper-basket shredder, you lift the shredder mechanism off of a basket that holds the shreds. We tested 19 cross-cut shredders in two types.
#Mailmate shredders Patch
And unless you want to spend the time dealing with the documents by hand or pay a company to do it for you, the most effective tool is a cross-cut shredder, which slices papers horizontally and vertically and turns your documents into small bits and pieces that are much more difficult to patch back together than the long, thin strips other shredders produce. We've long recommended that you shred important documents before you dispose of them, especially if they contain vital personal information that identity thieves can use. In an era when high-tech scammers are targeting your credit-card information, Social Security number, and other personal data, it's just as important not to be lax with your paper documents.
